Number six: Robert Cowles (Green Bay).  Six down, two to go!

Number five is Alberta Darling (R-Milwaukee), the co-chair of the Joint Finance Committee!  A little over 20,000 signatures were required; around 30,000 were collected. 

Update: Volunteers and supporters can meet up here tomorrow. 

To put this in historical context: only 4 Wisconsin legislators have been subjected to a recall campaign since the right to recall an elected state official became part of the Wisconsin Constitution in 1926. Protecting this right was part of the progressive platform in the early 1900s to bring direct democracy to voters – along with referenda, direct primary elections, and women’s suffrage.

Today, residents in this district— a district that overwhelmingly supported Walker in November— will be filing the signatures to recall Sheila Harsdorf, a Republican who has held office (first in the Assembly, now in the Senate) since the late ’80s.

The times they are a-changin…

Signatures to recall Republican Luther Olsen will be filed with the Government Accountability Board today.

Who knew that Gov. Scott Walker had headed out on a national tour to help raise money for Republican senators facing possible recalls?  Newsmax did.

The conservative website posted a piece Sunday saying the first-term Republican had dropped by its headquarters in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Friday. (Few in Wisconsin knew Walker was out of state.)

Walker’s interview and visit to Newsmax headquarters came during a nationwide tour to drum up support for a new effort, FrontlineWisconsin.com, that seeks to defend eight Wisconsin GOP senators from a massive recall campaign that now is under way.

Walker, who has pledged to bring 250,000 jobs to his state, told Newsmax: “What I’ve been doing is going around the country and making the case, given my position in Wisconsin, reaching out to folks across the country to say ’Help us out.’

Full story here.  I’m really glad Daniel Bice reads Newsmax so I don’t have to. 

From the public hearing on Walker’s budget in Milwaukee. Solidarity.

Milwaukee’s own Alberta Darling is a co-chair of the committee.

Scott Walker puppet at Joint Finance Committee public hearing in Milwaukee.

Way more (40% more!) signatures than required, collected in less than half the time allowed.  Damn.

linked above.

Today, organizers will file the paperwork to recall the first of the Republican eight: Dan Kapanke (La Crosse)!  Grassroots organizers collected more than 20,000 signatures in a mere 27 days, making it the fastest recall in Wisconsin history.  The grassroots group will turn in the signatures they’ve collected (at 3:30 p.m., 212 E. Wash in Madison if you want to witness history), and the Government Accountability Board will have 31 days to review them.  Kapanke can challenge any of the signatures during the first 10 days.  Kapanke said earlier this month that the recall efforts would not deter him from standing with the governor and voting to ban collective bargaining.

Seven more to go!  Get involved here: www.recalltherepublican8.com

“This is some spectacular generosity toward some very specific parts of society among these governments that are pleading poverty, claiming giant budget deficits.”

Those good Wisconsin schools have done a pretty good job of educating the Wisconsin people, so when Walker and company overplayed their hand and exposed their real agenda, Wisconsinites quickly understood what had happened and exercised their constitutional rights to assemble and to petition their government. They understood that this is not just an attack on public employees and their unions, but the first step in an effort to slap down the entire middle class.

Today’s must watch…

Scott Walker was elected Milwaukee County Executive in a recall election.  Listen to him talk about how important and patriotic recall elections are. 

Great Daily Kos diary covering the DC protests that took place when the Wisconsin Republicans were in the district for a $1,000-per-plate fundraiser hosted by a conservative lobbying group on their behalf. 

drwh0:

(via Daily Kos: Large, dynamic solidarity protest in DC outside Wisconsin GOP fundraiser) Photo by the author, Chris Bowers.

A complaint has been filed with the attorney general’s office, alleging that State Sen. Randy Hopper (R-Fond du Lac) no longer lives in the district he represents.  Hopper admits he no longer resides at the address he officially lists with the state legislature, saying he now rents an apartment in Fond du Lac.  However, when the Capital Times tried to verify that address, they learned that it was actually not an apartment; instead, it was a $600,000 home belonging to one of Hopper’s employees.  I have yet to see anything that reports on whether he has been collecting the $88 per diem for Senators who reside outside of Dane County; anyone know if this is being explored?

Hopper has also hired a national GOP veteran campaign manager, Jeff Harvey, to help protect him from recall efforts and allegations that he no longer even resides in the district he is supposed to be representing.  Harvey previously managed Republican Chris Christie’s gubernatorial campaign in New Jersey.

Also: the most hilarious photoshop job of the week involves Mr. Hopper and his recent scandals.  The original picture, here (the July 1st, “Brownsville” one.)  Wonkette’s awesome photoshop version, here.