Newly Released Wisconsin Emails Show GOP Considered Ways To Punish Democrats

[kpete]

Source: Huffington Post

MADISON, Wis. -- Everything from taking away computers to denying a year of service in the state retirement system was considered to punish the 14 Wisconsin Democrats who fled to Illinois for three weeks to block passage of a bill taking away union bargaining rights, newly released emails show.

Members of Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald's staff bounced ideas off one another and the Legislature's attorneys for days about how to penalize the Senate Democrats for leaving and pressure them to return, according to records released Wednesday by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

The watchdog group obtained the emails from Fitzgerald's office under Wisconsin's open records law.

The emails show Fitzgerald's staff members were as worried about the public relations campaign as they were actually figuring out a way to get the Democrats to come back.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/23/wisconsin-emails-gop-punish-democrats_n_839856.html

[iwishiwas]

1. Walker's Repug Poodles are petty and in-human.

[Lugnut]

9. I'd add juvenile to that characterization.

That pegged my outrage meter.

[iwishiwas]

15. school bullies riings a bell also.

[tanyev]

20. And vindictive. Don't forget vindictive.

GOP SOBs.

[krispos42]

2. K&R n/t

[Blacksheep214]

3. Impeach and recall all the bastards!

The sooner the better!

[L. Coyote]

33. Wisconsin Code Chapter 946. Crimes against government and its administration = FELONY

2010 Wisconsin Code Chapter 946. Crimes against government and its administration = FELONY

GOOGLE Search = 2010 Wisconsin Code Chapter 946 = About 2,010,000 results (0.08 seconds)
http://law.justia.com/codes/wisconsin/2010/946/946.12.html

2010 Wisconsin Code Chapter 946. Crimes against government and its administration.

946.12 Misconduct in public office. Any public officer or public employee who does any of the following is guilty of a Class I felony:

946.12(1)
(1) Intentionally fails or refuses to perform a known mandatory, nondiscretionary, ministerial duty of the officer's or employee's office or employment within the time or in the manner required by law; or

946.12(2)
(2) In the officer's or employee's capacity as such officer or employee, does an act which the officer or employee knows is in excess of the officer's or employee's lawful authority or which the officer or employee knows the officer or employee is forbidden by law to do in the officer's or employee's official capacity; or

946.12(3)
(3) Whether by act of commission or omission, in the officer's or employee's capacity as such officer or employee exercises a discretionary power in a manner inconsistent with the duties of the officer's or employee's office or employment or the rights of others and with intent to obtain a dishonest advantage for the officer or employee or another; or

946.12(4)
(4) In the officer's or employee's capacity as such officer or employee, makes an entry in an account or record book or return, certificate, report or statement which in a material respect the officer or employee intentionally falsifies; or

946.12(5)
(5) Under color of the officer's or employee's office or employment, intentionally solicits or accepts for the performance of any service or duty anything of value which the officer or employee knows is greater or less than is fixed by law.

[JDPriestly]

34. Walker needs to think about this one.

946.12(5)
(5) Under color of the officer's or employee's office or employment, intentionally solicits or accepts for the performance of any service or duty anything of value which the officer or employee knows is greater or less than is fixed by law.

In the fake Koch call, Walker seemed quite amenable to accepting some sort of trip or vacation in exchange for walking the Koch line in Wisconsin. He needs to watch his actual behavior in the future.

[L. Coyote]

36. And they all could go down on this count

946.12(2) ... such officer or employee, does an act which the officer or employee knows is in excess of the officer's or employee's lawful authority ...

That encompasses the passage of legislation in violation of the Open meeting law = every Republican participating (and they can't claim ignorance because a Dem was shouting the law at them!!).

That encompasses Walker sending the State Police after the Dems.

That encompasses Walker and the AG conspiring to arrest Dems.

And so much more ....

[russspeakeasy]

4. And worried they should be. THEIR jobs are at stake.

[Ellipsis]

5. "I say we not only make it hurt for them, we have to make it hurt for their staff as well,"

Fitzgerald legislative aide Rob Richard



Fuckin' power hungry lick-spittles.

[tblue37]

6. The Dems--and not just those in Wisconsin--need to learn to use

such Republican BS in ads. For some reason, though, they never do.

[Shining Jack]

10. Yeah, for some reason.

Maybe it have something to do with not being despicable enough or having more principles?

[tblue37]

41. How would it be despicable to run ads showing Republicans saying what they

actually say or doing what they actually do? Despicable ads are fraudulent, but I am advocating ads that reveal nothing more that the truth of the Republicans' slimy words and actions!

[Zorra]

7. Recalls. They're going to happen. (big grin) nt

[defendandprotect]

8. "Beware of those with a strong urge to punish" -- needless to say, they don't fear liberals...

because we are forgiving -- and not much for this kind of crap!

[socialist_n_TN]

26. Well liberals might be forgiving, but socialists ain't.........

In the realm of politics, this shit would get smacked down the first chance I had.

[defendandprotect]

29. Was thinking more of Cheney/Bush -- jail, yes --

but would I hang them?

[socialist_n_TN]

42. Hang them? Now that's a question isn't it.?.........

I'm not a big believer in capital punishment in any circumstance, BUT long jail sentences might be totally in order.

I'm not so sure that liberals are actually more forgiving, but I DO think that liberals are less inclined to confrontation than the harder left is. One of the biggest problems I have with liberals is the timidity factor.

[defendandprotect]

46. Ouch! on that observation --

think you're right -- and it makes BIG problems down the line!!

[deacon]

11. Not an ethical bone in their bodies. Recall.

[cstanleytech]

17. To be fair though

I have little doubt that the dems would probably have been sharing similar emails if they had been in the position of the republicans, not that it makes it right for republicans to be doing so though nor is it an excuse for such bad behavior on their part.

[fasttense]

18. I seriously doubt your conclusion.

Democratic leaders had a perfect opportunity to do this after Obama was elected. They could have validly prosecuted the bushes for torture and other war crimes. But they didn't. I have a very difficult time believing they would have retaliated in other ways if they didn't even enforce the law as retaliation for real crimes.

[cstanleytech]

24. Oh I could be wrong sure but

then thats why I did say that they "probably" would.

[socialist_n_TN]

27. False equivalence. This is EASILY proven wrong..........

by the way Obama, Pelosi, and Reid imposed a "no fly" zone over Republican Bush era CRIMINAL lawbreaking. The "both sides do it" is TOTAL BULLSHIT!

[JDPriestly]

35. cstanleytech, I do not think Dems would have exchanged such e-mails.

In fact, Democrats were frustratingly unresourceful in dealing with the Republicans' filibusters in the Senate in D.C.

Democrats just cannot compete with the scumbaggedness of the Republicans.

[cstanleytech]

38. I believe they would because

they are in the end just like you and me in that they are only human.

[JDPriestly]

44. In some organizations, the humans are very careful about what they

say in e-mails, etc. I seriously doubt that Democrats would be that careless even if they did have thoughts like that. Too many of the Democrats are lawyers. A lawyer thinks about the possibility that something written can easily be subpoenaed or read some other way -- such as a Freedom of Information Act.

The Teabaggers are ignorant amateurs. They would not have been discussing some of these methods if they had a clue.

[cstanleytech]

45. But look at the facts

you have dems who cheat outside of marriage just like the republicans and you have dems who commit crimes just like republicans because like i said they are only human, of course the thing the dems have going for them is they atleast were not the ones responsible for getting our nation bogged down in two wars or for spending money like it was water and near destroying our economy.
That and atleast there are far fewer dems who are complete and utter assholes compared to how many assholes who are republican like Newt, Hannity, Cavuto, Beck, Murdoch, Cheney and of course Bush Jr.

[RedCloud]

28. It can't come fast enough!

[indimuse]

12. KNR! n/t

[sakabatou]

13. They really don't give a shit about the state, do they?

[iwishiwas]

16. No, they do not. Power is their objective.

[Solly Mack]

14. K&R

[fasttense]

19. The RepubliCONS were willing to break the law to retaliate.

To get even, to show Democratic leaders who the boss is, to rub it into Democratic leader's faces, the RepubliCONS were willing to break the law (and still may have with sending State Troopers out to arrest the Democrats).

That's just so petty, so childish, so immature. It's as if RepubliCONS are a bunch of babies throwing a tantrum.

[Overseas]

21. Hope this fuels the recalls along with that recording of Gov chatting up fake Koch.

Republicans have exposed their sheer cruelty all over the country. We knew they were rotten and hoped our Democrats would shun them after they crashed our economy by favoring the billionaires during Bush's years. We knew the GOP was all about retaining power and crushing Democratic support since the last time we had a Democratic president.

But we gave the GOP a lot of space to rebuild itself with the reckless bipartisan approach.

Let's hope our legislators can resist the corporate media that ignores the GOP cruelty of giving tax breaks to the strong and pretends they are making serious budgetary decisions.

We have had a whole bunch of "make me do it" all over the country. The people have spoken about the GOP Governors' distorted "shared sacrifice"-- the rich are given billions and the poor are made to sacrifice-- let's hope our legislators stand up to modern Republican extreme cruelty.

[Hubert Flottz]

22. Floggings can't be far off now in the new USSA...

[Major Hogwash]

23. Fitzgerald is acting like Hitler's right hand man!! Recall that bastard next year!!

Seriously.

[Marblehead]

25. seems like they are

really trying to provoke violence

[PatSeg]

30. My god, are these people as stupid as they are mean?

Why do politicians keep using email for sensitive information?

[Kurovski]

31. NO MORE REPUBLICANS.

Have I made myself clear?

[LiberalEsto]

32. I say we kill them!

This SO reminds me of a scene from "PeeWee's Big Adventure":

"Biker #2: I say we kill him!
Biker Gang: Yeah!
Biker #3: I say we hang him, *then* we kill him!
Biker Gang: Yeah!
Biker #4: I say we stomp him!
Biker Gang: Yeah!
Biker #4: Then we tattoo him!
Biker Gang: Yeah!
Biker #4: Then we hang him...!
Biker Gang: YEAH!'!
Biker #4: And then we kill him!
Biker Gang: YEAH!'!'!
Pee-wee: I say we let him go.
Biker Gang: NO!'!'!
Biker Mama: I say ya let me have him first!
Biker Gang: "

Pee-wee's Big Adventure is a 1985 film directed by Tim Burton and written by Paul Reubens, Phil Hartman, and Michael Varhol.
Link: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Pee-wee%27s_Big_Adventure

[Enthusiast]

37. Just more evidence that

REPUBLICANS SUCK. As human beings they are deficient in every way imaginable. They are petty, cruel, vindictive and greedy. How is that for starters?

[alp227]

39. from whom'd these people get advice, the Watergate burglars? n/t

[Uncle Joe]

40. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, kpete.

[jwirr]

43. Just as worried about PR - then they would have stopped their actions

against the unions. That more than anything has hurt them in the eyes of the country.