# Fake Democrats lose in Wisconsin recall primary **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [July 21, 2011, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-democrats-lose-in-wisconsin-recall-primary/589809 "2011-07-21T03:47:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omg_a_Black_Conservative)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-democrats-lose-in-wisconsin-recall-primary/589809/61 "2011-08-10T04:10:03Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Oh, come on, guy, yourself. I wouldn’t let Kathy Nickolaus count student council votes. So you were prepared to call foul play even before the county tallied its votes? Ehhh, okay. I’m not going to argue with you over that. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-democrats-lose-in-wisconsin-recall-primary/589809/62 "2011-08-10T04:11:31Z")
79% reporting. Darling has taken a 52-48% lead. ---
**Author:** ![mkecane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@mkecane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mkecane)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-democrats-lose-in-wisconsin-recall-primary/589809/63 "2011-08-10T04:11:35Z")
Menomonee Falls is the city listed as the home of James Sensenbrenner, long time Republican Congressman. Dark red isn’t a good enough description. ---
**Author:** ![mkecane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@mkecane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mkecane)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-democrats-lose-in-wisconsin-recall-primary/589809/64 "2011-08-10T04:14:24Z")
```auto County Precincts S. Pasch (Dem) A. Darling (i) (GOP) Total 65/82 27,766 48% 30,394 52% Milwaukee 39/51 18,579 65% 10,088 35% Ozaukee 7/11 2,138 33% 4,253 67% Washington 9/9 2,887 27% 7,955 73% Waukesha 10/11 4,162 34% 8,098 66% ``` ---
**Author:** ![ChrisMatthews\_ThrillUpHisLeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71c47a/32.png) [@ChrisMatthews\_ThrillUpHisLeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisMatthews_ThrillUpHisLeg)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-democrats-lose-in-wisconsin-recall-primary/589809/65 "2011-08-10T04:15:20Z")
As a gay man, I just got a woody watching that cute guy on MSNBC. Oh wait, that’s Rachel Maddow. ---
**Author:** ![Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omg_a_Black_Conservative)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-democrats-lose-in-wisconsin-recall-primary/589809/66 "2011-08-10T04:16:27Z")
> [@ChrisMatthews\_ThrillUpHisLeg](#): > > As a gay man, I just got a woody watching that cute guy on MSNBC. > > Oh wait, that’s Rachel Maddow. I lol’ed 😛 ---
**Author:** ![ChrisMatthews\_ThrillUpHisLeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71c47a/32.png) [@ChrisMatthews\_ThrillUpHisLeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisMatthews_ThrillUpHisLeg)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-democrats-lose-in-wisconsin-recall-primary/589809/67 "2011-08-10T04:30:25Z")
Crybaby mode engaged. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwMFpl1KLb8) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-democrats-lose-in-wisconsin-recall-primary/589809/68 "2011-08-10T05:14:29Z")
> [@](#): > > Edit: Oh come on, guys. The election isn’t even over and you’re already going to claim foul play? Ah, so you’re admitting that finding votes after the fact is evidence of foul play? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-democrats-lose-in-wisconsin-recall-primary/589809/69 "2011-08-10T05:18:38Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Didn’t they “find” several thousand votes a few days after the polls closed that heavily favored the conservative Supreme Court candidate earlier this year? No. No votes were found after election day. What happened on election day is that not all of the votes were reported to the Associated Press. The town that wasn’t included in the totals sent to the AP had placed those votes on its own website on the night the polls closed. ETA: The numbers without Brookfield’s votes may also have been reported to the Secretary of State’s office that way, I don’t remember. But Brookfield’s votes were counted on election night and posted by the city on election night. They just weren’t included in the totals reported by the county that night. Kathy Nickolaus was just, as far as the evidence shows, grossly incompetent. ---
**Author:** ![Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omg_a_Black_Conservative)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-democrats-lose-in-wisconsin-recall-primary/589809/70 "2011-08-10T05:36:22Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Ah, so you’re admitting that finding votes after the fact is evidence of foul play? Have votes been found after the fact here? What I’m saying is that calling foul play even before the votes have been counted is rather dumb. Anyway, the AP is calling the final race for Darling, given the GOP four wins and maintaining their majority in the Wisconsin Senate, with two more recalls being done next week for Democratic senator. Of the two, one is considered to be vulnerable and a possible GOP pick-up. ---
**Author:** ![ChrisMatthews\_ThrillUpHisLeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71c47a/32.png) [@ChrisMatthews\_ThrillUpHisLeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisMatthews_ThrillUpHisLeg)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-democrats-lose-in-wisconsin-recall-primary/589809/71 "2011-08-10T05:50:01Z")
Another party next week? Will The ED show be there live again? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-democrats-lose-in-wisconsin-recall-primary/589809/72 "2011-08-10T11:47:48Z")
> [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](#): > > Have votes been found after the fact here? What I’m saying is that calling foul play even before the votes have been counted is rather dumb. RTFT. They released forms for ballots that lied about the date. They ran a bunch of fake Democrats in the primaries that were not supported by the Democratic Party. Fraud already happened. The election is now nothing more than a farce. I mean, I’d hoped the Democrats would be able to overcome it, but I’m not in any way surprised they weren’t. ---
**Author:** ![Reginald\_Hobbes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@Reginald\_Hobbes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reginald_Hobbes)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-democrats-lose-in-wisconsin-recall-primary/589809/73 "2011-08-10T12:10:34Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Isn’t Waukesha notorious for holding back votes? Didn’t they “find” several thousand votes a few days after the polls closed that heavily favored the conservative Supreme Court candidate earlier this year? Well, it’s now being reported that Waukesha will have no results for at least an hour. Shocker. > [@jayjay](#): > > Yep. And Kathy Nickolaus is still the county clerk there. Wonder how many votes she’ll “find” for Darling once Milwaukee County reports all of theirs? > [@Chronos](#): > > Ah, so you’re admitting that finding votes after the fact is evidence of foul play? > [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > No. No votes were found after election day. **What happened on election day is that not all of the votes were reported to the Associated Press.** The town that wasn’t included in the totals sent to the AP had placed those votes on its own website on the night the polls closed. ETA: The numbers without Brookfield’s votes may also have been reported to the Secretary of State’s office that way, I don’t remember. **But Brookfield’s votes were counted on election night and posted by the city on election night**. They just weren’t included in the totals reported by the county that night. > > Kathy Nickolaus was just, as far as the evidence shows, grossly incompetent. This “found votes” talking point will just never die. As quoted above, the Brookfield city website had the numbers on election night, as did [this site](http://brookfield-wi.patch.com/articles/brookfield-gives-prosser-nearly-11k-votes). As of this morning, [Dems back off vote-tampering charges](http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/127437863.html) ---
**Author:** ![Reginald\_Hobbes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@Reginald\_Hobbes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reginald_Hobbes)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-democrats-lose-in-wisconsin-recall-primary/589809/74 "2011-08-10T12:47:02Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > RTFT. They released forms for ballots that lied about the date. The Democrats have filed a complaint with the GAB, we’ll have to wait and see what happens with that. Hopefully they will investigate the things that happened on both sides. > [@](#): > > They ran a bunch of fake Democrats in the primaries that were not supported by the Democratic Party. Fraud already happened. If a person has the proper paperwork and signatures, they cannot be denied a place on the ballot. > [@](#): > > The election is **now** nothing more than a farce. I mean, I’d hoped the Democrats would be able to overcome it, but I’m not in any way surprised they weren’t. The (farce) shark was jumped a long time ago. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-democrats-lose-in-wisconsin-recall-primary/589809/75 "2011-08-10T13:50:47Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Not sure I agree 4% up with only 23% counted is a legitimate lead. > [@Jophiel](#): > > It was more legitimate than 98 votes. It appears to have flipped, regardless. Well, now it’s settled. On the perennial tactic of calling it fraud the moment they lose, I’ve decided to simply ignore those claims; they are nothing more than Baghdad Bob-ish insistence that the war is being won. When there’s enough evidence to interest the Justice Department in an investigation, I’ll take note. (I assume that, at least at present, no one believes the Justice Department is so corrupt they will bury evidence of election tampering, especially when the putative tamperers are R and the wronged party D.) So the unions took a well-financed run at Walker’s majority in the state senate, and lost. The outrage they claimed would exist among the public for Walker’s defanging of the unions did not seem to be there. The Republicans lost two seats, and may end up losing only one, or even a net of zero, after the final two elections. > [@](#): > > Phil Neuenfeldt, president of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, said voters sent a message that there is a growing movement to reclaim the middle class. > > “Let’s be clear, anyway you slice it, this is an unprecedented victory,” he said. Congratulations, unions! An unprecendented victory! I wish you many more. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-democrats-lose-in-wisconsin-recall-primary/589809/76 "2011-08-10T14:09:00Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Congratulations, unions! An unprecendented victory! I wish you many more. Lest this seem overly snarky, I want to make it clear I am intending to snark only at the rather clumsy and obvious spin of Phil Neuenfeldt, president of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, and not at unions in general or at anyone here. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-democrats-lose-in-wisconsin-recall-primary/589809/77 "2011-08-10T14:42:38Z")
The glass is half full. Elections were held in six Republican districts and the Demcrats won two of them. If 1/3 of Republicans lose their seats in the US Congress, it means that Nancy Pelosi will be Speaker with a 275-160 majority. ---
**Author:** ![mkecane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@mkecane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mkecane)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-democrats-lose-in-wisconsin-recall-primary/589809/78 "2011-08-10T14:49:20Z")
I don’t know the numbers, but the only way I can see it claimed as victory is if after next Tuesday, it’s 2-seat gain for the Democrats, and it will be a rather mild victory at that. The big stuff will probably still be split along party lines, but other bills may be stopped if 1 or more Republicans go with Democrats on a given bill here and there. Also, Darling has done really well in the past, so that it was close is “victory,” as I assume Neuenfeldt sees it (for him…I’m disappointed and don’t call last night a victory). In a separate gripe, I get tired of candidates/politicians who win on essentially margins of 13-12 or closer acting like because they won, there should be no compromise. The main culprit was Bush in '04 saying his win (50-48%) was a “mandate” given by the voters. Obama at 53-46 is slightly better, but that’s still really close, and people who are winning on such slim margins really should stop acting like the vast majority of the people want this or that when it’s really not the case. I know I shouldn’t do it, but I read comments on the newspaper websites, and you’d think Walker won 75-25 last November and that Darling was a 60% winner. Oh well, I’m used to seeing my state turn from blue to red. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-democrats-lose-in-wisconsin-recall-primary/589809/79 "2011-08-10T15:00:02Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > The glass is half full. Elections were held in six Republican districts and the Demcrats won two of them. If 1/3 of Republicans lose their seats in the US Congress, it means that Nancy Pelosi will be Speaker with a 275-160 majority. Your math is correct. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-democrats-lose-in-wisconsin-recall-primary/589809/80 "2011-08-10T15:15:36Z")
I don’t know that Democrats can get much comfort even from their victories here. They won one race in large part because the incumbent had an affair with a Capitol staffer. They won the other one because of a large Democratic advantage in the district. The Republican victories were by comfortable margins, all four of them. And the next round of recall elections won’t have the same urgency as these, because control of the Senate won’t be at stake. That will favor the Republicans. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-democrats-lose-in-wisconsin-recall-primary/589809.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-democrats-lose-in-wisconsin-recall-primary/589809.md?page=5)