Randal B. “Randy” Hopper (R-18th/Fond du Lac; Oshkosh; Waupun; Heap-O-Trouble, Wis.)
Claims to fame: Republican Wisconsin state senator; buddy of labor-hating, union-killing Governor Scott Walker; owner, Mountain Dog Media radio network (KFIZ; WFON; WCLB; WMBE [the latter two of which run autobot programming by Fox Sports Radio]); chair, state Senate Committee on Economic Development; chair, state Veterans and Military Affairs; co-chair, state Joint Survey Committee on Tax Exemptions; member, state Joint Committee on Finance; member, state Senate Committee on Energy, Biotechnology and Consumer Protection; board member, Fond du Lac Association of Commerce; board member, Fond du Lac Family YMCA; founding member, Cops for Kids; private pre-school alumnus; divorcé as of August, 2010 (since separating from his wife sometime in early 2010); adulterer (at least biblically); recall target
Moral apex: Gee, there are just so many things… but his soon-to-be ex-wife’s No Fury Like A Woman Scorned statement to the press sums up most of it:
This is my public statement to answer all of the inquiries and telephone calls that I have been receiving about my husband, Senator Randy Hopper’s, [sic] affair with a 25 year old girl.It is correct that my husband, Randy Hopper, started an affair in January 2010 with a then 25 year old Republican aide named Valerie Cass. This affair has caused great emotional pain for my children and me. Randy moved out, without attempting marital counseling, as of May 2010 and now lives mostly in Madison.
Having said all of this, I remain willing to go to counseling with him to repair our marriage and heal our family. And I would stand behind him and support him if he chose this course as well.
Randy is the love of my life. This divorce and the lack of any attempt to save our marriage is solely his decision not mine.
/s/
Alysia Hopper
Doesn’t she sound like…? Yes, she does — like a submissive, spineless little wimp (and we won’t even go into the business of calling a fully-grown, 25-year-old woman a “girl”) — but we like the fact that she’s got at least enough, uh, brass ones to make the statement at all.
Beyond that, there are the allegations of:
• jacking up the salary of his alleged mistress to an unheard-of $20.25 for a low-level temp job as a secretary’s assistant;
• stating that he had nothing to do with hiring Cass — who was “recommended” officially (harumph!) by Keith Gilkes, Scott Walker’s chief of staff;
• moving out of the district he’s supposed to be representing (although his mouthpiece says he “maintains an apartment in the district where he lives and works,” adding that “He and his wife separated roughly a year ago and are divorcing, which is a private family matter” — but then, it’s always a “private family matter” when it’s a right-winger, while the sex lives of left-wingers are always fair game).
This is getting confusing! Of course, it is. Let’s see if Daniel Bice (”Senator’s girlfriend had help getting job,” JSOnline.com, March 20, 2011) can explain things a little more clearly:
Even though the state is supposedly broke, top officials in Gov. Scott Walker’s team were able to scrape together enough money to give a state job to the woman identified as Sen. Randy Hopper’s girlfriend.Anything for a political ally.
Valerie Cass, a former Republican legislative staffer, was hired Feb. 7 as a communications specialist with the state Department of Regulation and Licensing. She is being paid $20.35 per hour. The job is considered a temporary post.
Cass previously had worked in the state Senate and for the GOP campaign consulting firm Persuasion Partners in Madison. She also was paid for campaign work for the state Republican Party and U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner before that.
So that’s why he’s the target of a recall effort? Well, not exactly — although, if you want our opinion, yes, that’s exactly why. But the official story (which is covered quite well by — don’t scoff! — Wikipedia, is this:
On March 2, 2011 the “Committee to Recall Hopper” officially registered with the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. 15,269 valid signatures of electors residing within the 18th district must be collected by May 2, 2011 to generate a recall election. His maid has signed the recall petition, and his estranged wife reportedly plans to do so as well.
His maid and his wife? Ouch! Yes, ouch!
A March 9, 2011 poll by Survey USA shows that voters in Hopper’s district would vote for recall by 11 points. A March 10-13, 2011 poll by PPP (sponsored by Daily Kos) shows that voters in Hopper’s district disapprove of his job performance 47-38 and support recall by 11 points. When asked if they would vote for Hopper or a generic Democratic candidate, Hopper trailed by 5% with 44% saying they would vote for Hopper again and 49% saying they would vote for the Democratic candidate. Hopper is seen as particularly vulnerable to recall, considering that his victory in the 2008 election came only after a mandatory recount; the margin of victory was 163 votes.
And:
As a result of Hopper allegedly vacating his home, questions have been raised concerning his residency within the 18th Senate District. A formal complaint was filed with the Wisconsin Attorney General on March 15, 2011 alleging Hopper does not currently reside within his district.In a written statement to several Wisconsin news outlets, Hopper spokesman Jeff Harvey said “Senator Hopper maintains an apartment in the district where he lives and works. He and his wife separated roughly a year ago and are divorcing, which is a private family matter.” The alleged address of Hopper’s apartment was provided to members of the news media on condition that it not be revealed to the public. However, a check of county tax records conducted by The Capital Times newspaper reveals that it is not an apartment, but ‘a roughly $600,000 home owned by a high-ranking employee of Hopper’s media company.’
Is that…? We have no idea who that might be.
Geez. Anything else? Oh, probably lots, but we’re just starting to try to untangle the details ourselves — since, after all, we never make any judgment calls before all the facts are out, and, through deep prayer and meditation, learn what The Good Lord has in mind — so we suggest you check out the following articles, and come to your own judgment of this sinner (for we are all sinners, don’tcha know):
“GOP Senator’s Wife Claims He No Longer Lives In District: Wife Says Senator Living With Mistress Out Of District,” Channel3000.com, March 14, 2011
“As Wisconsin workers face massive lay offs has senator Randy Hopper helped ‘mistress’ 26, into state job?,” Daily Mail, March 20, 2011
“‘Broke Wisconsin’ Gave State Senator Randy Hopper’s Mistress a Job,” Gather.com, March 21, 2011
“Wisconsin State Senator’s Mistress Gets Sweet State Job” (“When labor activists showed up at Wisconsin State Sen. Randy Hopper’s front door to harass him about the anti-union bill before the state legislature, they got a juicier reaction than they would have ever dared to dream of: Hopper’s wife answered the door and said she’d support his recall, because he’d moved in with his mistress. Now comes news that Gov. Scott Walker’s chief of staff helped the mistress get a plum job with the state.”), National Journal, March 21, 2011
“State officials justify worker’s 35% salary boost,” WKOW, March 21, 2011
“Randy Hopper’s mistress never formally applied for Wisconsin state job,” Chris Bowers, March 24, 2011
Wait! No “Suggested Bible reading for Randy Hopper”? I feel cheated! Oh, don’t! We want to see where this goes before we ever-so-prayerfully choose just the right Bible verse for Mr. Hopper. Stay tuned.
Related posts (automatically generated):
