Bruce Murphy
Back in the News

Sykes, Clarke Still Hate Each Other

Sykes keeps attacking his old pal, while Clarke is muzzled by Twitter.

By - Jan 5th, 2018 01:44 pm
Charlie Sykes and David Clarke.

Charlie Sykes and David Clarke.

Charlie Sykes began the new year just like he ended the old one, by blasting his old buddy, ex-lawman David Clarke.

On January 1 he tweeted this: “Former Sheriff David Clarke, who refers to Black Lives Matter as ‘black slime,’ presided over multiple deaths in his Milwaukee jail and once threatened to ‘knock out’ a man who accused him of harassment, remains a rock star on the right.”

His blasts at Clarke prompted this challenging tweet from a follower: “Didn’t you used to have on your radio show all the time? Wasn’t he one of your favs, once upon a time?” To which Sykes responded: “My biggest regret.”

Ah yes, Sykes is a longtime expert at recanting his views, having been frequently rewarded for these dramatic qualms of conscience, including for his flip-flop on once-beloved soul mate David Clarke. During the 15 years Clarke served as Sheriff, he was frequently and fawningly interviewed on Sykes’ radio show and touted on Sykes’ Sunday morning TV show. But after 15 years of this incessant promotion, Sykes suddenly came to the realization he was wrong, oh-so-wrong about the outspoken law man.

Just how wrong was Sykes? Let him explain:

“I do think that Sheriff Clarke in the last year has really sort of beclowned’ himself, and I refer to him as kind of ‘my Frankenstein monster’”, Sykes explained to MSNBC last year. “There was a time when Sheriff Clarke had some substantive things to say, but clearly the ego and the big hat, I think, have gotten the best of him.

No one, of course can remember Clarke’s big hat and big ego, or lack of substantive things to say during the 15 years Sykes idolized the Sheriff. No, this shocking change by the Sheriff all happened in the last year, by coincidence just at a time when Sykes was trying to prove his newly moderate views to MSNBC and the New York Times.

Or as Sykes put it to WUWM: “As many strengths as David Clarke had, in terms of highlighting certain issues, his indifference to his day job really was becoming a significant problem, or had become a significant problem with the lawsuits, the deaths in the jail, some of the other practices. And I think this will become a good opportunity for everybody to turn their page…”

Or at least the perfect time for Sykes to turn the page.

Meanwhile, Clarke has seemingly had nothing to say about Sykes in response.

Yes, Clarke goaded Sykes after the election of Donald Trump, with this emailed taunt: “You embarrassed yourself over the last 6 months. Your hubris and your ego got the best of you…I will enjoy listening to your program again for the next 2 months explaining how Trump could NEVER become POTUS.”

But Clarke hasn’t had much to say about Sykes in the last year, and on January 2 was shut down by Twitter. Clarke was temporarily blocked from tweeting “after Twitter users’ complaints alerted the company that three of his messages violated the terms of service,” CNN reported. “Clarke was placed in read-only mode until he deleted three tweets that seemed to call for violence against members of the media.”

One of those tweets said this: “When LYING LIB MEDIA makes up FAKE NEWS to smear me, the ANTIDOTE is to go right at them. Punch them in the nose & MAKE THEM TASTE THEIR OWN BLOOD. Nothing gets a bully like LYING LIB MEDIA’S attention better than to give them a taste of their own blood #neverbackdown.”

“The tweet featured a graphic of Trump’s face superimposed on that of a wrestler holding another wrestler labeled ‘CNN,’ while Clarke’s face was superimposed on a wrestler who is kicking ‘CNN’ in the face,” the network reported.

Adding to Clarke’s troubles, an investigation of the infamous incident where the Sheriff sent deputies to harass a fellow passenger, Dan Black, on a plane flying from Dallas to Milwaukee found Clarke had abused his authority, as the media recently discovered from a case file. A federal investigation of Clarke took no action, but the Audit Services Division of the Milwaukee County controller’s office determined that Clarke had “used his official position as sheriff of Milwaukee County in excess of his lawful authority to direct his deputies to stop and question Black without legal justification.”

Clarke had threatened to “eliminate” Dan Black and his threats of violence have gotten even more extreme since he left office, resulting in Twitter dumping him. Clarke had to delete the offensive tweets, and is now back on twitter, but you wonder if he is wearing out his welcome with the mainstream media after posting such inflammatory remarks.

Still, there’s no need to feel sorry for Clarke, as he is enjoying a nice annual pension of just over $100,000 a year, as Dan Bice has reported at the Journal Sentinel. About two-thirds of that is from the city for his years as a police officer, with the rest coming from the county for his service as Sheriff.

Given that Clarke has been so silent in response to Sykes, you might wonder why the latter is so consumed with slamming the ex-sheriff. Guilty feelings about all those years of supporting an obvious demagogue? You be the judge.

34 thoughts on “Back in the News: Sykes, Clarke Still Hate Each Other”

  1. Little Boots says:

    Clarke is all hat, no cattle.

  2. Eric J. says:

    The media ( anywhere ) should just ignore Cowboy Former Sheriff Davey . Move on and let him whimper all he wants on his own webpage.
    -He has little to add .
    -To the media scrap heap much like Paris Hilton.

  3. Wisconsin Conservative Digest says:

    Sykes was relieved of his job at end of contract cause his numbers were going down. Fact is that the worst peoel in society get put into jail and many die there all across state and country.
    Clarke got 80% of the vote last two times. Won Inner city by 40 points despite all the Looney left is like Murphy, Abele and co. Spending fortune to beat him.
    Wish one of those leakers would have run against him.
    Sykes is wimpy little character just like Abele. Point a squirt gun at them and they would melt.

  4. PMD says:

    It takes a real man to threaten people on Facebook and Twitter. That’s how you know Clarke is tough. Anyone can confront someone in person. That’s so 20th century. Real strength is getting on social media from the comfort of your own home and issuing threats to people.

  5. John Casper says:

    WCD,

    You wrote, “Fact is that the worst peoel in society get put into jail and many die there all across state and country.”

    How come none of the Wall Street CEO’s are in jail?

    You wrote, “Point a squirt gun at them and they would melt.”

    I just tweeted a link to Bruce’s excellent reporting on this to Sykes and Abele. I quoted that sentence in the tweet.

  6. Wisconsin Conservative Digest says:

    Great here is some more.
    Sykes is on of those who watched those of us that” are in the arena covered with blood, sweat and guts” while he reads the news.
    Put him int he middle of a big race and he would melt like cotton candy. His interest is himself. He ned a new gig so became the “Conservative” judas goat so he could get chance at the MSNBC job that Greta got.
    He was the lead Judas goat in last election. He was stupid enough to believe they could get Wisconsinites to vote for some nut in Utah fro president, there fore get Hillary as president. if that was true we would have gotten LYNCH on SCOTUS. Sykes,Really stupid person. . What a joke.
    As for Abele he was the kid on the play ground that was always chosen last, unless he had the ball,in a ball game and now uses his Daddy’s money to ry to even it up. Dick envy to David. A Twinkie snowflake. Here are the problems in Milwaukee:
    Worst crime, worst management, worst schools, human trafficking, abandoned houses, 57% youth unemployment, worst poverty, worst roads, corruption, Milwaukee county goivt. joke of the state, heroin epidemic, high taxes, leech like public employees, pensions disaster, high regulations.
    Which of these problems have these two clowns; Sykes and Abele solved???
    I know the Bucks and the trolley while the bus system falters. Real leaders.

  7. PMD says:

    Yes a real leader accuses another elected official of penis envy and threatens violence on Facebook and Twitter. That’s real leadership! Everyone should teach their children to use foul language and threaten violence.

  8. MKE Kid says:

    Awwww. Another right wing bromance that is no more. They sure like to whine a lot.

  9. PMD says:

    Clarke is a snowflake, having a Twitter tantrum every time he thinks someone is being mean to him.

  10. Wisconsin Conservative Digest says:

    The little twirp is guilty of Dick envy, he is wimp. Cannot solve any problems.

  11. PMD says:

    You can’t envy something Clarke doesn’t have.

  12. John Casper says:

    Wisconsin Conservative Digest,

    Why are you hiding behind a handle?

  13. Wisconsin Conservative Digest says:

    I am tired of fighting off the groupies that bruce cannot handlel.

  14. John says:

    Are the charges against Clarke for the death in his jail still being pursued or does he just get to say, “I quit,” now pay me $100,000 a year! How come the Conservative side get to say and do outrageous, raciest, threatening things and if confronted maybe says, “I misspoke,” but then just does it again. Clarke never admitted he was wrong and still should be prosecuted. Sykes shouldn’t get a pass either.

  15. Wisconsin Conservative Digest says:

    All of the hearings exonerated the people in the jail. We had jail deaths, more in Kenosha county, all around the state. When you put the worst people in same place, bad things happen.

  16. John Casper says:

    Wisconsin Conservative Digest,

    Why are you still hiding?

  17. John Casper says:

    John,

    FWIW, I applaud Sykes’ move back away from the white supremacy he use to champion.

    IMHO, he’s moving to neocon. He’ll bend on forced birth, LGBT stuff, but he’ll continue to champion socialism for the elites and austerity for everyone else.

  18. Bill Sell says:

    I’d like to hear Charlie Sykes’ apology for his personal role in the growth of the polarized political climate we have today. When he talks about that I do not hear an apology, I hear one voice saying “unfortunately we [Republicans] all did that.” But Sykes had the big microphone in Milwaukee for many years, driving home his lucrative messages of fears.

    Milwaukee now has the worst segregation, endemic inner city unemployment, and attacks by the powerful on public schools.

    This is the residue of fear that inflicts our city; fear of neighborhoods; fear of buses, fear of schools, fear of kids. I am so ready to embrace an apology from any perpetrator. Until then Charles Sykes’ plods on with his own unfinished project – the self-sanctified vision of his worth to the community.

  19. Troll says:

    Will Sykes acknowledged we were served Trump by the left wing media. Trump received all positive propaganda from MSNBC and CNN until Ted Cruz dropped out. Hillary and Obama wanted Trump. All other Republicans were denied a message from the left wing media. After Trump received the nomination both him and Bernie Sanders were no longer scene in a positive light. Bernie’s wife runs a small college into bankruptcy and Trump is a bigot and racist. The media always win until they lose. TRUMP wins.

  20. Wisconsin Conservative Digest says:

    Bill Sell:what a bunch of crap. Charlie is no genius but he has never been in charge of anything in Milwaukee, the Left runs everything.
    The white, liberal, male, racists that run Milwaukee did not listen to Sykes, Belling or weber. The leaders are competely corrupt.

  21. John Casper says:

    Wisconsin Conservative Digest,

    “What a bunch of crap.”

    You spouting “crap” while hiding.

  22. John Casper says:

    Troll, except for the “denied a message from the left wing media,” left wing media, and some other stuff, that’s not bad.

    Please, give me an example of “left wing media?”

    The MSM–main stream media–is controlled by private equity groups. They’re bigger and worse imho substantially worse than hedge funds. They, the elites, control the stock prices of the corporations that own the MSM. They determine the narratives.

    They rely on folks like you and Wisconsin Conservative Digest to keep the 99 percent fighting amongst itself. Trump and Bernie campaigned on many of the same things. Sanders would have wiped the floor with the Donald.

  23. Thomas says:

    Once upon a time, both Clarke and Sykes had promising careers. They have both since become clowns who make funny noises for large sums of money.The noises apparently amuse various audiences.

  24. jeff Palmer says:

    WCD
    Did Joe McCarthy actually pass?
    Sieg (you know what)

    Yes Thomas – a high five to you…:)

  25. Wisconsin Conservative Digest says:

    Bill Sell: Sykes is not in charge of anything but the white, liberal, male, racists that run Milwaukee are in charge.
    Here are the problems that they never solve: top ten worst managed city, top ten most violent, heroin epidemic, car jackings, car theft, human trafficking, MPS a “national disgrace”, 57% youth unemployment though Trump has brought that down,abandoned homes,worst poverty corruption, high taxes to fill pockets of employees for votes, bad roads.
    What have I missed???
    Their answers for thes problems? A trolley and a Bucks plaything.

  26. Little Boots says:

    Clarke is all hat. No cattle.

  27. Wisconsin Conservative Digest says:

    Little Boots: he got 80% of the vote, how much did you and your ilk got.

  28. John Casper says:

    Wisconsin Conservative Digest, still hiding.

    Will Sheriff Clarke disavow Trump after he reads:

    “In 1980, under pressure to begin construction on what would become his signature project, Donald J. Trump employed a crew of 200 undocumented Polish workers who worked in 12-hour shifts, without gloves, hard hats or masks, to demolish the Bonwit Teller building on Fifth Avenue, where the 58-story, golden-hued Trump Tower now stands.

    The workers were paid as little as $4 an hour for their dangerous labor, less than half the union wage, if they got paid at all.

    Their treatment led to years of litigation over Mr. Trump’s labor practices, and in 1998, despite frequent claims that he never settles lawsuits, Mr. Trump quietly reached an agreement to end a class-action suit over the Bonwit Teller demolition in which he was a defendant.”

    https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/27/nyregion/trump-tower-illegal-immigrant-workers-union-settlement.html?_r=0

  29. John Casper says:

    Wisconsin Conservative Digest,

    Based on your 10:10, you support “female, racists, who aren’t “white?”

  30. Troll says:

    Casper, Pollocks chained to a Trump site say it ain’t so. This is almost as bad as Bill Clinton ditching his Secret. Service entarouge to go to a private island to get happy endings from children. What the left tolerate from billionaire Democratic donors.

  31. John Casper says:

    Troll,

    You think slick Willy ditched his detail? That’s a narrative to protect those guys.

    Is slick Willie as bad as, “Dennis Hastert Countersues Assault Victim to Pay Back Hush Money
    One victim filed breach-of-contract lawsuit last year, saying Dennis Hastert owed him $1.8 million”

    https://www.wsj.com/articles/dennis-hastert-countersues-assault-victim-to-pay-back-hush-money-1484883026

    The link above about Trump cheating Polish laborers reveals what he thinks of immigrants. Like the GOP elites, he likes them. They’re a constant union-busting source of cheap labor.

    “What the” GOP “tolerates” from Wall Street.

    No indictments–much less convictions–for Wall Street CEO’s for crashing the 2008 economy from the Bush, Obama, and Trump DOJ’s.

    Obama is a pro-choice Republican, “Oligarchy Exists Inside Our Democracy.”

    “On matters of direct interest to the oligarchy, they win. You can have your silly laws about marriage or abortion as long as they get their way on money. It’s a lousy bargain, and it doesn’t have to be that way.”

    https://shadowproof.com/2013/03/29/oligarchy-exists-inside-our-democracy/

    Why isn’t the GOP–“saving babies”–ending abortion?

    How come you wingnuts never mention that anymore?

    Are elites scared that if gov’t repeals “choice,” you guys will figure stuff out?

    Why do you have a problem with the Pledge of Allegiance?

    “I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

    I don’t get the “Pollocks” reference.

  32. Troll says:

    Good points Casper. I will not be satisfied until their is a trans bathroom in all Mosques in America.

  33. John Casper says:

    Troll, glad you’re “out and proud.” How do you like the Log Cabin Republicans?

    http://www.logcabin.org

    Which Mosque do you attend?

  34. John Voltaire says:

    Hiw cum know bodie kann spel eny moor?

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