Wisconsin News Round-Up, 7/27

Less than two weeks out from election day, a new Daily Kos/PPP poll shows a path to victory for the Democrats [1]: Clark is ahead of Olsen by two points, and Nusbaum and Pasch are more than holding their own against Cowles (SD 02) and Darling (SD 08). This is especially good news in SD 08, confirming a trend seen in a previous poll [2]. It seems that the once-confident Darling is slipping: One Wisconsin Now told Greg Sargent [3] that Club for Growth sank $400,000 right after the previous poll came out.
Early voting has begun [4], and (thanks to Walker’s ID law) will end earlier than in previous elections, on the Friday before Election Day. If you live in a recall district, make sure you vote at your local municipal clerk’s office.
In news from the Republican candidates, Kim Simac, running against Jim Holperin in SD 12, has some questionable comments [5] in her past. Also, Randy Hopper is in yet more hot water [6] over his mistress’ lobbying gig.
Fred Clark faced Luther Olsen in a debate in Portage last night [7], with further debates scheduled tonight and tomorrow. There’s a short clip at that link.
More for the unfortunately large file of voter disenfranchisement news in Wisconsin: Gov. Walker is planning on closing ten DMVs around the state [8], making it even more difficult for voters to obtain the photo ID needed to vote, although the DMV says the decision isn’t final yet. Currently, fewer than half [9] the counties in Wisconsin meet the requirement that photo ID services be available for 20 hours a week. This video from We Party [10] shows how difficult it can be to obtain a photo ID even when DMVs are open. At least one Democrat says the Governor is targeting DMVs in Democratic areas for closure [11]; a Department of Transport official counters that “the changes were based on economics, not politics.” Even if this is true, if an office needs to be open to enable citizens to exercise their democratic rights, nothing should interfere with that- not political parties, not economics and certainly not the right-wing agenda of a Governor who puts ideology (and the wishes [12] of his friends at ALEC [13]) before the needs of Wisconsinites. Seriously, is there anything less American than interfering with people’s right to vote?
Controversy surrounding the redistricting law continues. After the Senate approved the maps last week [14], Walker has signed a bill allowing the legislature to circumvent a law [15] requiring them to wait until local governments have submitted their own maps. Criticism of the maps continues to mount, with even Alberta Darling distancing herself from the bill [16] and recognizing that the courts may have to solve this one -- even though she voted for it. It might help if in future she didn’t vote for bills she thought could be unconstitutional, but that’s a small quibble.
State Senate Republicans are finally moving on a bill to extend jobless benefits [17], although they are insisting on one more jab at the unemployed, making sure to include a one-week delay for benefits. Good work, Republicans, that’ll show ‘em. If their ideology makes them disapprove of unemployment benefits in principle, that’s one thing, but no one could reasonably say a one-week delay was going to motivate people to find work (as if that was the reason people are unemployed in this economy). It’s just a gratuitous kick in the teeth from the party that doesn’t care about the struggles of ordinary Americans.