May 1-2, 2012
May 01 00:34 Tarryl's spin, Chip's solutions May 01 09:56 Anti-Walker activists facing Everest-sized hill May 01 10:56 Daily Kos polling brings ominous recall news for Dems May 01 18:48 Storm-blogging May 01 20:03 Deconstructing Kathleen Sebelius' testimony May 02 03:50 Christie, Walker together at last May 02 11:02 Where will the pilots come from? May 02 23:34 NFLPA, Woodley react to Vilma's suspension
Prior Years: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Tarryl's spin, Chip's solutions
If ever there was a video that was nothing but spin, Tarryl's introduction into Eighth District politics fits that bill:
Tarryl's video starts with scenes from the Duluth Harbor and the start of the St. Louis River. Tarryl then says that she's from Central Minnesota before saying "I'm running for office but I think of myself as a public servant." According to the Secretary of State's website , Public Servant Tarryl Clark has been running for office since 2000.
While Tarryl might think of herself as a public servant, people who've seen her in action think of her as a career politician. Public servant is just a euphemism.
What's laughable is the last line of the video. That's where she says "If you elect me, I will go and fight for you."
What makes it laughable is Tarryl's willingness to sell her soul to the people who support her. In 2010, every union that I knew of supported her. There were even a few unions that I didn't know existed that supported her. Then, in the debate hosted by the St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce , she tried telling the audience that she wasn't sure if she'd vote for EFCA, the unions' top priority.
Compare Tarryl's flights of fancy with Chip Cravaack's no-nonsense style and his solutions-oriented mindset . Here's a classic example of Chip's mindset:
Higher energy prices have real consequences. Everything from the daily commute to the grocery bill is getting more expensive, and Americans are taking notice.
Under President Obama's watch, the price of gasoline has shot up 95 percent. Unfortunately, this week the President is touting a tax hike that won't help create jobs or lower gas prices.
I will continue to fight for lower gas prices but it's an uphill battle. Washington politicians continue to put up artificial obstacles and they continue to block common sense solutions. The bottom line is that gas prices need to come down now .
This punishment at the pump is putting the squeeze on small businesses and job growth.
That is why we need an 'all-of-the-above' energy policy. I believe in the exploration of proven energy reserves to reduce our dependence on foreign and unstable suppliers. To date, I'm proud to have supported important measures to achieve U.S. energy independence and job creation.
Specifically, I have supported the Keystone XL pipeline, which would immediately create thousands of jobs for U.S. workers. I have also supported "The Reversing President Obama's Offshore Moratorium Act,' a bill which would allow the U.S. to utilize its vast energy reserves.
There's no way Tarryl would support any of these initiatives because she couldn't afford losing the enthusiastic support from the militant environmentalists that've always supported her.
Again, what shines through is Tarryl's commitment to her supporters and her supporters only vs. Chip's doing what's best for Minnesota's families.
Tarryl's bubble will burst this August when she's defeated in the DFL primary. She's as unwelcome in the Eighth as a carpetbagger as she was unwelcome here in the Sixth as a liberal.
Perhaps Tarryl will return to original calling of being a lobbyist.
Tags: Tarryl Clark , Public Servant , Career Politician , Central Minnesota , St. Louis River , Duluth , St. Cloud , Carpetbagger , DFL , Chip Cravaack , PolyMet , Gas Prices , MNGOP , Election 2012
Posted Tuesday, May 1, 2012 12:37 AM
Comment 1 by Jethro at 01-May-12 03:10 PM
Tarryl will fight for more government, more taxes, & more regulatory intrusion on the citizenry. Why? She really knows her new constituents' needs.
Anti-Walker activists facing Everest-sized hill
It's always been understood that defeating Scott Walker would be an uphill fight. That understanding appears to be reality based on fundraising totals that were just announced :
MADISON, Wis. - Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's fan list reads like a who's who of some of the richest people in America - financial gurus, a Las Vegas casino president, even an NBA team owner.
And they came up big for the embattled governor, taking advantage of a quirk in state law to help Walker shatter Wisconsin political fundraising records as he faces a pair of recall elections this spring.
Walker set the record for a state office with $12.1 million raised last year. Campaign finance records filed Monday show he has already easily surpassed that this year, raising $13.1 million between Jan. 18 and last week. He spent nearly $11 million and had almost $4.9 million in the bank.
His biggest donor was Diane M. Hendricks, founder of Beloit-based American Builders and Contractors Supply Co. Inc. Forbes estimates she's worth $2.8 billion. She gave the governor $500,000. She did not immediately return messages left through her company spokeswoman.
Democrats will certainly note that alot of this support isn't originating from within Wisconsin. Whatever. The reality is that Gov. Walker has an impressive GOTV operation :
GREEN BAY, WI - The Republican Party of Wisconsin is drumming up support for Gov. Scott Walker with 'Super Saturday.' Volunteers are making phone calls from offices across the state, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
They're even having a competition between cities, to see who can rally the most support ahead of the recall election that's scheduled for June 5, just 45 days away. The Green Bay Victory Center has a goal of making 7,000 phone calls to voters in just 12 hours.
The Victory Center in Green Bay made nearly 2,000 calls in their first two hours Saturday. Most volunteers work in three hour shifts.
I hope the unions continue to pour money into Wisconsin on elections they can't win. That depletes their supply of cash to actually influence races that aren't hopeless. And the Walker/GOP senators recalls are hopeless.
I'd expect more of this spin over the next 6 weeks:
Falk and Barrett's campaigns both issued similar statements blasting Walker for traveling around the country rather than focusing on job creation in Wisconsin. State Democratic Party spokesman Graeme Zielinski issued a statement calling Walker's totals 'breathtaking.'
'It is true we will be badly outspent. It is also true that, at the end of the day, and until Walker makes it otherwise, money does not vote,' Zielinski said. 'The people vote. And it is the people of Wisconsin who will win victory over Scott Walker on June 5th.'
If people were that excited to rid Wisconsin of the plague of Walker, his Democratic opponents would've raised more than $1,800,000. Democrats can't publicly admit what they privately know. They can't admit that people like Gov. Walker's reforms.
I spoke yesterday with a friend living in Wisconsin. My friend said that people appreciate the fact that property taxes haven't shot up this year. They especially appreciate the fact that property taxes won't be going up next year.
When word gets out that Wisconsin's property taxes have either stabilized or dropped, Wisconsin will get the reputation of being open to businesses. Once that happens, jobs creation will increase significantly. It's the Democrats' worst nightmare.
When told of Gov. Walker's impressive fundraising total, the Barrett campaign spokester whined :
His opponents said he was trying to buy the election.
"Instead of spending his energy and attention raising money at $250,000 per check from out-of-state, right-wing ideologues, Scott Walker should have paid more attention to his failed promise to create 250,000 jobs here in Wisconsin," Barrett spokesperson Phillip Walzak said.
After his reforms have taken effect, the jobs will come. First, Gov. Walker had to dismantle the system of cronyism infecting state and local government. Now that his reforms are in place and working, the job creation will come.
No longer will the teachers unions terrorize local budgets by insisting that their health insurance product be the primary health insurance company of state government:
Bernie Nikolay should be happy. His school district; he's the superintendent in Milton, had a good November.
The girls swim team won the state title, a first for Milton girls athletics. And an arbitrator said the district could switch health coverage away from the insurer owned by the teachers union. That'll save the district as much as a million bucks a year.
For a district with a $33 million budget, that's cheery. For the rest of the state, it means a tide may have turned.
I can't repeat this often enough. Property taxes are dropping as a direct result of Gov. Walker's reforms. Prior to Gov. Walker's reforms, the unions could demand that WEA Trust be the health insurance provider through negotiations. That's history now and the people love it.
In the end, people appreciating their new reality will defeat the Democratic candidate, whoever that unfortunate soul is.
Tags: Recall Election , GOTV , Fundraising , Scott Walker , Property Tax Cuts , Reforms , GOP , Tom Barrett , Kathleen Falk , Unions , WEA Trust , Monopoly
Posted Tuesday, May 1, 2012 9:56 AM
Comment 1 by walter hanson at 01-May-12 01:01 PM
Walker's campaign manager obviously figured out that there was going to be one hell of a fight months ago and already had the campaign in high gear.
After Walker wins can we put the campaign manager in charge of the Romney campaign to make sure Obama doesn't steam roll Romney like McCain allowed him to do to him in 2008.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Comment 2 by Gary Gross at 01-May-12 01:22 PM
I'm not worried that Mitt will pull his punches like McCain did. That isn't Mitt's personality.
Daily Kos polling brings ominous recall news for Dems
The polling commissioned by the Daily Kos isn't good news for the Democrats hoping to unseat Gov. Walker:
Tom Barrett (D): 45 (49)
Scott Walker (R-inc): 50 (46)
Hari Trivedi (I): 2
Undecided: 3 (3)
Kathleen Falk (D): 43 (48)
Scott Walker (R-inc): 50 (47)
Hari Trivedi (I): 3
Undecided: 3 (5)
Doug La Follette (D): 40 (45)
Scott Walker (R-inc): 51 (46)
Hari Trivedi (I): 3
Undecided: 6 (9)
Kathleen Vinehout (D): 38 (44)
Scott Walker (R-inc): 50 (46)
Hari Trivedi (I): 5
Undecided: 7 (10)
While the polling doesn't suggest a blowout by any stretch of the imagination, each potential matchup signals steadfast, unwavering support for Gov. Walker.
Democrats are in a difficult position on this. Gov. Walker's reforms pose an existential threat to the PEUs so the fight isn't optional. It's an imperative. That said, it's a losing fight that the unions can't afford to spend too much money on it. Spending fists full of money on a losing fight is tactically foolish.
Another reason why Democrats have to fight this fight is because losing puts President Obama in a difficult position to win the general election this November. If the unions can't push President Obama across the finish line in Wisconsin, he's history.
That fight is still to be fought but it's certainly something Mssrs. Plouffe and Axelrod must worry about.
On a separate note, I thought this information was interesting:
Finally, we included a test of the general election ballot in the lieutenant governor's race, where Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch is likely to face Mahlon Mitchell, president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin:
Mahlon Mitchell (D): 40
Rebecca Kleefisch (R): 46
Undecided: 14
In Wisconsin, the governor and lieutenant governor are elected on the same ticket, but election officials ruled they had to be recalled separately. Mitchell is very much unknown, with favors of 12-25, while Kleefisch stands at a 41-40 in terms of job approvals.
If it's true that Mitchell is an unknown, then his negative rating is a sign of how unpopular the unions are with Wisconsin voters.
The same GOTV operation that makes Gov. Walker a mighty force to be reckoned with will help push Lt. Gov. Kleefisch and the GOP senators to victory, too.
Tags: Kathleen Falk , Tom Barrett , Recall Elections , President Obama , Unions , Democrats , Scott Walker , Rebecca Kleefisch , GOTV , GOP , Election 2012
Posted Tuesday, May 1, 2012 10:56 AM
Comment 1 by walter hanson at 01-May-12 12:56 PM
Gary:
I hate to ask a technical question the poll is show two numbers. I assume one is registered voters and one is likely voters. Which one is the likely voters?
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Comment 2 by walter hanson at 01-May-12 12:59 PM
Gary:
Keep one thing in mind here. If Scott Walker and his reforms are as unpopular as the unions describe them Walker shouldn't be leading at all. He should already be losing by ten or fifteen points in the polls.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Comment 3 by Gary Gross at 01-May-12 01:21 PM
The figures not in parentheses are likely voters. It's foolish to think that it'll be a blowout but it's equally foolish, based on this polling, to think that Gov. Walker isn't in good shape entering the final sprint.
Comment 4 by Patrick at 01-May-12 02:54 PM
The 2nd set of numbers in ( ) was the 2/23-26 poll results.
Storm-blogging
It's now 6:40 and the thunderstorm/tornado cell has moved into the St. Cloud/Sartell area. Accompanying those cells are pea-sized hail & medium heavy raid.
I was downtown until about 6:15. While driving across the St. Germain St. Bridge, I encountered pea-sized hail & fairly heavy rain.
To my friends, don't worry about my blogging. I'm blogging from my basement. I'll do that for the duration unless the storms take my power out.
A friend of mine just called me as he drove down Division St. He was encountering heavy rain. Jim said he wasn't getting hit with hail so that's a positive thing.
Based on the reports I'm hearing, the major cells split up near what natives frequently refer to as the St. Cloud Wall. That's where a major cell is heading directly for St. Cloud, then it splits apart just west of St. Cloud, usually around the St. Joe/St. Johns area.
The rain had let up but it's now 6:45 & the rain is picking up again. The temperature has stabilized, which means hail isn't dropping at this moment. That doesn't mean hail can't redevelop. It just means that it isn't right now.
UPDATE: According to Channel 20, there are reports that a tornado was spotted east of St. Cloud. Specifically, it was spotted near the juncture of State Trunk Highways 23 & 95. For those not intimately familiar with St. Cloud, the 23/95 intersection is approximately 4-5 miles east of St. Cloud.
Based on what I'm seeing on radar, it looks like things will clear up once the cell passes. BEWARE: That's what it looks like. Storms of this nature can redevelop & turn dangerous quickly.
Reports are now coming in from St. Joe, which is 10-12 west of St. Cloud, that quite a few cars have severe hail damage & broken windshields.
UPDATE II: It's now 7:00pm and the rain has definitely slowed. Reports are still coming in of damage to vehicles & standing water in the streets.
The alley is pretty much flooded but there's little standing water in my back yard.
UPDATE III: I should've kept my mouth shut. The rain's picked up again.
UPDATE IV: The weather channel says that we've had 2.52" of rain this pm. That explains why the alley is flooded & creeping up into people's yards. We've had a ton of rain since 5:00 pm so it isn't surprising that the system isn't keeping up with it. Simply put, the system is getting taxed to the maximum tonight.
UPDATE V: It's 7:30 & I'm back upstairs. The storm appears to be changing from a storm into a good soaking raid. The line of heavy thunderstoms has definitely moved to the east & no longer affects St. Cloud. People in Foley, Princeton, Santiago & Isanti should stay alert, though.
Though the storms appear to have passed St. Cloud, that doesn't mean Central Minnesota isn't in the path of these rapidly developing storm cells.
Posted Tuesday, May 1, 2012 7:37 PM
No comments.
Deconstructing Kathleen Sebelius' testimony
After watching this video, it's safe to say that Rep. Gowdy utterly dismantled HHS Secretary Sebelius' testimony:
Rep. Gowdy went through a series of SCOTUS cases where religious institutions filed lawsuits in instances where the public policy seemed to be a good idea. In each case, the religious institution won the case because the law violated the Establishment Clause of the Constitution.
When Ms. Sebelius admitted that she didn't rely on legal precedent or a memo from DoJ, Rep. Gowdy had pretty much reached his game, set, match point, aka checkmate.
That's why I'll be surprised if SCOTUS doesn't strike down, at minimum, the individual and employer mandates. It might also rule that the whole thing is unconstitutional because there isn't a severability clause in the legislation, though that's more in doubt.
I'm just disappointed that Rep. Gowdy's cross-examination didn't happen prior to oral arguments. It would've made for additional interesting questioning from the justices.
Tags: Establisment Clause , First Amendment , Kathleen Sebelius , Precedents , SCOTUS , Obamacare , Contraception Mandate , Individual Mandate , Employer Mandate , Democrats , Trey Gowdy , GOP
Posted Tuesday, May 1, 2012 8:03 PM
No comments.
Christie, Walker together at last
In many ways, Chris Christie and Scott Walker are cut from the same cloth. They're both outspoken. They're both willing to take on powerful public employee unions to save their states. They're both willing to push back when those unions employ their predictable intimidating tactics.
Based on this article , it's possible they have other things in common, too:
"You see what I've been able to do is give Scott and the people of Wisconsin a little preview of what good conservative governance can do for states," Christie told several hundred people who packed a landscaping equipment maintenance shop near Milwaukee. "New Jersey is giving a preview for Wisconsin as to good things than can happen when you stand up for the people of your state and stand against the special interests who have owned these state capitals for much too long."
The rally came in the middle of Christie's day-long swing through the Badger State to whip up support for Walker. He also spoke at a fundraiser luncheon in Green Bay and another in the Milwaukee area before heading home. The bank of cameras trained on the Republican governors was not just because of Walker's fight.
Gov. Walker and Gov. Christie haven't gotten intimidated by the PEU's bullying tactics. The opposite is actually true. They've stuck to their campaign promises, much to the satisfaction of their supporters.
As a result of their steadfast resoluteness, they're becoming inspirational figures in their own right. Each are mentioned as potential presidential candidates in the not-so-distant future. Thanks to their charisma, they're attracting loyal foot soldiers to their GOTV operations.
That, in my estimation, will put Gov. Walker over the top in this recall election. The $13,000,000 he's raised thus far won't hurt either.
This race is anything but over. Still, Gov. Walker's advantages keep piling up. At some point in the not-so-distant future, those advantages will help this race reach a tipping point.
Tom Barrett, Kathleen Falk and the PEUs better hope that tipping point isn't reached before the Democratic primary.
Tags: Recall Election , PEUs , Primary , Kathleen Falk , Tom Barrett , Democrats , Chris Christie , Scott Walker , Fundraiser , Green Bay , GOTV , GOP
Posted Wednesday, May 2, 2012 3:50 AM
Comment 1 by eric z. at 02-May-12 07:23 AM
Chris Christie, and his Jersey miricle.
What a shame. The hordes of "job creators" leaving Minnesota for New Jersey. Next it will be our Vikings' ownership.
Oh, wait ...
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 02-May-12 09:05 AM
The only thing worse than liberals are the PEUs that send death threats to prominent Wisconsin legislators, that rip off the taxpayers through the WEAC Trust health insurance ripoff & who threaten small businesses if they don't put up a sign saying that they support the Wisconsin PEUs.
Thank God the Democrats are for the little guy...except when they're hating on the little guy.
Comment 2 by Bob J. at 02-May-12 09:26 AM
Good to see another big-name governor getting behind Walker. Wish he wasn't a Mitt-wit but you can't have everything.
Where will the pilots come from?
The closing of the SCSU Aviation Department has Roger Cohen asking where the pilots will come from for the next major pilot shortage, which is looming on the horizon:
Here's a partial transcript of a key portion of the MPR article on Aviation:
COHEN: The need now for skilled aviation professionals and young people to get into aviation at any level is greater now than it's ever been. The opportunity now is greater than it's ever been.
If "the opportunity [for aviation professionals] is greater than it's ever been", isn't that the right time to expand the Aviation program?
When WCCO-TV did an article about the SCSU Aviation program, they interviewed SCSU President Earl Potter. During the interview, President Potter said that SCSU's focus would now be on STEM, aka Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
What President Potter didn't talk about, at least in the portion that aired that Sunday, was that Fedex offered to give one of its cargo planes that it was retiring to SCSU. The plane would've been stationed at the St. Cloud Regional Airport and it would've been available for STEM projects and studies for college students as well as for field trips from students as young as Kindergarten through to college graduates.
If SCSU genuinely wanted to focus on STEM issues, why did it reject this fantastic gift to the university? Shouldn't they have accepted it with a smile on their faces?
The reality is that there's a huge pilot shortage looming on the horizon, a horizon that's getting very close to becoming reality.
SCSU Provost Malhotra defended the Potter administration's actions this way:
MALHOTRA: It is not as if we wanted to set out closing Aviation. In fact, when we started out the Strategic Program Appraisal, we did not know that we would be closing Aviation. We knew that we would be closing some programs but which one of those programs would be an outgrowth of a very broad campus-level discussion.
According to Conrad Wilson's article, shutting down the Aviation Department will save approximately $500,000. That's roughly the equivalent of what they're paying EMG for their services. Shouldn't the Potter administration worry more about not spending big chunks of money on consultants than closing departments?
It seems that they're only interested in closing programs that actually have great hiring records upon graduation. This part of Wilson's article is what's wrong with SCSU thinking:
WILSON: Leaders at St. Cloud State say that the program closure is part of a university restructuring. Devinder Malhotra, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, says St. Cloud State has refocused on creating graduates with a broad base of knowledge, not just ones ready for a specific job.
That's a rip-off. Those students' parents aren't paying tuition so their sons and daughters can get "a broad base of knowledge." They're paying for an education that will help their sons and daughters find a high-paying job that offers a promising career path.
Perhaps that's why enrollment at SCSU dropped precipitously this past year. It isn't surprising that large percentages of college graduates unable to find jobs are moving home. Why haven't universities and colleges focused on turning out students that can step into a promising career the minute they graduate?
Employers aren't looking for employees "with a broad base of knowledge." They're looking for people who can positively impact their company the minute that they're hired.
Tags: Devinder Malhotra , Earl Potter , Consultants , SCSU , Aviation , STEM , Airlines , Higher Ed , Unemployment , Student Loan Debt
Posted Wednesday, May 2, 2012 11:02 AM
Comment 1 by Patrick at 02-May-12 11:31 AM
Gary
The administration has about 10 different story lines going and I am amazed that they can say it all with a straight face. You would think they would at least compare notes so they don't trip each other up. Read over the MPR article's last sentence - did you know during the 2010-2011 academic year that Dr. Scott Olson was the interim vice chancellor for the MNSCU system? Why is this important - well Dr. Olson's permanent job at Minnesota State Mankato is provost and vice president for academic and student affairs. Something smells!
Comment 2 by Jethro at 02-May-12 03:59 PM
More like a dead body stench if you ask me. No public hearings before closure, Scott Olson who worked at the other aviation program is in a position of influence, wow! Talk about invisible to the public eye. MALHOTRA: "It is not as if we wanted to set out closing aviation." So why in the video did it say that aviation was targeted before reorganization began? Somebody's fibbing! MALHOTRA: "We knew that we would be closing some programs but which one of those programs would be an outgrowth of a very broad campus-level discussion." Gee...what about a COMMUNITY-level discussion?
Comment 3 by Nick at 02-May-12 09:12 PM
Do you think WI Gov. Walker should be recalled? How about President Earl Potter and Provost Devinder Maholtra? How about Chancellor Rosenstone?
Comment 4 by Nick at 02-May-12 09:16 PM
"You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time." - Abraham Lincoln
Comment 5 by Nick at 03-May-12 03:41 AM
It's time for term limits not only for politicians, but also for university presidents, college and/or university system chancellors, and the regular members on the board of trustees excluding student trustees!
Comment 6 by eric z at 03-May-12 11:20 AM
Gary, it would be helpful if you had data. How many graduates of that St. Cloud program got jobs in the airline industry, or went on to become military pilots?
What are the percentages suggesting any success?
Was it a dilettante gut course major, to then say, "I have an SCSU degree," without any real scholarly accomplishment but weekend flying for fun, or was it actually successful in having a track record of graduates going on to use in real world situations whatever skills were acquired at SCSU?
Have you any data?
Comment 7 by Patrick at 03-May-12 02:16 PM
Eric
The data I have seen is that those who responded to the Career Services and Departmental surveys have found employment in the aviation industry. Do some not seek aviation employment - yes - but that is a small percentage. There is data going back to the early to mid-1980s that suggests a strong employment history in ALL fields of aviation, not just pilots.
Comment 8 by Gary Gross at 03-May-12 02:57 PM
Eric, I'll just let you have a conversation, if you'd like, with Patrick. Patrick is a retired Aviation professor. I've known him now almost 2 years & have found his research to be accurate & well-documented.
In other words, pay attention to him because he's well-informed & because he can be trusted.
Comment 9 by Jethro at 03-May-12 11:41 PM
Eric z. asks a very valid question about the data. In order to be fair, we must also ask the same question about other academic programs as well like the master's in social responsibility program. Are the graduates getting jobs and if so, who are the empployers? Surely, the career center should also be able to provide this data.
Comment 10 by mike at 05-May-15 02:22 PM
SCSU is already running a deficit. The president has indicated there will be no cuts in current programs or staff even though revenue is declining. Only a government type entity can have declining revenue and not make cuts in programs or staff. No business can. I believe cuts need to made somewhere because of the ineptitude of the people operating the school. SCSU spent thousands of dollars coming up with a new mascot. How about a contest asking the 15,000 or so students and staff to come up with a new mascot instead of paying someone else to do it? Why is it necessary to send staff to Hawaii for some conference when the school is running a deficit? Only government or a government run school can do it.
NFLPA, Woodley react to Vilma's suspension
This morning, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Saints defensive captain Jonathan Vilma for the entire 2012 season for his leadership role in the Saints Pay-to-Cripple-And-Injure scandal.
One of the first to respond to the suspension was Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley. Responding through Twitter, Woodley said "Vilma suspended a whole year FOR PLAYING FOOTBALL??? C'mon man!!!"
My initial reaction to Mr. Woodley is straightforward. Since when is it "just playing football" when the Saints ended the playing careers of two legendary quarterbacks, first Kurt Warner, then Brett Favre, on back-to-back weeks through cheapshots and illegal hits?
If that's "just playing football", then it's time the NFL disappeared. Mr. Woodley should be super-scrutinized if he thinks that intentionally ending Hall of Fame quarterbacks' careers is "just playing football."
The Saints were twice penalized for illegal hits against Brett Favre in the 2009 NFC Championship Game. The hit laid on him by Remi Ayodele and Bobby McCray effectively ended Favre's career. Though he played another season with the Vikings, he never came close to playing at the level he played at in 2009.
As bad as Woodley's statement was, Vilma's statement was exponentially worse. Here's the text of Vilma's official statement :
"I am shocked and extremely disappointed by the NFL's decision to suspend me for the 2012 season. Commissioner Roger Goodell has refused to share any of the supposed evidence he claims supports this unprecedented punishment. The reason is clear: I never paid, or intended to pay, $10,000, or any amount of money, to any player for knocking Kurt Warner, Brett Favre or any other player out of the 2009 Divisional playoff game, 2010 NFC Championship Game or any other game.
"I never set out to intentionally hurt any player and never enticed any teammate to intentionally hurt another player. I also never put any money into a bounty pool or helped to create a bounty pool intended to pay out money for injuring other players. I have always conducted myself in a professional and proud manner.
"I intend to fight this injustice, to defend my reputation, to stand up for my team and my profession, and to send a clear signal to the commissioner that the process has failed, to the detriment of me, my teammates, the New Orleans Saints and the game."
There isn't a bit of truth to Vilma's statement. The NFL has audio of players coming off the field asking when they'd get the money for their "cart off". Gregg Williams confirmed that Jonathan Vilma put up the $10,000 bounty to take out Brett Favre.
Here's the NFLPA's statement on the suspensions:
After seeing the NFL's decision letters, the NFLPA has still not received any detailed or specific evidence from the league of these specific players' involvement in an alleged pay-to-injure program. We have made it clear that punishment without evidence is not fair. We have spoken with our players and their representatives and we will vigorously protect and pursue all options on their behalf.
If Mr. Vilma wants us to believe that the NFL would proceed with all these suspensions without overwhelming forensic proof of these charges, then he must think that we're idiots.
The NFL is a multi-billion dollar a year business. Those are deep pockets subject to defamation lawsuits by the players. The NFL would have to be stupid to attempt to impose these strict fines on Head Coach Sean Payton, GM Mickey Loomis, then-Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams and 4 players without extensive documentation.
It's difficult to buy into Vilma's statement when there's visual proof that the Saints attempted to end Brett Favre's career. Darren Sharper, Favre's teammate in Green Bay, was one of the Saints players that hit Favre with a cheapshot. Favre asked him what the hell he was doing. Sharper responded by playing ignorant.
Later, when the scandal broke, Sharper denied the Saints had implemented a pay to cripple system.
There's no doubt that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's suspensions will be vindicated if they get to a hearing, which seems likely. Listening to this profanity-laced audio of Gregg Williams talking to his team this year leaves no doubt about what the Saints players were willing to do:
After hearing that tape, there's no way a thinking, honest person could buy into Vilma's or Sharper's stories.
Finally, I'd like to know from Mr. Woodley if he thinks attempting to give a player a concussion or taking out another player's ACL is "just playing football." If Woodley thinks that's "just playing football", then the NFL needs to emphatically make examples of neanderthals like that.
Tags: Jonathan Vilma , Darren Sharper , Gregg Williams , Sean Payton , Mickey Loomis , New Orleans Saints , LaMarr Woodley , Kurt Warner , Brett Favre , NFLPA , Hall of Fame , Concussions , ACL , Roger Goodell , NFL
Originally posted Wednesday, May 2, 2012, revised 03-May 3:25 PM
Comment 1 by Bob J. at 03-May-12 09:47 AM
The 'punishments' to the Saints -- no loss of a first round draft choice, monetary fines that mean nothing to a billionaire owner and suspensions for this season for their head coach and Vilma, plus lesser suspensions for the lesser 'lights' involved -- will add up to a subpar Saints team that will actually benefit by virtue of a better 2013 draft position.
That's why punishment should have included first-round picks for this year and next, and also doing the only thing that will restore credibility to the NFL's rules -- vacating the 'Taints 2009 championship.
Don't give it to anyone. Leave it vacant as a reminder to teams that deliberately attempt to injure.
Comment 2 by eric z at 03-May-12 11:12 AM
Favre's reaction, a kind of "so what" when told of the bounty situation, suggesting it was not an isolated thing, is what needs scrutiny. If Warner's said anything, it has not been reported locally.
If this Saints thing is only the tip of an iceberg, then the punishments - as deterrence - are sufficient. If this is an unusual thing, then it deserves more punishment. The league and players' association, and the press are ducking the big question, is this a universal thing where the hope is that curbing one team in public, a few coaches, will deliver a message?
What about Detroit? Jarad Allen a season or two ago with the one crack-back lineman going for his knees?
Last, what about Junior Seau? How special a player he was did not get known nationwide, but was clear on the west coast where the Chargers played.
Now reported as an apparent handgun suicide, it would be the second where a chest shot is used, with the earlier situation being that the player specifically wanted his brain intact for study in Boston by the traumatic injury experts.
This is Seau. Not some journeyman. A Michael Jordon of a linebacker.
Next, basketball. Why is Metta World Peace [Ron Artest] not suspended for the playoffs and the first 20 games next season? In basketball there is no protective head gear except the mask worn after a broken nose. His deliberate elbow against the Thunder guard - in light of his history - was not punished at all. My guess is it is the Lakers, and big market basketball carries the NBA. If it were a Thunder player elbowing a Laker, what then?
The thing about New Orleans, that year, they were successful doing what they did. It was post-Katrina, and Brees and such were the story told. But the league then, the officiating, allowed not one unfair hit against Warner then Favre, but a pattern. And some even were unflagged, as was the Sharper hit on Favre.
This is now locking the barn door, too late.
A proper New Orleans franchise punishment would be denial of any first round picks, three years running, regardless of whether a free-agency signing might otherwise trigger a compensatory pick. Also, bar them, same three years, from using a "franchise player" designation during free agency. Really put teeth into things. Not a "for show" thing, as now.
But that would imperil revenue flow, and revenue flow is what the entire league is about. And preserving revenue flow while appearing concerned, that too.
