NRCC forgets Dan Kapanke’s past

Dan Kapanke is getting more assistance from big money groups trying to influence our house race.

A few weeks ago the National Federation of Independent Business spent nearly $400,000 on TV ads.

Last month the 60 Plus Association spent well over half a million dollars attacking Ron Kind for his vote on health care reform. How far right is the 60 Plus Association? Spokesman Pat Boone (that Pat Boone) compares the LGBT community to “jihadists.”

Now the NRCC is dropping $150,000 on ads featuring baseless allegations from two doctors claiming Ron Kind charged them to meet to discuss a bill. Undermining the doctors claims;

• The alleged incident happened three years ago
• The doctors can’t seem to remember the name of the Kind aide who did the “strong-arming”
• Kind supposedly showed up in a black Suburban, when it’s common knowledge he drives a maroon minivan with his name and 3rd Congressional District on the side
• One of the doctors has given a considerable sum to Kapanke’s campaign

Funny the NRCC would choose to go after Ron Kind’s ethics when Dan Kapanke has a huge list of violations, from his aides using state resources to benefit his and other Republican campaigns, to the $32,000 taken from a charity to improve the Loggers baseball stadium, among others.

Uppity Wisconsin has more on the ad, including video.

Journal Sentinel endorses Scott Walker, acknowledges Barrett has better ideas

Ask anyone in Wisconsin what the most important issue is right now and odds are good the answer will be “jobs.” Yet the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel endorses Scott Walker for governor while saying;

“Barrett['s]… jobs and deficit proposals are far more detailed than Walker’s and should be considered even if he’s not elected.”

So…why is Walker getting the nod?

The endorsement begins with Walker’s ridiculous promise to create 250,000 jobs during his first term as governor, reducing the unemployment rate to 0.03%. Despite Walker’s inability to bring any jobs to Milwaukee County during his tenure as county executive,  the paper still leads their endorsement with this dubious and unsubstantiated claim, with no attempt to follow up on the logistics of creating a quarter-million jobs.

Returning to the praise for Barrett’s deficit reduction plan, Scott Walker has pledged to reopen billions of dollars in tax loopholes, on top of the state’s projected $2.7 billion deficit. Without ever stating what programs will be cut, Scott Walker would dig Wisconsin’s budget hole deeper.

Capper and Cory have more on the Journal Sentinel’s strange endorsement criteria. At least the paper didn’t endorse RoJo.

Republican Party of Wisconsin gets sloppy

This is rich. A press release from Reince Priebus and the RPW attacks Russ Feingold on Social Security because recipients will see no cost of living adjustment next year. The press release cites this AP article stating;

The cost-of-living adjustments, or COLAs, are automatically set each year by an inflation measure that was adopted by Congress back in the 1970s.

First, the policy was implemented two decades before Feingold took office. Second, consumer prices went down, so no adjustment is given. The same thing happened last year.

But it gets better. President Obama urged a bonus payment last fall when the news broke there would be no COLA;

Congress took up the issue, but a proposal by Sen. Bernie Sanders died when 12 Democrats and independent Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut joined Senate Republicans to block it.

So Republicans blocked more money for senior citizens on Social Security. But the kicker is a line from a former Social Security Administration employee who says the lack of a benefit increase is;

“not the congressional Democrats’ fault.”

Couldn’t Priebus and Co. find an article to cite that doesn’t contradict the narrative they are pushing? Or did they not bother to read past the first sentence?

For more in Republican hypocrisy, the article also has Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D) saying there may be “more of an appetite ” to pass a bonus payment after the election. Should Republicans take over either house of Congress you can bet on them losing their newfound religion on fiscal responsibility to pander to senior voters (see Medicare Part D, an $8 trillion unfunded mandate).