Republican Spammers on Twitter: CivicForumPAC and Scott Walker, Busted

The Twitter account of Scott Walker’s campaign was suspended Monday. The Walker campaign alleges the suspension was due to political opponents reporting the account as spam, and the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel lends that dubious statement credence by printing it. What the JS does not mention is the Walker campaign may have been spamming by following, un-following and re-following Twitter users in an attempt to gain followers for Walker’s account. According to user comments making the rounds on blogs and the Journal-Sentinel story, a Google cache proved the latter allegations true.

No matter why Walker was banned, it is a fact the right-wing is spamming in this fashion with other Twitter accounts.

Enter political action committee Civic Forum (CivicForumPAC on Twitter), a PAC registered in Virginia (with only two donations to its name, one by its treasurer, but thats fodder for another post). Civic Forum’s stated goal is;

“Investing in social media communication technology to help elect Republican candidates across the nation in 2010″

After I tagged #wisgop in a tweet about a derogatory post regarding of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, CivicForumPAC began following me. I wondered why the group would follow me after insulting their party, and then ignored them. Today, one week later, I received another email saying “CivicForum PAC is now following you on Twitter.”

I was followed, un-followed and re-followed, in the same fashion that alledgedly got Walker’s account suspended. Civic Forum is using “social media communication technology” to spam anyone displaying an interest in politics with tweets of “Obamanomics failed to account for the cost of the Obamalympic$ folly” and the like.

I don’t like spam, Civic Forum PAC or the Republican Party. I don’t like Scott Walker’s staff making allegations that unnamed “political opponents” were behind the suspension of his account. I don’t like the Journal-Sentinel printing the allegations without mentioning the alternate (likely accurate) scenario.

Walker’s campaign has been silent about the suspension ever since. That silence is indicting Mr. Walker. I would advise you and Civic Forum both to mind your internet manners. No one likes (or votes for) a spammer.

Stumbling Through Afghanistan

The LA Times is reporting President Obama’s Afghanistrategy looks to be, contrary to the principle of change he campaigned on, the status quo;

Obama told congressional leaders Tuesday that he does not plan to dramatically reduce the American troop level or switch to a strictly counter-terrorism mission.

I appreciate Obama keeping options open, and looking at the issue from all sides;

“The president reiterated that we need this debate to be honest and dispense with the straw man argument that this is about either doubling down or leaving Afghanistan,” one senior administration official said after the meeting ended.

At least the war is getting an open-minded examination, more than the previous administration would have ever given.

Taliban officials claimed Monday they are only a threat to the West when Western nations are occupying Afghanistan. I don’t completely buy this, but the statement is useful when examining the Obama administration allowing the question “Does a return of the Taliban necessarily mean a return of Al-Qaeda?” I don’t want to sound like Hardball or The Ed Show, but the Bush administration would not have considered that line of questioning.

An increase in American troops is not what Afghanistan needs. It will lead to more casualties among our soldiers, without any increase in stability. I’m afraid more soldiers only means more targets for the enemy. We do not want that.

Pro-Life Wisconsin: Promoting Ignorance

Assembly Bill 458 would prohibit school districts from a teaching policy of “abstinence-only” in the realm of human growth and development. Of course Pro-Life Wisconsin expresses a deep-seated concern over this bill, as it may educate young people about contraception, reducing the chance of an unwanted pregnancy ending in termination. Does Pro-Life Wisconsin encourage abortions? This bill goes to great length to encourage abstinence education, but Pro-Life Wisconsin attempts to use that as ammunition against the bill.  The PLW argument against AB458 is laughable;

“If the authors therefore agree that abstinence is the most effective method of protecting our youth from underage pregnancies and the ravages of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), then why not allow a school district to make abstinence its sole focus?”

Allow me to answer; because unlike your narrow-minded single-issue advocacy group, the Assembly wants our schools to be realistic and educate the youth of our state. It gets better, the group then claims contraceptive education is “ineffective and dangerous” because;

“Hormonal contraceptives including the Pill, the Morning-After Pill, and the Patch provide no protection from any of the 25 known sexually transmitted diseases.”

Correct! And students will learn this, provided they are not in an abstinence-only class. The nuttiness continues throughout. Towards the end both Kinsey and Freud are cited.

“Sigmund Freud contended that the period of life from 6 to 12 years was, normally, a “sexual latency” period where a child suppresses sexual interest and develops other important behavioral capabilities. Freud, in fact, stated that an undue dwelling on sexual matters during this time of life would hinder a person’s normal development.”

PLW is invoking Sigmund Freud in their argument. I don’t remember much from my few psychology classes, but I know I’d stick to information from the last hundred years when making a case against education. Pro-Life Wisconsin has an agenda to advance. I can’t tell if that agenda is ignorant students, more abortions or otherwise. I do know Wisconsin would be better off without them.

Olbermann and HBO’s Outrage

HBO showed a documentary last night called “Outrage” which sought to out closted gay politicians who supported anti-gay policies (I didn’t see it, I was watching the Vikings stomp the Packers). Newsweek blogged about the film here. Barney Frank has long been in favor of outing hypocritical gay politicians, but the Newsweek blog brings up several questions as to the ethics of this practice namely;

If a gay man wants to run for governor of a socially conservative state, because he has terrific ideas on how to reduce crime, balance the budget, or bring new jobs to his state, should he put his sexuality front and center and risk going down to defeat?

This question doesn’t touch on support of anti-gay policy, but the theory is worth thinking about. I certainly don’t know the answer. HBO is running the doc again Thursday night.

On Wednesday Countdown with Keith Olbermann will devote the entire hour to the virtues of health-care reform. Spare me. Olbermann is irritating, sanctimonious and over-the-top in all the same ways as the media figures he targets in “Worst Person in the World.” All he’s got going for him is nicer suits and the right cause on his side. I hope he knows he’s preaching to the choir.

When Democrats Piss Me Off

Almost a month ago Sen. Russ Feingold issued a press release containing a letter to President Obama, regarding Feingold’s apprehension over the so-called “czars” in the President’s administration. I thought the letter smacked of Glenn Beck then promptly forgot about it. Until this morning when MSNBC ran a segment on Feingold and Sen. Diane Feinstein, apparently joining forces in quest to hassle the President over his advisors.

I understand the Senators concerns, part of their function in the legislative branch is to provide a check on the executive. However at this moment, lack of party unity could prove to be the undoing of health-care reform. Petty issues like this are best left to the Glenn Beck’s of the world, we have more important things to do. Come back to the “czar” issue in a year, you’ll realize its irrelevant.

President Obama is making another token gesture to the gay-rights crowd, speaking before the Human Rights Campaign this weekend. He will charm them into complacency for another few months, while he fails to make any progress (or take any action) in the realm of gay rights.

The President could overturn “Don’t ask, don’t tell” with an executive order today, making a few Republicans scramble, and temporarily forget to propagate lies about health-care reform, a win-win! At least the Justice Department is half-assing its defense of DOMA.

Finally, the public discussion of military strategy is making the President look weak. Personally, I like the information and opinions being out in the public domain, but its not doing any good for the adminstration. Leaks and top officials like McChrystal and Gates publicly speaking their opinion when it may be at odds with the decision the President makes in a week is all fodder for the right-wing talk show hosts who latch onto anything to attck the Obama administration. A team of rivals is good, all options should be explored. Just not like this.

BadgerCare Plus Suspended, Republicans Declare Victory?

Enrollment in BadgerCare Plus will be suspended this Friday at noon.

For those out-of-the-loop (or out of Wisconsin) BadgerCare Plus provides health insurance to low-income adults without children. The program (an extension of BadgerCare, which provides insurance to low-income adults with children) began June 15 of this year, and has already reached its enrollment peak.

The Republican Party of Wisconsin has declared the suspension of BadgerCare Plus a victory. But instead of suspension they used the word “bankrupt.”

The only thing bankrupt is the idea fund of the GOP. BadgerCare Plus was highly succesful, so successful that to let any more people register would have been fiscally irresponsible. So registration was suspended. The fiscal-responsibility-championing GOP should have applauded this restraint, instead it took a cheap political shot.

The Republicans press release claimed Democrats had done nothing to bring down the cost of health-care, therefore BadgerCare ran out of money. BadgerCare is an insurance plan for people with low-income, so they can STAY HEALTHY. It was never part of a comprehensive plan to lower the cost of care.

The RPW wants to focus “on making health care more affordable for families and small businesses through free market reforms that will lead to more access to quality care across the state.” Health care has always been available through the free market, and we pay twice as much for worse care.

The statements above are facts, and the Republican Party of Wisconsin is not interested in facts, they are interested in cheap political shots. Thats what happens when you run out ideas.

Wisconsin Right to Life…Until Birth

Wisconsin Right to Life has begun a campaign attacking health-care reform on the basis it will cause more abortions. I heard an ad funded by the group on the radio today.  I cannot find the audio, but this troubles me on many levels.

From the group’s mission statement;

Wisconsin Right to Life believes that each human life is inherently valuable from fertilization to natural death.

WRTL is more concerned with natural death than a safe, healthy life. In attempting to torpedo health-care reform the group is bringing that “natural death” closer rather than further to millions of uninsured Americans. All so federal funding does not come even remotely close to funding one single abortion.

None of the bills currently being considered would fund abortion. As far as I can tell, the closest the federal government would come to funding an abortion would be through subsidies to low-income citizens to purchase private insurance. This private insurance could cover an abortion.

Conservatives don’t want the government to offer the option of a public health insurance plan. Conservatives don’t want the government meddling with private insurance companies. Yet the conservatives at Wisconsin Right to Life would have no problem telling insurance companies what procedures they can and cannot cover.

Wisconsin Right to Life considers the bills currently before Congress to be part of the “radical pro-abortion agenda.” This organization so concerned about “life” has no regard for its quality. They are so blinded by their focus on a single-issue they are willing to hurt millions of people by keeping health-care out of reach on the premise some federal money is indirectly funding an abortion.

Groups based on single issues often have this problem; ideology clouds their decision making. Sure, the concept of “life” would be better served with health-care reform. Of course the women who face an unwanted pregnancy will be better off with insurance (whether it covers termination or not).

Conservative groups such as Wisconsin Right to Life will do anything to keep health-care reform from passing, including outright lies. Right to Life promotes the concept of “death panels.” I’m not getting started on that garbage, just giving it as an example of what we are up against…

MATC Part-time Faculty Pay

I added a link to the blogroll, MATC Part-time Faculty. Part-time faculty at MATC and many other post-secondary schools are paid much less per course compared to full-time faculty with similar qualifications. A member of MATC’s part-time teachers union sent me this press release (link is to another site with release already uploaded).

Making less money for doing the same job as someone else sucks, I’ve been there, which is why I am happy to publicize the part-time faculty’s cause. The image in this post conveys the essence of the problem.

Good luck Local 6100, I’m pulling for you.

Citizens for Responsible Government…Sure

I would like to point everyone toward an Eye on Wisconsin blog, Walker Disregards Disabled, CRG Disregards Truth. A favorite target of mine, Citizens for Republican Responsible Government, as Cory Liebmann of Eye on Wisconsin refers to the group, is rallying around Scott Walker and his budget that supposedly does not increase taxes. Problem is, the budget does increase taxes but is being misrepresented by both CRG and Walker for….political purposes. Check it out, well worth your time.

Butler Nominated as Western District Judge, Sensenbrenner Complains

Jim Sensenbrenner (R) of Wisconsin’s fifth district is slamming the nomination of Louis Butler as Western District Judge. Sensenbrenner’s reasoning? Butler lost a Supreme Court election last year. To Michael Gableman, now facing ethics charges over an ad he ran which was a downright lie. Gableman used Butler’s profession as a public defender, a noble position and underpaid when compared to private practice law, to portray Butler as letting child molesters loose on the streets.

The real issue, from Sennsenbrenner’s mouth, is he didn’t get any input on the selection;

“Under the Bush administration, we showed great care and concern for these appointments and worked on them in a bipartisan way.”

Sorry Jim, but Bush isn’t the president anymore. Wisconsin has clear guidelines for the appointment of district judges, and with two Democratic Senators and a Democrat in the White House, you don’t get a say. Rep. Sensenbrenner politicized the issue further describing the nomination as;

“Another example of the mismanaged way Washington is working under President Obama.”

The nomination guidelines have been in place since 1979. Your party is out of power Sensenbrenner. Deal with it.

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Update:  Dave Westlake, running for the Republican nomination to the US Senate released a statement on Butler following the same reasoning as Sensenbrenner. The guy is also a 9/12er…I don’t expect much out of him.