Rumor #1: There is a quiet buzz flowing around social media that suggests we are over the necessary number of signatures to invoke a recall. As you know, that is 540,000 and some odd change. Of course, we cannot and will not let up, as we need 700,000, and it does get more difficult. But I must say, even with so many people having signed, we still are getting plenty of signatures, and the really big story of the recall is how successful it has been throughout the state. Walker continues to insist that recall workers come from out of state and are paid. While a few regional coordinators are indeed paid by the DPW (Democratic Party of Wisconsin), the tens of thousands of volunteers who take to the streets throughout the entire state are not. They are committed, they are rugged, they are undaunted, and they are insistent. The rightwing is getting very reactive because they can feel this intensity.
And This Just out from Mike Tate, Chair of DPW, so it is no longer a rumor: Be prepared for a big announcement at noon tomorrow.
Here are some pictures below to brighten your day:
The Overpass Light Brigade hit Bradford Beach in Milwaukee last evening. It was a serene and lovely time, a lot less stressful than being on the freeway.
After that, some of us went downtown to gather signatures by the Cellular Arena, host of the UW's Badgers vs. UWM's Panthers. This is a massive mismatch, but the Panthers did fairly well in spite of the odds. (We still lost). It was a rough crowd - we got more aggressive anger and aggro than normal from pro-Walker supporters, but it was also fun to hang out on the corner with the African American ticket hawkers, call out to the crowds, laugh at comments like "get a job" (I say to people, "dealing with ignoramuses is my job!"), "go home to where you belong!" (I say to people, "you mean Cuba, Lucy?") and "I'm sick of supporting you bums!" (I say to people, "hey, Mister, could you spare a dime?"). There were a lot of middle fingers right up in my face. I say to that, "what kind of family did you come from?" But I don't back down. I walk up to them and look into their faces. It is all about posture.
On the other hand, we got about 30 signatures in one hour. I felt like Andy Kaufman at a wrestling match.
I also had to fix some issues with my new semi-permanent sign affixed to the facade of the fabulous Riverwest Public House Cooperative. If you missed my story the other day, it is here.
We were invited to display our signs at the Democratic Party of Milwaukee County's annual awards banquet last Sunday, where State Senators Lena Taylor and Chris Larson spoke, as well as Senator Gwen Moore - who always gives a rousing speech - and honoree Russ Feingold. He gave a brilliant speech, but no, did not say he would run for governor.
And throughout the state, we shout it from the rooftops:
And scrawl it on the fenceposts to brighten up the night:
You got it! This says what needs to be said:
Don't let up. If we hear tomorrow that we have 550,000 signatures, then let's set our sights for 700,000. Hell, let's go for a million! Even if the Panthers didn't beat the Badgers at Basketball, we can certainly beat the state of Ohio at protesting the extremist agenda of the reptilian right.