What?!?!?!
http://www.jsonline.com/...
Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel said he would have reluctantly defended a ban on interracial marriage had he been attorney general in the 1950s — a stance Democrats criticized Wednesday.
Schimel, a Republican, is running for attorney general in the Nov. 4 election against Jefferson County District Attorney Susan Happ, a Democrat.
For months, Schimel has said he would have defended the state's ban on gay marriage in court because the attorney general is obligated to uphold state laws and provisions in the state constitution.
As he discussed his stance on that issue last month on an Oshkosh cable access program, he was asked if it would have been his obligation to defend a ban on interracial marriage if he had been an attorney general in a state with such a law 60 years ago.
He sighed and said, "Yeah, it is."
"It might be distasteful to me ...but I've got to stay consistent with that — as the state's lawyer, it's not my job to pick and choose."
The U.S. Supreme Court in 1967 ruled Virginia's ban on interracial marriage was unconstitutional.
Democrats on Wednesday blasted Schimel for that line of reasoning.
"I think what it reveals to me is an absence of something that is core to this position (of attorney general) and that is to stand up to the Legislature and governor when they trample on people's constitutional rights," said state Rep. Chris Taylor (D-Madison). Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel, 10/8/14
Here's the exchange:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/...
HOST: "But if you had been attorney general in, say, the 1950s, in a state that did not allow interracial marriage, do you think the proper role of an attorney general then was to not put himself or herself into the mix and say this is wrong?"
SCHIMEL: "Yeah, it is."
HOST: "Your job is to uphold the law, even if it's something that we might look back in the future and say that's absurd?"
SCHIMEL: "It might be distasteful to me. I've got to stay consistent with that. As the state's lawyer, it's not my job to pick and choose." - TPM, 10/9/14
Here's something else you should know about this guy:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/...
Republican Brad Schimel, who is currently running for attorney general in Wisconsin, didn't prosecute an attorney who deleted files from the computer of an aide to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) relating to an ongoing John Doe criminal investigation of the governor.
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported late Wednesday that the attorney, Chris Wiesmuller, was able to avoid criminal charges by agreeing to a deal with Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel. They agreed to bring the situation to the attention of the Office of Lawyer Regulation, according to the Wisconsin newspaper.
Wiesmuller was reprimanded last year for destroying documents related to the John Doe investigation. The regulators found Wiesmueller violated rules because he attempted to negotiate a deal on behalf of client even though he hadn't consulted with her.
Earlier in the year, Wiesmueller told Wisconsin's Waukesha Now that he did not think he destroyed evidence related to a crime. He directed most of his questions to his attorney, Anthony Cotton.
The backstory is that Wiesmueller did legal work for Darlene Wink, a former Walker aide from the governor's days as Milwaukee County executive. Wink is the staffer who left her job with Walker's office after news broke that she spent some of her work hours posting anonymous comments that praised Walker and criticized the governor's opponents.
Wiesmueller, according to the five-page reprimand of him for his involvement in removing the files, directed Wink to get rid of evidence of political activity on her laptop. He also said he could help her do that. Wink gave Wiesmueller her laptop and he deleted the files on it and also downloaded software that removed records from the hard drive.
Wiesmueller eventually told prosecutors that they should file misdemeanors against Wink but not felonies. That was what he hadn't discussed with Wink before he talked to prosecutors, according to the reprimand, a violation of attorney ethics rules. - TPM, 10/9/14
Not only is tis guy an idiot and racist but he's also doing all the dirty work for a Governor who isn't even serious about doing a full second term:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/...
There's a very real chance that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) could lose in his campaign for re-election to Democratic challenger Mary Burke (D). But even if he wins, it may be by how much he wins that could decide Walker's fate for his rumored 2016 hopes.
The Wisconsin gubernatorial race has continued to be one of the tightest and most high-profile races of the cycle. Democrats see it as an opportunity to knock off one of the GOP's favorite governors who openly declared war on a key Democratic base: labor unions. Democrats say that the fact that the race is tight is an especially bad sign for Walker.
"I'd say it's absolutely hard to be an incumbent in any race but I would say it's also a really terrible position to be in as an incumbent to be underwater in favorability for months and to be in a dead heat with somebody who has really not been elective office before," Wisconsin Democratic Party Communications Director Melissa Baldauff said.
Some Democrats also say that this is a very real chance to crush a potential top-tier presidential candidate before the informal 2016 campaign season really begins. A lingering question throughout the Wisconsin gubernatorial race though has been if Walker does lose, does he lose any hope of running for president? What about if he wins but by a small margin?
"I think if he wins, [whether] by a small margin or a bigger margin, I think he still faces a significant climb to the presidency," said Patrick Guarasci, a Democratic operative and consultant in Wisconsin.
With about a month until the election, the TPM Polltracker gives Walker a slim 1.6 point lead over Burke, enough to give Walker caution and fuel the real possibility that he could lose. Walker, as a result, has responded to attacks from EMILY's List and Democrats attacking Walker on contraception and abortion issues. Walker's response ad was a clear move to defend himself among women, a group in which Burke has had the advantage (a recent Marquette poll has her leading among women by 14 points).
Burke, despite getting hammered over a plagiarism scandal involving a campaign staffer, still stands as a strong candidate in the race. And Walker has faced scandals of his own.
In particular, Guarasci mentioned the John Doe investigations that have given Walker grief even before the midterm elections really became serious for him.
"Even if he wins, he still faces some significant hills to climb. If he wins by a small margin it raise significant questions about his viability but knowing him I don't think it will prevent him from running," Gaurasci added. "He is running for president and he intends to launch his campaign shortly after he runs for governor."
Democrats are eager to say that Walker clearly has presidential aspirations and even other top Republican lawmakers have conceded that Walker has left that door open. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) said that the prospect of Walker running might help Walker "raise his profile." Walker also, notably, recently refused to definitively say he would serve another full term if re-elected. - TPM, 10/9/14
Lets kick some GOP ass in Wisconsin this year. Click here to donate and get involved with mary Burke's (D. WI) campaign and Susan Happ's (D. WI) Attorney General campaign:
http://burkeforwisconsin.com/
http://www.susanhappforwisconsin.com/