Wisconsin Republican leaders and elected officials have attacked the female Chief Justice. Mocked a female local judge. And want budget cuts that directly hit poor mothers and women in female-dominated professions, like teaching and nursing. I'm calling it the Male-Patterned Badness campaign, and I think it will push Democrats and women to the polls next Tuesday in key, off-year elections and also motivate canvassers who are getting signatures against eight Republican state senators for recall efforts.
You have to wonder if Wisconsin's Republican strategists all went on vacation at the same time, or if the officials they had already elected were simply arrogant enough to behave like like a stag club on Half-Price Steroid Night as the April elections rolled around.
Scott Walker, his legislative allies and conservative State Supreme Court Justice David Prosser have all managed to stir up progressive voters and to particularly galvanize female voters with acombination of ugly remarks and anti-women politics.
Right down to cutting funding for sexual assault victims.
Even a state tax increase for some working poor wage-earners, as well as cuts to family planning programs, Milwaukee public school breakfast programs and even a finger-wagging, $20-per-month arbitrary cut to welfare-to-work recipients - - all documented and linked here.
Walker's budget tries to roll the state back to some version of the good old dayz - - apparently pre-1920, before women were allowed to vote.
I suspect Republicans will get something of a civics lesson over the next year, as Walkerites are defeated, recalled and beaten some more - - including Walker's looming recall beginning, in earnest, when signatures can be submitted beginning Jan. 3, 2012.