Recall elections are coming up in Wisconsin...

...I wasn't sure if I should post this in Current Events or Shenanigans. They both seem appropriate.

[link]

MADISON — Arthur Kohl-Riggs dresses as Abraham Lincoln and says he is a better representative of the Republican Party than Gov. Scott Walker. Kohl-Riggs is running against Walker in the upcoming gubernatorial recall primary. Kohl-Riggs is one of the placeholder candidates running in the race.

23-year-old Kohl-Riggs made a name for himself as the “Abe Lincoln Protester” during the budget battle. Now, he’s running as a Republican in the recall primary against Walker.

“I’m running as a Republican in the Wisconsin gubernatorial election against Scott Walker because Wisconsin has a long and proud tradition of progressive Republicans. The party was actually founded in Wisconsin as a pro-labor, abolitionist party,” Kohl-Riggs said.

Kohl-Riggs says he’s not a “placeholder,” but says his presence on the ballot should ensure Republicans vote for Walker, and don’t cross over into the Democratic Party.

“I think Walker is the ‘fake Republican.’ He doesn’t instill any of the values of the party of Lincoln. I’m encouraging anyone who my message resonates with to vote for me in the primary,” Kohl-Riggs said.

Walker has called Kohl-Riggs a sideshow. “My opponents are not the people on my ballot. My opponents are the out-of-state union bosses in Washington,” Walker said.

Meanwhile, some top Republicans like state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and state Representative Robin Vos have openly talked about Republican voters crossing over into the Democratic primary. “Will some do it? I’m sure some will. It’s an open primary,” Vos said.

That brought harsh criticism from Democratic candidates.

“Let’s be honest about this – it’s disgusting,” Secretary of State Doug LaFollette said.

“They don’t want the same old politics. They’re tired of being told who to vote for,” Kathleen Vinehout said.

Walker says the “placeholders” serve a purpose. “The best thing that happened out of all of that is that all of the elections will be on June 5th. I’ve had so many people tell me that whether they’re Republican or Democrat, there’s real confusion about May 8 and June 5. I think everybody wants the recall election to be on the same day,” Walker said.

There is also a “placeholder” candidate running for governor on the Democratic side. Her name is Gladys Huber. She also served as a placeholder candidate in the Senate recall last summer.

I honestly thought this was a joke when I first heard about this guy.

..Wait this wasn't a joke?

Coming from someone who lives in Wisconsin, No, this isnt a joke. They actually recalled him.

http://gab.wi.gov/sites/default/files/pa..._20494.PDF

He's listed as a candidate on the ballot, at least. <_<;

(Document can be found at http://gab.wi.gov/elections-voting/results)

Gimme a sec to gather myself.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

OT: Interesting to see where a "progressive republican" would stand on the issues.

Story of my life for the past year and a half. He was recalled back in January with a submission of just over 1 million recall signatures, coming to roughly twice the amount necessary to force the recall. The election will take place on June 5th and I can't wait to see him kicked out.

OT: Interesting to see where a "progressive republican" would stand on the issues.

Where ever he stands to make the most profit, duh.

http://redd.it/smphr

Link to an IAmA this guy did, knew I'd seen that name somewhere before, classy stuff. That's about all I know though.

Where ever he stands to make the most profit, duh.

True of both parties these days, sadly.

Story of my life for the past year and a half. He was recalled back in January with a submission of just over 1 million recall signatures, coming to roughly twice the amount necessary to force the recall. The election will take place on June 5th and I can't wait to see him kicked out.

No kidding. My school lost a bunch of amazing professors who ragequit retired due to all of his bullpomegranate. A lot of my classmates are in a panic/upset because they're supposed to graduate soon but the 400 level classes they still need have no one qualified to teach them, and thus may not be offered at all. The remaining professors have no time to deal with the students outside of class because they're constantly tied up trying to maintain the departments and going to meetings and interviewing potential new professors. :\

It hit a lot of my friends' families really, really hard, too. I've never been so thankful for being a non-resident student. x_x

No kidding. My school lost a bunch of amazing professors who ragequit retired due to all of his bullpomegranate. A lot of my classmates are in a panic/upset because they're supposed to graduate soon but the 400 level classes they still need have no one qualified to teach them, and thus may not be offered at all. The remaining professors have no time to deal with the students outside of class because they're constantly tied up trying to maintain the departments and going to meetings and interviewing potential new professors. :\

It hit a lot of my friends' families really, really hard, too. I've never been so thankful for being a non-resident student. x_x

What did he do? Cut funding?


On a side note: Texas has Rick Perry and our educational system sucks (except for A&M and Texas Tech <3). I can see why a Republican would cause such problems.

What did he do? Cut funding?


On a side note: Texas has Rick Perry and our educational system sucks (except for A&M and Texas Tech <3). I can see why a Republican would cause such problems.

>Even those places are good.

I have some amigos you would LOVE to meet up with.

What did he do? Cut funding?

He did a LOT of things, and I admittedly just hung my head and stopped paying attention after a point unless it was in my face or someone posted an article about it on facebook, because ignorance is bliss. So some of the other Wisconsonites might be able to enlighten you more/understand the situation better than me.

I know he took away collective bargaining rights across the state. One of breaking points for my professors was when they all lost their healthcare benefits... Which is one of the main reasons people choose a career in education. There was talk about taking away their retirement funds entirely, as well, which is what rushed one of my advisers to randomly retire over the summer. I don't know if it ever happened, but when you've had a chunk of your paycheck put into that account for the last 30 years, better safe than sorry I guess.

There are now "NO HANDGUNS ALLOWED" signs on all of my school buildings and many stores because carrying a concealed weapon is now completely legal in WI.
Edit: To add to this point, the University is REQUIRED to allow guns and other weapons on campus because of this law--they can only ban them inside of buildings.

The last bit I caught recently was he made it completely legal for employers to pay women significantly less than men, as men take obviously take their jobs more seriously and deserve better pay because some women take time off for childbirth.

He did a LOT of things, and I admittedly just hung my head and stopped paying attention after a point unless it was in my face or someone posted an article about it on facebook, because ignorance is bliss. So some of the other Wisconsonites might be able to enlighten you more/understand the situation better than me.

I know he took away collective bargaining rights across the state. One of breaking points for my professors was when they all lost their healthcare benefits... Which is one of the main reasons people choose a career in education. There was talk about taking away their retirement funds entirely, as well, which is what rushed one of my advisers to randomly retire over the summer. I don't know if it ever happened, but when you've had a chunk of your paycheck put into that account for the last 30 years, better safe than sorry I guess.

There are now "NO HANDGUNS ALLOWED" signs on all of my school buildings and many stores because carrying a concealed weapon is now completely legal in WI.

The last bit I caught recently was he made it completely legal for employers to pay women significantly less than men, as men take obviously take their jobs more seriously and deserve better pay because some women take time off for childbirth.

I heard about the collective bargaining part. Didn't know that would cause the loss of all your professor's healthcare benefits. That is terrible. I hope things improve in your state with this election.

I have some amigos you would LOVE to meet up with.

Oh I'm sure I would.

[MENTION=273]Abbeh[/MENTION], out of curiosity, where do you go to school? I'm at UW-Madison.

If people have any specific questions I can help answer, as I was serving as the New Media Chair for the College Democrats of Madison all of last year, from Scott Walker's inauguration through the February/March collective bargaining protests and this recent recall campaign, meaning I have a lot of experience and friends in interesting places with regards to the whole ridiculousness.

But a bit of fun infographics may also help paint the picture:

 Spoiler

Otherwise, like mentioned above Walker's administration and the Republican-controlled state congress have notably pursued an agenda of bold social conservatism rather than their promise of job creation and economic turnover. It's just a pile of pomegranate that will hopefully all change this year.

I can't wait till I can move out of WI and never return.

The politicians are fucked up.

I, for one, congratulate Governor Walker on the tremendous steps forward he has led Wisconsin through.

[MENTION=1697]FrozNlite[/MENTION]; I'm at UW-River Falls.

OH GOSH. I TOTALLY FORGOT.

I have held a "Student Assistance" job on campus for the last two years, in which I am allowed to work 20hrs/week while school is in session, and 40hrs/week while it is not. (Spring break, winter break, summer semester if I'm not enrolled in classes) ... This is how I pay my rent over the summer.

Due to severe budget cuts, the University can't afford to allow me to work at all over the summer this year. In 2 weeks, I am out of a job until August. Isn't that swell?!

UW-River Falls! Cool stuff.

I hear you. One of my majors was cut among many others offered at UW-Madison due to the same budget cuts. Thankfully I declared the semester before all this pomegranate went down, so I'm grandfathered in as one of the last MM&I classes from the school.