A Utah astroturf group, the so-called “American Patriot Recall Coalition” has launched recall effort against 8 of the brave 14 Wisconsin State Senators who stood up to Hosni Walker’s plan to deny workers’ collective bargaining rights.
Who is being targeted?
The following State Senators are being targeted for recall:
Lena Taylor (WI-4)
Spencer Cogs (WI-6)
Jim Holperin (WI-12)
Mark Miller (WI-16)
Robert Wirch (WI-22)
Julie Lassa (WI-24)
Fred Risser (WI-26)
Dave Hansen (WI-30)
So who exactly is this group doing the recall?
This group just happened to spring up after the Giffords shooting, to recall Pima County (Tucson, AZ) Sherriff Clarence Zupnik. You probably remember that Sherriff Zupnik delivered some quite forceful and truthful words about how right-wing rhetoric from Faux News and talk radio contributed to the shooting. Odd timing, huh? Don’t you just love phony ass groups like this?
But wait, it gets better. The recall’s “conduit” (registered fundraising group) is the racist/nativist “Americans Against Immigration Amnesty”! According to OpenSecrets.org, most of their 2010 funding came from another astroturf outfit called “Texans for Arizona’s New Immigration Law”. This group has no website, just a Facebook group with links to a Chip In fundraising page. There is definitely something fishy going on here, if not downright fraudulent.
Can you say Koch?
I think this might be another act of political retribution by the Koch brothers. The Koch brothers are morally depraved multi-billionaire conservatives who like to get behind phony efforts just like this. They also produce many ubiquitous items we see, such as the entire line of Georgia-Pacific paper products.
What does this mean for Wisconsin?
Probably just what you’re thinking right now. It’s just more right-wing trickery to muck up our political system. This particular recall effort will probably succeed in getting on a ballot in some places, but most voters will probably not fall for it. In the case of Sen. Spencer Coggs, they might be getting more than they bargain for. The Coggs family is an established family in Milwaukee politics that is way more influentual than some dumbass from Utah, or any of APRCs two Wisconsin members. The only scenario in which he would probably lose is if someone to the left of him won. I happen to know there are several Black Milwaukee progessives chomping at the bit to take the torch on from the Coggs family and move this city and state forward.
In closing, I would encourage these morons from Utah to stay in their lane. How about organizing a recall in your OWN state for a change? How about not telling people in Wisconsin to live with less? Just a thought.
I thought the right wing was COMPLAINING about outsiders getting involved in this donnybrook.