Ira Robins Will Challenge Rebecca Kleefisch for Lt. Governor
The private investigator who gained fame for his work on the Lawrencia Bembenek case has thrown his hat in the ring for the state's second-in-command.
Should the recall effort against Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch succeed, Ira Robins, a 70-year-old private investigator from Milwaukee, told the Associated Press he will run as a Democrat against her.
Robins gained notariety when he was an investigator on behalf Lawrencia Bembenek, a former waitress accused of murdering her husband's ex-wife Christine Schultz in Milwaukee in the 1980s. He stated he would not accept campaign donations; instead, he plans to finance his entire race out of his own pocket, relying on social media and word of mouth to get his story out.
Bembenek's story garnered widespread media attention when she escaped from prison in 1990, inspiring the book "Run Bambi Run."
Among some of the goals stated on Robins' website were a requirement of "elected officials...to sign a pledge stating they will not participate in any matter involving any person or entity that has contributed anything of value, in any way, to benefit that official."
The state elections board is still determining whether enough valid signatures have been submitted to trigger recalls for Kleefisch, Governor Scott Walker and four other state senators.
Bob McBride
2:37 pm on Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Oy. Can "he whose name should never be mentioned here" ("who is XYZ?") be far behind in trying to jump into this free-for-all?
Bren
2:58 pm on Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Barbara Lawton was an outstanding advocate for Wisconsin in terms of economic development, education, and the arts. She traveled the state making presentations and was a present force. Perhaps I'm missing something, but other than an op ed in the MSJ, I've seen or heard virtually nothing from Rebecca Kleefisch that she has done on her own, only photo ops with Scott Walker signing bills, etc. Following her on Twitter or Facebook is not quite the same as what Barbara Lawton achieved. Again, perhaps I'm missing something.
Whoever fills this position needs to be a strong advocate for Wisconsin!!!
James R Hoffa
3:35 pm on Tuesday, March 6, 2012
@Bren -
Once again, your extreme partisanship is on high display here!
Barbara Lawton was a joke! It's not the role of the Lieutenant Governor to either influence or push for legislation as she used to do, but rather to implement and enforce the legislation that has been properly promulgated by the duly elected legislative branch and signed into law by the Governor.
Lieutenant Governor Kleefisch has been an integral part of Wisconsin's 'Open for Business' initiative and has helped attract numerous job creating private sector businesses to the state.
What's Lawton's job record again - a loss of 150k+ jobs during her eight year tenure, as I seem to recall. Is that really the kind of "economic development" that you prefer?
Personally, I'm going with Kleefisch's proven record of positive private sector job creation - and she's only been in office for a little over a year! Looks to me like Kleefisch is running circles around Lawton's record!
morninmist
4:13 pm on Tuesday, March 6, 2012
I agree Bren--the Lt. Gov should be an advocate for WI.
I always appreciated Lawton's work with the Arts.
I thought she was an excellent Lt. Gov.
Bren
5:56 pm on Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Mr. Hoffa, "Barbara Lawton was a joke?" Did you ever meet her? I have. Did you ever sit in on one of her presentations? I have. This is a dedicated, motivated individual deeply committed to our state's fiscal, cultural, and educational health. Wisconsin's job loss I believe has been tied to issues that are in part, outside of the state's control. I'm sure Scott Walker would be stemming the current job losses if he could, as the situation is not helping him.
You provided no links that provide evidence that Lt. Governor Kleefisch "has helped attract numerous job creating private sector businesses to the state." And don't trouble sending a link to her official website, I've already seen the photo-ops.
Alfred
3:01 pm on Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Bren please tell the class with branch of gubmint you are employed.
Bren
5:57 pm on Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Alfred, if you wish to engage with me at least ask a new question. That one has been answered at least once.
Gofaq Uurslf
3:21 pm on Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Talk about running on an old legacy. No college students will even know who Bambi was.
James R Hoffa
3:35 pm on Tuesday, March 6, 2012
If Robins was truly holier than though, he'd be running as an independent as opposed to a Democrat. If he manages to pick-up the Democratic nomination, even he must realize that he'll directly benefit from the money that the public sector unions and the left plan to pump into this election.
I'm not sure what's worse - an admittedly bought and paid for politician, or one who claims not be but rather professes a holier than thou attitude all while reaping the benefits of special interest backing.
Sorry Robins, but your Democratic Party ties and association effectively do you in.
Try again!
Tom
4:02 pm on Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Robins is certainly an interesting choice...not necessarily a good one
Anonymous
9:43 am on Thursday, March 22, 2012
Ira Robins is crazy!!! I laughed so hard when I heard about him running. What a joke.
Steve
4:06 pm on Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Rebecca's kind of hot.
Gofaq Uurslf
6:26 pm on Tuesday, March 6, 2012
@Steve
That is correct.
Craig
4:12 pm on Tuesday, March 6, 2012
If you got a man in the "Joint", Ira's your man.
Conjugal visits for all inmates. I hear he also has a fetish for artificial limbs.
:-P
Gofaq Uurslf
6:28 pm on Tuesday, March 6, 2012
That is offensive to the prosthetic industry.
GearHead
5:15 pm on Tuesday, March 6, 2012
This just keeps getting goofier every day!!!
Bob McBride
6:45 pm on Tuesday, March 6, 2012
That's the only bright spot in any of this. The anticipation of something that, even after all that's gone on over this past year, can still seem absurd. This definitely makes the cut.
mau
2:40 pm on Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Run Bambi Run
Born Free
5:26 pm on Wednesday, March 7, 2012
@BREN. ""Whoever fills this position needs to be a strong advocate for Wisconsin!!!""
Translated that means a strong union advocate willing to condone and engage in union sabotage.
Bren
6:08 pm on Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Born Free, I'm confused by your "translation," do you mean someone someone who simultaneously supports/sabotages unions? ; )
As has been discussed elsewhere, the public union employee represents a small percentage of our state's population. A good Governor will represent every segment, taking a measured, balanced approach to dealing with fiscal and civic issues. Even without the recession this would be one tough job. I anticipate recovery from the recession will take years, and it's important to make sure that people's basic needs are met while the recovery occurs; and that we don't "throw the baby out with the bathwater" as we work on solutions.
(The GTAC mine project is a good example, but rather than throwing the "baby out with the bathwater," GTAC and some fine Wisconsin legislators [still looking at you Scott Fitzgerald] were potentially going to toss some arsenic and sulfur into the baby's bathwater.)
Born Free
10:46 pm on Sunday, March 11, 2012
@Bren
Recession you say? OMG. Have you seen the national home fore closure rates? Nothing like this has occured since the great depression. 2010 shows the beginning of a radical increace in the number of home fore closures which is consistant with the drop in property values and over all decline of home buying. This is a depression.
Obama can print and pump as many fiat dollars into this economy as he wants but the end result is inflation.
95% of public union employee's get a state or federal government paycheck and or they're retired collecting retirement income from the state or federal government. It's all a huge government union payroll. Anyone who owns property (real estate) knows where the bulk of their tax dollars go -- into public education. Renters pay it too but don't see the property tax bill.
Since almost everyone pays property tax one way or another it's not hard to see that the public unionized sector is either over paid or filled with useless bloat.
Losing a mining company due to Dermocrat & union politics adds injury to insult and it boils down to sabatoging the state economy and Walker. Obama made it real real clear that he owes the unions for getting him elected. In case you've forgotten Obama is posing as a Democrat.
Bren
10:56 pm on Sunday, March 11, 2012
Born Free, we wouldn't even have a glimmer of economic recovery if the recession-creators had retained control of the White House in 2008. I'm not sure how we the utility payers pay Gale Klappa, CEO of WE Energies, $1,000,000 salary per annum without a whisper but become incensed because teachers make a 5-figure salary plus benefits.
(For clarity, Gale's overall compensation package is $11,000,000/annum)
Barbara C. Ward
12:52 am on Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Barbara Lawton was the great hope for Wisconsin.
She was not corrupted by the union bosses and their hack politicians (Doyle)
of Southern Wisconsin.
That is why she was not given a chance.
Barbara C. Ward
2:25 pm on Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Barbara Lawton was the greatest hope for Wisconsin!
She was not corrupted by the union bosses and their hack politicians (Doyle) of Southern Wisconsin.
That is why she was not given a chance.