On today’s BradCast on Pacifica Radio’s KPFK here in Los Angeles, I picked up on all that’s transpired over the last several days in the Wisconsin recall mess, as reported at The BRAD BLOG of late, including yesterday’s late-night concerns about our old friend Kathy Nickolaus, the GOP activist and County Clerk of Waukesha County which played a key role in last night’s drama and reported results.
Other links of note, as quickly referenced during the show, the blocking of exit polls (only) in Waukesha yesterday, the miselading absentee mailers from the Kochs’ Americans for Prosperity and the Kochs’ AFP front group front man in WI.
After an opening rant or three, my guest, straight from Wisconsin, was former Green Party chair Ben Manski of LibertyTreeFDR.org, MoveToAmend.org, WisconsinWave.org and DemocracyConvention.org on what happened yesterday in the Badger State and how to move the democracy ball forward in the future against the enormous forces working to crush it (even more than they already have.)
As discussed, democracy is now under direct assault, very generally, in at least three and seemingly insurmountable areas:
- Access to the polls (Photo ID restrictions, etc.)
- Overseeing tabulation of votes (E-voting issues)
- Corporate control (Citizens United and the obscene flood of corporate $ bastardizing the entire electoral/democratic system)
Luckily, we were able to solve all three of those issues in 28 minutes of commercial-free radio, the archive of which follows below for your listening pleasure…
Download MP3, or listen online below…
[audio:http://bradblog.com/audio/KPFK_BradFriedman_BenManski_WIRecalls_081011.mp3]
P.S. I’ll be live on Stephanie Miller’s show tomorrow (Thursday) at 8am PT, and then on Ed Schultz radio show at 10am PT. Tune in if you’re inclined!
Don’t forget Brad that Citizens United also applies to unions. Estimates are as high as $35 million out of state union dollars poured into Wisconsin for a state recall election. That is a staggering number my friend.
Nice coverage btw, thanks for all your efforts Brad.
WingnutSteve said @ 1:
I concur. Your point is?
BTW, the estimates are that $35 million in out of state money (not union dollars) poured into WI, from anonymously corporate-funded PACs donations and from non-anonymous unions. If you have evidence to the contrary, please feel free to share it.
Speaking of requesting evidence to support you claims, I just requested same here.
I wish I could say “my pleasure.” But thank you.
My point is that every time I see you refer to Citizens United it invariably refers to “Corporate control” or some other ominous words derogatory towards corporations. Those of the “progressive persuasion” always seem to conveniently forget that Citizens United gives the same rights to unions as they do to corporations. That was my point, nothing more nothing less.
Those of the “WingNutSteve persuasion” always seem to conveniently forget that unions are democratic institutions, where the members actually get to vote on where their donations are going. So no, it’s NOT the same rights because there is NO power of the vote behind corporate donations and as Brad pointed out, unions can NOT do it anonymously.
Wisconsin continues to make US proud with no fanfare.
Thank you Wisconsin, and to Brad for the great coverage!
Citizens United bestows the same rights to Unions as it does to Corporations. You could look it up.
WingNutSteve said @ 3:
Yes. It also gives the same rights to me as it does Walmart. Each of us can spend as much “free speech” as we want, for or against any candidate or initiative on the ballot. Any idea which of us has more “free speech” to spend in such an endeavor? Any idea whose “speech” will win any particular argument, Walmart’s or mine?
Now ask yourself the same question about Unions v. Corporations. Any guess as to who has more “free speech” to spend between those two collective bodies?
Moreoever, as ProgressiveMews above correctly educated you, there is accountability to members of the unions as to where money is spent, and who their leadership is who spends it.
A union could try (but wouldn’t succeed) in giving millions of dollars to a PAC anonymously, because they have to be transparent to their members about what they spend and where.
Corporations, on the other hand, do not need to do so. Their stockholders and/or customers need never know where they have spent millions of dollars to defeat or support a candidate or ballot initiative, and neither will either the candidate nor the public, if the corporation so chooses.
That you choose not to see the difference between a corporation and a union speaks either to your lack of education here, or your lack of interest in understanding these basic, indisputable facts. I suspect those of your “political persuasion” would prefer to choose not to understand these things. Likely makes sleeping at night a bit easier, if able to ignore the fact that corporations (non-persons) have been allowed to abuse the Constitution for their one and only interest (fiduciary duty): maximizing profits. No doubt, that was precisely what the founders had in mind when they wrote the Constitution envisioning a government of the corporations, by the corporations and for the corporations.
Right?
You sir are wrong. I believe that all elections should be 100% publicly funded with no money allowed from corporations or unions or any other interest group. PACS and their sleazy attack ads, phoney mailers, etc should all be outlawed. In fact, I don’t think you or I should be able to donate money to candidates either. Because if corporations or unions or other interest groups couldn’t donate they’d find a way to do it through their employees or organization members. *pssst, donate $1000 to candidate X and we’ll give you ten free vacation days. or, donate three months dues to candidate y and we’ll count it as six months dues*.
As to the unions, we’re just now finding out who “Californians Against Identity Theft” is, the group who has been running ads telling people if they sign political petitions they’re going to get their identity stolen. Nothing more than a front group for a couple of trade unions who don’t want people to sign initiative petitions. I wonder when they had the union vote to form that PAC? And whether their customers had knowledge of it? And do you honestly believe corporations don’t have to account for their money to their shareholders? You’re letting your ideology cloud your common sense.
I made a point. It’s a valid point.
Hi Brad, I missed you on both Stephanie and Ed’s show..How were you received by Ed? As I believe I have mentioned here before, Ed basically hung up on me when I called in to ask him to address the problems with voting machines… I have also called and emailed him asking that he have you on as a regular guest.I rarely watch or listen to Ed anymore.
I am also sick to death of the Democratic Party, Pres.Obama and his corrupt DOJ.
Great job both here and on Stephanie Miller this a.m., Brad.
WNS. The core problem with Citizens United is that it permits money rather than the quality of an idea to determine the outcome of elections.
It is utterly disingenuous to compare ability to purchase paid for political ads (aka paid for propaganda) of unions and corporations given the gaping disparity of wealth between the two.
It is ironic that you bring up unions, since the recall, itself, was a response to a corporate assault on the right of individuals to engage in collective bargaining — a process that would further atomize the electorate, leaving individuals virtually powerless in the face of corporate wealth and power.
Moreover, corporations own and control the media and 95% of what the American people see, hear and read.
I am not a fan of union or progressive purchased ads because they only serve to further the wealth disparity gap. Every election transfers wealth from ordinary citizens to media conglomerates.
For a more extended analysis, please review my earlier piece, Citizens United: A Case Which Will Live in Infamy.
There are more assaults on democracy that we can shake a stick at.
From within democracy and from the military.
I noted the dialogue between WingNutSteve and Brad, upthread, so note that the corporations are like the military, not democratically controlled by votes of the citizenry, like unions are.
Dredd: When it comes to the military-industrial complex, it is difficult to determine where corporations end and the military begins.
When $$$$$ Equals Speech
“Luckily, we were able to solve all three of those issues in 28 minutes of commercial-free radio, the archive of which follows below for your listening pleasure…”
LOL! Nice to see that you haven’t lost your sense of humor in these sorely undemocratic times. You’re a national treasure, Brad!
“Luckily, we were able to solve all three of those issues in 28 minutes of commercial-free radio, the archive of which follows below for your listening pleasure…
LOL! Nice to see that you haven’t lost your sense of humor during these sorely undemocratic times. You’re a national treasure, Brad!!
Hi Brad. I wanted to pass on this link to the Election Defense Alliance’s website that features their comparison of vote counts in the 14th and 8th WI Senate districts and THEIR exit polling in those districts.
http://electiondefensealliance.org/
The 8th district results do not include Waukesha county but DO include Shorewood, Menomenee Falls and Butler. The trends and totals I think are significant and show a clear 8-16.5% difference in those vore counts in favor of Republican candidates.