While the state of his job as Governor is in limbo – Scott Walker gave his state of the state address Wednesday night in Madison, Wisconsin. Let’s just say it didn’t go so well. Hundreds protested outside the Capitol building before the speech, and throughout the speech chants against Walker could be heard from the Capitol rotunda. Within the Chamber, five different protestors interrupted Walker’s speech calling him a “liar” – and had to be escorted out. Clearly – after gathering more than one million signatures last week for recall – Wisconsinites are fed up with their Governor who declared a war on working people last year. But Walker has millionaires and billionaires who want him to stay in office and are giving huge amounts of money to make sure that happens. In just 5 weeks – Walker has raised more than 4.5 million bucks – mostly from out-of-state donors like oil barons in Texas and banksters in New York City. Collecting the signatures in Wisconsin was the easy part, winning a recall election against a massive corporate spending machine – THAT will be the hard part.
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Probably a 50-50 chance. He got elected to do exactly what he is doing. But the folks in Wisconsin appear to be a little confused that he is actually doing what he said he would. Even if he is recalled, he has already done wonders for the budget. I hope his predesessor does not send them back into the red.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lD9HiwRKTE&feature=player_embedded
Remember him on the phone with the guy he thought was a Koch? He may believe this crap, but it pays well either way. There is a ton of cash to use, and this is a good test of whether cash or people matter more politically. Oh, he has done 'wonders for the budget' and ask the teachers and other valuable state workers no longer employed how wonderful it all is. Ask those whose kids get crappy schools and pot hole roads to drive on. This is authoritarianism, not democracy, and it is driven by plutocracy rather than public need. It is going to be a disaster everywhere it has been applied. Look at the real job growth where the stimulus was used. Compare that where the idea of real rail infrastructure was rejected. My bet is on good infrastructure and good public education, and on the taxes that support the infrastructure of prosperity and security. Koch Bros. Plantation is the alternative to Middle Class democracy.
Yes, Scott Walker will win his recall election. The chances of him losing this election are almost zero.
- Democrats don't have a strong candidate. All of the possible candidates poll weakly in comparison to Walker.
- Walker is a bold leader. People respond positively to that and want that in a leader.
- The economy is doing somewhat better.
- Walker can claim to have balanced the budget without raising taxes. In hard times this is a very strong sell.
- He can pit unionized "pink" collar workers and blue collar workers against each other.
- He can demonize public unions in the biggest voting block -- middle class people who hate paying taxes.
This election is a done deal. Walker will win by a substantial margin.
If there is no reporting on the actual economic stats and Scott gets to spin, twist and lie about it with impunity, he may be able to do all the above. PR has kept the Right in power and in the game when facts ought to have them in exile or jail.
To have a recall at all is exceedingly rare. A successful one, even more so. The odds are probably not that good, to say the least.
Perhaps they shouldve started the recall petitioning later to time the election at the same time as the Presidential election. That would help turnout, and anytime you help turnout, you help Democrats.
I think this recall was a strategic blunder for the Left. This is going to be a terrible blow to organized labor. It will only entrench conservative ideas all that much more. I'm a Teamster, and this recall election is very troubling. If Walker wins this -- and he almost certainly will -- it will be the end of organized labor in America for a long time.
The right-wing frames the debate and controls 90% of the media. The middle class economic situation is going to have to get a lot worse before people start seeing through the spin and PR.
And you know this . . . how? I tried to find some figures on what the state's fiscal picture looks like as a result of Walker's actions. Perhaps you could provide a source or two.
I wouldnt go so far as to consider it a blunder. They did successfully recall some Senators. That by itself is worth it. Recalls, being rare as they are, are indicative of a historic (i.e. important) amount of displeasure among the electorate. Regardless of the outcome, future candidates of public office will be asked to take a stand on this, and they will think twice before answering - Just as Walker had not campaigned on this. He dared not even in the climate of his election.
It is important to redress one's grievances. Being quiet about it is not going to help.
OK so all unions are eliminated. Now what? Does that save the tax payer a dime? Will states and cities reduce their sales taxes and property taxes and income taxes? Seems to me that all that is accomplished by the elimination of unions is a larger strain on the state. The state will take in less revenue due to lower wages. Lower wages means less taxes. More people will be added to the list of tax payer funded programs.
Why not move in the other direction. Move wages higher towards the union standards which creates much more tax revenue for the state and reduces the number of people in need of the state's welfare programs. I guess that would mean less money in the pockets of richest people in the state so that idea is dead in the water. We can't be strengthening the lower and middle classes because that in turn adds possible competition for the already rich and powerful.
So instead we'll just demonize anyone in the middle class who makes a decent living and the minions who make a paultry living will do the propoganda work for us. We'll do everything we can to make the working poor who make up most of the state hate the guts of anyone making more money than they do. It's a win win for the powers that be.
Hey, what do you know? They are monitoring the boards. All of his posts have magically disappeared.
Hey, what do you know? They are monitoring the boards. All of his posts have magically disappeared.
Who?
Hey, what do you know? They are monitoring the boards. All of his posts have magically disappeared.
Who?
Optical something or other. He hijacked a couple of these threads with some nasty right wing rhetoric, including your thread about less intelligence. I think Art's post was in response to him as one of the "33 percenters".
- The economy is doing somewhat better.
- Walker can claim to have balanced the budget without raising taxes. In hard times this is a very strong sell.
. . .This election is a done deal. Walker will win by a substantial margin.
State faces $143 million shortfall as tax collections lag
By Jason Stein of the Journal Sentinel
Feb. 9, 2012 |(908) COMMENTS
Madison - The state's budget projections have deteriorated by $216 million, opening a new shortfall for Gov. Scott Walker to confront amid the political dogfight of a likely recall election.
The Koch brothers and Americans For Prosperity just spent $700,000 on one ad buy to support Walker last week. Not sure of what their total support for him is. Hard for his opponents to match those $ with small contributions.
Probably a 50-50 chance. He got elected to do exactly what he is doing. But the folks in Wisconsin appear to be a little confused that he is actually doing what he said he would. Even if he is recalled, he has already done wonders for the budget. I hope his predesessor does not send them back into the red.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lD9HiwRKTE&feature=player_embedded
Walker didn't campaign on any of this crap. Don't talk about things you don't know about.