From: http://www.wisdems.org/news/press/view/2010-08-jb-van-hollen-out-of-touch-and-too-extreme

Rallies with Joe the Plumber at a Tea Party Rally

Madison – Attorney General JB Van Hollen spoke at a Tea Party Rally with Joe the Plumber on Tuesday, Aug. 24 in Rib Mountain.  It follows other appearances by Van Hollen at Tea Party Events.

“The fact is that the Tea Party offers extreme ideas that are out of touch with the common sense approach Wisconsin residents want in their elected officials. If Van Hollen subscribes to the Tea Party philosophy, he is too extreme for Wisconsin. Beyond that, the fact that Van Hollen associates himself with these groups, is very clear proof that Van Hollen is simply and absolutely a dime-a-dozen politician pandering to interest groups, looking for votes rather than doing his job for all the people,” said Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate.

Tate went on to point out that Van Hollen continues to claim his actions aren’t partisan. “It is the oldest and most cynical ploy in a politician’s playbook,” Tate said. “To believe that you can say one thing and do another and that no one will notice. From filing a lawsuit to suppress voting, after his office talked to a Republican political operative to trying to file a lawsuit to stop health care reform, after his office talked to a Republican Political Operative, Van Hollen is abusing his office and the trust of the people of Wisconsin.”

I would like to extend my thanks to Terry Van Akkeren and Juan Perez for their participation in this evening’s debate.  I believe we learned much from tonight and it will serve the voting public well in making their decision on September 14th.

I would further like to thank Cal Potter for moderating the debate.  It is due to his direction and experience that this night was possible and went so smoothly.

Finally, thank you to all of you who were in attendance.  Thanks also to the Sheboygan Press, WSCS (TV8), and WHBL 1330AM for your coverage.

UPDATE: In case you missed it today, WSCS will air the video of the debate tomorrow, Thursday 8/26, at 11am and 9pm.  Tune to Channel 95 (analog cable) or 990 (QAM TVs or Charter set-top boxes) to watch.

Andrew Bubb

From: http://www.wisdems.org/news/press/view/2010-08-ron-johnson-does-it-again-sunspots-theory-on-gloal-w

“Sunspots” Theory on Global Warming Proven By the Fact That Greenland Has Turned White

Johnson’s Climate Change Denials Highlighted in New DPW Web Ad

MADISON — The Democratic Party of Wisconsin has released a new Web ad highlighting Republican Senate Candidate Ron Johnson’s latest distortion of reality to suit his agenda. Less than a week after denying climate change and attributing it to “just sunspot activity or something in the geologic eons of time,” Johnson has apparently discovered a new explanation: Greenland.

WKOW in Madison reported Friday that:

And on the subject of climate change, Johnson reiterated his belief that sunspots, not carbon dioxide emissions, cause the rise in Earth’s temperature and that it’s all part of an ongoing natural cycle.

“There’s a reason Greenland was called Greenland,” he said. “It was actually green at one point in time. And it’s been, since, it’s a whole lot whiter now.” [WKOW, 8/20/10]

Contrary to Johnson’s latest claim, historical sources such as The Book of Icelanders, and the Saga of Erik the Red (and even Wikipedia) report that Erik the Red chose the name “Greenland” not because of the climate of the time, but as a ploy to get settlers to relocate there.

“Ron Johnson’s comments make it clear he has no place teaching science. Apparently we need to keep him away from History classes too,” said Mike Tate, Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. “Ron Johnson thinks he is entitled to a separate set of facts that aren’t based in reality, and that would give any student a failing grade. No wonder his handlers are working overtime to constantly correct Ron Johnson’s statements.”

Ron Johnson has previously attacked climate change, saying:

“It’s far more likely that it’s just sunspot activity or just something in the geologic eons of time.” [Sunspots are behind climate change, Johnson says, Journal Sentinel, 8/16/10]

Excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere “gets sucked down by trees and helps the trees grow,” said Johnson. [Sunspots are behind climate change, Johnson says, Journal Sentinel, 8/16/10]

Trying to fix global warming is “a fool’s errand,” Johnson said. [Sunspots are behind climate change, Johnson says, Journal Sentinel, 8/16/10]

“The Middle Ages was an extremely warm period of time, too. It wasn’t like there were tons of cars on the road. So it always strikes me as a little absurd for anybody to think, Okay, this is the sweet spot in geologic time for climate.” [Washington Post, 8/20/10]

Johnson, in an interview last month, described believers in manmade causes of climate change as “crazy” and the theory as “lunacy.” [Sunspots are behind climate change, Johnson says, Journal Sentinel, 8/16/10]

We’re now less than 75 days from the General Election and need all the help we can get.  The Campaign Headquarters (812 Erie Ave.) is open and we need your help to make sure we win this November 2nd.

Stop by and volunteer or just check out the work that we’re doing and learn more about Russ Feingold and all the other Democratic Candidates this year.

Here are the opportunities you currently have to help:

Weekend Canvasses: Saturdays; 10:00am-1:00pm

Weekday Canvasses: Monday-Thursday Evenings; 4:00pm-7:00pm

Weekday Phone Banks: Monday-Thursday Evenings; 5:00pm-7:00pm or 7:00pm-8:45pm

Not comfortable speaking with strangers on the phone or in person?  You can still help!

Data Entry: Monday through Friday between 10:00am and 3:00pm (2 hour shift is preferred).  Help us keep track of all the contacts that we’ve made so far so we can best reach the supporters we’ve identified during our Get Out the Vote campaign the week of the Election.

Comfort Captains: ANYTIME!  Bring in refreshments for volunteers to keep the office going; small individualized items work best.  Bottles of water/soft drinks are a good idea as well.

From: http://www.wisdems.org/news/press/view/2010-08-something-stinks-scott-walkers-craven-charges-dont-f

New WisDems Web Video Highlights Walker’s Flood Flight

As Milwaukee County was Bailing Out, Walker Bailed on his Constituents

MADISON - Scott Walker, who fled Milwaukee County right after record floods to promote his campaign for governor, continues to face sharp criticism for his baseless attacks on the one candidate who actually DID stay behind to help his constituents after the historic storm.

This time, it’s Walker’s hometown newspaper, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, in an editorial titled, “Something Stinks,” which assails the cynical-and untruthful-way Walker has used the floods to attack Tom Barrett.  Barrett, unlike Walker, canceled his campaign schedule in the days following the flood to help his constituents recover and direct response efforts.

Today, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin released a new Web video that shows how Walker’s attacks are ‘odious,’ and reminds voters that in the midst of a crisis, “Walker Fled While Barrett Led.”

“Seeing the damage it has done to his waterlogged campaign, Scott Walker is throwing everything - including the toilet - at Tom Barrett to distract from the craven way Walker behaved after Milwaukee County was flooded,” Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate said Friday. “But no amount of misdirection can hide the conclusion that Wisconsin voters are reaching about the Walker campaign: Something stinks.”

The supporters who marched in the Brat Day parade this year…

Update: Sen. Russ Feingold, during a conference call with statewide campaign staffers, stopped and took time to point out the excellent turn-out at the Brat Day parade and sent his thanks.

Thanks to both Russ Feingold and Tom Barrett for coming to Sheboygan.  Check out more pictures on Russ Feingold’s Facebook page.

From: http://www.wisdems.org/news/press/view/2010-08-44-years-of-fat-cat-advocacy-now-backing-scott-walker

Gets Special Interest Seal of Approval

MADISON - Scott Walker yesterday was embraced publicly by career politicians Jim Sensenbrenner and Paul Ryan, who have spent a combined 44 years advocating for special interests and wealthy Wisconsinites at the expense of working families.

Since the 1970s, Sensenbrenner has been a pathbreaker in giving tax breaks to American companies to move overseas and for giving tax cuts to the very rich who hardly need them. Ryan, meanwhile, is making his own way as a leader of the Republican plan to shred Social Security by giving it over to Wall Street, and by rationing Medicare into oblivion.

“Scott Walker’s hard work for fat cats and special interests was rewarded today by two politicians who have made a career carrying water for corporations and the very rich at the expense of Wisconsin’s working families,” Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate said Thursday. “It is a dubious honor, but we all know that Scott Walker would bear the Special Interest Seal of Approval.”

From: http://www.wisdems.org/news/press/view/2010-08-ron-johnson-and-republicans-hit-panic-button

Question: Who Has Three Flat Screen TVs Hanging From their Ceiling in an All White Room?

Answer: Not “Elizabeth Ackland,” But Evidently, Ron Johnson Does

MADISON – This week Republican Senate Candidate Ron Johnson took off the safety glasses that he wears at work and released an ad where he appears in an all white room with three flat screen television sets hanging from a ceiling. As he has done in all five of his previous ads, Johnson talks about the deficit and creating jobs - but after spending more than $2 million on television ads, Johnson has yet to offer any proposals to reduce the deficit or create jobs.

“In his latest ad, as he has done in previous ads, Johnson talks about being a businessman and creating jobs, but offers no plan to do so, said Mike Tate Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, “In fact, while Johnson has attacked every job creating effort, he has failed to offer any ideas or plans to actually create jobs. Now he is working over-time to try to distract from that fact with over-the-top and absurd attacks on Russ Feingold.”

On Friday, in his latest attempt to talk down Wisconsin and the state economic recovery, Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus announced in a press release that Johnson has “an actual plan to create private-sector jobs,” but the Johnson campaign has still not released the “actual plan.” Read the rest