What the John Doe probe of the 2011-2012 recall elections proves about Walker and his team is that they explicitly coordinated with so-called independent interest groups (501c4 groups), especially Wisconsin Club for Growth, to arrange large donations from right-wing individuals and groups. Such donations would have been illegal at the time if made directly to the Walker campaign.
But, the truth is, we have no meaningful campaign finance laws any more. Existing laws are so easy to circumvent it’s a joke. So, in all probability, Walker and his aids cannot be convicted of any wrongdoing. And the only thing Republican operatives have to say about it is, “So what, the Democrats are doing the same thing.”
So the $700,000 from Gogebic Taconite was not a bribe, just a shrewd business investment. And the fact that the company later won approval from the Legislature and Walker to streamline regulations for a massive iron ore mine in northern Wisconsin, is mere coincidence?
Get used to it. We are no longer a democracy; we are a plutocracy, which means “pay to play” is now the norm. The John Doe probe proves only that neither Wisconsin nor the United States have any campaign finance laws worthy of the name.
