Those involved in the fight to recall right-wing Koch Brother Stooge Scott Walker have filed ONE MILLION SIGNATURES in their fight.
From Business Week:
Wisconsin Governor’s Foes Have 1 Million Names for Recall
January 17, 2012, 7:48 PM EST
By Tim Jones and Marie Rohde
Opponents of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker have about 1 million signatures on petitions to force a recall election, according to a state Democratic Party news release.
If the state’s Government Accountability Board rules that at least 540,208 signatures are valid and any legal challenges fail, Wisconsin will hold the third gubernatorial ouster vote in U.S. history. The Republican politician championed restrictions on bargaining by public-employee unions, prompting the effort. The signatures are to be filed today.
Today’s submission in Madison, the capital, will escalate a partisan war that has raged 11 months and divided a state with a history of progressive politics. Voters ousted two senators in August who voted for Walker’s collective-bargaining curbs, and now the governor, lieutenant governor and four Republican state senators face possible removal votes in the second or third quarter.
The million people favoring a recall election for Walker compares with the 1.1 million votes that elected him in 2010.
Walker, in an interview today over Milwaukee radio state WTMJ, called the effort “a baseless recall.”
“We’re going to get a chance to do what’s never been done before: be elected twice in the same term,” Walker said.
Democrats and union members also collected about 850,000 signatures to recall Republican Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch and 20,600 names to recall Senator Scott Fitzgerald, about 4,200 more than necessary. Also targeted are Senators Pam Galloway, Terry Moulton and Van Wanggaard.
Out-of-State Money
The Accountability Board has said it will need at least 60 days to verify the signatures, and Kevin Kennedy, its director, said Jan. 12 he would need even more time to search for duplicate and fictitious names. The board has estimated the cost of the recall to be at least $9 million.
No Democratic candidate has emerged to challenge Walker.
Recall campaigns in nine legislative districts in 2011 were prompted by the battle over public-employee union collective bargaining rights and drew $44 million in contributions, most coming from out-of-state interests, according to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, a nonpartisan watchdog group based in Madison.
In August, Walker said in an interview that voters had “had it” with recalls and that ‘things will quiet down.’’
He raised $7.6 million in anticipation of a recall, according to a Jan. 10 report filed with the board. He recently attended fundraisers in Washington and Austin, Texas.
Rev. Al discusses it:
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Ed Schultz did a segment on this:
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Wisconsin State Senator Jon Erpenbach talks with Rachel Maddow about the massive response to the call for signatures on recall petitions to remove Governor Scott Walker.
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