No Runny Eggs

Once again, bloggers do what the LeftStream Media won’t. This time, it’s Jessica that takes a look at Russ Feingold’s (there is a reason why I am not using my slang name of el-Slimeroad, even though he richly deserves it) campaign finances the last few years. The highlights:

– Feingold spent a state-record $11.2 million ($1.5 million in out-of-state funds) to get re-election (Tim Michels, the RPW-abandoned opponent, spent $5.5 million with $0.3 million from outside Wisconsin). BTW, that was the 10th-most-expensive Senate race in the country.

– Amount raised by Feingold between 1992 (when he first ran and won his Senate seat) and 2002 (when the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform Lieberal Protection Act passed): $7 million. Amount raised since 2002: $11 million.

I’ll throw a couple of mostly-remembered tidbits from the 1998 campaign against Mark Neumann (the RPW-abandoned candidate that year). First, there was a coordinated special-interest sliming of Neumann shortly after the primaries that Feingold piously denied having any part of (in fact, he claimed he was taking the “high road”, hence my calling him Slimeroad), with at least one Milwaukee TV station (IIRC, it was WISN) airing those commercials for several days after Feingold asked they be pulled. One little problem; those ads would have run afoul of McCain-Feingold had it been law at that point, and Feingold was pushing for his Lieberal Protection Act back then.

Second, there was this little matter of late reporting of some last-minute out-of-state cash so el-Slimeroad didn’t have to worry about breaking his pledge to limit out-of-state cash. Never mind that the influx ended up only putting him at the cusp of breaking that pledge; because the Clintonistas ran the US Attorneys offices (it would have been a federal case if pursued), he only had to worry about the bad press from the appearance of breaking that pledge.

The Racine Journal Times instantly put up the pap that the pro-invasion group Voces de la Frontera spewed forth in defense of their invasion of the Stepp homestead (golly; you think they might have an agenda?). Peter shreds said pap much better than I could.

One thing I need to add to the commentary on this particularily-putrid tripe – “Her position on this bill is a slap in the face to the Latino community. This bill also forces everyone else to assume the risks associated with unlicensed drivers on the roads.” – Voces de la Frontera’s position on this bill is a slap in the face, a thumb in the eye, and a raised middle finger to every legal Wisconsin resident. Why couldn’t they use their Mexican licenses; oh that’s right, that would expose the invaders as such.

This RDW post exposes the lies of Voces de la Frontera’s and the Racine Domincans’ claims that Sen. Cathy Stepp and her staff had not met with them in discussions regarding AB69. To wit, there were no less than 3 meetings between Stepp’s staff and those opposed to AB69, including 2 at which VdlF was represented and 1 where the RDs were represented, and a 5-hour public hearing which Stepp was at on AB69 the day before VdlF decided to take after the invaders they advocate for and, well, invaded Stepp’s property.

On page B3 of this morning’s edition (at least if they didn’t spike it at the last minute – it’s in Metro South, which includes Racine, butthey did spike it from the Waukesha edition per Ramjac7; no confirmed word on whether it is in the state, Oz/Wash or Metro North editions), they finally got around to covering the Cathy Stepp/Voces de la Frontera story. Got some good news on the bill; AB69 made it out of the Senate’s Committee on Natural Resources and Transportation on a 4-1 vote. Stepp, Neal Kedzie, Dan Kapanke and Robert Wirch voted for it (thus making it a bipartisan vote), while Roger Breske believes you should need a passport to board a plane or enter a federal building because he believes that illegal invaders should continue to get Wisconsin driver’s licenses.

Oh, and Christine Neumann-Ortiz, you showed your true colors by rounding up your troops and invading Sen. Stepp’s property after dark. Some people might have dialed up 12-GAUGE instead of 911 on your sorry ass.

Please welcome Inside the Beaver’s Dam to the not-so-short-anymore-order blogroll.