Breaking bread over Wisconsin's political divide
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — One week after Wisconsin's governor fought off a Democratic-led attempt to recall him from office, Scott Walker will try to mend some fences by hosting state lawmakers from both parties for a cookout.
Walker's tenure as governor has been marked by bitter partisanship, with all 14 Senate Democrats fleeing the state for three weeks last year in a futile attempt to stop Republicans from passing the governor's bill eliminating most public workers' collective bargaining rights.
Whether a brat, burger or beer will sooth that partisanship remains to be seen. But, Walker thinks it could help.
So far, 98 lawmakers, including 37 Democrats, 60 Republicans and one independent plan to attend the barbecue at the governor's mansion, as well as 236 staff. Walker says he'll be manning the grill.


Jun 14, 2012 at 9:16 p.m.
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Yada great link and comments from the rest of the US for fed kay and the corrupt lovers to read, but you know they won't, love their kool aid to much!
Jun 14, 2012 at 7:11 a.m.
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You love it!
Jun 13, 2012 at 9:52 a.m.
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Aww Ga, how can I be friendless when you give me so much attention? However, when you try to bring me down with hurtful words, like all liberalism we can say it together.. FAIL
Jun 13, 2012 at 7:02 a.m.
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When the radical left come out to play, they don't play nice as usual.
Good American, you should be ashamed for your pathetic display of what you think is your own intelligence.
It is apparent to all of us that you only have hate in your immature heart.
You should be the one to come up for air and take a cue from the brat summit. I've never seen more site removals then what you have which tells me all I need to know about you.
Jun 12, 2012 at 7:20 p.m.
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jmartin, I couldn't agree more. That is what we are tired of and brought the silent majority out in full force. We aren't going anywhere either. We stand by and wait.
Our next mission is November.
Jun 12, 2012 at 7:17 p.m.
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Good American, don't bring my name into your hateful rhetoric. You sir were the instigator in the personal attack display and a site removal.
We had 16 months of left wing hate. Why don't you give it a rest for once.
Jun 12, 2012 at 6:50 p.m.
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hahahah...KAYSBREWski -- Even your buddy NASS is protesting it...hahahahahah...
Walker will be__________________(take a guess)
http://bobcesca.com/blog-archives/2012/0...
Jun 12, 2012 at 6:10 p.m.
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Just keep up the protesting and constant complaining, soon you liberals will not be able to win anything.
Jun 12, 2012 at 5:41 p.m.
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I'm actually not at all surprised that so many Wisconsinites pin their hopes on this "summit" and feel that having our elected officials imbibe alcohol and eat ground up animals encased in animal intestines is somehow going to help our legislative process.
Jun 12, 2012 at 5:30 p.m.
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Big Labor Protests Bipartisan Picnic
http://youtu.be/xgT-SfSVXvY
Jun 12, 2012 at 5:19 p.m.
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Yet you still try to pedal your minority status as if we care.
It's still America and thank GOD you have the right to still do that.
You are a special and smart person. You're one of the "smart" people.
Jun 12, 2012 at 5:17 p.m.
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GA and yet you can't resist telling my how dumb and friendless I am. hahaahah
It's a liberal thing I know. I'm used to the war on conservative women.
I'm just thrilled to see you lose and lash out at me. I've missed you guys. You're so predictable.
Jun 12, 2012 at 5:10 p.m.
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OR GA, a shallow mind forgets he just got his butt kicked at the polls last week and comes on here thinking his comments mean anything to the majority of Wisconsin voters.
Jun 12, 2012 at 5:10 p.m.
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Some of you folks would have had a real problem with the people at Concord and Boston Harbor, they were in the minority at the time, but attitudes do change. Nothing lasts forever.
Jun 12, 2012 at 5:08 p.m.
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If you're so smart, why do you keep arguing with me??? hahahhaah
Shooting fish in a barrell..
Jun 12, 2012 at 5:06 p.m.
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GA, again, nice try. Walker was it for you guys, you were all in and you lost. This wasn't just any ordinary election. No no my friend, you lost the big one!
Jun 12, 2012 at 5:04 p.m.
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smart enough to kick your sorry behind at the polls.
Jun 12, 2012 at 5 p.m.
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Oh, insulting my spelling. hahahaha
Too easy!
Jun 12, 2012 at 4:58 p.m.
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GA hhahaahah - nice try at a lame insult.
Still makes you a minority voter. Your brain needs that rest to keep up with majority ideas and thoughts. I understand. Your head must have been spinning for that week.
Jun 12, 2012 at 4:55 p.m.
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GA and Emperior fettish. hahahahaha
And we even over powered the fraud by the left.
Outstanding!
Jun 12, 2012 at 4:49 p.m.
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Good American
Was this a coordinated effort by you and your lib pals to wait a week? Minority voter status doesn't expire after a week.
Bigger victory then in 2010!
Jun 12, 2012 at 4:49 p.m.
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If you have a Facebook account you can see the photo...
https://www.facebook.com/MacIverInstitut...
Jun 12, 2012 at 4:46 p.m.
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Continued - Part II of II:
Greedy labor unions deserved outcome of Black Tuesday election
More important, it is intellectually dishonest to implicitly lump private- and public-sector unions together, or to not acknowledge the differences between the two. In the public sector, there is no natural counterweight to labor demands. With union war chests, endorsements and get-out-the-vote efforts serving as one big carrot, the people on the management side of the table — politicians — are incentivized to give the unions what they want. Our former governor, Jon Corzine, illustrated this perfectly when he told a union rally in front of the Statehouse a few years ago: “We will fight for a fair contract!” If Corzine was supposed to be playing “management” on that stage, he was reading from the wrong script.
And unlike private-sector unions, where the continued health of the company is in the best interest of both labor and management, everyone in the public sector is playing with house money. When “profit” isn’t a concern, and instead replaced with higher debt, taxes and fees, the natural inclination is to keep the game going. It’s a game that taxpayers may finally be on to.
There are, of course, plenty of hard-working government employees — police, teachers and firefighters — who signed on to the job expecting their contracts to be honored. Simply put: They were lied to. New Jersey is sitting on roughly $35 billion in unfunded pension liabilities for public-sector workers and another $66 billion for future health-care benefits. There isn’t a “millionaire’s tax” big enough to fill that gap. And the sooner we start addressing that lie, now decades in the making, in an honest manner, the less painful the solution will be. Utah recently replaced its defined benefit plans with 401(k)s that both save taxpayer money and are portable for the employees, should they leave the public sector.
If there are lessons to draw from the battle in Wisconsin, the first is that greed, as Big Labor’s vitriolic reaction proved, is not a commodity exclusive to Wall Street or the “1 percent.” The second is that reform is indeed possible. But it won’t be easy.
Jun 12, 2012 at 4:46 p.m.
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lovemycountry
Jun 12, 2012 at 4:41 p.m.
Union boss Marty Beil and others are actually protesting the brat summit !
Hahahahaha, liberals protesting a party. They really have lost it haven't they?
This sure has been fun!!!!
Jun 12, 2012 at 4:45 p.m.
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Greedy labor unions deserved outcome of Black Tuesday election
June 10, 2012 by M. Bastian
It was Black Tuesday for public-sector unions last week. In Wisconsin, Gov. Scott Walker prevailed over Tom Barrett in a bitter recall election; in California, the cities of San Jose and San Diego approved, by wide margins, ballot initiatives that reformed pension benefits for municipal workers. As the economy continues to sputter and ailing local budgets feel the strain, voters across the country are starting to pay closer attention to the deals municipal and state workers have struck for themselves over the years.
They are the types of deals that allow bus drivers in Madison to clear $150,000 per year due to generous overtime rules; deals that gave Wisconsin snowplow operators automatic overtime if they were deployed outside the usual day shift, as if blizzards arrive at pre-set hours of the day; deals that permit a city electrician in Chicago to retire with a six-figure pension because the pension is tied, by law, to the salary of any union office he may have held; and, closer to home, deals that have allowed officials such as the head of the Trenton Policemen’s Benevolent Association to earn more than $500,000 in salary and benefits since 2006 for doing union work on the side (a procedure called union release).
These are but a few examples. At a time when budgets are tight and municipalities are contemplating “user fees” to help fund basic services, many government employees are paid extra for either being in a union or, as with the snowplow drivers, simply showing up to work. And as these abuses against the taxpayer are uncovered, local officials can offer but one meek response: “It’s in the contract.”
Mr. Walker’s heresy, of course, was in daring to conclude that when the only good answer is “It’s in the contract,” then the problem is that there was a contract in the first place. He set out to change the bargaining rules, except for salary, and give local school districts more flexibility. The savings, particularly for teacher insurance policies, were almost immediate. Union bosses and liberal pundits, however, quickly pounced, accusing Walker of “waging war” on wage earners, the middle class and workers’ rights. “Unions built the middle class!” was the common refrain.
The claims don’t stand up to scrutiny. With less than 7 percent of the private-sector work force in unions as of 2011, it’s safe to say that the country has a large middle class with careers and workplace safety that owe nothing to collective bargaining. If there is any truth to the claim that unions built the middle class, it is a quaint vestige of the 1950s, when most of the world was still rebuilding from World War II and American manufacturing was the only game in town. Today, in a global economy, forcing Company X to pay higher wages and benefits than Competitor Y only ensures the demise of Company X.
Jun 12, 2012 at 4:42 p.m.
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PanamaRed
Please explain how much power you think Lehman will have when he is in the position (which will last about 3 months), and no sessions are on the agenda. You seem to think his status is on the same level as the governor.
Jun 12, 2012 at 4:41 p.m.
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Wislady is not making this up. Union boss Marty Beil and others are actually protesting the brat summit ! #nottheonion
Jun 12, 2012 at 4:35 p.m.
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Eagle you messed up that would be GOP have no credibility, Get it right....Walker has to do something as his puppets no longer are in charge. 17 to 15 Dems, Get it right.....
Jun 12, 2012 at 4:33 p.m.
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What a stupid retort 916W. Obviously the satire GoodAmerican shared is WAY over your inflated head. Now be a good little Walker underling and espouse all the wonderful ways Walker is leading Wisconsin down the tubes. LAST in job creation is not a theory but a reality in Wisconsin. It’s the stupidity of those blindly following Walker blindly following ALEC that will win us that race to the bottom. Even Republicans are boycotting the Walkers weenie roast, what does that tell you? Walkers grooming himself for bigger and better things at our expense. Reality is a hard concept to grasp in Fitzwalkerstan. 916W is living proof.
Jun 12, 2012 at 4:18 p.m.
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Lefty Radio Host Sly and Union Boss Marty Beil protest outside of the picnic at the Executive Mansion....really classy.
Seriously, when are some of the democrats going to speak up....or do they approve of this behavior?
Jun 12, 2012 at 4:03 p.m.
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"He fancies himself a powerful Emperor, and many Emperors attained their position by poisoning"
What a stupid comment........you must "fancy" yourself an idiot, because that's how such a comment portrays you. If anything, it's a mentality such as this which galvanized Walker's base. Wisconsinites have had enough of the absolutely insane, almost comical if it wasn't so pathetic anti-Walker rhetoric. Keep up the good work Good-American--spread your theories regarding "Emperor" Walker murdering the "opposition" with poisoned brats and/or beer so he is able to ascend to power and take TOTAL control of the state from this website to the next! It's stupidity such as this that brought out support for Walker at an unprecedented rate--so seriously--be a good American and keep it up!:)
Jun 12, 2012 at 3:27 p.m.
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PanamaRed
Why aren't you at the Executive Mansion with the rest of the protesters?
Get over it, you have two years to calm down.
Jun 12, 2012 at 2:40 p.m.
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"...the rhetoric of destroying the middle class and the denying of facts like job numbers or the predictions of massive layoffs and destruction of education if ACT 10 passed..."
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Walkers been as free with his job numbers as Pat Robertson would be handing out tracts at a Wicca convention. The fact remains that we are in LAST PLACE when it comes to job creation. Time will tell if massive layoffs occur OR a precipitous drop in the quality of education results from ACT 10. As far as the middle class goes, according to NPR this morning the middle class has suffered MIGHTILY losing up to 30% of their net worth over the course of our nations recession brought about by tax cuts and war spending. Somehow during the recession net worth of the WEALTHY has risen. I expect to hear Conservatives clamoring for tax hikes any day now since they have DEMANDED no one single class of Americans should contribute LESS than others. The lack of credibility rests on the GOP. Job creators my a$$.
Jun 12, 2012 at 2:33 p.m.
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LMAO you guys are funny, I have some vacation time to burn can I come visit you on your planet?
Jun 12, 2012 at 1:55 p.m.
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It's the stupid Walker CREDIT CARD balance that will mean we PAY MORE later. Even POLITIFACT said that it is TRUE - A credit card to balance the budget. The Walker lies on a balanced budget are a JOKE! Read the truth about the budget.
http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/stat...
Jun 12, 2012 at 1:51 p.m.
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One big point EAGLE--->WALKER HAS NO CREDIBILITY!!! Your statement that Dems. have no credibility is quite silly. Walker may have won our divided stated, but he will make WI a RED STATE. That is why he REFUSED to answer the question during the last debabte. Walker will be charged in the FBI John Doe probe and I expect in the federal probe also. Regarding Nass--> He loses any credibility he may have left over this goofy stunt. If I were Dem - I would NEVER attend a Walker function due to his lack of integrity, etc.
Jun 12, 2012 at 1:19 p.m.
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Panama by credibility I am referring to the rhetoric of destroying the middle class and the denying of facts like job numbers or the predictions of massive layoffs and destruction of education if ACT 10 passed... hmmm none of that happened did it? Yes that is a lack of credibility.
Jun 12, 2012 at 12:43 p.m.
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"If the whole recall circus taught us anything it is that the Democrats generally have no credibility when they open their mouths."
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You're sounding more like a stool pigeon than an Eagle because I know Fitzgerald and Walker were caught talking out of the sides of their mouth during the recall process. By limiting credibility to only what YOU want to hear, you must have missed the "divide and conquer" backtracking OR Walkers backtracking on the job "real" numbers or Walkers excuse for adding thousands of dollars to his defense fund. Gee, all this kind of works against your credibility Eagle.
Jun 12, 2012 at 12:40 p.m.
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Well, it's nice to see that Frances Willard's organization is still keeping a hand (or perhaps a hatchet) in Wisconsin politics. Bar owners beware!
Jun 12, 2012 at 12:38 p.m.
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I'd like brown mustard, onions, sauerkraut on my brat please. Are there any side dishes???? Which way to the half barrel????? Can we use the bathroom in the Gov.'s mansion or will there be porta-potties available???
Jun 12, 2012 at 12:37 p.m.
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5000 members nationwide? I think my wife has more facebook friends than that. and OMG my computer just spell checked facebook. twice.
Jun 12, 2012 at 12:12 p.m.
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Would you characterize WCTU
as a liberal or a conservative group?
Jun 12, 2012 at 11:44 a.m.
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Good grief, does it ever end??
Beer at Walker's brat summit raises ire of WCTU
MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Gov. Scott Walker's plans to serve beer and brats to a bipartisan group of lawmakers has upset the leader of the group that successfully lobbied for Prohibition decades ago.
Women's Christian Temperance Union president Rita Wert said Tuesday that serving beer at the so-called brat summit sets a bad example. She says the problems facing Wisconsin are serious and the judgments of policy makers should not be clouded by alcohol.
The menu calls for beer from four different breweries, including MillerCoors, formerly out of Milwaukee, and Titletown Brewery in Green Bay.
Walker spokesman Cullen Werwie says the governor respectfully disagrees with the WCTU's position.
Wert says the WCTU has about 5,000 members nationwide.
http://www.620wtmj.com/news/local/158589...
Jun 12, 2012 at 11:10 a.m.
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I think yada misses mouse and has taken on her identity. Bless her little heart for still living in her own nightmare.
Jun 12, 2012 at 10:59 a.m.
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Democrats should be happy....the Board of Canvas has said that Lehman has won with 834 votes in District 21. Maybe they will go to the cookout now, since they have a "win".
So, do all the complaints that have been filed get consideration before certification??
Jun 12, 2012 at 10:56 a.m.
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I am surprised to say this but I agree with yada and eagle. I am a Nass supporter but he is making a BIG mistake by this temper tantrum. Like someone else said, put your big boy pants on and grow up! This is Walkers party so just go and make nice. We have complained and complained about the Dems throwing tantrums and acting like children and now this. Wow!
Jun 12, 2012 at 10:46 a.m.
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Dear yada, If you have some real information about our governor, please post. If the best you have is undisclosed sources from liberal rags, you're committing internet abuse.
Jun 12, 2012 at 10:42 a.m.
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You are absolutely right yada, I don't understand this odd little protest just because a Democrat said something over the weekend. If the whole recall circus taught us anything it is that the Democrats generally have no credibility when they open their mouths.
Jun 12, 2012 at 10:18 a.m.
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NASS will not come to Brat Summit as some form of an ODD protest because A Dem. at the Convention said that --> "SCOTT WALKER will see the inside of a jail cell before he sees the inside of another term" - This has to be one of the STRANGEST forms of political protest especially with Walker winning recall. Read the Journal Sentinel account...
http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepoliti...
State & Federal Probe Of Walker information.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/06/03...
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