You know all that stuff you read about our Founding Fathers (most of it lies and distortions, but we'll leave it be) that when government becomes "tyrannical" you have the right to petition your government for redress or, as you like to say, "I want my country back! Waaaaaahhhhh!!!"
Well, in the great state of Wisconsin, way before you enjoyed all the privileges government affords you today, e.g., Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, a group of idealistic "progressives" (you might call them liberals, or socialists, or Democrats, or even ... progressives(!) today) got together and decided they had to protect the people, common folks like you and me, from an abusive or "tyrannical" government. They also carried around copies of the U.S. Constitution but, unlike you, actually and fully understood what all the provisions in our governing document meant. This Bob LaFollette story from 1911 could have been written today:
They enacted a law whereby elected state officials, from the governor to legislators to judges, could be recalled by the people in special elections if it was found they had committed grievous wrongs against their electoral mandate and the state and federal constitutions. All that was required was a sufficient number of citizens in said district(s) to agree by signing recall petitions."The greatest menace to competition at the present time is the control of credit and the concentration of money in the hands of those who control the trusts."
Guess what, Teabaggers. After the short and tumultuous Scott Walker reign as king of Wisconsin, shoving through successive bills to strip public employee unions of their bargaining power while cutting taxes for his business cronies and making up the difference off the hides of Wisconsinites, not only did the Democratic 14 senators, aka The Wisconsin 14, revolt to deny him a quorum, but so did the people. In massive demonstrations 100,000 strong, the largest ever in the state's history, Wisconsinites rose up to protest Walker's dictatorial extremism. And then, not only was the union-stripping bill declared unconstitutional, but the demonstrations were followed through with GRASSROOTS (it was ALL grassroots) statewide drives to recall the Republican senators who voted against the unions.
The results are in, and they are TRULY STUNNING AND HISTORIC: Despite being outspent by factors of three or four to one (same as in NY-26) by Koch brothers money — the same jackals who are bankrolling your little dress-up adventures, Teabagger TOOLS — the people's campaign to recall the Republican-controlled Wisconsin senate delivered and has had certified SIX RECALL PETITIONS, THREE MORE THAN THE NUMBER OF RECALL ELECTIONS NEEDED TO FLIP THE WISCONSIN SENATE BACK TO THE DEMOCRATS. The Republican efforts, once again bankrolled by the Koch brothers, with illegal scams like trading shots of liquor for signatures, delivered EXACTLY ZERO PETITIONS TO RECALL DEMOCRATS.
Let this be a signal lesson to YOU, Teabaggers, about (a) what a pathetic, despicable fraud it is for you to represent yourselves as a grassroots movement; and (b) WHAT REAL GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE. We're taking our country back, Teabaggers, from the TYRANTS who wrested the statehouses from the people on false pretenses. In Florida, Tea Party governor Rick Scott is at 29% approval; rest assured, he's a one-term disaster; in Ohio, John Kasich's approval has taken a similar nosedive and a recall petition is underway; and in Wisconsin, Walker stands at 39% approval, with a recall petition looming. Polls indicate he would lose to the Democrat, any Democrat, in a landslide if they had an election do-over today.
Come election day, you'll have a decision to make, Teabaggers: Either stand with the people, or allow the corporate jackals to continue pulling your strings. It's not only something as lofty and inchoate as your country that's at stake — it's YOUR Social Security and Medicare, too.
of you have sat, and perhaps thought, with us!
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