September
2006
Did Republican Voters Push Clarke Over Bobot?
The Journal Sentinel seems to think they may have. The daily is reporting that "some voters" came to the polls to vote for Sheriff David Clarke, then jump party lines to vote for either Paul Bucher or J.B. Van Hollen in the GOP primary for Attorney General. These voters were "confused and frustrated" that the primary rules don't allow them to be Democrats in only one race on a ballot, the daily reports.
These were voters who identified themselves as Republicans in the party box at top, but when they read the rules below the party box (which are worded so poorly that confusion seems to be the goal) and started checking off Republicans, they were stumped when they found Clarke on the Democratic ticket.
But did people get new ballots and start over, checking the "Democrat" arrow and voting for Clarke? Or did they stick with their initial ballots and vote for Republican Sheriff's candidate Don Holt? Or did they vote for Republicans and Clarke and have their ballots thrown out?
Van Hollen and Bucher are basically interchangable (minus Van Hollen's campaign cash), which didn't give Republicans much incentive to stay in their primary. With 90 % of the vote in Tuesday, nearly 340,000 votes had been cast statewide in the Democratic primary, compared to 220,000 on the GOP side, reflecting a lack of Republican interest in the AG's race.
Outside of a few wards in the 23rd Assembly District (a GOP primary won by former TMJ weatherman Jim Ott), there was nothing else for Milwaukee County Republicans to do Tuesday — so they gave Clarke a boost. Coupled with a good showing among black voters, it would be just enough of a push for Clarke to hang on to hopes of keeping his job.
A strange equation, but one that's kept one of the most arrogantly inept and unpopular sheriffs in Milwaukee County history alive.
A TELLING NOTE: Fox 6 reported election night that Clarke had received an early call of congratulations from none other than Congressman Mark Green, Republican candidate for governor.
John-david Morgan
Clarke Watch, John-David Morgan, Watchdogging Campaigns
RSS feed
Link
Is there a question? The GOP hijacked the dem primary plain and simple.
Alright, here we go with another round of “stolen election” talk from all of the usual whiners.
I laid low for a while, being entertained by all of the stone throwing and continued lack of anything substanitive(as in a plan)from the Bobot/anti-Clarke people. Although, many were difficult to understand, given the amount of misspellings, incorrect grammer and punctuation in them. Shows the type who adamantly supported Slobot. Take all of your yard signs and go home now.
Clarke won. Get over it.
Just think if the Republican voters who wanted to vote for Clarke (but couldn’t because of the party vote) had voted for Clarke. He would have won by even more.
It isn\’t over until the fat lady sings. We still have one more election to get (Cowboy) Clarke out. If the GOP party stayed where they should and stop being Repulicans in Democarts Clothing then Clarke would have lost. People the difference was a total 3500 votes. County wide that is less than 1% of the voting body. Get it through your heads you all are traitors to the Party you back and support. All for a guy that lies and commits crime himself. Well I hope you all are ready to protect your own home if Clarke wins the General Election in Nov. because he cares only for himself. He talks the talk but doesn\’t walk the walk. Oh except in Northshore where he resides. Gloat now but don\’t come crying when all the shit his the fan in the future.
I stumbled across this website while looking for info on the primaries and I’m glad to see some people taking an active role in politics. I’ve worked in the CJ system for just shy of ten years although not for MCSD and I’ve learned one thing. Clark doesn’t know what the hell he is doing. Yet that isn’t the point. The question is what the real democrats should do now.
I think the answer lies in what we think the Republicans will do. The Republicans will have a strong showing in Nov. considering the referendums but will their votes split between Holt and Clarke? If their votes split, is there a possibility that a write in campaign could actually have an impact. Listen, if we are left with to two bad options would a write in campaign for a third choice give us some political leverage? I think that it may.
The main reason why some voters where dazed and confused about Clarke not being on the GOP ballot is…
a) Lack of engagement.
b) Hearing comedian David Clarke on Sykes’ show so many times they THOUGHT he was Republican.
What makes America pathetic, is that people like Mr. Gottagonow think that this has to be a Republican or Democrat thing. You are contradicting yourself, by suggesting a vote for Holt. Didn’t you just rip Republicans for supposedly voting for a Democrat? But, you are right about one thing, we WILL see what happens in November.
My expletive free response:
It will be interesting to see how you guys figure out how to make Don Holt, a Republican, your next puppet or make an attempt at dragging election results through the courts, the standard lefty response to a loss.
No gloating. Just happy that the people have spoken and look forward to watching the whining continue here, while the rest of the world gets on with their lives. I’ve never understood why the Sheriff’s race has to be partisan. It’s not, or shouldn’t be a political thing. It’s a law enforcement thing. That’s why “crossing over” is irrelevent in this case. If any race should be partisan, it should be the mayor’s.
Oh, and I am ready to protect my home. Always have been. Not the Sheriff’s job to do that around here.
In accuallity if I was Bobot I would be claiming a recount since when I was at the polls I watched the poll checkers accept absentie ballots that had both republican and democrat picks. They were not thrown out. Well at least they weren’t at the ballot box.
did anybody notice there were 5000 more votes counted in the Sheriff’s primary then the District Attorney’s primary?
Joe — no, haven’t looked at that yet. Still wondering what parts of the city Clarke got his vote from.
In General —
At the very least, all responsible Milwaukeeans should be calling for Clarke’s head. This is not about party politics — it’s about throwing one of the worst elected officials in Milwaukee history out of office. To ignore the Christenson consent decree (which Lev Baldwin, Richard Cox, Tom Ament and the state had fixed by 2000), racking up millions in legal liability while reassigning your entire department into uselessness is reckless, arrogant and completely irresponsible.
A recount may be in order, but we know that’s not going to change the results of the primary. Voting for Holt, on the other hand, allows Dems to send a strong message that they want more responsible and accountable management of the jail, the sheriff’s department and the county goods that the sheriff is supposed to police.
Yes, that will require Democrats doing the same thing that Republicans just did in the sheriff’s primary. That doesn’t mean it WILL happen — Dems don’t do that sort of thing. But in this case, it’s time to make an exception.
Responsible and informed Democrats (in contrast to straight party voters) will be voting for HOLT for sheriff in November. These voters, coupled with active and retired law enforcement officers who trend Republican in the first place and overwhealmingly oppose Clarke, could very well make a majority in November for Holt.
An example from our south: Cook County is even more Democrat than Milwaukee. It votes more straight party ticket than Milwaukee. Its Democrat organization has always been a lot stronger than Milwaukee.
Yet Cook County elected a Republican Sheriff, Richard Ogilvie, when the Democrat candidate was seem by many Democrats as a hack.
Voters may very well do the same here.
You people crack me up. You are willing to vote for Holt, who knows nothing about Milwaukee for a position in Milwaukee. This shows how uneducated you really are. Holt has admitted himself he doesn’t know much about the issues facing the next sheriff, and at the forums he was praising Clarke for the programs he has tried to develop. It is funny that you people are going to vote for a man who knows himself that Clarke is the better choice. I wouldn’t be surprised if Holt votes for Clarke.
Chris,
The standard conservative response to results of an election you don’t like is a recall.
Bill,
There are no differences in true party affiliation between Holt and Clarke — the real difference is that Holt is honest about who he sides with. So even if their ideology is the same, the public has a real choice of an honest person (Holt) or a liar (Clarke). It’s really a no brainer.
Bill,
Right on. At least one other person here uses their head to think and doesn’t just fling words based on emotion and being a disgrunted current or former MCSO employee who didn’t get his way under the current administration.
Jim,
A recall is done well after the fact when the person in office has proved themselves to not represent the people’s interest. That’s a lot different that whining about results and voter fraud, especially in the People’s Republic of Wisconsin, where felons and just about anyone(who shouldn’t) can vote, twice, and that “right” is protected by liberals everywhere.
I would love to see this whole thing debated in a non-partisan manner. It is a law enforcement issue, not a political one. David Clarke, and the people of Milwaukee County, see this. Disgruntled employees and people who must draw political lines in everything, don’t.
Voter fraud!? The magic words of those who hate open Democracy! But, no, we\’ll not be dragged into that Al Capone\’s vault of Republican whining — and no one here has accused Milwaukee County Republicans of doing anything illegal or even wrong.
We just think Clarke is wrong, Chris.
Our disgust for Clarke\’s inept management of the sheriff\’s office is quite nonpartisan. How is that not getting through? Please see Clarke Watch.
WOW!
I cannot believe the level of idiocy that this blog has now entered.
Chris, You… Are… A… Dipshit!
I am so tired of your idiotic rhetoric I could vomit on your shoes. And would at any chance.
Get a Grip. Your King is a fake. He is self serving. He is maniacal, egotistical, uneducated, rebellious and DISPISES HIS OWN DEPARTMENT.
Leadership? Go follow Hitler, Mussolini, or Idi Amin. You are the same reason these people have had power in the past. Open your EYES!!!!
At the Clarke Victory party there were quite a few deputies there, supporting their boss. They were also the first people that when he walked in the room, he embraced and in his speech called by name. Despises his own department? Not going to happen!
Bill Stocks —
One — I never indicated about Voting for Holt in any of my statements in this blog. Strike One.
You also indicated that there were quite a few deputies at Clarke\’s Victory party — wrong again. At Clarkes victory party there were only a total of 35 supporters there. Not really what I call a lot of Deputies. There were over 100 at Bobot\’s Party. Strike Two.
And you indicated that Holt knows nothing about Milwaukee County Sheriff\’s Department. Well, neither did Clarke when he was given the job by Republican Scott McCullum. Strike Three.
Now say something stupid again …
Gotta Go Now -
How many more of the deputies are afraid to admit they side with Clarke because of the others hatred for him, and fear of being alienated by their own co-workers. These are people who have to rely on each other in dangerous situations.
You know THAT is the case, so your arrogance is amusing.
It’s funny that the players who usually strike out are also the ones who break home-run records.
The 96 percent no confidence vote was a secret ballot.
The vast majority of deputies really don’t like the guy.
I guess that is too bad for them. The county seems to like him, (and the Republicans that you claim support him didn’t even come out to vote in the primary.) That means that even a small majority of Dems voted for him over Bobot.
Bill it is really obvious you don’t work in government and two you were never an officer of the law. I would back any one of my brothers or sisters of the badge regardless of who they voted for. That isn’t what the fight is all about. It is about integrity of the Department Heads, Mainly Clarkes.
Oh and also for Bill, Some of them also never make it out of the minor leagues.
So just because I don’t like my boss…that means I should do whatever it takes to get him ousted? That’s absurd. I personally don’t like my boss, but I respect him as my boss and do my job as I would for anyone else because I want to have a paycheck every 2 weeks to support my family. If in my job I organized a confidence/no-confidence vote or wrote an open letter to the employee newsletter bashing my boss…I wouldn’t have a job tomorrow morning. That’s how the real world works. I don’t have a union backing me up so that I can be lazy and bitch whenever I don’t like something. Do your damn job and if you don’t like your job/boss, then find another job that you like where you actually LIKE your boss.
You could exercise your rights to organize a union so that you’d have a voice in your workplace. I’ll find someone to write legislation to make clear channel bosses publicly elected officials.
The people that don’t like Clarke are a minority of the county. That should tell you that they are satisfied with his job, and that they don’t think Bobot was more qualified. No, I am not a officer of the law, but it seems to me Clarke has helped make the officers of the law better, by pushing them harder. How can you fault him for that?
And in that process Clarke ruffled the feathers of a few deputies who didn’t want to work as hard as Clarke wanted them to work. It sucks to have a boss who holds people accountable I guess.
Unions exist in both the public and private sector so no need to make my bosses elected officials. I’d love a union so that I wouldn’t have to work my butt off to make ends meet, I’d always have the union to back me up.
You should have a union that would make sure all of your hard work paid, and that your employer respected the job security you’ve earned.
I don’t have job security. I could be fired tomorrow. I shouldn’t have job security if I’m lazy or not doing my job as expected by my boss.
I have job security when I do my job above and beyond basic expectations.
The bare minimum effort should not be the status quo. If you’re looking for that life, move to France.
JDM - You are trying to go off on a tangent. He (mke) does have a point. There is an overall whining because the department is being asked to step out of it’s comfort zone. Some are conforming to it, and others are ……well bashing their boss on this blog.
No tangent, Monte, really just trying to nicely close this thread. These are all important things to talk about, but we should move on. Early Wednesday morning I reported Channel 58’s report that Journal Sentinel “is reporting” that Bobot is not calling for a recount and may be kaput. No comments on that blog yet, and I’ve not yet seen no confirmation from Journal Sentinel that the Channel 58 report was correct.
There will be no recount and not because of the reason listed by Bobot in the JS. He doesn’t have to convince a judge of anything, if Bobot wants a hand recount, he would have to pay close to $15,000 to get one done by the county but instead he tried to make it look like a judge wouldn’t allow him to do a recount. Yet another flat-out lie from Bobot.
Sorry I didn\’t get this in sooner.
mkelover wrote:
\”And in that process Clarke ruffled the feathers of a few deputies who didn’t want to work as hard as Clarke wanted them to work. It sucks to have a boss who holds people accountable I guess.\”
Ok I have no problem with him holding people accountable for their wrong doings but when is he going to hold himself accountable for his wrong doings? See, you only see what the Deputies complain about but you don\’t get it that Clarke himself is committing wrong-doings and is not taking fault for his own actions.
and Mkelover also writes later on that Bobot lied about the judge who wouldn\’t allow him to do a recount. Wrong again: the judge stated that he could do a recount but the county wouldn\’t have a time frame set around them to get it done. That means Milwaukee County could drag their feet on it. Get all the facts before you say something next time please.
The fact is that Bobot could have had a recount done. Unfortunately for him it would have cost close to $15,000. Once Bobot figured out that he couldn’t fundraise that amount in a short time, he abandoned his plans for a recount but made it look like it was a decision that was out of his hands.
And incidentally, I wasn’t talking about holding people accountable for their “wrong doings”…I was talking about the Sheriff holding his deputies accountable for doing their job and not letting them get away with being lazy and not doing their job 100%.