Brew City Brawler

Charlie Sykes, beclowned king of A Nation of Moochers

Getting in the head of Charlie "Moocher" Sykes

Here's the thing about Charlie Sykes. While he racebaits and demagogues for his rube audience, he deeply wants to be seen as some sort of public intellectual. And listening to him puff himself up, one senses he's deeply insecure about his bonafides (as one might suspect a thrice-married moralist would be). And, he checks out what people -- even smalltime bloggers like the Brawler -- say about him (noted here previously).

As was the case yesterday when Sykes mentioned this article. Why did he mention it? Because he was sad, in this perfunctory piece, that Abele's parking tickets, etc., were not mentioned. Whereas, he claimed, that if Abele was a conservative the story would have mentioned every skeleton in his closet because conservatives are held to a different standard.

I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact we noted here that Charlie Sykes, author of  "A Nation of Moochers," is a moocher himself.

 

 

Charlie Sykes, moocher

Charlie Sykes, Milwaukee's premier right-wing demagogue, is getting ready to inflict a new book upon the country, "A Nation of Moochers."

One must give Charlie credit for actually writing about what he knows. For once upon a time, Charlie himself was -- by his own definition -- a moocher.

This goes back to the late 1970s, when Sykes had just ended his first marriage. From Milwaukee Magazine's July 2000 profile of Charlie Sykes

Divorce records show that custody of the couple's 2 1/2 year old daughter went to the mother. Chris Sykes was working as a dental assistant, bringing home $120 every two weeks. Charlie made a biweekly salary of $404. When they divorced, Charlie was ordered to pay monthly child support payments of $303.

Sykes at times had difficulty making payments. Several times, he slipped into arrears; for three months in early 1980, his ex-wife went onf AFDC. Sykes eventually made payments directly to his former wife, according to court documents. He gained legal custody of his daughter when she was 17.

Now, how does Sykes define a moocher?

Someone who believes there is always a free lunch and that somebody else should pay for it.

Someone who expects others to pay to clean up their messes.

Someone who lays claim to something to which they are not rightfully due.

Someone who shifts the cost of their own irresponsibility onto others who have behaved responsibly; who, as a matter of choice, takes from or relies on the efforts and resources of others.

Someone who takes unfair advantage of others to enrich themselves or otherwise bail themselves out.

A recipient of the transfer of wealth created by others (without just cause) or who lives off of the productive efforts of others and appropriates the fruits of their enterprise without making a proportionate contribution.

Someone who voluntarily seeks to be dependent on others.

Let's face it: Sykes -- a child of Fox Point and upper middle class privilege, who had all sorts of educational and social capital that the "moochers" he demonizes every day can only dream of -- was a moocher. By his own definition. I'm suspecting Charlie doesn't talk about this in the book.

As always when put on the spot, Sykes got snippy and defensive in the Milwaukee Magazine article, saying he made up for those mistakes.

"There was a lot going on. I'm not going to talk about back then," Sykes says today. "But I have always supported my daughter. My daughter really spent a great deal of time with me, I paid a great number of her bills, I put her through college, I put her throught private high school, all the ballet lessons, clothes, a lot of things ... Of all the things that I am most proud of, it is the way that I have raised my children."

"A lot going on." What, is Charlie blaming the environment? Or claiming he wasn't responsible for his obligations? "A lot going on." There always is. 

He was taking pride in his parenting in this article, of course, not long after he ditched wife No. 2 for his current spouse.

 

 

Charlie Sykes, race baiter

Charlie took the to air this morning accusing the Dems of illegally getting minors to sign a recall petition. It came out over the course of the day that the two signers in question were in fact over 18 and their only crime was signing a recall petition while black. Does this lead Sykes to recant his libel? No.

"We eagerly await more credible documentation."

Here's your documentation.

Demonize black people, it's just what Charlie Sykes does.

True fact: Charlie's dad was a journalism professor.

 

Charlie Sykes really shouldn't go around libeling people

Just ask Robert Miranda.

Rather than apologize for lying, Charlie Sykes doubles down.

Yes, soak the rich

The Club for Growth, via Charlie "No Evidence" Sykes, says it's not fair to raise taxes on the rich because the poor dears already pay a high share of income taxes (though John L's remarks in comments at the site of Charlie "Thrice-Married" Sykes are illuminating). 

Left unsaid is that the rich are getting richer as income inequality has been increasing in Wisconsin, as demonstrated by the Center on Wisconsin Strategy at UW-Madison.

Over the past two decades, the benefits of the state’s economic growth have been increasingly concentrated on our wealthiest residents. Our proud legacy of equality, and the joint commitment to building a strong state which that equality helped undergird, is in serious and troubling decline. Together, we need to pursue strategies to ensure that Wisconsin’s economic growth is more widely shared.

Meanwhile, most folks in Wisconsin want to raise taxes on the rich to help close the deficit.

 

WPRI: Obama is hella popular in Wisconsin

A PPP poll shows that Obama beats all Republican comers in Wisconsin in 2012 (Palin, Romney, Huckabee, Gingrich), but that's not a surprise to anyone who looked at the WPRI's post-election poll showing Obama had a 53% job approval rating.

Indeed, fully 18% of Republicans gave him a favorable rating.

Sykes et al like to talk about Obama's cratering popularity. In Wisconsin, maybe not so much. It's worth noting that Obama's much demagogued health care plan (Sykes was out early with the Death Panel charge) has only 40% approval, but, then again, that's only 5 points less than Walker's.

Latest evidence that toilet training traumatized Sykes

More than most adults, Charlie Sykes seems to be obsessed with things potty related. Toilets, toilet paper, constant use of the word crap and of course the Deep Tunnel awards. And now the latest sign of his obsession. The spectacle of Wisconsin wingnuts factchecking promises to be amusing. Will Patrick "hide the decline" McIlheran be among the ranks?

Charlie Sykes pwns the WI GOP on Pelosi fundraiser

Hilarious.

The Republican Party of Wisconsin issues a press release blasting a Nancy Pelosi fundraiser for Tom Barrett that was allegedly held on Tuesday.

Only problem? It didn't happen!

The dumbass at the RPW says he fired off the press release after listening to talk radio. One can safely assume by "talk radio" he means "Charlie Sykes," given Chuck (citing an email he received) talked about this "hallucinatory" fund raiser at the top of his show. He  referred to it later while he  gave Paul Ryan thousands of dollars worth of free media time.

Humorously, Chuck has bragged to his audience how he will "fact check" Russ Feingold and Barack Obama.

Chuck -- who pimped the "death panel" line before it was cool, who has claimed Obama did crack -- purports to tell "the other side of the story." But as was sagely noted on "The Wire": "A lie ain't a side of the story; it's just a lie." 

So will Chuck correct himself tomorrow?

Charlie Sykes: Sean Duffy needs to "toughen up"

In wake of the DCCC unleashing some ads targeting Sean Duffy, Charlie Sykes had Sean Duffy on his show.

Charlie appeared to regret giving him the forum. The reason? Duffy said he was not in favor of privatizing Social Security and when prodded talked on generalities about vague fixes.

After Duffy was off the line, Sykes declared that Social Security was no longer the third rail of American politics and that Republicans should be loudly and proudly in favor of privatization. As for Duffy. He said "I hope that he toughens up" on the issue.