With both sides counting on dramatic turnout, Tom Barrett’s campaign is charging Scott Walker supporters with dirty tricks. In an e-mail sent to supporters last night, Barrett for Wisconsin Finance Director Mary Urbina-McCarthy wrote, “Reports coming into our call center have confirmed that Walker’s allies just launched a massive wave of voter suppression calls to recall petition signers.” According to Urbina-McCarthy, the message of the calls was: “If you signed the recall petition, your job is done and you don’t need to vote on Tuesday.”
Last night I talked to a Wisconsin voter who says she received just such a robo-call. Carol Gibbons told me she picked up the phone and heard a male voice saying “thank you for taking this call,” and that “if you signed the recall petition, you did not have to vote because that would be your vote.” After hearing the vote-suppressing message, said Gibbons, “I wanted to take the phone and throw it in the middle of the road.” Gibbons is a retired public employee and a staunch Walker opponent. If he wins the recall, she warned, “He’s going to roll over us like pieces of dirt. He’s going to say, ‘They voted for me twice – I can do whatever I want.’”
As usual the Republicans cannot win an honest election and so they find themselves desperately resorting to the dirtiest tricks imaginable in order to hold onto power.
This has been described as possibly the second most important election of 2012, second only to President Obama's reelection, and I tend to agree.
Let's send all of our good wishes to Wisconsin today and hope for a tremendous Democratic voter turnout because it is time to send a message to the Koch brothers and their fellow corporate pals that democracy in America is NOT for sale to the highest bidder and that the people still matter and are, at least today, STILL in charge of their country.
P.S. You can all treat this as an open thread and to provide updates as they come in throughout the day, though yes I am well aware that we may NOT know the ultimate victor until later this week.
Update: Both MSNBC and Fox News are calling the election for Walker.
I am right now watching Palin on Greta's show taking her victory lap, and It is making me nauseous.
So now we know just how dramatically the Citizen's United decision will affect our democracy going forward, and it should send a shiver up the spine of EVERY American voter. If there is no legislation introduced that changes the disparity that now exists between the corporate masters financing the GOP and the everyday people sending their hard earned money to finance the Democrats, our democracy ends.
Right now I am not sure how much we can do, or how fast we can do it, but I guess here is as good of a place to start as any.
This should not be a Free Speech issue where crap like that is protected. Someone needs to go to jail for pulling a dirty trick like that robocall because it is an intentional attempt to disenfranchise voters by lying to them about what a vote is or isn't. Not every citizen understands the process or has the potential to become confused and perhaps swayed from voting because of disinformation from a supposed authority figure.
ReplyDeleteScott is a dirty politician who is not denouncing the dirty tricks being executed on his behalf. I wish it were possible for this to legally disqualify him, though I realize it probably is not.
My hope is that he loses. Failing that, if he wins, I hope he loses his freedom through the John Doe investigation. Anyone who will allow dirty tricks does not deserve to serve the people.
Serve? Sorry - all he knows is how to screw the very people who have been conned into trusting him. Sorry for the rant, but I am incensed by this type of behavior.
voted at 11 am and had 1600 voters already, (normal would be about 350) in our highly Republican territory, they expect numbers higher than the last Presidential election.
ReplyDeletePlease let this be over, it truly is ripping our wonderful state apart. Walker will go when he gets convicted of election campaign fraud. He's pulling the same BS Palin did.
We did not have any election observers here in St Croix County, WI.
maggie
I heard that the DOJ is watching the election closely this time. I sure hope that's the case 'cause the goopers love them some dirty pool.
DeleteMy worry is that the republicans will steal this election. Funny, how they are worried about voter fraud and do everything they can to suppress the votes when they know damn well they'll lose.
ReplyDeleteIt unfortunately seems to be the modern GOP way - say something, do the exact opposite, project your own dastardly plans or principles unto your opponent, and lie-cheat-steal whatever you can so you can pad your own bank account.
DeleteSo whenever they say they are trying to protect against voter fraud, you can lay money down that they will be the ones committing the voter fraud.
So I understand your concern.
The point of anti-union sentiment is that union bosses don't care about members. Also, bad members and people who put places of employment at risk are saved by their unions.
ReplyDeleteThe point of anti-union sentiment is …
DeleteAnd you believed whomever told you that??? No wonder you chose to remain Anonymous, despite the ease with which one can choose a handle.
That's a gross over-generalization. I've been a teacher in a unionized state (but in a small suburban district) and our union worked well to make sure due process happened. There were teachers fired, with the union's blessing, since they were proven to be bad, not based on cocktail party talk between two people who weren't ever there.
DeleteSome unions are bad - so are some drivers - but let's not take the option away from everyone.
Wow, are you misinformed!
DeleteWe wouldn't have 40-hour, five-day work weeks, safe work environments, retirement, sick leave, lunch breaks, morning or afternoon breaks, paid holidays, minimum wage guarantees, and all the things we take for granted as employees if it hadn't been for unions. There are even more benefits than I listed that arose and become law thanks to the efforts of unions and their members.
Even non-union workers have benefited from union-won rights. No organization or movement is perfect, but I'd damn well take unions over non-union workplaces any damn day. I applaud union workers and try to buy union-made products whenever I can.
The very existence of our middle class is due in large part to unions.
What you say is absolute drivel. The point of anti-union sentiment is that unions are the reason we have a 40 hour work week, sick time, vacation, worker's comp, OSHA (safe working conditions), a minimum wage (minimum, think about that), pensions (a safe and civilized retirement), a middle class, an educated population, and generations of parents whose children had an even better life.
DeleteWithout unions, we will go back to the "good old days" the Republicans long for, when people could be worked 70 hours a week or more, for 7 days a week. When broken and used up, you could be tossed aside as there was always someone desperate enough to replace you. What republicans want is nothing more than to have the same inhuman working conditions in the US as they have across the globe.
If you see unions as the problem, you must want to see the US with the same standard of living as is found in the hellholes of the world where people work for pennies a day.
You probably routinely refer to the nurses, teachers, firefighters, police officers, sanitation workers, service workers and others, our family members and neighbors, who keep us safe and healthy and educated and who provide us with civilized, sanitary living (and eating and working) conditions, as "thugs", don't you?
Your comment was inexcusably stupid and ignorant.
@11:39
DeleteThe bottom line, Dipshit, is that if employers treated their employees fairly and kept safe working environments, there would be no unions because no one would feel the need to join. God you're stupid. You don't really know anything about unions. You're quoting the usual erroneous Fox talking points. Get your own brain.
Has anyone provided concrete evidence that these calls were actually made? If Scott Walker or persons associated him with really recorded and sent out this message then there needs to be serious consequences. The U.S. Justice Department should investigate any credible allegation of voter intimidation or fraud.
ReplyDeleteBut, I repeat, let's see some evidence first. Not that I'm at all surprised when the far right does sinister shit like this, but what with this blog's reputation for rumor mongering (I sometimes think of IM as merely a political version of TMZ) and the worst sort of uncritical, hyperpartisan fanboyism, I can't take Gryphen's post seriously until someone puts forth this alleged recording for public consumption.
Are you fucking kidding me gooper? This kind of shit happens all the time, as a matter of fact it happened in the 2010 Maryland governor race , The Republican nominee, Bob Ehrlich's campaign made the same type of robo calls to voters in predominantly African American populated Prince George's county , MD on election day. The call told voters to "relax", everything was fine, and their vote was not needed.
DeleteThe dude whose firm conducted the calls was convicted and sentenced recently.
From what I understand, even if Walker does prevail, it is highly unlikely he will get to serve out his term without being brought up on criminal charges...his former right hand man, just turned informant in Walkers corruption case.
So, let me understand - you are saying that Salon (Gryphen is simply reprinting excerpts from Salon's article) made up the woman, Carol Gibbons, and gave particular of her report and reaction to the robocalls.
DeleteUsually having a firsthand witness, someone who actually received a call is regarded as evidence. Of course, you may be calling her a liar as well.
What kind of evidence do you want?
We subscribe to ooma, an online service for our phones. The nice thing about it, at the premium level, is that it can trace and report numbers that are usually shown as "unlisted," "private" or whatever you Call ID calls anonymous numbers. If a call goes to message, I can pull up that message online and replay it endlessly. BTW, ooma only costs about four or five dollars a month in taxes and local fees, and the premium service is under ten bucks a month. Robocalls normally are not sent to message because they drop the call if a message comes on at our end, but if they get through, we have evidence.
I find your rush to judgment unseemly. This core of this post was not written by Gryphen, nor was it without a specific, named witness. She gave specifics as to the message.
If you have a problem with the post, contact Salon. I think your bias against Gryphen is showing like an old slip whose hem is drooping down for all to see. Tacky, tacky.
What are you even doing here Kristy. Honestly, you are ill. I would never waste my time writing at blogs that dont share my point of view. What for. You get off on conflict and stirring the pot and that is sick. I feel sorry for you, but I feel even more sorry for your family. You need help.
DeleteEven if the rat bastard wins, his days are numbered. The investigation is heating up and everyone is rolling over on Walker. Couldn't happen to a nastier person other than Palin.
ReplyDeleteThat's what's getting me through today: that Walker will be in jail by the end of the year.
DeleteScott walker won't be in jail for years, even if he is charged. If arrested, released on bail, trial delays, post conviction appeals... Years of delays.
DeleteFrom your mouth to God's ears. I hope that you are right!
DeleteFrom your mout to God's ear. I hope that you are right
DeleteThe issue that the Koch Brothers poured millions of dollars into this campaign courtesy the United States Supreme Court's Citizens' United decision and it is still this close is of key importance.
ReplyDeletePlus that's millions thy won't be spending on other elections.
Walker spent $30M to Barrett's $3M, and it looks like voter participation is through the roof (119% in Madison! - they have same-day voter registration in Wisconsin).
DeleteThe Republicans know they are going to lose this one, they have already started with stories about busloads of people coming in from Detroit to make the victory seem less than valid.
Note that Detroit is 6 hours drive from Milwaukee or any of the other places that they would likely be dropped off to vote. Chicago or Gary, Indiana would be better logistically but since it's utter BS they are going with Detroit, because they know Detroit will immediately make people think the bus is full of black people.
DeleteNot to mention a charter bus typically holds 50 or so people, so you would need a shit-ton of busses to have any impact on an election this size.
All of the Polls say he is going to win. I hope they are wrong. Read Nate Silvers 538 blog. He is objective.
DeleteSame day registration. How do you poll that?
DeleteWalker spokesperson Ciara Matthews didn’t question the existence of the calls. Salon article cited, seems to be by Josh Eidelson. Gryphen's articles are the best critic pieces, next to Shannon Moore's that I've come across. Welcome to Alaska.
ReplyDeleteCiara Matthews confirmed that some of the calls had been placed by patrons of Hooters. Others had been placed by supporters of Sharron Angle. Some may even been made by donors to Susan B. Anthony List. All calls were made by people that want to see Ciara Matthews punch Hillary Clinton in the face.
DeleteCiara Matthews and others already arrested who work for Governor Scott Walker confirm why he should be voted out of office. Some would like to see the door hit Walker in the ass on his way out.
http://jezebel.com/ciara-matthews/
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303640104577436300587354714.html
ReplyDeleteFound this on HP today-Romeny pulled an extreme palin and copied and deleted thousands of emails from state records.
They're not Republicans. They're the southern Democrats who took over the GOP. This is how they've always fought their elections, and always will. They mock science, hate smart people, and worship money and Walker is their God. (Next week they'll have a new god, but that's show biz)
ReplyDelete"southern Democrats_ took over the GOP". WOW!!!!
DeleteSorry, but they are Republicans, even given their political history. This is the current state of the GOP.
DeleteMarkG is partially right. Today's GOP has been taken over by the progeny of Southern Republicans and Democrats who voted against civil rights. If you look at the voting pattern for the civil rights act, it was split, not along party lines as much as geographically: North v South. The Southern Dems, Dixiecrats joined the GOP. Together with Southern Repubs, they've been hellbent on "purifying" the Party. A black man in the White House has accelerated the plan.
DeleteEven worse than those reports of robo-calls ... ?
ReplyDeleteWisconsin uses a well-discredited optical-scan computer system and "most of those paper ballots are tabulated in secret inside of computers systems similar or identical to ones which have failed time again elsewhere, as seen most recently in places like Palm Beach County, FL and New York City."
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=9329
BUT ...
It's still not 100% clear whether or not County Clerk (and Republican operative) Kathy "I-Just-Found-14,000-Uncounted-Ballots-In-My-Trunk" Nickolaus is, in fact, in charge of today's election results. According to JSonline:
"While Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas and his chief of staff insisted both Monday and Tuesday that County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus is not the one in charge of election duties this recall election, her actions say otherwise.
"While Nickolaus has refused to respond to this reporter's questions in her office, turning her back and closing her office door while the reporter waited at a service counter, her deputy, Kelly Yaeger, hasn't responded, either."
http://tinyurl.com/77a3hyy
Past elections supervised by Nickolaus have been so plagued with "human errors," she shouldn't be allowed within two miles of any ballots on today of all days.
Update from behind the Cheddar Curtain for my fellow IM friends:
ReplyDeleteJust got back from voting. The place was PACKED! The ladies working at the polls said that voter turnout has been amazing, which is cool because high voter turnout tends to favor Democrats.
I live in a western suburb of Milwaukee. It's traditionally fairly conservative. When I went to vote I had to register because I recently moved. The registration table was very close to the machine that people put their ballots in. Not that I was spying or anything but I was able to clearly see who people voted for while I was getting registered. It was about 2-1 for Barrett during the approximately 10 minutes I was sitting there. Pretty unusual for my little 'burb :)
Get out and vote, fellow 'Sconnies!! We can do this!!
Cheers,
Smir
Love your spirit and your updates! Keep them coming! I can only fantasize about ousting Gov. Goodhair here in TX.
DeleteOh, another point. Even if Walker retains his position if only ONE of the other recall elections goes to the Dems Walker's days of forcing ALEC's agenda down Wisconsin's throats are OVER. Slim chance that the Koch's and their ilk will have their way after today :)
ReplyDeleteHope you are right!
Deleteftd
Is Kleefish another Palin?
DeleteIt is astonishing how blatant this sort of skullduggery is. I used to read about these things going on back in the early part of the 20th century and now it's back and it's even worse. The Koch brothers and their ilk and their minions are literally trying to turn this country into an oligarchy in which the majority of Americans are economic serfs.
ReplyDeleteM from MD
Poor Roger Ailes....Sarah says someone's pickin' on him. From her Facebook:
ReplyDeleteGreta's comments in this blog post are spot on. The left has been targeting Roger Ailes and his wife increasingly over the last few years. There's even an unauthorized hit piece biography coming out. My family and I and so many others who refuse to accept the unethical tactics of the political left's lapdogs in the media know firsthand what it's like to be the target of this kind of smear campaign of false rumors and un-sourced lies. It's disgusting and unfair. As the news network Ailes built becomes even more successful, the left is more determined than ever to destroy him and his work.
She knows who the rill pimp daddy is.
DeleteShe will be on Greta tonight spouting her BS about Wisconsin recall. She had to give Greta a shout out prior to the interview, I guess.
DeleteSarah Palin is a moron and a kiss ass.
DeleteSounds like Mrs. Palin is interested in her job security.
DeleteI withdraw my skepticism to Gryphen's post. The evidence provided in the links above totally quells my doubts.
ReplyDeleteBut let me be clear about a few things: I am not at all a Sarah Palin supporter (read some of my posts in the Frum Forum archives if you have any doubts about this), nor am I a fan of Scott Walker, as I would have crossed over and voted for Tom Barrett were I an eligible voter in WI today. And I am not an opponent of Jesse Gryphen, as I rather admire the public spirit and tenacity of his campaign to expose Sarah Palin as the psychopathic liar and cynic she really is. But no intelligent person who regularly reads this blog (which I estimate to be about 1/3 of the people who do) can deny that Jesse often posts commentary that is based almost entirely on rumor, nor can they deny that he is much more a partisan Democrat than a principled liberal. That said, his posts on religion are invariably excellent, and he has, I repeat, done the public a huge service in his dogged pursuit of the truth about Sarah Palin. (From what I understand, Joe McGuiness could not, without Gryphen's help, have gathered much of the most critical information that went into his superb book.)
Oh, and to the poster above who thinks I'm someone named "Kristy": my name is James. I'm an anti-tea party, anti-populist conservative of the old school who thinks the present day GOP is completely unmoored from reality. I support real deficit reduction (you know, tax hikes as well as cuts to spending) and support full equal rights for gays, as well as abortion rights. I also favor ending drug prohibition and the dismantlement of the national security state.
What exactly is it the attracts you to the GOP?
DeleteTradition, and the need for a strong two party system.
DeleteHopefully in the near future-- or the distant future, if that's what I have to settle for-- the GOP will dislodge its collective head from its collective ass and shun all the Tea Party/Religious Right mouth breathers in favor of competent pragmatists like Mitch Daniels, Bobby Jindal, or your own state's Lisa Murkowski. I remember twenty years ago the GOP still had plenty of these moderate types, people like Bill Weld, Slade Gorton, the Chaffee family, and so on. Thoughtful people who could bring a healthy amount of skeptical thinking and common sense to solving real problems. In contrast, look at today's GOP: the people in control of it are the very opposite of the honor ladies and gentleman I just named; their 'governing' approach is to use totally prefabricated, ideological tools to solve imaginary problems, such as cutting marginal programs like Planned Parenthood in order to reduce the deficit, or cracking down on phantom social problems like black on white crime or partial birth abortion. These idiots are totally unrealistic and unserious.
But the idiocy of the Tea Bircher/Pat Robertson crowd isn't enough to make me a Democrat, although it is sometimes very tempting. If every genuine, non ideological conservative like myself (for, btw, real conservatism rejects ideology and dogma, although trying to explain this to Palin and her cult worshiper is a waste of time) became full time Democrats, we'd basically have a one party system, and a political party with total power and no real opposition to keep it honest and efficient will eventually become corrupt and out of touch with the people. So I will continue the good fight for returning to GOP to a sane conservatism (alongside the likes of Andrew Sullivan, Bruce Bartlett and my friend David Frum).
To give you a clear indication of how serious I am about saving the GOP-- and, really, our political culture at-large-- from the far right, I don't merely want to run the extremists out of the party: I want to ostracize them from public life altogether. The damage they have done not just to the GOP but to our entire public life in the past few years is astonishing in its depth and its breadth, and it will take the better part of a generation to fix.
At the top of my post, I wrote that tradition was a major factor in my decision to stick with the GOP and do whatever I can to renew it. If you want a good idea of my strong attachment to the history and values of my party, go over to Youtube and check out the video "Every known photograph of Abraham Lincoln," surely one of the most gorgeous photo essays ever constructed. The music that the photographs are set to really is a masterful touch. When I first saw this video I had just finished rereading Gore Vidal's "Lincoln," and was therefore in a proper frame of mind (and heart) for appreciating its poignancy. A few of the photographs made me misty eyed.
To be fair to Gryphen, he often qualifies his information as not being provable, but that's not the same as not being true. I guess even the truth, up to the point of being supported with evidence, can be a rumor.
DeleteThe GOP is the party for idiots and racists. Which one are you? Both?
DeleteOh, and in response to Anonymous above at 12:56: I was not "rush[ing] to judgment." I was doing the exact opposite-- you know, exercising a restraint of judgment, employing skepticism, and so forth. It seems that many of the posters in this comment thread would improve themselves by adopting a similar habit of thought. The sort of epistemic closure (and paranoia) constantly on display at rightwing blogs like Redstate and Free Republic is just as frequently in practice here. Several of the posters at IM affirm my view that Richard Hofstadter's "paranoid style" is not an exclusively rightwing phenomenon.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the blog!
DeleteI am so sorry that it doesn't meet your expectations. Always nice to show up and kvetch about the party you weren't invited to. As a commenter there is only so much I can do to make it better for you, I'll do my best.
Not everyone posts all links all the time.
There aren't many footnotes used here; and the inmates do most of the curating. That's why so many comments are posted here just like yours. You fit right in here, and no one else does. Posts which piss and moan about the blog and those who comment on it are in fact the highlight of the day. Just like "Kristy's" posts.
If you questioned something posted here, you could have googled for yourself and found the same links someone else did. But what's the fun in that? You'd have had to save the phrase "but what with this blogs reputation for rumor mongering" for some different opportunity.
You are an expert blogger obviously, and some of us here will bow down before your blog, but where can it be found? Did you forget to fill in your blog url when you entered your name? It must be a most excellent place; no doubt meeting the high standards you expect others to meet. More than a few Frum Forum participants would make it the best place in the internetz. Why haven't I already heard of it?
As a matter of fact, if you post the url, I guarantee that I will personally stop by and check that you are not making any mistakes on your blog. I'm not shy. I'll tell you just what to do. Posting the url will also serve as your application for the Gasman Seal of Approval. He'll respond if he sees a reason to.
I will not rush to judgement and assume that you do not have a blog, but in the meantime I am wondering if your shit don't stink because you don't shit.
P.S. Check out my blog if you have time.
This wouldn't have happened to start with if the Democrats hadn't stayed home in 2010 to punish Obama. Now with the census and voter crap, we are all dead. The good thing is, the policies the republicans put in place hurt the people who vote for them, not just the opposition. So, ha ha. We aren't the only ones who'll suffer. I don't know any millionaire republicans, but I know many making minimum wage, those who get financial aid for school, and food stamps. To them I say--suck it. You wanted it, you got it. On to November and All hail King George Dubya Romney!
ReplyDeleteScott Walker winning this is a sad commentary on what money can buy. This is the beginning of very difficult times for state and ultimately government workers who are still employed. When will people ever understand that as long as legislatures and Congress pass laws, there will need to be people to carry them out?
ReplyDeleteMSNBC has called the election for Walker....
ReplyDeleteHaving listened to first hand accounts of the voter turn out since early this morning, I was astounded.
But on the bright side....:)...I agree with Thom Hartman. We the people won a major battle against big money.
Take a look at the money....if you actually LOOK at the percentage of votes that were BOUGHT by ALEC, the Koch Brithers and the rest versus the number of votes exicuted by the people....We the People struck a tremedous blow to the coorporate machine. i.e. the lates polls indicate that Walker and team spent some 83% of the money but only got 57% of the vote.... not a lot of return on the dollar, dude.
But then there will be the question of electon fraud. I wonder if it will be as blatant as the last Wisconsin election or the recent Anchorage election "issues." Whatcha think? What does it mean to you?
It's a good thing we have more money than they do.
DeleteSo is this all just racism? Or is just the death of democracy? Do money and greed win? Do you and I just hang our heads and accept our fate as slaves to those with money as the aristocracy LAUGH in our faces? What is the expression .. let them eat cake? Is this how the great experiment ends? Is this the inevitable outcome?
ReplyDeleteOr is this just the final gasps of evil corporatism?
I guess it is up to you and me...we the people...the decide the outcome. Money can't buy everthing. :)
Oh, yeah as for the Wisconsin crap...Walker out spent Barrett 7 - 1 . But he did not get 7 - 1 percentage of the vote.
ReplyDeleteExit polls do not match the vote...smells like fraud.
He might have won his "recall" election, but that ain't going to help him much when he has to do some explaining up in front of the judge when he is indicted.
ReplyDeleteThe IRS got Capone. There's hope yet that he'll catch it good for his crookedness in weeks to come. Already, the Republicans have lost control of Wisconsin's legislature.
DeleteM from MD
Silly little rebels. You were no match for the Imperial Walker!
ReplyDeleteThis is unsettling. I fully expect to hear about some sort of strangeness in the counting. Have the absentee ballots been counted already? But seriously, we need to turn out in force to keep the Koch brothers et al from buying the White House for Romney.
ReplyDeleteM from MD
The voter fraud investigation will take months. I fully anticipate a large number of violations of state and federal voting rules. However, I think that making the recall about Walker's policies instead of specific corruption was a mistake. Nationally and in Wisconsin, something like 65% of voters think recalls should be for misconduct rather than opposition to policies, which is why I think this election is so close. Especially in the Midwest, there's a sort of "whoever wins the election gets a turn at doing what they want and suck it up until the next time if you don't like it" attitude.
ReplyDeleteIt's sickening that everyone is accepting the results as legitimate. After Kathy Nickulas was caught cheating in 2010, you'd think people would be just a bit suspicious. But no, liberals are too afraid to look like "sore losers". Whatever. I think Walker cheated. I think he stole votes. Can anyone show me the paper trail confirming his win? Didn't think so. This should send a shiver down the spine of anyone who thought we had free and fair elections.
ReplyDeleteRepublicans cannot win without cheating voters.
ReplyDeleteDemocrats helped install the Diebold vote-cheating machines, and never complained about them at all, since their motive is always to come in "second". Democrats are the (very) loyal "opposition" that the Republicans need to keep the charade alive.