Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Dom Noth is raising the alarm about FitzWalkerVos plotting

This isn't the first time that I've read a posting by my friend and former Journal Sentinel newsroom colleague Dom Noth and said, "you know - - he's right."

Noth is suggesting that Walker and his coterie of little dictators and democratic saboteurs will lull Wisconsin into a post-election stupor to more easily launch a plan to tie Tony Evers' hands and extend their power after Walker has ridden off presumably with one last escort under a setting sun.

Writes Noth:
Basking in the mammoth November election victory and preparing for a festive holiday season, the Wisconsin public is little in the mood to think of politics or the degree of mischief the Republicans are contemplating in the 40 odd days before Tony Evers and Mandela Barnes are sworn in as Democratic leaders January 7.  
This is just the sort of lull the GOP loves to pounce in... 
The next two weeks are precisely the time when fully activated crowds descending on Madison and warning the legislature to let the new people alone would have an enormous impact.  It is doubtful that such a level of protest can be stirred up.
I've felt this in my old political bones since the 30,000+ vote smackdown Evers laid on His Cockiness on November 6th - - a rejection which Walker has tried to define as a win to justify the interference he and Robin Vos and Scott Fitzgerald and others are hatching behind the same closed doors from which sprang Act 10, gerrymandered maps and the Foxconn boondoggle.

A distraction-filled calendar and understandable voter fatigue work to Walker and the plotters' advantage. 

Here comes Thanksgiving and days off. Trips home and to the grandparents' loom. 

Food is to be bought, prepared, eaten, refrigerated and slept off. 

Black Friday deals can be tracked and scored on days not named Friday. 

How many shopping days left until Christmas?

Deer hunting has another week to go.

College basketball and football are on TV. Hockey's underway. 

The Badgers are back, the Bucks are romping, the Packers are not - - but there's plenty to talk about.

Fire McCarthy! Jon Gruden will be available, so let's talk. 

And you want people now to smoke out Robin Vos? Let's go outside and throw a football around. 

It's also hard to focus on state politics when so much of the daily news follows Trump's tweets hitting a new low every 20 minutes.


Or when he tours the wildfire catastrophe in Paradise, California, blames it on leaves not being raked, calls the devastated community "Pleasure" when standing right there - - did he get briefed on the plane about what Michael Cohen told prosecutors about payments he authorized to women not named Melania or Marla or Ivana? - - and when he still can't call out the hatchet-man-in-chief who ordered the murder of a Virginia-based journalist dismembered with a bone saw?

A lot of people will tune it out. All of it. Which is what Walker and his cronies are counting on. There's nothing a nest of vindictive losers anxious to knee-cap people who played by the rules likes better than an indignation vacuum.

The exhaustion in the body politic about which Noth is warning is evident in the absence of mass outrage by opinion-makers and leaders over what Walker and his crew are openly discussing doing.

In the State Capitol.

Not because it's right. 

But because they can.

We thought divide-and-conquer had been conquered. But they had a Plan B. 

Means would justify their end.

I'd hoped for a groundswell of righteous outrage, because as I'd said a little while ago, you cannot trust the same people who had said Act 10 was a "modest" request when they now say they only want to leave Tony Evers a few 'reasonable' house-warming presents.

I'm glad Dom Noth is raising the alarm. Others - - non-partisan editorial boards, clergy, civic leaders and everyday voters who believe in due process and abhor election nullification need to make some noise, too.
Author and commentator Dom Noth



5 comments:

Allen said...

It is frightening to think what they have in store. The reconstitution of a DNR board was mildly amusing-who would they appoint? How would they get them approved?

But we know Vos Fitz and Walker are deep in the pockets of ALEC and Koch-whose lifelong dream of Great Lake diversion is hidden in the FoxConn law. Walker is already plotting the next Governor's election. He is young and ready-he will be back.

Minnesconsin Tom said...

The person who needs to be raising the alarm louder than anybody is Governor-Elect Evers. Yes, he put out a statement way back when this issue first came to light, but I haven’t heard much from him since, have you?

Tony, I’m glad your image as a mild-mannered, folksy grandpa was a big part of your election victory, but sometimes there’s such a thing as being too nice.

In your long career in public education, I’m sure you had to deal with your fair share of obnoxious, disrespectful bullies. It’s time to switch back into teacher/principal mode and give the GOP brats in Madison a piece of your mind. I’m sure you’re aware that a huge part of being a successful teacher is classroom management. We elected you as our new leader. Time to show the bullies who’s boss.

Jake formerly of the LP said...

Agree with Tom. The Fitzwalkerstanis will not play nice or fair, and "going high" will not be rewarded.

Tony has the support of the people against Vos abd Fitz in these power-grabs. He should use that power, and tell the public why the ALEC Crew wants to keep right-wing nutjobs on these boards vs "cleaning house."

Mandela Barnes also would be a great person to play the "bad cop" here.

Chris said...

Hopefully the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel will back the right horse this time - the citizens of Wisconsin!

Peter Felknor said...

Imagine waking up in the morning and being Robin Vos. Or Scott Fitzgerald. Or Scott Walker. Pheeeew.