Wisconsin redistricting scandal deepens

[Coyotl]

Wisconsin redistricting scandal deepens
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/04/22/1203753/-Wisconsin-redistricting-scandal-deepens

Charlie Pierce had a good mention of this on Friday, but I wanted to give you in the rest of the country a little more background on the Wisconsin GOP's lengths to conceal information regarding the state's redistricting after the 2010 elections.

As many of you know, Wisconsin Republicans swept into power in 2010, with Governor Scott Walker taking office and the GOP taking both houses of the state legislature, as a result, this allowed them to control the redistricting process, and they locked Democrats out of the process, and held very few public hearings once the maps were revealed in Summer 2011. What they did still has not been brought completely to light, and events of this week illustrate why that is so, and why it has potential to do major damage to the GOP not only in Wisconsin, but nationwide.

A court filing on Thursday indicated that Republican staffers had deleted hundreds of thousands of files relating to the 2011 redistricting of Wisconsin. The accusation by Wisconsin Democrats was backed up by forensics expert Mark Lanterman, who has been tasked with trying to restore the information that was withheld from the original redistricting suit that allowed most of the GOP's shenanigans to remain in place. Lanterman's report shows that this wasn't a random boo-boo. ......

[Scuba]

1. So they know the user names of the two who deleted all the files. And ...

... they are

The largest volume of deletions occurred on “Sen Republican WRK 32864”. Hundreds of thousands of files (but likely less than one million) were deleted from “Sen Republican WRK 32864”on July 25, 2012. The deletions were performed by a user logged into the system as “tottman.”

..

Evidence of deletions in 2012 also appears on “ASM Republican WRK 32586,” although the number of files deleted is less than that of “Sen Republican WRK 32864.” Among the items deleted was a folder titled “Draft Plans for Printing,” as well as its subfolder titled “Hispanic amendment” and all of the folders’ contents. This folder was created on January 6, 2012, and then deleted less than one minute later, by a user logged into the system as “afoltz.”

Well gee, who giving orders to the users behind those user names?

And among the key Legislative aides that were involved in the map-making at MBF were "afoltz" - Adam Foltz, an aide to then-Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald - and "tottman" - Tad Ottman, and aide to then-Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald and Fitzgerald. No one could have predicted that.

[Coyotl]

2. Republicans are a Top-Down criminal organization!

"I was just following orders."

[malaise]

11. ReTHUGs my dear brother

ReTHUGs

[Coyotl]

21. Someone might Google: Republican criminal

Using the proper term makes the post searchable. Just like using Bush for the idiot.

[Ellipsis]

4. Tad Ottman and Adam Foltz, testify at the public hearing 7/11/11 before 2nd deletion

#!

[Scuba]

20. I recall seeing this back then. Slimey fucking weasels.

Apologies to weasels.

[valerief]

3. I thought nothing could ever really be deleted. nt

[riqster]

14. It depends.

These computers were housed at a private law firm, so depending on how the environment was architected , the contents of those files could be gone. However, they may still be recoverable from other accounts, at a much higher cost.

[valerief]

22. I thought the govt was doing TIA. nt

[riqster]

23. What we do not know are the details of individual cases

And the level of competence of the specific White Hats and Black Hats involved here.

We also don't know how "Total" TIA is, and whether the gathering agency will expose its capabilities by sharing in this case.

[WI_DEM]

5. Since taking over in 2010 the GOP has been nothing but secretive and corrupt

in their dealings and lust for power.

[Coyotl]

7. Someone should do a forensic analysis of 2010 election integrity in Wisconsin

and the other places the Tea party won big in contradiction to polling results.

[DissidentVoice]

19. They were that way long before 2010

I would say it goes all the way back to 20 January 1981.

Ever since then the GOP has viewed the White House as "theirs" by some sort of divine fiat.

[Ellipsis]

6. K&R

[PatSeg]

8. K&R

[idwiyo]

9. K&R

[spanone]

10. american republicans subverting our very way of governing...bet they're proud

T R E A S O N

[AlbertCat]

17. subverting our very way of governing

And why would they do that?

Because, they KNOW their ideas are not popular and they are a minority and cannot win elections or do their little pet projects unless they sneak around and cheat.

THEY KNOW IT. They know exactly what they are up to.


Here in NC since the Teabaggers took over, they've done nothing for the state, but instead wasted time and money on their homophobic, religious dreams regardless of what the state needs. The attempt to get rid of the film industry here is part of that as well as color coded drivers licenses and "official state religion" crap.

[leftyohiolib]

12. all this evidence- is anyone going to go to jail?

[usaf-vet]

13. I'm no attorney and here's the proof.....

Why doesn't the judge who oversees this case and issued the order to the GOP to turn over the data & don't destroy anything throw the culprits and their boss in jail for contempt of court. Don't release them UNTIL the data is turned over.

OR overturn the GOP redistricting and put it back where it was in 2005.

As a Wisconsin resident I am sick and F..in tired of the GOP stealing anything that isn't nailed down and thumbing their noses at the rest of us.

Anyone with half a brain knows that they have stolen elections. That's everyday practice for them.

[Berlum]

15. Republican darkside occultism. As usual.

Republicans hide so much from the light of day,
for they act over and over without honor.
Occultism is at the core of 21st Century Republican
modus operandi.

[SunSeeker]

16. K&R

[DissidentVoice]

18. Michigan may be next...ABOLISH THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE!!!

If Rick Snyder and his little group of merry men in Lansing have their way, not to mention DICK DeVos, Michigan will be "redistricted" too to ensure a permanent GOP lock.

I live in the 10th District, which has been "redistricted" (gerrymandered, stacked, etc.) to ensure that as long as she wants it, Candice Miller (friend of Michele Bachmann) will own the district.

It is long past high time to ABOLISH THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE. It is a relic of the aristocracy; the framers of the Constitution did not trust "the rabble" to directly elect the President, so "the rabble" vote for "their betters" (electors), who would then elect the President...hopefully based on the wishes of "the rabble," but they are not required to (ever hear of "faithless electors?&quot .

The RW loves to defend the EC with the trite, tired line "we are a republic, not a democracy," and the outright lie that it affords small states more representation. Bullshit. All it means in the modern age is that a candidate focuses on a handful of "swing" states and the rest can pound sand.

The wonderful EC brought us George W. Bush in 2000, after all, aided and abetted by a compliant SCOTUS.