From the Blogosphere: Highlights from Wisconsin's Top Political Bloggers

Here's a look at what some of Wisconsin's top political bloggers have been writing about in recent days.

Patrick Dorwin, Badger Blogger
on the arrest of real estate broker Andrew P. Jensen Jr. for not cooperating with a John Doe investigating into the actions of aides to Gov. Scott Walker

So, the politically motivated Democratic District Attorney, John Chisholm, during his year-and-a-half long “secret” John Doe hearing, is able to have a man arrested & held in jail, without charges, then have his name and mug shot printed in every newspaper and on every network news program in the state, fully identifying him and his business, even though he has not even been charged. All because this man will not change his testimony to support what the DA wants.

The power of arrest and the ability to strip a citizen of their civil rights is an awesome power. Clearly, this district attorney is not getting the results he wants from his year long fishing expedition, so he is willing to use that power to coerce a man that still claims that the state’s version of events isn’t what happened. If Chisholm could prove the man is lying, then charge him, you don’t screw with someones civil rights like that!

Chisholm should be ashamed of this entire process, the hearings are supposed to be secret, but clearly the willing media has a direct pipeline into the DA’s office and are being fed information at every turn. Chisholm, like every other partisan democratic hack, will stop at nothing to thwart the will of the Wisconsin voters.

Gregory Humphrey, Caffeinated Politics
on reports that half of the campaign money raised by Gov. Scott Walker came from outside of Wisconsin

Recall the cold snowy months when hundreds of thousands of protesters converged on the Wisconsin State Capitol to make a statement about collective bargaining? Recall how the conservatives railed against those Wisconsinites for being active participants in the political process? Recall how it was reported by the GOP that unions were sending members in from other states, and dollars were being sent to Wisconsin from around the nation to build a firewall around the power grab by Walker and Company?

Recall how the GOP was going almost blue in the face due to lack of oxygen as they kept repeating "they are coming in from others states"?

Well, One Wisconsin Now is reporting some stunning and rather hypocritical news about the Republicans and their outside interests who are sending truckloads of cash to Scott Walker.

Hmmmm……Why are so many GOPers not able to understand the meaning of "political consistency"?

Jesse Russell, Dane 101
on the Wisconsin Department of Tourism's decision to use mittens as part of its winter campaign

If there's one thing the Wisconsin Department of Tourism does well, beyond promoting tourism, it's generating branding controversy. In 2009, there was much mocking over the new slogan for Wisconsin "Live Like You Mean It."

Now the Department of Tourism is at it again with a campaign seeking to brand Wisconsin as the mitten state (which I honestly didn't realize was even in question until now). Apparently, Michigan is irate with the move, because Michiganders consider their state to be the one and only mitten state.

As a New England transplant to Wisconsin, I don't really understand what all of the fuss is about. Since my first day here whenever people give me directions they do so by holding up a hand and drawing lines from point a to point b. Due to that method of giving directions Wisconsin as a mitten, or hand, makes complete sense. Making the point finer is Michigan has the Upper Peninsula while Wisconsin does not. This state doesn't need to pretend an entire land mass doesn't exist in order to take the shape of a mitten.