Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Madison) has encountered another instance of the Scott Walker Hypocritter. Pocan who is running for congress, wrote to his followers that:
Once again, Governor Walker and the Republican Legislature are playing underhanded games with the law to keep Democrats at bay. As long as we are in a “Special Session,” elected officials aren't allowed to hold fundraisers in Dane County.
The fact is, we’ve been in “Special Session” for the last 10 months straight. What was once an emergencies-only tool to convene legislators has become a trick Governor Walker uses to keep Dems from raising any funds.
But there's even more Walker hypocrisy, because he's the governor who as of earlier this month has been busy raising unlimited funds for his own campaign, thanks to a loophole in state law that allows that when a sitting lawmaker is the subject of a recall petition drive. Indeed, while working to ensure his opponents are even more broke than the state government he is busy stripping of cash, Walker has been traveling across the US raising big bucks at toney GOP events -- except for one in Kansas, where he canceled when it became clear that local progressives were waiting for him to show up.
In any event, Pocan is undeterred. He added in his message to supporters:
We aren’t going to let Governor Walker’s tricks deter us. We will continue building momentum and plan to move our fundraiser right outside of Dane County in New Glarus.
New Glarus is a lovely place, so it all works out for Pocan, but maybe not for more far-flung Democratic legislators who would like to try to raise funds in their home districts. Pocan's larger point remains well taken. Walker and his cronies have arranged things so that state Democratic lawmakers in session find it nearly impossible to raise campaign funds, while Walker and anyone else who is the subject of recall get to raise unlimited funds. Wisconsin Republicans never heard of a level playing field and don't believe in a fair fight. Which, of course, is the usual way of cowards and bullies.