Ladies and Gentlemen,
M & I Bank of Wisconsin has committed an unpardonable offense. This bank took bailout funds and thanks to the magic of Citizens United our own tax dollars flowed through their executives hands into the coffers of Scott Walker's gubernatorial campaign. We haven't dug deeply yet, but I think when we do we're going to find that we no longer have Russ Feingold's voice in the Senate because of this as well.
The mainstream media isn't covering it, but I'd like to show you a few images of what poetic justice looks like ...
(UPDATE 3 - M&I has made a weasely statement. I've placed it at the bottom of the diary)
What these pictures show are six hundred ordinary citizens descending on the M&I branch near the Wisconsin Capitol after learning of their purchase of the gubernatorial election last November. Two firefighters with old school ideas about saving had over $600,000 between the two of them and they demanded cashier's checks on the spot.
Not everyone has the purchase price of a couple of homes sitting in the bank, but if the 60% of Wisconsin that's sick to death of Scott Walker's behavior simply go close their accounts the bank will crash and they'll have stripped him of the funds he needs to fight the recall next January.
A couple of people have the documentation and my money is on @Karoli over at Crooks & Liars getting the job done first. I'll come back and post the first good piece I see. I'm trying to get this out and keep it tidy - look in one of the comments and I'll provide some of the links the researchers sent me, so those inclined to do their own digging can get started.
You know what really chaps my ass here? All week we've been seeing Tea Party trolls saying "It's not fair that public employees take our tax dollars and use them in elections."
On behalf of all of us who work for a living, unlike those fools with their misspelled signs being bussed around by Koch Brothers I'd like to say ...
UPDATE #1
According to this other rec list diary Bank that funded Walker, now closed, the specific branch near the Capitol is closed to avoid a run and the amount withdrawn by the firemen was only $192,000. I think that means random citizens pulled another $400,000 out on their own.
Looks like Susie Madrak over at C&L got to them first with Wisconsin Unions Call For Boycott Of Local Bank Over Walker Support, Withdraw Funds
OK, here is a fine link on who needs a spank over all of this - Scott Walker Watch's Boycott list. Spread this far and wide.
They have a Facebook page for Boycotting Scott Walker Contributors as well.
UPDATE #2
Per Jake's front page piece there is now a campaign to hold this bank and its executives accountable.
And I have provided the CEO, Mr. Mark Furlong with a nice bit.ly present so we can refer to him in shorthand.
UPDATE #3:
The bank in question, Marshall & Ilsley, issued a most unimpressive statement.
MILWAUKEE, March 11, 2011 PRNewswire -- M&I Bank (M&I) today issued the following statement in response to a letter it received from a union group threatening to boycott M&I if M&I does not publicly oppose Governor Walker's budget repair bill.
M&I has not taken, and will not take, a position either for or against the budget repair bill. As M&I has publicly stated before:
M&I has not contributed to any candidate and did not contribute to Governor Walker or Mayor Barrett in the last gubernatorial election.
M&I has over 6,000 employees in Wisconsin, and, in the great tradition of political freedom in this country, those employees have the right to contribute to the candidate of their choice.
M&I employees contributed to both Wisconsin gubernatorial candidates in the last election.
M&I is proud of our tradition of standing with teachers, nurses, police officers, fire fighters, and other dedicated public employees to support, improve, and grow Wisconsin communities. M&I has 188 branches in cities, towns, and villages throughout Wisconsin, and M&I employees work side-by-side with these dedicated public employees in civic endeavors across the state.
So, it wasn't the bank, it was the sleazy executives. So, when do we see copies of their pink slips?
Here are some funny activists at the M&I headquarters in Milwaukee ...
This is just silly but quite apropos ...