I received this in my email today and wanted to share it for a couple of reasons. The first is do not get too down or too up, whatever finally happens in the Kloppenburg race. Secondly, Cottage Grove got a mention, and I take some pride in that!
Because of our protesting, calling, writing, knocking on doors and so on:
Of the 3 major races for County Executive, including the race to replace Walker in Milwaukee, all 3 Democrats won by huge margins.
Counties that just last November went heavily Walker, voted for Kloppenburg.
Counties that Prosser would have won with 70% went Kloppenburg.
At least 4 counties in northern Wisconsin, that even Russ Feingold never came close to winning, Kloppenburg lost by fewer then 5%.
Two counties that Feingold never won, went Kloppenburg.
Check the map, south central, south west, west central, and northwestern Wisconsin counties, many of them swing counties, were solid Kloppenburg.
Two recalls have been filed on Republicans.
Three special elections about to happen to replace Assembly seats vacated by Republicans. Democratic challenger looks strong in two.
Koch brothers are now national targets by every progressive group in the country.
Internet and blogosphere are awash with people discussing issues, ideas and people that just two months ago they had no interest or knowledge.
Citizens United ruling becoming common knowledge and a political weapon to be used by progressives.
The bill is stalled in court.
National media continue to cover Wisconsin, and will continue as recalls actions take place.
Walker broke with Wisconsin political tradition and avoided opening day at Miller Park because he knew he would get publically embarrassed.
The budget repair bill that was passed this past Tuesday didn’t contain the selling of Wisconsin Power Plants nor did it cut Medical Assistance.
The bill actually did what repair bills have always done; refinance debt and move funds to allow spending to continue.
Local communities saw uber conservatives lose. See Cottage Grove, See Baraboo school board. Windsor Village Board.
School boards and local municipalities extended their collective bargaining contracts before Walker bill could be passed.
Charter school concept now getting full public debate it deserves. And its losing.
They stopped there, but everyone can add to the list and the wins keep coming!! The next win we need is Mike Huebsch’s old seat, where
Democrat Steve Doyle is running. Follow that with more successful successful recall petition signings and elections! Forward and Solidarity!
Good points, Jeff.
The Cottage Grove election was a particularly satisfying race that ended with a right-winger being booted from the Mayor’s office.
Diane Wiedenbeck’s win over Mike Mikalsen for Village President replaced a highly partisan GOP mouthpiece from the office of State Representative Steve Nass (R-Whitewater) with a thoughtful and moderate leader with the best interests of village residents at heart.
Mikalsen’s rejection by the moderate to conservative residents of Cottage Grove is a powerful signal that the mood of Wisconsin’s electorate has changed since 2010.
Rep. Nass is the Wisconsin Assembly’s UW-Hater in Residence
who never misses an opportunity to
opps! continued from above….. attack the University of Wisconsin and Madison whenever he gets a chance.
Yes Dave it is amazing how quickly people changed their minds when they saw the republicans actually start to “govern”.
Very nice spin Jeff. Yes, Diane Wiedenbeck did win, by only 88 votes. She dramatically underperformed Kloppenburg in Cottage Grove.
Wiedenbeck and her supporters (including you, Jeff) went ultra negative and skirted the truth on Village issues in various e-mails.
I stayed positive and that probably cost me the election. I can assure you that mistake won’t be repeated.
Also, you failed to mention that Diane and Ken Dahl are only two of seven members on the Board. I doubt that they will find support for reversing Cottage Grove’s new business friendly approach.
This actually isnt spin at all and it is not mine. It was an email forward I received recently that is making its way throughout the state. But let’s take a look at it.
You lost by 88 votes despite the fact that you have been in politics your whole life, were the incumbent and had an unlimited free media source(WIBA). Whereas I have no idea what Diane did but Ed and I worked on our own and are political novices. All we did is pure grassroots and talk to our friends and neighbors. If Diane underperformed in terms of Kloppenbug, you can see how many people we did not get a chance to reach. We simply ran out of time.
I will admit that I was lucky enough to have this outlet(thanks to Brenda and Lukas) but had you and Paula not ridiculously kicked me off the committee I would have never ended up here. Funny how life works sometimes.
By the way I noticed in my open records request that you kicked me off a committee that was no longer even there. You did it to “punish” me for disagreeing with you? How did that work out for you? The people of cottage grove spoke loud and clear that they were sick of the angry partisan single minded way that our local government was run and had enough. I have no doubt in my mind that Micah, Jennifer(who ran on being independent of you), and David are smart enough to hear and understand that message.
I also know your 100% support of Gov Walkers attacks on the working people and the schools of our great state also helped, but we could not have done it, if you had not let everyone know that there would be no disagreeing with you.
Now lets take a look at your slanted view of the election. I put everything out in the open on this blog(thanks again for that) and it was all fact based and not an ounce of negativity. When I talked to people, I guided them to this blog so they could see in detail whats been happening over the last couple years in our village. I hid nothing and was completely open.
I also offered up the option to both Jennifer and Paula that if anything I ever write was not factual, they could prove to me otherwise and I would change it. Its important to me to be fair and factual, since I am afforded this platform. You will notice I have not had to change anything. I even emailed the head of the mark miller recall campaign to check on your claims that you were not involved, but he never responded. I guess he was too busy counting his 50 signatures.
As for your claim that you did not go negative….well that’s just not true. As I also detailed here: https://www.forwardlookout.com/2011/04/the-great-cookie-caper/10086. The thing about the age of information you cant just deny things that are there for the world to see. Unless of course you want to publicly denounce rich kerr.
Finally in terms of your positivity, many politicos from Dane County and elsewhere read this blog, and I would bet my house, that NONE of them who have ran for office tried as hard as you did to intimidate their opponent. I bet most on both sides would be appalled by your behavior if it were to come out.
As for the “new” business friendly approach to Cottage Grove. Madison and Monona have benefited greatly from your version of “business friendly”. As for your version of business friendly – this letter said it all – https://www.forwardlookout.com/2011/04/wont-someone-think-of-the-children/10148. People get it even if you don’t.
Finally, if the police find out more information on the person who tore up your mailer and threatened your family, let me know and Ill post it and denounce it here. i am sure you called the police before you went to the paper with it right?
I don’t know how anyone can say that Diane “went negative.” If she had, she probably wouldn’t have underperformed Kloppenburg by as much as she did. Scott Walker is extremely unpopular in Cottage Grove and the rest of Dane County, and if Wiedenbeck had done a better job of tying Mike to Walker, her vote totals would probably have been more in line with Kloppenburg’s and Parisi’s. But, instead, she chose to stay positive.
In fact, both candidates stayed pretty positive. Both groups of supporters went more negative. This is what happens during a typical campaign on any level. I’m not sure how this is so unexpected. If Mike is now promising to “go negative” himself in the future, this does not bode well for the future of the village, and I hope that we will repudiate it.