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No Way Out: Walker Has Few Viable Options in John Doe Investigation
If you're an ordinary Joe criminal... err... allegeged criminal, and you did something illegal and the cops want to bring you in for questioning, no lawyer would ever let you talk-- they'd tell you to plead the fifth. Because in doing so you would risk either incriminating yourself further or telling something that wasn't truthful and putting yourself in further legal jeapardy.
Scott Walker has been called in by the cops for questioning, but he can't plead the fifth. Why? Because Scott Walker is no ordinary Joe: He's the Governor of Wisconsin and that would be an admission of guilt and deliver a mortal blow to his political career, which is already in precarious position with the recall election looming. He also can't take any sort of immunity-- that would be as bad as pleading the fifth. (Immunity isn't a likely scenario anyway-- Walker clearly is the main beneficiary of the illegal activity and it would be implausible for him to get the immunity.)
The calculus that Walker is doing right now is a way out of this mess. His only shot, which is a very long shot, is to establish "plausible deniability" for every potential charge. What his legal team has been doing is looking at everything that it believes the prosecutor has and come up with plausible excuses for every crime they think the prosecutors think that Walker has committed.
Walker also figures that if and when he is charged, he might be able to talk his way out of it by acting completely shocked and incredulous: That the charges are just politics, that he helped the investigation at every step of the way, sat down and talked with the prosecutors, ect, ect. And that he will be vindicated when he has his day in court!
Clearly Darlene Wink is a Scott Walker Kool-Aid drinker and seems to be helping Walker with the absurd narrative that Tim Russell was acting independently and that Walker had no idea that he was coordinating round-the-clock illegal activity in Walker's office.
Of course to blame everything on Tim Russell takes cooperation from Russell. As Dan Bice has floated, the prosecutors seem to be putting alot of pressure on Russell and his partner to testify against Walker. If they can get Russell to cooperate (with the threat of serious jail time) and testify that Walker had any knowledge of the illegal campaign activity in his office, Walker is toast.
But, even without Russell's cooperation, the prosecutors seem to have a lot of evidence against Walker, including the smoking-gun email telling Russell to stop the illegal campaign activity in his office.
In an investigation of this sort, what typically happens is they have a pretty good idea of the crime and who is at the core it, but they start with the outer layers and slowly peel away the layers until they get to the core. That is what seems to be happening here: They started with peripheral Cullen Werwie types, then Darlene Wink types, then Kelly Rindfleish types, then the upper level staffers around Walker.
Now, they want to talk to Walker: Who is almost certainly at the core of all this.
In Wisconsin, there's open government, and then there's Republican government
Why do Wisconsin Republicans seem so constantly reluctant to let the citizenry know what they're up to?
If they really believed in the wisdom and popularity of their ideology and political views, would they constantly be shoveling legislation across the Assembly and Senate floors at midnight with little or no public notice?
Would they, like Gov. Scott Walker, plan to "drop the bomb" on an unsuspecting public by proposing draconian new laws gutting public employee bargaining rights? And then seek to enact the law in mere days, lest Democrats build opposition? Would they flout open records laws in scheduling a vote?
Would Walker have implied he was unaware of a secret, private wireless Internet connection used by aides in his Milwaukee County Executive offices and other county offices? So that his campaign could hide the fact that some county staffers he appointed could conduct fund-raising and other campaign work on government time, even while they were earning government pay?
Would Walker, when he departed the Milwaukee County Executive's office for the governorship, failed to have seen to it that all documents created in that office during his tenure be sent to the county's official record keepers?
And after that, would Republicans controlling the state legislature have signed secrecy oaths agreeing not to divulge details of their carefully crafted plan to seize more power by gerrymandering Wisconsin legislative districts in their party's favor?
That last example, reported Monday night online by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, is just the latest in a disturbing and seemingly endless series of examples where -- in local and state government across Wisconsin -- Republicans are fond of secrecy and run shadow operations that appear outside the law. Even perhaps criminally so, based on what the public already knows of the Milwaukee-based John Doe investigation into Walker's campaign.
In the case of legislative redistricting a year ago, Republicans were in such a hurry to improve their electoral position by this year that they ignored the long-employed system in which the legislature or courts openly crafted redistricting plans.
The GOP also ignored the wholly logical and well-tested practice of letting local governments draw their boundaries first, instead imposing a top-down solution and thus causing very serious headaches for localities -- such as the county clerks who, as we learned a few weeks ago, discovered that thanks to the GOP midnight plan, some of their voters were now assigned to the continent of Africa.
Democrats promptly filed a civil suit to overturn the GOP majority's legislative redistricting maps on the basis that the maps violated the US Constitution and the federal Voting Rights Act.
Now as a result of documents delivered to the court in that still pending case, the Journal Sentinel reports that the large, Republican-oriented law firm of Michael, Best & Friedrich had 75 Republican state legislators sign confidentiality agreements. The legislators agreed they would not discuss in public the redistricting maps as the maps were being developed by the law firm. For which work Republicans agreed the state would pay $400,000. Quite a nice little government outsourcing contract, huh?
It appears from the documents handed over by Republicans under court order that the overriding focus of the redistricting was to secure incumbent GOP seats and improve the party's chances to win more seats. That's arguably tantamount to gerrymandering, a tactic outlawed by the 1965 federal Voting Rights Act, when it minimizes the voting power of racial or ethnic minorities.
But the even bigger picture is even more disturbing. The main reason Republican lawmakers outsourced the redistricting work to the friendly Michael Best law firm was that they apparently believed their secret -- and potentially illegal -- planning would remain protected because of attorney-client privilege. In effect, the GOP was trying to take the public redistricting process private, and to keep it a secret, despite standing legislative hearing requirements, long-established redistricting standards, and the state's Open Records Law.
In the Democratic Party lawsuit, the GOP actually made that claim of attorney-client privilege in an attempt to avoid handing over its internal redistricting documents. The court shot the party down and fined its attorneys for dragging their feet.
Which brings us back to our original question: Why are Republicans so frequently secretive and dismissive of the need for transparency in government? Do they worry that sunlight would disinfect them? Or would it also take a wooden stake to the heart to end this kind of dark, shadow government?
Related Links- Documents missing in Walker administration award of Milw County bond deal
- GOP lawmakers pledged secrecy on redistricting
Somebody should be in trouble
As legislative leaders secretly developed new election maps last year to strengthen their majority, "Republican lawmakers were told to ignore public comments and instead focus on what was said in private strategy sessions, according to a GOP memo that became public Monday."
Almost all Republican lawmakers signed legal agreements promising not to discuss the new maps while they were being developed. They tried to hide the documents and to stop release of them but a three-judge court, in the strongest language I have seen in my professional life, slapped the lawyers at MB&F with financial penalties and ordered the release of the documents.
All the agreements were signed by Eric McLeod of MB&F. His firm was not doing this pro bono. No, it was being paid $400,000 by the taxpayers!
JS reminds us that McLeod was the lawyer providing free legal services to Justice Gableman. The conclusion was that M&F gave tens of thousands of legal advice to Gablemen. Mike Ellis said that never in his career had he been asked to sign a confidentiality agreement.
Voting wrong
Spam Blocking
We've had a few complaints recently about people not being able to post comments due to spam blocking on the site. It appears we're having some problems with the service that does spam blocking for us. We've changed our filtering pretty drastically,and hope that the problem will now be gone. We may be making further changes to our spam blocking software in the next few days. If you have problems please contact us about it using the contact page on the site.
Meet the independent candidate for WI governor, Hari Trivedi
We were surprised to see a commercial on Milwaukee TV for this candidate, just after the Super Bowl ended.
He is a kidney specialist who lives in Brookfield. Here's his website.
Suspicions confirmed: DA invited Walker to "voluntary' conversation
We've thought all along that what Scott Walker described as a "voluntary" talk he planned to have with Milwaukee DA John Chisholm wasn't Walker's idea, but Chisholm's. That's confirmed now.
When the DA's office wants to interview you, they invite you to come in voluntarily, If you don't, they issue a subpoena.
Walker was invited to come in, then announced it as though it was his idea, and the gullible news media bought the "voluntary" description. WisPolitics.com even said today Walker had "reached out to the Milwaukee County DA's office."
Here's the real story: Governor Walker says DA requested talks on probe.
Republican Senator says Paul Ryan's a liar about Medicare
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) inadvertently referred to prominent Republicans like Paul Ryan as liars during an interview on Oklahoma TV.
“Any politicians that stands up and says, ‘We’re not going to touch your Medicare’ is a liar,” Coburn said, apparently forgetting that the GOP has used the talking point as a center piece in their campaign to sell Medicare premium support to the public.
Watch Coburn’s remarks and read more at The Paul Ryan Watch.
Scrap the Open-Pit Mining Bill Part 8
For Immediate Release: February 6, 2012
Contact: Tom Stolp, Field Director Office: (715) 835-4248, Cell: (715) 225-3344 tomconservationvoters [dot] orgScrap the Open-Pit Mining Bill
Since its introduction, the case to scrap AB 426, the Assembly mining bill, has been made repeatedly and with great reason. Yet, this bill that seeks to rewrite our laws for the benefit of special interests at the expense of Wisconsin families is still being considered by Wisconsin legislators. Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters has introduced the “Scrap the Mining Bill Series,” a regular report of the countless reasons that have surfaced in recent days and months of why legislators must scrap AB 426.
From the Scrap the Open-Pit Mining Bill Series— Part VIII: Arsenic, Lead and Mercury Anyone?With all of the focus on the disastrous ways in which the open-pit mining bill could negatively impact our wetlands, lakes and wildlife, it's important to take stock and recognize that the most egregious impacts could be on our families' health. The recently passed, Assembly open-pit mining bill represents a serious attack on public health - by green-lighting this bill, the Assembly is sacrificing the health of Wisconsin families in order to reward one out-of-state mining company.
The open pit mining bill gives the mining industry special exemptions from environmental and public health protections - protections that other industries must follow. In fact, the bill explicitly states that groundwater contamination by mining companies is acceptable.1
While the forces behind this bill often hold up our neighboring states as models of good mining, studies conducted on taconite mining in Minnesota and Michigan demonstrate that aggressive excavation of taconite and processing of taconite pellets can cause toxic heavy metals – including arsenic, lead, and mercury – to leach into air and water.
While arsenic and lead are naturally-occurring substances, they are disturbed by the aggressive misplacement of earth in the mining process. The result is that lead and arsenic can find their way into surface and groundwater, including drinking water. Arsenic has been linked to kidney, liver, lung and bladder cancer.2 Lead is especially harmful to children because their bodies absorb more lead and their brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to lead, which can lead to learning and behavior problems and slowed growth.3
Taconite processing from the iron mining process is the largest source of mercury in the Lake Superior Basin.4 The iron dust that is the result of the mining process is baked into tiny taconite pellets to make the iron easier to transport. In the process of firing these pellets, mercury is released and emitted into the atmosphere.5 Exposure to mercury can lead to neurological problems in adults, and severe developmental disabilities in fetuses, infants, and children.6
In fact, a recent report from the Minnesota Department of Health showed that 1 in 10 Minnesota infants born in the Lake Superior basin have unsafe levels of mercury in their system at birth.7 The report also found a marked increase in mercury levels in infants during the summer months when fish consumption in the region is at its highest. An increase in mercury pollution from taconite processing could lead to more mercury in lakes, more mercury in fish, and more toxic mercury in our infants.
The open-pit mining bill compounds these threats by forcing the state of Wisconsin to issue a mining permit even if they know it will endanger public health, safety or welfare. Unbelievably, it even goes one step further by eliminating contested case hearings which give affected citizens the right to protect their health and communities by challenging the claims of the mining company and ensure that the DNR is enforcing environmental laws.
Now, the burden of proof for protecting clean drinking water rests on Wisconsin citizens, where their only option would be to sue a mining company – a mining company that has millions of dollars and infinite resources. Obviously, it won’t be a fair fight because mine backers in the Assembly and business interests, like Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, have made sure there won’t be a fight at all.
Wisconsin voters are sickened by AB 426, but there are plenty more reasons why AB 426 must be scrapped. Stay tuned for Part IX of the “Scrap the Mining Bill Series.”
- Part I: Voters Don't Want It
- Part II: Mine Games Will Cost Taxpayers Millions
- Part III: What Ever Happened to Legislative Process?
- Part IV: Take It From the Local Mayors
- Part V: Gogebic Taconite Pays to Play
- Part VI: Take the Money and Run
- Part VII: Do You Trust Gogebic Taconite to Tell the Whole Truth?
1. http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2011/related/proposals/ab426.pdf 2. http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/sdwa/arsenic/index.cfm 3. http://epa.gov/lead/pubs/leadinfo.htm 4. http://glifwc.org/News/GLIFWC_TaconiteReport_2011%5B1].pdf 5. http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/lands_minerals/mercuryandmining.pdf 6. http://www.epa.gov/hg/effects.htm#meth 7. http://www.weau.com/news/headlines/Report_Some_MN_babies_born_with_high_mercury_138656189.html
# # #
Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to electing conservation leaders, holding decision makers accountable and encouraging lawmakers to champion conservation policies that effectively protect Wisconsin's public health and natural resources.
This shouldn't be news, but labor will back Dem primary winner against Walker
This shouldn't even be news, but with all of the machinations going on, it comes as a relief. WisPolitics reports:
[AFSCME's Rich Abelson] said unions hope the primary winner will have the best chance of beating Gov. Scott Walker adding unions will support that candidate -- even if it’s Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett...
“I’ve had my differences with Mayor Barrett, some of them public, some of them private,” Abelson said. “But the fact of the matter is Gov. Walker and Mayor Barrett are nothing alike.”
Now all we need is an agreement from the candidates and the unions not to trash each other in the primary.
If Walker applies same standards to himself as he did to Jim Doyle, he must resign
Remember Georgia Thompson? She was the mid-level state employee victimized by trumped-up charges brought by an overzealous Republican federal prosecutor trying to save his job by smearing the Jim Doyle administration.
You can bet Scott Walker remembers her --and is trying to forget what he said about the case.
The prosecutor's move worked for awhile --huge headlines, a firestorm of publicity right during Doyle's reelection campaign, Thompson's June 2006 conviction on charges she illegally steered a state travel contract to a bidder who was close to Doyle, her sentencing to prison in September, and the inevitable negative television commercials from GOP candidate Mark Green, suggesting Doyle was a crook.
Doyle won the election in spite of the constant barrage from both Green and the right-wing media. Thompson's lawyer said the prosecutor tried to squeeze her to implicate Doyle, but there was nothing to tell.
A few facts as a refresher: Thompson, a purchasing agent, was not even hired by the Doyle administration, but by Republican Scott McCallum's administration. Thompson acted on her own; there was no evidence or suggestion in the trial that anyone in Doyle's office or administration asked her to do what she did. Doyle had never met her. As the NY Times later pointed out:
Her conviction was overturned in April 2007 by a federal court of appeals that appeared to be outraged, calling the evidence against her "beyond thin," and ordering her release that same day. That was probably little comfort to Thompson, who had been in prison for months and lost her home.
But back to Scott Walker, then the county executive and running for governor at the time Thompson was charged (he later dropped out before the primary.) Here we go:
From WisPolitics.com:
interests ahead of the people of Wisconsin.... “Little can be said to underscore the seriousness of this charge. I am hopeful that the people of Wisconsin will allow me the opportunity to clean up Madison with the same fervor that guided my reform movement in Milwaukee County.”
Strong stuff.
Thompson, of course, was not a "top aide" to Doyle; he didn't know who she was. A top aide would be some of the Walker cronies recently charged with felonies for breaking the law while working right in Walker's office. Two of them, Tim Russell and Kelly Rindfleisch, served as Walker's deputy chief of staff.
Walker was quick on the trigger to hold Doyle personally responsible for alleged crimes by an underling who worked elsewhere in state government, not directly for him, in an office 25 feet away, as is the case with Walker's staffers who face felony counts.
If Walker held himself to the same standard he demanded of Doyle, he would already have fired two members of his administration, Cullen Werwie and Brett Davis, who were both part of the illegal operation where Rindfleisch, while working on the county payroll, spent her says illegally raising money for Davis's campaign. Both were communicating with her on a secret email network set up in the county executive's office to break the law without being detected.
If he really held himself to the same standard he applied to Doyle, he would already have resigned the governorship.
Dan Bice wrote a less inflamatory piece about it today in the Journal Sentinel.
War with Iran?
The Wisconsin State Journal's front page: "Concern grows that Israel will attack Iran."
AP writes that the attack "could trigger a wider war, terrorism and global economic havoc." We know that Newt has been purchased. He remains in the quest for president only because a pro-Israel guy with mega bucks believes Newt would, indeed, bomb Iran. So, Sheldon gave him $10 million. Damn the consequences!
Who is in charge of this decision that could end the world as we know it? The extreme right-wing in Israel and America. We lost Vietnam, we lost Iraq, we have lost Afghanistan, but pay no attention. Israel, with our participation, will knock out Iranian nukes within hours and all will be well! And the moon is made of green cheese and chickens have lips!
Romney? No better than Newt. Santorum? A hawk to be sure. All three will bomb Iran if they get the bomb and forget all the talk about Israel having a nuclear weapons capacity second only to U.S. The only person in the race for president, including the current president, with common sense on Israel is Ron Paul. He denounces such talk of invasion or bombing Iran as crazy and he is right.
Scratch the surface and the same gang that promised a quick victory in Iraq (and a promise that it would pay for itself) is calling the shots: Richard Pearle, Cheney, Bush, Rumsfeld.
If Israel bombs Iran, the U.S. should cut off diplomatic recognition, eliminate any further economic or military aid to Israel. Period! We should demand that Israel give up its nuclear weapons. Let us begin by informing Israel that not one dime will go to support of this fiasco-in-the-making.
Some things often go unexplained. Remember The Bell Curve? Yes, Charles Murray wrote the nonsense about race with financial support from the Bradley Foundation. Now a new book from Murray has emerged from the muck. This one is Coming Apart: The State of White America 1960-2010. Read the review in the NY Times and get ready for all the right-wing to pay homage. Murray says he is no longer "a complete pariah in some academic quarters." My guess is that only those who have never read this stuff would welcome him.
Bradley gives $250,000 grants to writers who have the courage to tell the truth. I will bet that David Brooks just cut in line!
He calls it the most important book of the year.
Federal Reserve predicts that Walker's Wisconsin will continue to fail
On February 2, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia released the leading indexes for the 50 states for December 2011. "The leading indexes are the six-month forcast of the state coincident indexes, which reflect current economic activity in each state," According the Federal Reserve, the leading index for each state predicts the six-month growth rate for the state's coincident index. Also according to the Federal Reserve, forty-four state coincident indexes are projected to grow over the next six months.
ONLY SIX STATES ARE PROJECTED TO DECREASE OVER THE NEXT SIX MONTHS.
SCOTT WALKER'S WISCONSIN IS ONE OF THE SIX FAILING STATES!
If this is what Scott Walker's Republicans call success, what do they consider as failure?
PLEASE SHARE THIS ACCURATE ECONOMIC DATA WITH YOUR REPUBLICAN FRIENDS
Cures for toxicity
“Remember who your friends are," the legislator replied to his now-former supporter.
A politically active Democrat whose day job would be advanced if the Legislature acted on a significant and difficult bill was advised to lay low on political activity until the bill is passed.
The watering holes where legislators of all persuasions, administrators, and even reporters once spent their “off the record” off hours together are gone, strictly segregated along political lines, or too toxic for one side or the other to consider patronizing.
A major health institution which is putting together a plan to increase health care coverage and reduce health care costs was told that the enabling legislation for this worthy idea would have a better chance getting through what has become the Capitol war zone if the institution and its members reduced their political profile and activity.
Speaking of war zones, one legislator says he will not feel safe in the hallowed halls of the state Assembly unless armed. Surely this is an isolated view. Or not.
Is it any wonder that as the level of contentiousness rises the sane and sensible citizens who are alleged to be the object of the affections of their representatives are disgusted, which is bad, and being advised to absent themselves from the public arena, which is worse?
Representative government is increasingly a closed shop and in a shambles.
Is there no hope for assembling representatives of diverse views from different places who think they are elected to make this a better place for all of us and are willing to work together through their inevitable differences to deliver what the people want: a government that works?
Only if they get out of their trenches, fox holes and silos. Only if they give themselves a chance to get to know one another so they can discover that in many ways, despite their differences, they are more alike than different.
Not until it is possible to disagree without being disagreeable, where it is possible to dislike ideas without despising the people who have them.
There are three things going on which seem to me to have de-toxifying potential.
The first is memorial services. This is a somewhat morbid way to bring people together; also unpredictable; also unwelcome. It is evident though that when a politician passes and the survivors and successors come together to praise and mourn the dear departed that they mingle and even enjoy each other’s company. There is hope. Maybe they don’t hate each other full time after all.
Another less maudlin movement is an embryonic attempt to resuscitate something known as the Special Edition dinner where all the denizens of the public sector gathered to honor one of their own for succeeding in the arena they all occupy. Food and drink and fun were reliable ice breakers before and may be again.
A more notable, successful, and long running de-toxifier is headed by two remarkable women who run a series of seminars where the warring incumbents can come together with professionals and experts to dissect and discuss objective, quality research on the subjects on the public agenda. The objective, which is routinely met, is to get to the facts and away from the ideologies in search of the common ground from which solutions spring.
The question is can we get together before toxicity pulls us ever further apart?
Only if we start with mutual respect and civility and keep all eyes on the problem not the process or the people advancing the solutions.
State Journal gone wild
Both WSJ and MJS have down-played the Walker testimony at the John Doe investigation. While it is supposedly secret, WSJ claims he has volunteered to testify. Really? How do they know? And why the near-silence about the four top Walker aides in cuffs?
The mystery of Charles Franklin continues. He has a feature article in the UW-Madison Pol Sci newsletter but is described as "Marquette University Law School Political Scientist" in today's State Journal. One day he is on a sabbatical to Marquette, but that changed quickly when we suggested his work at Marquette would be subject to Open Records if he were on sabbatical. Voilà! He was no longer on sabbatical but was described as being "on leave" from UW. Last year he was in bed (not literally) with the Bradley Foundation's Wisconsin Policy Research Institute (WPRI). That contract was cancelled when they were told that Open Records laws applied to them. Off to Marquette!
The WSJ and MJS consider him a reliable pollster. Who is paying him? Are his records open? Is Marquette Law School really the pollster or just a cover?
Of by and for?
Look at Sheldon Adelson. (I know, that is asking a lot.) He is the saviour of Newt Gingrich. By giving Newt's PAC $10 million, Gingrich continues to have a national forum for his loony-tune views. Moon colonies, children janitors, bomb Iran (that is the real issue. If Obama offered to bomb Iran next week, my bet is that good old Shelldon would back him for president). Israel, not America, is the concern. Are we not the lucky ones? Thank you, Sheldon! What a guy! Risk my grandson's lives will ya?
Now we learn that Sheldon has a Plan B. One can only guess at Plan C! Plan B is to back Romney by giving him even more money if Newt drops out. What is this all about? Race to the Top? Nope. Gender equity? Nope. How about ending the war in Afghanistan? Nope. It is all about Sheldon's view that we must drop lots and lots of bombs on Iran! Jesus. It is bad enough that presidents wage wars without even a nod to the Congress? Recall the quaint notion that only Congress can declare war. Amend the Constitution? Sure. Only Congress or the president or Sheldon Adedlson can declare war. Sheldon Adelson can wage war? Whoa Nelly. He should be arrested not featured on CNN.
Would Sheldon fight the war on Iran? His kids? His grandkids? Bet the ranch the answer is no. Would he and his mult-millionaire friends pay say 50 percent on income to fund it?
Then we learn that the semiannual meeting of the billionaires Charles and David Koch is taking place in Palm Springs. They gather with other billionaires to decide how much they will pour into Scott Walker's campaign. How about us, Koch boys?
Playing the envy card
Would Milwaukee be 'greater" without affirmative action? Michael Grebe thinks so
Can't find any trace of this in the local paper, although there is a very big local connection. The NY Times reports:
WASHINGTON — Ward Connerly, the black businessman who has been the face of the movement to end affirmative action for nearly two decades, is facing accusations from a prominent former ally that he has mismanaged — and exploited for his own benefit — donations to that cause made by fellow conservatives.Moreover, a group Mr. Connerly founded to advance government policies that are race and gender neutral, the Sacramento-based American Civil Rights Institute, is under investigation by the Internal Revenue Service and by the attorney general of California, according to documents and interviews.
What's the Milwaukee connection? A pretty big name here: Michael Grebe, President of the Bradley Foundation, Scott Walker transition chair, big time Republican, and recent ex-chair of the Greater Milwaukee Committee, former president of the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, et cetera et cetera et cetera.
A major financial supporter is the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation. Its president, Michael W. Grebe (pictured), said he was “very comfortable” that its donations to Mr. Connerly’s group were “being spent for public education programs.”
“He’s very effective,” Mr. Grebe said.
The guy who headed the Greater Milwaukee Committee and the UW Board of Regents is giving big bucks to someone trying to end affirmative action? Things aren't so great in Milwaukee for black people; among African American men the unemployment rate in Milwaukee is near 50 per cent.
Grebe is lucky the mobs haven't stormed the gates of the Lion House, the Bradley Foundation headquarters, or that he can venture out in public.
His friend Connerly is no stranger to Wisconsin or Milwaukee, either. He was booed off the stage during an appearance at UW-Madison in October 1998. He returned to the state to speak at UW-Milwaukee in 2000 and in 2009, and visited Wisconsin in 2006 to address a committee that was tasked with exploring abolishing affirmative action in the UW System.