[img_assist|nid=55501|title=Faceless candidate|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=125|height=174]Gladys Huber is one of the "fake" Democrats that Republicans have recruited to run in the special state Senate recall elections so that Democrats first have to waste time and money having a primary contest. You'd like to think that the Wisconsin criminal code prevents this sort of nonsense. Check out Chapter 12, covering prohibited election practices and sub-section 12.05, entitled, "False representations affecting elections." Of course, that law hasn't stopped Republican David Clarke from running for Milwaukee County Sheriff as a Democrat, over and over. With modern-day Republicans, it's: if you can't beat 'em, masquerade as them.
According to the state Government Accountability Board (which, according to recent pronouncements by Republicans, apparently is some kind of lefty, subversive cabal of mostly conservative judges appointed by Jim Doyle), Huber has filed her nomination papers by the deadline for the July 12 election. We will learn later this week if her papers meet the requirements. Ironically, while it took some 30,000 names to recall Sen. Alberta Darling, it only took a few hundred names to place fake Democrats like Huber on recall ballots, forcing primary contests against Darling and other despised GOP state senators.
Huber is a member of the Republican Party of Ozaukee County. The GAB also reports that Huber served as the Republican member of the Canvass Board in Ozaukee County for the recent Supreme Court election recount. And, Huber reportedly has a Darling lawn sign in her front yard. She will, if the GAB accepts her papers, run as a Democrat against Rep. Sandy Pasch (D-Whitefish Bay). Pasch expected to face Darling one on one, but the GOP decided she should run a gauntlet of fakery beforehand -- you know, kind of just to slow her down a little.
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald has said the fake Democrats strategy will give Republican senators more time to work on the state budget before having to turn to campaigning in the recall elections. But, aren't they just about to close the books on that budget, giving them almost a month to campaign? Never mind. None of it makes sense.
Over at the Milwaukee Labor Press newspaper, editor Dominique Paul Noth launched a sarcastic commentary on Huber's nomination. He also had words for another fake Democrat put up by Republicans in another of the recall elections, Mr. Otto Junkermann. Take a read of his bitter screed, if you're looking to take the edge off of a very bad day:
http://www.milwaukeelabor.org/in_the_news/article.cfm?n_id=00166