State Rep. Peter Barca
Press Release

Rep. Barca Statement on Session Day Incident

“While I accept Rep. Gannon’s apology, his racially tinged rhetoric and disrespect for the institution are reprehensible."

By - Jan 12th, 2016 03:52 pm

MADISON – Today Assembly Democratic Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) released the following statement regarding today’s incident on the Assembly floor:

“It is a truly sad day for the state of Wisconsin. Today, a Republican legislator made an obscene gesture on the Assembly Floor.

“While I accept Rep. Gannon’s apology, his racially tinged rhetoric and disrespect for the institution are reprehensible.

“Assembly Representatives should uphold the highest standards of conduct in our people’s house. At a time when we should be working together to address our challenges, under Republicans it’s unfortunate that the real concerns of Wisconsinites are falling on deaf ears.”

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.

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8 thoughts on “Rep. Barca Statement on Session Day Incident”

  1. Paul says:

    Barca is a hypocrite, has he ever apologized for running and hiding in Illinois with other Democrats instead of doing their jobs, or the stupid tee shirts they wear when they do show up. What Gannon did was wrong for him to do on the floor, but I can see why he did it. Accept his apologies and move on.

  2. Vincent Hanna says:

    Gannon is an imbecile and a disgrace, but of course the rabid conservative finds justification in what he did and blames the recipient of the obscene gesture. Classic. I almost believe you think what Gannon did was wrong, but you bend over backwards to qualify his disgraceful behavior, so excuse me for believing you are full of it.

  3. Tim says:

    Barca did accept his apologies… I don’t know what you’re asking for Paul. Anyway, how does your thinking work where some people “deserve” to be mistreated. Is that ever ok or do you think it’s ok when you’re don’t like someone?

  4. Barb- West Bend says:

    Rep. Gannon should resign his position and seek professional help. Vigilante rhetoric and obscene gestures exposes his inability to control his anger. Should he be allowed to own guns?

  5. Chris Byhre says:

    Dumb move by Gannon but it pales in comparison to the reprehensible actions of prostitute lover Gordon Hintz (D) who told a female colleague on the floor, Michell Litgens (R), that she was F-ing dead (he used the whole word) after she cast a vote he did not like. I don’t remember any feminist uprising after that. That’s someone you can be proud of. See if you can dig up some ‘sadness’ and outrage from Barca and his cohorts after that .

  6. SteveM says:

    Appears as though Gordon’s constituents have given him a pass, though. He’s been re-elected twice since that incident. Gannon, on the other hand, will need to answer to his constituents…although, I get the impression that his district might use the exact same gesture toward all of Milwaukee.

  7. Vincent Hanna says:

    It’s just a never-ending game of “but the other side is worse.”

  8. AG says:

    Vincent, I agree. We would like to think all our representatives can be professional and level headed. Unfortunately, that does not seem to the be the case.

    I thought David Bowen’s PR was far better. Although he labeled Gannons comments prejudiced and offensive, he didn’t go out of his way just to tell us how offended he was. Instead, he focused more on telling us why he believed Gannon’s position was incorrect.

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