The Wisconsin Gazette is not too happy with dear Gov. Scott, and gives a number of very valid reasons why Walker should resign:
Milwaukeeans knew Scott Walker would say or do anything to raise his political profile and promote the corporate-right agenda. His tenure as Milwaukee County executive was marred with such antics, which helps explain why he received only 38 percent of the county’s vote last November.
Thanks to a recorded conversation Walker had with a journalist pretending to be right-wing billionaire activist David Koch, now the whole world knows about Walker’s ruthless ambition, his unethical tactics and his sycophantic allegiance to the interests of the rich.
State Sen. Tim Carpenter was dead-on when he said the revelations Walker made during the conversation “would make Richard Nixon blush.” Walker bragged about his underhanded schemes to trick Democrats into thinking he would negotiate with them over his union-busting budget bill. He acknowledged that his administration had considered illegally positioning “troublemakers” among the tens of thousands of protesters who have swarmed the Capitol in recent weeks.
Walker has talked publicly about his petty tactics to get even with the Democratic senators who fled to Illinois to prevent him from ramming his budget bill through the Legislature. He’s threatened to revoke their Capitol parking permits and end direct deposit of their paychecks. His GOP cronies have ordered state police to the senators’ homes to intimidate their families.
This sort of embarrassing behavior is nothing new for Walker. In 1988, he admitted violating Marquette University campaign rules during his run for student government president. The student newspaper called him “unfit” for office.
Walker ended up dropping out of the university, a strange decision for an ambitious man. Rumors that he was expelled for cheating have plagued him since, and he has never responded to them convincingly.
Walker’s reason for stripping organized labor of its power is clearly political, not budgetary. His budget bill could cost the state $43 million in federal transportation funds, due to labor law. That loss comes on top of the nearly $850 million he’s already turned down in rail and broadband funding.
Walker is untrustworthy and beholden to special interests. His thuggish brand of leadership is out of step with Wisconsin. He should resign and spare the state a costly recall election. After all, we can’t afford it.
Way to go, Wisconsin Gazette!
