Dems Gain Nationally:

Recount in the 18th? Results below...

180 votes out of over 83,000 cast in unofficial results.

County - Jess King - Randy Hopper - Difference
Dodge - 981 - 1,303 - (322)
Winnebago - 24,451 - 20,213 - 4,238
FDL - 16,232 - 20,328 - (4,096)
Total - 41,664 - 41,844 - (180)

There are also provisional ballots to be decided, as well as the results being unofficial.

In Winnebago County we use 2 types of voting machines - touchscreen and scanners. The results on the county website are sometimes shown as complete for a ward even if the ward only has one of the machine types reported.

There are several questions about these results. Lets get to the bottom of this.

My Electoral Prediction...

(The map is from the DailyKos)

Help Get Out the Vote in Winnebago County

Hello Members, Friends and Volunteers for the Winnebago County Democratic Party!

It is time to Get Out the Vote (GOTV)!

After the long primary, the general campaign, it comes down to these last 3 days.

Your Winnebago County Democratic Party will be working for the election every day, through Tuesday evening.

To volunteer, please contact:

Winnebago County Office – (920) 426-2262

Scott Jacobs

(920) 426-8060 - sjacobs@obamacampaign4change.org

Info on our Victory Party:

Winnebago County Victory Party!

Come out to celebrate our hard earned victories!

8:01 PM – Tues, November 4^th

Beckets Center Court – 1 City Center (Old Park Plaza Mall Center Court, Oshkosh

Refreshments, DJ, Returns on the Big Screen and Fellow Democrats!

Please help out whenever you can! Every vote will count for all of our local candidates as well as Obama/Biden!

Volunteer for Election Day...

Don't let this happen:



Call 920.426.2262 (920.42-OBAMA) to volunteer at the Winnebago County Democratic Party Headquarters.

Is it just me....

Or does it make sense that a man with 7 houses and a wife worth $100 million would be worried about spreading the wealth a little.

There's Noone as Irish as Barack Obama....

Great video:

'Brat' Obama Buttons Make National News

They flew off the shelves at our office...

Good job Angela & Tom!

Save Wisconsin's Vote... Investigate the WI GOP

Perhaps you have heard about the absentee ballot applications the WI GOP has sent out to Wisconsin residents.

They have, in may instances, sent a ballot application with an incorrect return address. In one instance, a local Winnebago County Democratic Party member received an absentee ballot form from the WI GOP with a return address to go to the Town of Neenah clerk, when she lives and votes in the Town of Menasha.

I have several instances of this happening.

What are the results of this? Our member, if the application is sent in, may be denied the vote. By applying for voting in the incorrect town, she will not receive a ballot. When the ballot is not received, it will be too late to apply for another one. Her only option would be to vote the day of the election.

Then, this elderly woman would have to potentially stand in line for hours to vote. Her knees are not that good, maybe she would decide not to wait that long.

The other consequence would be for the local clerks to sort out the problem. Something our stretched thin municipal governments can not handle. The hours spent correcting the WI GOP mailing will eat into needed hours to prep for what could be the highest turn-out election in Wisconsin history.

Whether the WI GOP address problem was a mistake or a dirty election tactic, they are setting up the mass disenfranchisement of absentee voters, and a chain reaction that will lead to havoc on Nov 4th.

This issue needs to be investigated now. If the WI GOP cannot prove there was a mistake made, there should be prosecution.

One Wisconsin Now has a petition online about this issue, you can sign it with the links in this message:

Dear Jef, Hundreds of thousands of legal voters are at risk - but utter silence from the McCain campaign. Media are reporting Wisconsinites have received absentee ballot applications from the John McCain for President campaign with incorrect return addresses, which would likely prevent registration and processing from being completed. We need answers about this McCain mailing immediately and we need a full investigation by law enforcement. Sign the petition and demand an investigation today! Visit http://www.SaveWisconsinsVote.org. Not only could this lead to voters failing to receive their absentee ballots, it also could cause chaos on election day as those who did not receive their ballots scramble to cast their vote. The easy solution would seem to be: check the records, inform people who received an incorrect application and make sure no one is disenfranchised. But the McCain campaign refuses to tell us the exact number and won't even be interviewed about the scope of the problem. A top Republican Party of Wisconsin official said "hundreds of thousands" of absentee ballot applications have been mailed by the McCain campaign. Hundreds of thousands of voters at risk. No answers. Draw your own conclusions. Act now and sign the petition demanding an investigation into the faulty McCain absentee ballot applications. We need a formal investigation. Just last week, Attorney General JB Van Hollen and Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm announced a new task force focusing on election issues. While the prudence of having Van Hollen, the McCain campaign state co-chair, is certainly up for question, the task force must investigate this matter and assure the public their right to vote is not being compromised by an intentional disenfranchisement scheme by the McCain campaign. Fair and clean elections are a critical issue for the state of Wisconsin and protecting the right to vote is essential to our Democracy. Act now and sign the petition to the Task Force and the Government Accountability Board below calling for an immediate investigation of the mailing. They must get to the bottom of this as soon as possible. Time is critical, please act today. Scot Ross Executive Director One Wisconsin Now P.S.--Nothing will happen unless you act today. Sign the petition and help preserve Democracy. Visit http://www.SaveWisconsinsVote.org.

Oshkosh Really is the Center of the World...

As I pointed out here...

...and MSNBC confirms today.

Obama leads the money chase in key counties

Scouring the latest campaign finance data for a Palin bounce, other trends

Beaver County, Pennsylvania. Ohio's Ashtabula County. Winnebago County, Wisconsin.

These are the counties where the 2008 presidential election may be decided. They're battleground counties in the battleground states.

Too good not to Highlight

Rove on VP Material...

"With all due respect again to Governor Kaine, he's been a governor for three years, he's been able but undistinguished," Rove said. "I don't think people could really name a big, important thing that he's done. He was mayor of the 105th largest city in America."

He goes on to say:

"So if he were to pick Governor Kaine, it would be an intensely political choice where he said, `You know what? I'm really not, first and foremost, concerned with, is this person capable of being president of the United States? What I'm concerned about is, can he bring me the electoral votes of the state of Virginia, the 13 electoral votes in Virginia?'"

Of perhaps a short term Governor and Mayor of a tinier town to maybe chase the female or Libertarian vote?

It's just politics.

Sent by a friend: You just might be a Republican if...

If you don't know how many houses you own...

.. you just might be a Republican.

WCDP Announcement

Hello members and Friends of the Winnebago County Democratic Party!

We need you to volunteer for a shift at the Winnebago County Fair!
Can you sign up? There is a schedule as it stands when this email was sent attached. I will update it online as it fills in here:

http://jef4wi.com/files/Fair08.pdf

Please sign up! We will have free passes for volunteer hours.


Get deputized to register voters in Oshkosh!
Want to work with the Winnebago Dems/Obama campaign to register voters? Sign up for a registration class on Thursday, August 7th. It will be at the HQ. Let Casey know if you want to sign up (Casey Giltner: 920.410.6668). You must live in Oshkosh.


Help staff the office for the Gallery Walk.
Oshkosh’s Gallery Walk is this Saturday, August 1st. We need people to staff the office and talk to voters. Please be there (480 N Main st, Oshkosh) between 6-10PM.


Volunteer for the Obama Campaign:
Casey Giltner: 920.410.6668
Caitlin Hurley: 781.254.5555

Let me know if you have any questions!

Jef Hall
Chair, Winnebago County Democratic Party
2nd Vice Chair, Democratic Party of WI
224a Scott Ave, Oshkosh, WI 54901
920.203.6883
jef@jefhall.com
www.winnebagodems.com
www.jefhall.com

Authorized and Paid for by the Winnebago County Democratic Party – Jef Hall, Chair.

Jessica King’s Grassroots Support Trumps Hopper’s Deep Pockets in 18th Senate District Race

Jessica King’s Grassroots Support Trumps Hopper’s Deep Pockets in 18th Senate District Race

OSHKOSH – Recently filed campaign finance reports indicate stark differences between the campaigns of Democratic Candidate Jessica King and Republican Candidate Randy Hopper for the open 18th Senate District Seat.

King, a native of Fond du Lac and Rosendale, a UW-Oshkosh graduate, attorney, and current member of the Oshkosh Common Council received 486 individual contributions during the recent fundraising period, 90% of those contributions were less than $100.

Hopper, a radio station owner in Fond du Lac with no government experience and no public positions on issues at this time, had just 28 individual contributors, an average contribution of $682.90 and just 2 contributions less than $100.

“While Jessica King continues to reach out and receive broad support from Democrats, Republicans, and Independents throughout the 18th District, Mr. Hopper is relying on support from his big money friends. The fact that Mr. Hopper has not received a single contribution from anyone in Winnebago County is very telling of his campaign’s support and reach beyond Fond du Lac.”

Jessica King challenged the incumbent State Senator Carol Roessler before Roessler dropped out in March. Since then, Winnebago County Sheriff Mike Brooks announced and then dropped out; Mark Reiff had announced for the Senate Seat before deciding to move to the 54th District and run for Assembly; and Tim Lakin had been running for months before Republican operatives asked him to step down, leading to his withdrawal from the race.

“I understand why the Republican party establishment is backing someone with deep pockets like Randy Hopper. But the 18th Senate Seat is not for sale, and as Jessica King’s previous opponents have found out, she has broad support throughout the District from people who want real change in Madison and want someone who will bring ideas and experience to the table.

“Jessica King will continue knocking on doors throughout the District and make her priorities for Wisconsin clear. In the meantime, we will be waiting for Mr. Hopper to make some positions known. Is he on board with the Senate Republicans agenda, or is he with the people of the 18th Senate District?”

King vs. Hopper July Reports

Average Contribution:
King - $77.90 Hopper - $682.90

Individual Contributors:
King – 486 Hopper – 28

Donations Under $100
King – 90% Hopper – 7%

Total Raised:
King – $54,997 Hopper – $18,425

Cash on Hand:
King - $44,520 Hopper - $18,425

Is McCain's WI Campaign Weighing Racist Attacts?

Here's the headline:

McCain Supporters Studying Gableman Campaign

MADISON (AP) - A little-known country judge's road to the Wisconsin Supreme Court is being eyed by John McCain backers as a map for him to win the state.

Republican operatives are closely studying how circuit judge Michael Gableman, a conservative candidate from from Webster in far northwest Wisconsin who never ran a statewide race before, was able to oust a more liberal sitting Supreme Court justice in April.

They believe his win provides a guide for McCain to become the first Republican to carry the state since Ronald Reagan in 1984 and capture its 10 electoral votes.

If you don't remember the add, Plaisted Writes got it right here:

It was all a precursor to this – the most racist, unfair ad in the history of Wisconsin politics that started running on Friday. To his slight credit, it comes from the Gableman campaign itself, which chose not to hide behind the WMC or other surrogates and sponsors. To his never-ending shame (if he had any sense of it), the ad shows Michael Gableman to be a racist pig who will do anything to get himself elected on behalf of his wealthy patrons.

You thought Willie Horton was the scariest, ugliest black man used in a political campaign to scare the bejesus out of a mostly-white electorate? Meet the new "winner", Rubin Lee Mitchell, a former client of Justice Butler’s back when he was doing his usual exemplary legal work as an appellate lawyer at the State Public Defenders office over 20 years ago. Mitchell’s menacing mug shot is shown right next to that of the first African-American to serve on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Black guy gets black guy off..."Can Wisconsin families feel safe with Louis Bulter on the Supreme Court?"

So now this is the campaign that the WIGOP is studying to run against Sen Barack Obama.

It is going to be a long election season. We will work hard, and we will win, even if our opponents dip this low.

NYTimes Cohen Gets it 100% Right:

Obama's right to play hardball to win. A core lesson of Republican methods these past four decades is that winning is everything.

Quote of the week

From NYTimes conservative columnist David Brooks:

I've spent the past few years trying to find conservative experts to provide remedies for middle-class economic anxiety. Let me tell you, the state of free-market thinking on this subject is pathetic. There are a few creative thinkers (most of them under 30), but for the most part, McCain is forced to run in an intellectual void.

McCain for change...?

It is here.

Explanation of Florida & Michigan Situation

From Jason Rae - a good explanation of the situation

Friends--

Over the past few days I have received several emails and calls inquiring about the situation with the delegates to the National Convention from Florida and Michigan. I wanted to take just a moment and provide some historical background to the situation for you. As always, if there are any questions after this, please do not hesitate to contact me and let me know.

I will start at the very beginning. Every four years, the Democratic National Committee establishes the calendar for the upcoming nominating period. This calendar decides when states will be allowed to hold their primaries and caucuses. A part of this calendar is known as the pre-window, which is a period of time in which only a select number of states are able to hold their primary or caucus. This pre-window had traditionally only allowed for Iowa and New Hampshire, but was extended this year to add Nevada and South Carolina in order provide more diversity into the early part of the process. For the 2008 cycle, the first date every other state was allowed to hold their primaries or caucuses was February 5. This date became dubbed "Super Tuesday" because every state wanted to be as early as possible, so over 20 states jumped forward to the first eligible date.

This is where Florida and Michigan enter the picture. Each state is required to submit a plan to the DNC announcing when its event will take place. Michigan submitted a plan that would have their event on January 15 and Florida submitted a plan that would have their primary on January 29. Both of these dates violated the DNC Call to the Convention and the Regulations of the National Convention as the first date they could hold their primaries was February 5.

The DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee reviewed the delegate selection plans submitted by Florida and Michigan and found them in non-compliance with the Convention Rules. As such, each state party was given thirty (30) days to submit a modified plan with a date in compliance. Neither state party was willing to move the date of the primary, because they wanted to have an early say in the primary process. As such, the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee voted to find their plan in non-compliance and as such they were told their delegates would not be seated at the national convention.

However, this was not the end of the DNC's attempt to work with Florida and Michigan to help get them seated at the Convention. The DNC had originally given each state those 30 days to make amends to their plan and the states refused. After that point, the DNC had been willing to work with each state to hold a new nominating contest, either a new primary or caucus. By doing so, the delegations from those states would be seated in Denver. However, neither state party agreed to do this and instead asked to be seated at the convention based on the original results.

Where are we now? Well, all states must complete their primaries and caucuses by June 21. Realistically, it is impossible for either state to put together a new plan in time that will be in compliance with DNC rules. So as stands, the delegations from those two states will not be seated at the National Convention. There is currently an appeal pending before the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee that will ask the DNC to seat 50% of the delegates from each of those states, as well as the state's superdelegates. I am unsure at this time what the decision of the Rules and Bylaws Committee will be. They meet on May 31 and I will certainly provide you with information following their decision. Whatever is decided can then be appealed to the Convention's Credentials Committee and ultimately all the delegates at the National Convention in August.

Those are the facts, as unbiased as I can present them to you. I just wanted to take a moment to make sure that you were all aware of what was going on, because in the next few weeks, we are certain to hear many more arguments regarding Florida and Michigan. I will add two personal opinions. One, it is important for us to find some way to work with those state parties because they are crucial states for Democrats to win in November. However, I am fearful that seating the delegates based on primaries held in violation of the DNC rules would only open the floodgates in 2012 and allow every state to jump before the first eligible date with the excuse "Florida got away with it, why can't we?" Its a two way street and I am eager for the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee to hear this case and move forward.

Regardless of the outcome, I will keep you all up to date on what is happening. Thank you for your emails and calls on this issue. I hope you have a fantastic weekend! Hopefully summer is on its way!

-Jason

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Jason R. Rae
DNC Member - WI
raejason@yahoo.com
715.790.4334