While out on the recall trail for Alberta Darling, we hear constant shouts of "go back to Illinois you union thugs" or variations thereof. At first, the "go back to Illinois" comments bewildered me a bit. Though I grew up in Illinois, as a long term resident of Wisconsin I understand that there is a general tolerant scorn for our neighbors to the south. Of course, we court their tourist dollars as we disseminate "escape to Wisconsin" ad campaigns throughout the Land of Lincoln, and we now hope for a migration of their businesses into our new "open for business" tax-free frontier, though we also express our ambivalence towards our neighbors through such charming acronyms as FIPS (Fucking Illinois People) that are commonly used throughout our tourist destination zones.
After a bit of research, I found that right wing radio was saturating the local airwaves with stories of "Obama unionists" and "Chicago-style community organizers" flocking from LOL (Land of Lincoln) to Curd-istan in order to help the hapless Democrats with their ridiculous recalls. While the marches in Madison did attract labor supporters from around the midwest, I have yet to meet anyone on the recall trail who wasn't a local citizen. We are all volunteers, we all come from the region - if not the districts - and none of us are paid. However, the right-wing meme was set: we were paid agitators trying to negate the votes of the good "silent majority" of Wisconsinites.
While it is a crude piece of propaganda, the elements in place are worth considering. "Outsiders" come in masses (beware the swarm!.. see Starship Troopers...) in order to "take away" legal votes of real taxpaying citizens. These outsiders, explicitly "union thugs," are of dubious moral character, are organically connected to Obama and his "Chicago organizational machine." These unsavory people from down south are also mercenary in their intentions: paid minions of the corrupt urban machines of Chocolate City. Any Wisconsin citizens who might be involved are merely union tools, don't pay taxes, and are mad that their "free ride" leeching off the public is over.
One thing we can claim about Walker is that he is indefatigable in his dogged expression of such nonsense. On a recent fund-raising trip to Florida, Walker has urged his national right-wing supporters to give big bucks to the Republicans to help them fight the recalls that confront them. In an interview with Newsmax.TV last Friday, Walker announced the creation of a website, Frontline.com, where citizens from across the country can contribute up to $8,000 ($1,000 per senator) to support the eight Republican senators eligible for recall. He went on to say:
The donations will help the eight senators get the resources they need to get their message out that they're the ones protecting the middle class. The senators are not going to do it if they are outspent by the big government union bosses from Washington.
The irony of seeking money from out of state sources (not to mention the obvious Koch underpinnings of his life-support system) while decrying out of state influence is obviously lost on Mr. Walker.
Now we find an interesting twist on the "out of state agitator" meme. The Republicans in charge of the recall against State Senator (D) Dave Hansen seem to be having trouble finding real volunteers. It appears, from a recently released arrest record, that they are hiring felons from Colorado to canvas neighborhoods in Green Bay.
A man collecting signatures around Lambeau Field was caught stealing a coat, a phone, and a backpack that held various items of moderate value. The arrest report tells an interesting story. I especially like the deft handling by the police regarding the fidelity of the surveillance cameras around Lambeau.
Once again, we see the phenomenon of psychological projection in full force. A series of false allegations is put forward and repeated over and over with great conviction. The allegations mirror tactics that the accusers willfully employ. When evidence arises that undermines the accusers, it is ignored or minimized through plausible deniability and counter-accusations. We see this with voter fraud; the fabricated impetus behind upcoming draconian voter ID laws that will aggressively disenfranchise the youth vote and African American communities, and we see this with a full about-face from championing Tea Party vociferousness, to now championing the so-called "silent majority" of Wisconsin as the people who really matter. Their silence, so it seems, speaks loudly. Our loudness is rendered silent.
And with a corporatist media apparatus formerly known as journalism proving its irrelevance with every passing day, we can be assured that no one with a big megaphone will ask probing questions regarding the inconsistent claims coming from the mouths of our public servants.