With the recall effort against Gov. Scott Walker in full swing, organizers say they have already collected 50,000 petition signatures in the first 48 hours.
United Wisconsin, a coalition of grassroots organizations throughout the state and the organization spearheading the recall effort, also claims 20,000 people have downloaded petitions from recall websites.
Democrats say the surge of signatures sends a clear message that the state is taking a stand against Walker.
"The enthusiasm is palpable," said Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesman Graeme Zielinski.
"It shows the people are holding Governor Walker accountable, finally. It’s a cry of enough, from the people of Wisconsin. People are tired of the lies. This isn't hard to figure out. I mean, you can't go anywhere in Wisconsin without seeing a Recall Walker bumper sticker," he said.
Ben Sparks, a spokesman for the Republican Party of Wisconsin, called the news an attempt by Democrats to create false momentum in their never-ending effort to score political points.
"Wisconsin families are only interested in moving our state forward," Sparks said in an e-mail Friday.
The effort, sparked by the controversial measure known as Act 10, which curtails collective-bargaining rights of most state public workers, kicked off with a bang Tuesday with a number of events across the state and a , which drew more than 1,000 people.
Organizers have about 60 days from Tuesday to gather the 540,000 signatures needed to force a recall election.
"We have collected signatures from all 72 counties in Wisconsin. We are looking good," Zielinski said. "But until we get that number, we aren't going to rest."
When asked if the numbers were a reflection of the energy and excitement in the first week of the effort, Zielinski said the people of Wisconsin are motivated when they look at the way Walker has hurt the state.
"The numbers are just a drop in the bucket," he said.
With hopes the surge continues, organizers plan to conjure up more support and signatures with a rally in Madison on Saturday.
“We are going to have a rally with United Wisconsin, We Are Wisconsin and our 70 other grassroots groups on the steps of the Capitol ... to show them what democracy looks like," Zielinksi said.
A pre-rally starts at 11 a.m. Shuttle buses will be offered to transport recall supporters between the Alliant Energy Center/Exhibition Center in Madison and the Capitol Square from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
In addition, Democrats have plans for hundreds of events over the course of the recall effort including potlucks, pajama parties and bowling outings throughout the state.
With a couple months to go before petitions are filed and potential recall elections are set, state officials released fiscal estimates on the cost of the elections.
Recall attempts of Walker, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and four state Republican lawmakers is estimated to cost an extra $652,699, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, though the fiscal impact to local municipalities isn’t clear yet. Recall elections held earlier this year for nine state senators cost state and local taxpayers $2.1 million, according to the state Government Accountability Board.
Thank You Scott Walker for stopping Wisconsin from turning into California or Detroit etc. etc.etc..
Man, you guys are a hoot.
The only way bodies would be floating and washing ashore is if they’re getting cheap and not using Teamster mixed concrete for the cement shoes! :-)
I mentioned the stock footage because I found it humourous that the billionaire Koch bros. are too cheap to pay for a photo shoot! : )
Would that be the same Lena Taylor who was actively promoting the boycott of Wisconsin private sector union-labor made Georgia-Pacific products on her facebook page just to try and advance her own selfish and self-serving political agenda? I think it is! 'Solidarity' and 'brotherhood' must only apply if you're a public sector union worker in Lena Taylor's world. How exactly is this not the height of HYPOCRISY? And being the great independent mind that you are, you’ve thrown your hat in with these people, hey Bren? All I can say is WOW!!! And stop pretending to be independent!
You're actually backing a poll that's been historically proven to be both very biased and very inaccurate just because Rachel Maddow featured it on her show? Incredible! Are you even aware that Politifact has debunked Maddow's claims about the situation in Wisconsin a few times already – and yet she still won’t back off those claims or retract them? She's the liberal queen of half-truths, taking things out of context, and citing to other journalist’s work as fact no matter how biased those journalists may be! Do you even watch her show??? That's what she's supposed to do though, as she's a pundit or a spinster. Just like O'Reilly, Hannity, Schultz, O'Donnell, Sharpton, Sustren, Olbermann, etc. Wake up and get with the program Bren!
BTW - Why would a true independent just write those 'talks' off as being inconsequential to the entire situation when they practically shaped the landscape of the present situation? Is it really that much easier to just turn a blind eye to those 'talks' and point the finger at and blame the Koch Bros in some fabricated conspiracy theory that can only be supported by a 'birds of a feather' theory of deductive conjecture? Especially when those 'talks' represent actual HARD FACT??? Again, simply INCREDIBLE and highly indicative of your true liberal bias - so please, stop claiming to be an independent! Why are you so ashamed of admitting that you're really a liberal - that's what I'd like to know!
Those of us that can think for ourself and not rely on union bullet points realize which lies you are talking about. 1. Walker is hurting the middle class by doing away with collective barganing. 12 to 18% of workers in the state are public workers. so based on the first bullet point, only public employees are middle class? I am middle class, and can finally see my situation improving since Walker took office. 2. Walker took away workers rights. Collective barganing is a privelage, not a right. It has been abused for too long. Workers rights are law and no union rights speaks for all workers. Thatrs why we have OSHA, workers rights laws, etc. 3. We pay taxes just like everyone else. True, but let me simplify this one. If I am the Government, and pay you 100,000 per year to work for me, and you pay 30,000 in taxes, I am 70,000 in the hole. If a majority of the people work for me, I will eventually go broke, and could no longer afford to hire anyone. If I don't hire you, I berak even.
How can we keep this up and not be in ever worsing positions
Rhee was NOT fired - she resigned because she felt that she was going to be replaced given the results of the last election, which were largely pro-union organized and driven to remove her from her position. It's also funny how the whole so-called 'testing scores scandal' greatly resembled that of the whole Garfield High School A.P. testing score scandal that they tried to accuse esteemed and highly regarded public educator Jamie Escalante of - another popular union target. Testing score scandals appear to come from the same old bag of teacher’s union tricks, don’t they? And Joe Louis Clark, another highly regarded public educator that was eventually pushed out by the teacher’s unions. Maybe you should try getting your facts straight Laurel, before criticizing others for their facts. And perhaps you could explain to us why it seems that the teacher’s unions just love to pick on some of greatest public educators that our county’s ever known – people that have documentary and Hollywood films made about their successes. Rhee, Escalante, and Clark all produced positive results for the children. So why did they become union targets and why did the union eventually push all of these highly successful educators out of public education? After all, I though it was all about the children.
Yeah, we've been paying attention. That's how we know that the Democrats haven't introduced any sort of 'jobs legislation.' In fact, Cory Mason, the Dem who was ripping on the Repubs during the special session via his Tweets and appearance on Rachel Maddow used the special jobs session to request an audit of Walker's cuts to Medicaid - no jobs bill from him. But he's great at being a hypocrite!
I don't seem to recall either the state or county level governments granting over any taxpayer funds for the Ruud jobs. Do you have some proof of the assertions you've made here? Or are you talking about the tax breaks that the company will receive for locating the new facility here instead of in North Carolina, because without Walker and the Repubs doing what they did, that's were the factory and all of those jobs would have ended up. So let's be honest and fair here, shall we? And let’s not forget that it’s our wonderful federal government under Obama’s leadership that has created the atmosphere whereby state’s are heavily competing with each other for every last job they can get. Blame the root of the cause, Obama – not the stalk of the plant, Walker.
Isn't public education too important to allow a bureaucratic institution, such as the teacher's unions, to put it's own survival above the assigned mission of properly educating and preparing our children for their future? And isn't the government that runs our public education system bureaucratic enough already without the additional layer of bureaucracy that's added by the teacher's unions? Isn't the collective good of society better off without such an added impediment to the assigned mission? So for one to fight for the survival of that very institution is highly illogical according to the premise you’ve provided us with, correct? Would that mean that you actually support what Walker did regarding the limiting of their CB privileges?
Did Graeme Zielinski ever have any credibility to start with?
union forces to control the dialogue. Walker agreed his original approach was over the line. The sensible strategy at that point would have been for the unions to use that admission to attempt to soften the edges of the reforms, prevent layoffs and search for compromise. Forcing the state to burn time and $ millions in battle is counter productive for economic recovery. The issue now is whether someone else has a better plan for job growth and fiscal solvency. Nothing I've heard from the union forces suggests there is. Expending so much negative energy displaces the potential positives.