Politics 2012: Recall In Badgerland

Scott Walker (Photo credit: elviskennedy)

In Wisconsin, voters on June 5 will decide whether or not its Republican Governor Scott Walker deserves to keep his job a year and a half into his term.

Walker has made a national name for himself with his stand on saving his state some money in tax revenues.  The way he did it, though, is the reason why this recall election--the first in the U.S. since 2003 when Californians voted Arnold Schwarzenegger into their Governor's mansion--became necessary to begin with.

You might remember the Melee in Madison that occurred in the winter of 2011.  A few weeks into his term, Governor Walker and a Republican-dominated legislature pushed through laws that restricted collective bargaining for state employees, creating conditions for a "right to work" state where union membership is no longer required for employment.  This resulted in thousands of protesters converging on the Wisconsin state capitol, and in fourteen Democratic state senators fleeing across the border to avoid voting for the bill.

Walker may have saved his state billions of dollars, but he can be shortsighted in other ways.  Such as being against a transportation bill that would have put a light rail line through Wisconsin, connecting the Twin Cities and Chicago. 

Walker's opponent in the recall election is the same man he defeated in 2010:  Democrat Tom Barrett, the mayor of Milwaukee.  Why the Democrats couldn't seem to find anyone better to run against a controversial governor is a mystery.

So far over sixty million dollars have been spent on the election, much of it coming from outside groups.  Here in Minnesota, we're seeing some of that money coming into TV ads promoting (and destroying) both candidates on stations that reach western Wisconsin viewers.

If you believe the polls, Walker seems to have a sizable lead over Barrett.  The Governor also has the endorsement of the state's largest newspaper, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.  Right now, it's a question of whether Wisconsinites think their Governor has gone too far, or not far enough.

UPDATE:  As expected, Walker is still Governor of Wisconsin, defeating Barrett for the second time in Tuesday's recall election.  That makes Walker the only Governor in U.S. history to survive one.  Now let's see if he can survive the "John Doe" scandal on his way to 2014.

Year Five, And We're Still Here

The blog you're looking at began in May 2007, which means we've approached our fifth anniversary.

This is a current affairs blog, which means that we follow whatever it is that's in the news and then we tell you what we think.  We don't claim to have any special contacts or insights into the stuff we cover.  We just use the same sources any normal person uses, such as the local newspapers and other websites.  There's no "Deep Throat" here.

When we're stuck for material and/or there's nothing going on, sometimes we'll go outside the format to either deliver rants or pieces of fiction (which we label) to illustrate a current issue.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

We also do politics here.  Lately, we've noticed that the political posts have become a turnoff to readers.  OK, YOU try keeping up with the antics of a motley Republican presidential field trying to supplant what they feel is a beatable President Obama, which has now been whittled down to Mitt Romney.  This is an election year, and it's only going to get worse before November.

Our most popular posts have had to do with local media in Minneapolis-St. Paul, where we're based.  We're not David Brauer, Neal Justin, or any of those broadcasting-industry websites.  We listen to the radio and watch TV just like you.  But is there something we have to offer that they don't?

As of May 28, our Top Five all-time posts have been:

• Mike Pomeranz Takes KARE of His Career (2/28/12)  On the former news anchor's decision to move to southern California, and work for baseball's San Diego Padres.
• WCCO-TV:  Lost In Translation (11/18/11)  A TV station's botched report accusing a Minnesota dog breeder of selling animals to a restaurant as food.
• Cloudy Skies Forecast for KQ, Love 105 (3/17/11)  What changes might be in store for radio stations under new ownership.
• Unhappy Valley, PA (11/10/11)  Our take on the Penn State sex scandal.
• Country Gives Lite FM The Boot (12/21/11)  The Christmastime demise of WLTE-FM.

At the end of this self-congratulatory post, we'd like to thank all of of those who have read this blog over the past five years.  A special thanks goes to all those who have visited this site more than once, for which we are most grateful.  Here's to another five years (or so) of scintillating writing.

Donna Summer (1948-2012): Disco Survivor

Cover of Donna Summer

The disco era of the 1970s was a time when people stepped out in their polyester and in their platform shoes, dancing to a hypnotic beat while caught up in a lifestyle of mirror balls, casual sex and drug abuse.  The rich and famous frequented clubs such as Studio 54 in New York all night long.  Ordinary folks listened to disco-formatted radio stations, and made "Saturday Night Fever" (the movie and soundtrack) huge successes.

Disco was hounded out of existence by those who thought the music was too artificial and robotic, as well as being too popular (in their view) with gays and African-Americans.  That attitude resulted in cries of "disco sucks", and incidents such as the infamous "Disco Demolition Night" at a Chicago White Sox baseball game.

Into all this came Donna Summer, whose collaboration with record mogul Neil Bogart and producer Giorgio Moroder resulted in 1975's "Love To Love You Baby".  Seventeen minutes of simulated moaning (the BBC counted 23) made her a star.

Then Summer's reign as Queen of Disco (a title she said she never liked) continued with hits like "Bad Girls", "Hot Stuff", "Last Dance" (from the movie "Thank God It's Friday"), and a duet with Barbra Striesand called "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)".  Summer had four singles that topped the Billboard charts, three Number One albums, and five Grammy awards.

In the post-disco era of the early 1980s, Summer continued her hitmaking with "The Wanderer" and "She Works Hard For The Money".  Then she became a born-again Christian, getting into hot water for allegedly making disparaging remarks against gays--her biggest fans--during the AIDS epidemic, which she denied.

Donna Summer, the biggest star the disco era ever produced, died at her Florida home Thursday from cancer.  She was 63.

Contrary to popular belief, disco is still with us, though it's now called "dance music".  The mirror ball and the polyester may be gone, but the music lives on through Madonna, Lady Gaga, sampling club DJs and others.  And so will Donna Summer.

Out Of The Closet, Into The White House

It used to be that, when it comes to the topic of same-sex marriage, political candidates would either come out against it or run the other way, lest their careers come to a screeching halt.  Not any more.

In two nationally-televised interviews, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden came out in favor of couples who aren't heterosexual tying the knot.  Not only did it raise their profiles with progressives, but they are also risking votes in this election year.

The Republican party and their conservative offshoots, goaded by evangelical Christians and other right-thinking people, have been railing against the evils of same-sex marriage for years.  Its presumed presidential nominee Mitt Romney is, not surprisingly, against it.

But it's about much more than politics.  Same-sex marriage is anathema to religious and ethnic groups who believe it's (A) a sin against God, and (B) just plain gross.  Who's the "wife" and the "husband" in these relationships?  Why does it have to be called marriage?  Isn't the term "civil unions" enough?  How does this affect whatever children they have?  Does there really have to be a big announcement about "coming out"?

Speaking of kids, they don't seem to have much of a problem with gays and lesbians.  They see them all the time on TV (where it seems there has to be at least one gay character on a sitcom or reality show) and in their own schools.  They see role models such as Rachel Maddow, Ellen DeGeneres and the late Maurice Sendak.  But their parents, who probably grew up without ever having met a gay person (that they know of), do have a problem.  And they're the ones who vote.

Most states now have laws prohibiting same-sex marriage.  Some states, such as North Carolina, have had these laws upgraded to constitutional amendment status.  And others will ask voters to do what the Tarheel State just did in November.  One of those states is in Minnesota.  That's unless the courts get involved, occasionally overturning these measures.

There's also the possibility that Obama and Biden made their positions known for political reasons.   You see, gay and lesbian groups along with those who hold the keys to the entertainment industry have been known to write big, fat checks to Democrats they want to see remain in office.  And the President just recently started his own Super PAC, so . . .

It's interesting to see how Obama's views on gays and lesbians have changed over the past four years, from being against same-sex marriage to admitting that his positions have been "evolving" to outright support.  It also doesn't hurt his reputation among gays and lesbians that the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy was allowed to fade like old soldiers.

Whether you believe that gays and lesbians need all the support they can get, or if they're aliens from another planet who pose a national security threat, you have to agree that America is changing.  How this change will affect President Obama's re-election chances this fall remains to be seen.

The Wars We'd Rather Forget

afghanistan (Photo credit: The U.S. Army)

When American soldiers invaded Afghanistan shortly after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, no one dreamed that we'd still be talking about this war in 2012, or that the commitment would last well past the end of the fighting.

But that's where we are on the first anniversary of Osama bin Laden's death.  President Barack Obama made a surprise visit to Afghanistan (considering it's still a war zone, any kind of visit by an American official would have to be a surprise) to high-five the soldiers, and to tell the prime time TV audience back in the States that military operations are winding down.  Fighting will cease in 2014, to be followed by ten more years of supporting the Afghan army.  So when Obama leaves the White House (sooner or later), U.S. forces will still be there.

This war was originally fought with the intention of flushing out Bin Laden and his compatriots, who were believed to be hiding and plotting attacks in the Afghan mountains.  Then two things happened: (A) President George W. Bush decided to start another war in Iraq, with disastrous results.  (B) Bin Laden slipped into Pakistan, certain in the knowledge that there was no way the Americans would ever get him there.  Or so he thought.

Now it's become a glorified civil war, with the U.S. and its allies sacrificing nearly three thousand soldiers (according to CNN.com) to help keep the Afghans from the evil clutches of the Taliban.  What doesn't help the situation is President Hamid Karzai's tendency toward corruption, as well as some American soldiers going rogue on the beliefs of the Afghan people.  And Pakistan's none too happy about being kept out of the loop when the raid on Bin Laden's palace took place.

Obama hasn't been shy about using the killing of Bin Laden for political purposes.  The President dared to suggest that Mitt Romney, the Republican nominee-in-waiting, would not have taken the kind of measures he did.  That's light years from when Bush didn't think capturing Bin Laden was a big priority.

Are we any safer now than when Bin Laden was alive?  That's hard to say.  Even though U.S. drones have been picking off some of al-Qaeda's leaders, the organization is still capable of doing damage in its barely breathing state.  In newly released documents, Bin Laden wanted to assassinate Obama and put Vice President Joe Biden in charge because he thought Biden would not be an effective President.  There have also been reports of the possibility of al-Qaeda members boarding planes as "body bombs".  And don't forget about the "lone wolves", a quintessentially American form of terrorist.

Out of the ashes of the Twin Towers on 9/11, which was the catalyst for these wars in the first place, a phoenix is rising.  The Freedom Tower at One World Trade Center just became the tallest structure in New York, and will be one of the highest skyscrapers in the world when finished.  It will also become an attractive terrorist target.

Maybe the killing of Osama bin Laden had its pluses and minuses.  But as the economy has taken center stage in this political year, the man who was once the world's best known terrorist has been forgotten by those of us who don't protect the country for a living.  As are the two wars he helped create.  It's time to move on.