PaddyMac Points The Way. The Wrong Way, That Is.

Paddy doesn't hold back any of his tricks in this post, in which he tries to keep up the Scott Walker talking points about the zoo interchange, even though Walker's bluster and grandstanding is crumbling and falling faster than a block of concrete of the county courthouse.

McIlheran uses the old faux concern, the hypocrisy and the circular logic that has made people like Dad29 and Charlie Sykes think that he is something more than he is, which is nothing more than a puppet.

Even while he makes snide innuendos of blaming Jim Doyle and Tom Barrett, he keeps calling for the end of the "blame game."

Perhaps he is hoping that it ends before too many people find out that Walker is just as culpable as anyone. Maybe even more so, since he took no action whatsoever, good or ill, to fix the interchange:



Is anyone else starting to think that Eddie Haskell was Patrick's hero while growing up?

Rowen On Belling: One Out Of Three Ain't Good

James Rowen did the superhuman task of listening to Mark Belling last Friday.

His take on it can be found here.

Now What Will The Right Wing Do For Inspiration?

The right wing echo chamber is sure to be in a quandary when they take Jack Bauer off the air:

"In a joint decision made by 24's star and executive producer Kiefer Sutherland, executive producer and showrunner Howard Gordon, Twentieth Century Fox Television, Imagine Entertainment and Fox Broadcasting Company, it was determined that the acclaimed series will end its remarkable eight-season run.

"Jack Bauer's last day on FOX will conclude when the final two hours of "Day Eight" air Monday, May 24 (7:00-9:00 PM CDT). As the countdown to the series' climactic conclusion races on, the final 11 hours will air uninterrupted Mondays (8:00-9:00 PM CDT) on Fox."

I can just hear their heads exploding when they realize that they now have to deal with reality.

School Choice Is Not The Answer

Charlie Sykes, PaddyMac and all the others like WPRI (Weasels Promoting Republican Ideology) too a hit when one of their own broke ranks and decided to speak the truth:

Milwaukee, in the strongly revised opinion of Diane Ravitch, is almost a textbook example for showing that the prediction that the tide of school choice will lift all educational boats is wrong.

"One might wonder about how much (Milwaukee Public Schools) is coming apart at the seams because of the competition," Ravitch said in a telephone conversation. "The competition was supposed to make things better."

A few years ago, Ravitch was a prominent voice for that latter sentiment. But in a way that has caused a stir in education circles nationwide, she now has come down emphatically in the opposite camp when it comes to private school vouchers, charter schools and the testing-based accountability regimen that is at the heart of the No Child Left Behind education law.

Those ideas just haven't worked, she argues in "The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education." It is time to return to emphasizing better curriculum and instruction as the key to better success, she says, and it is time for emphasizing the needs of the mainstream of public school students.

The article goes on to point out the instability of the entire charter school system with the constant revolving door of new schools opening and others being closed.

It seems to be that is part of the problem with today's society as a whole. There is no loyalty between employer or employee anymore. The days of having a lifelong career somewhere is over as employers continue to seek out more ways to make the most profit at the employees' expense. This, of course, can be directly tied to the ever decreasing number of unions and unionized jobs.

Which also explains why the right is so set against unions. They get in the way of the wealthy becoming even wealthier and the poor getting poorer.

The Zoo Interchange Problem Is A Right Wing Conspiracy

Illy-T points us to the truth:

Knowledgeable sources suggested county exec and GOP candidate for governor Scott K. Walker engineered the rerouting to guarantee commuters five additional minutes of Charlie Sykes drive time.

Oh, the humanity!

McKenna: Queen of the TEA Nuts

Mike Plaisted, in language a little more blunt than what you may be used to, on Vicki McKenna:

The primary purveyor of violent revolution on local mainstream radio is the putrid Vicki McKenna on WISN. McKenna – who phones in her shtick from Madison, where she has been a thorn in the side of Truth and Common Sense for years – fancies herself a leader of the Tea Baggers. She even manages to get herself on the podium at their dog-and-pony shows, opening for such brilliant orators as Not-Joe the Not-Plumber and Michelle Malkin.

As the loopy right lost its collective mind over the passage of moderate health insurance regulation last week, McKenna was right out there with them, baying at the moon and pretending the People would soon extract Vengeance for this Tyrannical attack on Liberty. Or some such nonsense. McKenna offers up her two hours of free radio time every weekday morning to provide remarkably free advertising for all things Tea and GOP (same thing). Any staged astro-turf “rally” is promoted for weeks on her show. Republican politicians have a free pass to visit McKenna by phone or in studio any time to blather about their latest campaigns or ludicrous legislation. It has gotten to the point that she and Scott Walker should just, well, get a room.

Elect Her And She'll Cause Mass Destruction

I really don't understand what makes some people tick:


One would think you would want to present yourself in a positive light...

An Entitlement Program He Will Drink To

Patrick McIlheran has found an entitlement program that he could really dive into: Water for Waukeshans:

Milwaukee's revival will come not by forcing the most urban area in Waukesha County to hand over money. It will come by making itself an attractive part of a thriving metro area. The region can thrive if its parts cooperate. Cooperation doesn't include extortion, though it can include $1 million donations from suburban-based companies to health care for the poor in Milwaukee, as GE made the other day.

Here's an idea: Strike a deal for the water. Strike a deal just about water. My city should drop the stupid, pushy resolution and the shoulder chip before Waukesha figures out it can get lake water from Oak Creek or river water from the Fox at perhaps higher cost but with fewer hysterics.

I guess entitlements are OK...as long as you pass McIlheran's worthiness test. Or maybe Xoff hit dead on when he questions if this is actually a message from God:

Apparently, God hates suburban sprawl, too. Who knew?

Or is Paddy Mac suggesting that God thinks it's OK to drink radium-tainted water, but was overruled by the EPA?

I can see Paddy joining up with James Wigderson and holding a lemonade stand to help promote their cause. Just make sure what water they are using before you buy any.

Former Reporter Admits Political Bias In Reporting

If you can stomach it, watch this campaign video from Rebecca Kleefisch, former news reporter and present candidate for Lieutenant Governor. Pay close attention starting about the 0:35 mark:



Kleefisch admits to calling Scott Walker's office because of his conservative ideas that promote the way she feels about politics or some such nonsense.

So much for the "liberal media" meme.

And thank goodness that she is no longer distorting the news to promote her owned distorted values. And after September, we will only have to put up with her Charlie Sykes plugs, if he hasn't dropped her like a hot potato by then.

Reagan's Eleventh Commandment Doesn't Work In Wisconsin

Ronald Reagan had a line he called the Eleventh Commandment that was basically this:

"Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican."

Reagan's catchphrase helped the Republicans stay together and stay on message for a long time. But that was a long time ago, in a place far away.

In Wisconsin, things are much, much different for those on the right. They are so full of hate and anger, they'll attack anyone, including each other.

We saw that over the weekend at the Koch Industry-sponsored TEA party, in which Team Duffy tried to gang up on his primary opponent, Dan Mielke. They are mad at Mielke for pointing out that Duffy isn't conservative to be a Republican's Republican.

Now we are seeing this sort of behavior spilling out over locally.

Our local alcohol-fueled loudmouth, Kevin Fischer, decided to take on James Wigderson over something really trivial, like daylight savings time.

Wiggy, taking full advantage of having about 100 more IQ points than Fischer, goes Whallah! all over the Fisch:

State Senator Mary Lazich’s staffer, Journal Sentinel blogger, and WISN fill-in Kevin Fischer goes off the deep end. At least he used a good picture. I could have a contest to determine what is the point of his blog post, but I’m betting it would be a contest without winners. I’m guessing one of three things happened:

1) Someone put ketchup on his bratwurst.
2) He was trapped in a car with Jeff Wood, with THE WINDOWS ROLLED UP.
3) He did research on St Patrick’s Day early.

While that was entertaining, I actually think Fischer was closer to the truth with this:

I have no business possessing thoughts of my own because I’m just a lowly state employee, a lowly legislative aide, a lowly state Senate employee. And I get to go on radio and TV??? OH MY GOD, THE INJUSTICE!

No, Kevin, you have no thought processes, so you have no business pretending you do, much less collecting one dime of tax payer money while you prove that you don't think.

Time To Bag the "Brown Bag" Theme

Scott Walker wants us to believe that he's so tight that he packs his own lunch. From now on we should probably ask to watch him eat it, too.

[]...campaign finance records show Walker’s campaign has piled up big tabs at some restaurants for meetings, including more than $2,000 at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse in Middleton...[]

The State Journal adds clarification, lest some say, "Well, they all do it."

By contrast, the campaigns of his GOP primary rival Mark Neumann and Democratic opponent Tom Barrett spent some money on food and drinks for fundraisers but virtually nothing on meals for themselves and their campaign meetings.

It's clear that they don't all do it. This is about Walker's hubris; his feeling of being the anointed candidate.

Saint Ronnie said, "Trust. But verify."

He was talking about someone who said one thing and did another. You know? Like Scott Walker

Glenn Beck Attacks Stephen Colbert

I'm still laughing.

Another Prize Missed Out On

Charlie Sykes, always a Pulitzer Prize nominee, never a Pulitzer Prize winner, missed out on another prize this year as well.

Oh, well, better luck, next year Charlie.

H/T Lance Burri

If For No Other Reason...

Besides giving hundreds of thousands of Americans much-needed health care and helping the economy overall, there is one other overriding reason why President Obama and Congress need to get the health care reform done and done quickly. It would help clean up the country's air:

If Democrats didn't have all the incentive they needed to pass health care reform already, then conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh may have provided the final push they needed by vowing to flee the country if the reform bill is passed.

Responding to a caller who asked him where he would go for health care if Congress enacts reform, Limbaugh replied,

I don't know. I'll just tell you this, if this passes and it's five years from now and all that stuff gets implemented -- I am leaving the country. I'll go to Costa Rica.

The best part? Costa Rica also has nationalized health care.

Oh, and Rush, take Sarah Palin with you. She's an expert on using nationalized health care.

Is it Global Warming?

With the unseasonably warm temps in Wisconsin the past few days, it's been interesting to note the absence of global warming jabs from local conservatives. They must be visiting their groundhog brethren deep underground.

The One

Squawkers and their Echo Chamber, besides being a great name for a band, follow party memes in calling President Barack Obama things like "The One" and try to paint him as an elitist. Likewise, they try to dehumanize anyone that likes Obama and claim that these people are like religious cultists that worship instead of merely admire Obama.

I wonder if the squawkers will go after someone who actually compared herself to God: Sarah Palin.

Does anyone really think that God would have to scribble a handful (pun intended) of talking points on His hand to remember them? Or would screw it up if He did?

H/T to James Rowen

Incite Defined

Illy T found a long and link-filled way to define Sykes' Sunday Incite. It is a new way of defining circle jerk.

Why He Is An Award Winner

From Brawler:

Patrick McIlheran has a good chortle over this story in the Guardian that says "Obama's docs" recommend "moderation of alcohol intake."

Actually, if you click through to the actual memo -- cleverly hidden on the White House's Web site -- you find the doctors call for him to "continue" moderation of alcohol intake.

It's the kind of mistake you'd expect from somebody who'd only spent two years as a reporter and one a conscientious journalist would seek to correct. Wouldn't hold my breath on that one from Pat.

One of the royal spies has informed me that Paddy is up to win an award in a special ceremony at the Dells. The awarding group are the Teabaggers, who thrive off of this kind of misinformation.

But just the fact that Paddy is up for this award leads to three questions.

1) Will they call it a Baggie or a TeeBee?

2) Will the award look something like this?



3) Will the friendship between Paddy and Charlie Sykes survive Paddy winning a contest and Sykes still remaining nothing more than a nominee?

Where Has He Been?

PaddyMac was touting his upcoming appearance on Sunday's Incite, and the one topic was: OMG!!!!, Mark Neumann called out Scott Walker on one of his many lies! How absolutely negative!

But I wonder where old Pat was in November 2008 when Scott Walker sent out a campaign fund raising letter claiming that President Barack Obama and Governor Jim Doyle had opened Wisconsin's borders to "activist thugs" who were going to steal all our elections, rape our women and run off with all our cattle, or something like that.

Either way, the best line came in the comment thread on Paddy's post:

May I instead recommend watching RuPaul's Drag Race 2 on LOGO at 10:00 a.m. Sunday?

Of course, with divas like Charlie Sykes, James Harris and Patrick McIlheran on Incite, it could be easy to confuse the two.

They Came Not To Praise Scott Brown...

U.S. Senator Scott Brown (R-Mass.) was the darling of conservatives across the nation when he won a special election against a less-than-ineffective opponent to take over the late Senator Ted Kennedy's seat.

Recently, when Brown was a part of a handful of members of Republicans that voted for the Jobs Bill, the honeymoon was over:

Glenn Beck says he's upset with Scott Brown as Senate passes The Jobs Bill. Michelle Malkin has her minions flood his Facebook page with angry comments. And the conservatives are just so angry that Senator Scott Brown's not the Senator Scott Brown they thought they got. This blogger howls!

When Republican U.S. Senator Scott Brown won the Massachusetts special election to fill the Senate seat vacated by the passing of the legendary Democrat, U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy, conservatives cheered and TV pundits and Fox News and CNN hailed it as the beginning of the end of the Democratic majority in Congress. But forgotten in all the hoopla and flowing cocktails after the win was that Scott Brown never called himself a conservative, but said he was an independent.

Come to think of it, Charlie Sykes, who daily had his tingling leg syndrome and giggled like a school girl every time he mentioned Brown's name, has been awfully quiet about him lately. Poor guy must be suffering from a broken heart.