Free Republic

<p>New thread so we can keep this at the top of the breaking news sidebar.</p>

President Barack Obama tweeted support for Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Tom Barrett Monday night, the day before Badger State voters weighed the recall of incumbent Gov. Scott Walker.

Paulding County Republican Examiner reported that on Friday, a U.S. Marine veteran was detained and arrested by police after being heckled and yelled at a rally hosted by former President Bill Clinton for Democrat Tom Barrett The veteran’s name is David Willoughby, the son of Naples, Florida Tea Party founder Barry Willoughby. Early this evening, he released an email statement concerning his arrest and detainment. In relating his experience, he said, “My name is Dave Willoughby. I am the one in the video.” “Without being told what I had done, I was handcuffed and escorted off premise. Placed in a...

On Sunday's CBS Evening News, John Dickerson candidly admitted that a failed recall attempt of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker "would be a big blow" to the unions, and that it "would be a sign to any Republican contemplating similar action to limit unions that you could survive, and Walker will become the poster child and hero of that effort." Poster child? Dickerson predicted that there "would be a lot of infighting in Democratic circles, with unions saying the national Democratic parties and their president didn't do enough" if Walker won. But he immediately added a more sunny spin, that "it...

In front of the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison, a popular field trip destination for school children, one protester got pretty upset when MRCTV asked him about his sign. The school children watching this man were a bit shaken up by his behavior.

What a difference 48 hours makes in the barren wasteland known as Ed Schultz's mind. Back on May 29, Schultz warned of giant flaming acorns falling from the sky if Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker prevailed in a June 5 recall election against Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, who was defeated by Walker in the 2010 gubernatorial race. (audio clips after page break) Here's Schultz sounding the alarm that a Walker victory could foreshadow President Obama's defeat in November, which in turn would usher in an era of permanent GOP control of the White House (audio) -- They are trying to set...

Today, we learn that the veteran’s name is David Willoughby, the son of Naples, Florida Tea Party founder Barry Willoughby. Early this evening, he released an email statement concerning his arrest and detainment which was sent by his father to Jan Morgan, an Associated Press Award winning veteran television journalist. In relating his experience, he said, “My name is Dave Willoughby. I am the one in the video.” “Without being told what I had done, I was handcuffed and escorted off premise. Placed in a squad car and taken to a police station. I asked if I should have my...

For some so-called progressives in Wisconsin, the threat posed by Gov. Scott Walker's policy limiting the collective-bargaining powers of some public employees has justified almost any response. Democratic lawmakers fled the state rather than allow a vote on Walker's proposal. Some teachers and other public employees abandoned their jobs to protest in the streets. Some doctors violated ethics standards by issuing medical excuses for protesting teachers who walked out on students. Unions threatened boycotts against businesses that declined to publicly side with organized labor. AFL-CIO officials equated the cause of comfortable and well-paid unionized employees with the work of Martin...

New York union members are campaigning for Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s Democratic challenger Tom Barrett in Milwaukee, the New York Post reports. Fearing their own bargaining rights could be stripped away, members of New York’s powerful unions piled onto planes to Wisconsin in an effort to topple GOP Gov. Scott Walker in tomorrow’s recall election. Tom Mason, a New York City bus driver and executive board member of ATU Local 726, said he’s worried that Walker’s attacks on union rights will spread to the Big Apple and the rest of the country. … “Everybody in the union movement should be...

Candidates barnstorm the state in tight Wisconsin recallBy Brendan O'Brien | Reuters – 2 hours 26 minutes ago MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker and his Democratic challenger Tom Barrett barnstormed the state on Monday, the day before a recall election that could remove Walker from office over a law reducing public sector union power. Latest polls are predicting a close vote, with Walker holding a narrow lead in the single digits, and virtually no undecided voters. Political analysts said the outcome will depend on which side is best able to turn out its voters. The stakes are...

If you have lived in WI for at least 28 days you can vote.

On Tuesday, all eyes will be watching to see whether Wisconsin voters will keep labor-bashing right-winger Scott Walker (R) in the governor’s mansion. But win or lose, the real story is the 15 months of people power leading up to this day. The real lesson lies in more than a year of progressive organizing, petitioning, canvassing and campaigning for the cause. The real result is a progressive movement that is deeper and broader than before. When Walker’s opponents needed 540,208 signatures to trigger the recall election, Wisconsin’s progressives responded by collecting more than a million. They filled 152,000 pages —...

What to think of the latest PPP poll in Wisconsin? One one hand, a narrow lead within the margin of error on the day before an election might signal a slight and final shift in momentum in Tom Barrett's favor. On the other, PPP is a Democratic pollster who might be looking for the best possible take on the race ... and having the Democrat down three as a best case would be a positive for supporters of Scott Walker. The Hill reports on the results: A new poll finds Republican Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker with a narrowed lead over...

Milwaukee on 6-1-12 at a rally for Tom Barrett with Bill Clinton Congresswoman Gwen Moore performs a Song and dance against Scott Walker. An unfortunate performance by my very own congressional representative . . . caputured on video.

Even the New York Times, in an article by Jeff Zeleny today headlined "Recall Battle in Wisconsin May Snarl Obama Camp", acknowledges that a victory by Republican Gov. Scott Walker in Wisconsin's recall election on Tuesday could spell trouble for President Obama's re-election effort. But while the Times might be bending to reality, the Associated Press soldiers on in support of Obama. With even a Dem poll pointing to a Walker victory, the Associated Press, apparently fearing the worst, proclaims in an article today that "Few November clues to be found in Wisconsin recall." Authored by correspondent Thomas Beaumont, the...

EXPECT THE LEFT TO BLAME OBAMA Maureen Dowd of the New York Times dismissed Obama on Sunday as someone who “prefers to float above, at a reserve, in grandiose mists.” When the likes of Dowd are no longer feeling the love, we shouldn’t be surprised that other Democrats are dumping on Obama for not showing up to help Barrett in Wisconsin. “Progressive Pundits Lay Groundwork to Blame Obama if Wisconsin Recall Fails” was the headline of a searing critique by Noah Rothman at Mediaite. He quoted Ed Schultz of MSNBC sarcastically noting that the president was in neighboring Iowa and...

The Unions, Daily KOS and Progressives are desperate to smeer Gov. Walker right before the recall. The Twitter brigades are mocking them back!!! Join the fun!!! https://twitter.com/#!/search/%23WIUnionDesperation #WIUnionDesperation

Emotions raw Go into Milwaukee, and it's easy to find discouraged voters who want Walker out. He doesn't understand, they say, that they only want help, not handouts. Greg Renden, a public defender, took a pay cut. He blames Walker for making an already dismal economy worse. "He's abdicated the role of trying to help people in need," Renden said. The splintering that started when Walker cut bargaining rights has seeped into other issues: austere budget choices; a voter-ID law; removal of a law that allowed people to seek punitive and compensatory damages in state court over employment discrimination; and...

My name is Dave Willoughby. I am the one in the video. Without being told what I had done, I was handcuffed and escorted off premise. Placed in a squad car and taken to a police station. I asked if I should have my rights read to me and was told "You're not being arrested." My personal property was taken from me, I was fingerprinted, mug shot taken and locked in a dark jail cell (lights off) still handcuffed.

Meet Sheldon, a feel good, pure-blood Wisconsinite who just wants to ignore the recall.