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BLOG REPLAY: Defending the American Dream Summit

Rick Santorum, Paul Ryan and Ron Johnson - along with national talk show hosts - were in Milwaukee Saturday to take part in daylong summit with hundreds of conservatives.

Patch blogged live Saturday from the "Defending the American Dream" summit in Milwaukee, an educational and training conference aimed at gearing up conservatives for the upcoming elections.

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum, along with Wisconsin U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson and Congressman Paul Ryan, joined hundreds of GOP activists at a daylong event hosted by the Americans for Prosperity Foundation–Wisconsin.

Revisit the event by checking out our Live Blog replay with videos, interviews and more.


mau March 25, 2012 at 12:35 pm
@Edward Willing, why isn't Bren asking for "some links to support your assertions please?" from goldgoose.
Lyle Ruble March 25, 2012 at 12:42 pm
@Tim Scott...I don't quite get your obsession with Huffington. Time will tell if it will survive or not. Somehow, in your world Huffington, AOL and the Patch are all channels of fallacy. I thought the general idea was to present perspectives and then readers have an opportunity to decide what is the truth and what is not. I call this the free market of ideas. Why are you so threatened by this?
mau March 25, 2012 at 12:43 pm
Nothing like a nice positive and quiet (no drums, horns or screamers) Conservative event, to bring out the fire breathing, flame throwing, drum pounding, lefties out from under the bridge.
David Blake March 25, 2012 at 02:19 pm
To Tim &mike I think that you are just a are talking a lot of" BS "
David Blake March 25, 2012 at 02:23 pm
Ithink that you are the stupid person on this site with out a DOUGHT
mau March 25, 2012 at 02:28 pm
Oh ya? Read your own comment :) Funniest comment I have read today.
Tosa720 March 25, 2012 at 02:31 pm
I agree with Jenny - The arm chair righteous! Sort of like complaining people who - on the other end of the phone - are all too brave and abusive. Some of these attacks are pathetic. Please have some intelligent discourse.....with facts not attacks. But of course, that must be what you learn when you listen to hate radio all the time.i.e., LImbaugh, McKenna, etc...
Mike in OC March 25, 2012 at 02:44 pm
@David Blake
Check Mimi and Dora's history of blog posts and you will see they blog all over PatchNation.... FACT Women on the left are constantly referring to the right as women haters.... FACT The Democrat Party symbol is an Ass.... FACT So what is BS?
Mike in OC March 25, 2012 at 02:48 pm
From Politifact .... Grothman's claim is true...
http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2012/mar/25/glenn-grothman/gop-wisconsin-state-senator-says-study-shows-kids-/
Bren March 25, 2012 at 03:03 pm
Tim, I don't know if your comment was directed at me. I don't disagree that children end up paying the price for what happens to/with their parents, but I do know that none of the single parents I know signed up for the situation. One's husband became addicted to gambling. He would get paid and blow his entire paycheck at the track. Any money in the house he'd gamble it away. She left him because he wouldn't get help and she and the baby were literally starving. She worked two jobs for the next 15 years. Another postponed college to help her husband with his career--which took him to another woman. She was left with a baby, no degree, and almost all of his debts to pay, which took years, two jobs and a ruined credit rating. Another couple had three kids then the husband decided that he needed a free lifestyle. He bought a motorcycle and left for Cali. Etc., etc., etc. Does it seem to you that these three married women would have chosen these lives for themselves and their children?
Perhaps you should talk to some single mothers to get some perspective. There's a lot of them around.
Randy1949 March 25, 2012 at 03:10 pm
@Tim Scott -- I beg to differ. HuffPo is indeed a very liberal spot, which is not the case on the Patch. There is a great deal of conservative back-patting here.
James R Hoffa March 25, 2012 at 05:07 pm
Hoffa was there! And it was AWESOME!!!
Dennis Allen March 26, 2012 at 01:50 am
Jackass's helped settle our great country. What has an elephant ever done for the country ?
Dennis Allen March 26, 2012 at 01:53 am
So that's where he's buried . lol
JBS March 26, 2012 at 12:27 pm
For more accurate information about The John Birch Society, visit JBS.org. There you'll also learn the difference between a constitutional republic and a democracy!
Steve ® March 26, 2012 at 12:59 pm
Bren the moderate - I have been there in the past more than once, felt very dirty the entire time and was shocked anyone would believe the crap that winds up there. But I do believe you frequent the site after watching what you post here.
Bren March 26, 2012 at 02:51 pm
Steve, I'm sorry you felt "dirty" reading about opinions that disagree with your own. I'm not a fan of Fox because they often don't provide sources or their information comes from fallible partisan sources. However, assertions that are made provide points for objective research.
I don't always "like" what I read but I know I can't learn if I don't keep an open mind.
CowDung March 26, 2012 at 03:12 pm
Bren:
The fact that many single parents do not choose to be in that situation is irrelevant as far as attacking Grothman's claim. Perhaps they should do some studies to compare the rates of abuse by those that chose to be single parents and those that didn't... The point of what Grothman was making is that children are indeed more likely to be abused when they are in single parent situations. If we ignore the statistics because we don't want to offend single parents, then we are doing the children who are being abused a disservice. As Grothman stated, "people certainly know there are single moms who are good parents and there are single moms who aren’t. But when the statistics show you’re 20 times greater -- in one type of family structure than another -- to cause a child to be a victim of sexual abuse, it’s something that ought to be out there."
Steve ® March 26, 2012 at 04:41 pm
Who brought up Fox? Not that I watch Fox much as I don't have time for TV but the daily kos is far from a TV news network like Fox. It is left wing lies, internet opinion, and propaganda. Why even waste your time with that garbage?
Bren March 26, 2012 at 05:23 pm
Cow, I believe you are putting a better spirit into this than Sen. Grothman. If I understand his bill correctly, he is promoting marriage over single parenthood (in part for the reasons cited). I'm not sure what purpose his legislation serves other to vilify a population group that doesn't need any more abuse.
Bren March 26, 2012 at 05:26 pm
Steve, Fox represents to me the extreme right as Dailykos does the extreme left. However, facts are facts. It's the voter's job to cut through the spin and find out the truth as best they can.
Bren March 26, 2012 at 05:30 pm
Developing a taste for rallying, are we? ; ) Some like to criticize activism as a fringe activity, but I see it as patriotic engagement. Good for you!
CowDung March 26, 2012 at 05:41 pm
Have you actually read the legislation, Bren?
Once you cut through the politics and stop vilifying Grothman for being a Republican, you would realize that the purpose of the bill isn't to vilify single parents, it is to raise awareness and educate people. I actually quoted Grothman directly in my comment. Not quite sure how I could have put it in a 'better spirit' than did Grothman.
Mike in OC March 26, 2012 at 05:52 pm
@CowDung Your read of the legislation is exactly how I read it.... I wish more people would actually take 10 minutes to read the piece of legislation. It is very clean that it is designed towards marketing, education and prevention to an area of higher risk. In my opinion, that makes the most sense financially. Companies do targeted marketing all the time..... I would think that an air conditioning mfg would spend more money on advertising in Arizona vs Alaska. Not saying they will never sell one in the Alaska but they get more sales opportunites in Arizona obviously....
Bren March 26, 2012 at 06:47 pm
Cow, I have read it. But seriously, practically, who will be educated by this bill. Whose awareness will be raised? Will it soften the hearts of the ex-spouses who refuse (not can't) to pay child support? I do not think so. I have had discussions with this type of individual. I have presented the situation and asked if this is they type of life they want for their children. The extraordinary thing is the answer--which is no answer at all--which is a variation on a constant theme. She's a "bitch" and doesn't deserve child support. Especially if she has met someone else. And especially if he has met someone else, started a new family and wants nothing more than to forget past responsibilities. (The "bitch" is of course guilty because she wanted him to spend more time at home with the family he helped create, devote more funds to bill-paying, horrendous things like this.)
Women try to provide financial stability and security for their children, but it happens that a new husband or boyfriend adds many new problems. There are single dads too, but it does not appear to be as much of a stigma as for single mothers, perhaps because they are fewer in number. Gender shouldn't matter. People should be responsible for their children. This is why I iterate that my recommended solution is to beef up legislation that holds deadbeat parents responsible. If Sen. Grothman brought that forward I would laud him.
CowDung March 26, 2012 at 07:14 pm
Bren:
The specifics of how the information is used rests with the Wisconsin Child abuse and neglect prevention board. They are empowered to influence budget and/or legislation that can create/strengthen child abuse prevention programs. The information would also educate the people that are empowered to help identify possible abuse situations (teachers, coaches, doctors, nurses, religious leaders, parents, etc.), and protect children from abuse. Knowing that a child's home situation places them at a higher risk for abuse can be useful in getting that child help before it is too late.
Lyle Ruble March 26, 2012 at 07:54 pm
@CowDung...When Grothman brought the proposal up before the Wisconsin Abuse Board, they rejected it. He decided to use his elected position to make an end run and introduced legislation. What he is pushing is correlation studies and doesn't indicate causality. There is much stronger correlation between poverty and abuse. Why isn't he insisting on that being pushed by the Abuse Board? Before defending him you need the full story. Grothman likes to sit in his mother's basement and make social justice decisions and legislation.
CowDung March 26, 2012 at 07:56 pm
If poverty is already recognized as a factor in child abuse, is it really necessary to push legislation to draw attention to it? The 'twenty times more likely' number that Grothman and his stats indicate seems significant enough to not be ignored.
Correlation vs. causation really doesn't matter does it? A strong correlation should be enough to start raising awareness about the potential for abuse in those situations.
Bren March 26, 2012 at 07:56 pm
Cow, those constituencies are already very well aware of the situation. Basically this bill preaches to the choir. As I said, if Sen. Grothman came up with a bill that dealt with the fundamental issue--money--I would congratulate him.
CowDung March 26, 2012 at 07:59 pm
Considering the amount of grief that Grothman is getting for bringing up the subject, and the outright disbelief of his claim (until he presented the stats to back up his claim), I really don't think that anyone was very well aware of the situation...

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Laurie Goetz June 5, 2013 at 08:34 pm
I dislike so much sarcasm in one post. Why not just come out and say something directly?
John Q. Public June 6, 2013 at 09:39 pm
Steve, I have friends and co-workers whose political leanings vary from far right to far left andRead More everything in between. I certainly wouldn't make decisions "on their future" simply based on whether or not they signed a petition. I value the input I receive from my exposure to their varying viewpoints. It seems awfully petty and shortsighted to base so many decisions on one factor. When I hire an employee, political opinions are not important to me - credentials, experience, work ethic, that's what I look for; I am interested in hiring a competent person, not someone who simply shares my political leanings. You frequently tout yourself as a "producer" - of what, I don't know. Since you so strongly support the idea of making decisions on the litmus test of whether or not someone supports or opposes Governor Walker, I suggest that you let everyone know the name of your company and what you produce. That way, people who share your ideals can support your business and those that don't can make an educated decision as to whether or not they want to work with you.
Bucky June 17, 2013 at 07:20 pm
One battle lost is not the end of the war. Walker has proven to be the biggest loser that this stateRead More has ever seen. We are almost last in every catagory and if your married with daughters all your thier rights have been taken away by your God. Remember when you and Walker take your place in hell the dead will some day walk the earth again.
JudyLee Tarbox June 5, 2013 at 08:16 am
What time is the Student Play festival@ East?
Liz June 5, 2013 at 09:19 am
The show starts at 7pm both nights. Hope to see you there!