Back when Michael Steele was in charge of the Republican Party, you could argue that its brightest rising star was Virginia's new Republican chief, Governor Bob McDonnell. Then Mr. McDonnell bought himself a whole lot of trouble, with that thing about how to restore voting rights for felons and that other thing about declaring Confederate History Month in a proclamation that didn't mention slavery.
Governor McDonnell is still a star -- he's still a possible candidate for vice president -- but the really new, really hot ticket is Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin. Rachel Maddow:
Republicans really want this guy to be the new Ronald Reagan. He sees himself as the new Ronald Reagan. He talks about himself constantly as the new Ronald Reagan. That overlooked little institution known as the Republican Party is building their national strategy, their national reconstruction, around what's going on in Wisconsin, around Wisconsin Republicans, under the leadership of Reince Priebus, the guy who used to run the party in that state, and around the idea of Scott Walker.
This fight to strip union rights is how they are trying to rebuild the National Republican Party. And this fight to strip union rights in Wisconsin that they are building everything on, this fight is not going very well. And that would just be a state-level story about Wisconsin if this was a state-level story about Wisconsin. But it is the Republicans who have decided that this is a national fight, and therefore a national story.
The problem with picking this fight in this state -- with making Wisconsin the first domino, as Governor Walker discussed with the faux-David Koch -- is that Mr. Walker's plan to bust the state employees' unions isn't proving popular in the polls and is still stuck the state senate. (The state assembly passed it early today.) And instead of other states lining up to be dominoes number two, three, and four, governors in places like Indiana, Florida and Pennsylvania have shied away.
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This is turning out to be not quite the cakewalk they were probably expecting.
If Gov. Scott Walker is so keen on being "The Gipper", then why doesn't he follow Knute Rockne's advice on:
Surely they have broken some kind of rule or regulation? @eyeofbrown
This law is a violation of the ""Equal Protection Clause".
You're right, the private workers aren't being treated equally to the union workers. The union workers have it much better. And the private workers are forced to pay for it.
"The union workers have it much better. And the private workers are forced to pay for it."
Really? Prove it.
Covah: It's Ideologically Sound, therefore it must be so. :-/
better pay better pensions. teachers get 15 weeks off a year. Get paid to sleep in capital building.
It is a violation of the "Equal Protection Clause" because the 3 unions that supported the govener are exempt from the law.
"better" pay- better than what?
"better" pensions- better than what?
"Teachers get 15 weeks off a year." That's unpaid time off. Try paying the mortgage without a paycheck. Teacher are paid for a six-hour day and are contractually obligated to work eight.
Most people who choose teaching as a profession change their minds.
"Most people who choose teaching as a profession change their minds." Considering some of the posters here, it's easy to see why. :-/
If, as the republican leaders contend, the pensions' and benefits' of public employees are such budget busting evils are those same public servants willing to review the "wages and benefits" of our state and federal representatives.
At least for the Dems in the State. They don't even show up for work.
This is important news, NBC, CBS, and ABC need to treat it as such.
It is a violation of the "Equal Protection Clause" because the 3 unions that supported the govener are exempt from the law.
Gov Walker should resign now. For lying to the people of Wisconsin, seeking public office with a secret agenda to break the middle class, and worshipping at the altar of oligarchy.
Walker doesn't even come close to having the decency to resign.
Dr. Maddow has commented on Republican over-reach in her last two segments. I too believe Republican over-reach is significant. They seem to have confused default victories with mandates, and they have done so consistently. Scott Walker claims to be on the vanguard of a Republican resurgence when he is headed for recall.
The only reason right-wing activists such as Walker are elected is the complacency of most voters. For evidence I produce the Alaska election where Joe Miller beat Lisa Murkowski then Murkowski beat Miller as a write-in candidate. Who voted for Miller but a handful of right-wing activists who riled up the rest of the complacent electorate against them. In the same way Christine O'Donnell, Carl Paladino, and Sharron Angle were elected by a small number of right-wing activists only to be wiped out in the end.
When the electorate rises to a major presidential election they wipe out Republicans in general. Republicans do not represent the American people.
Covah: I don't think you took your argument far enough. Primary voters are almost always more extreme (either rightie or lefty) than the eventual candidates are. The TeaParty now represents a lot of those voters and their radical positions on the right but it has been seriously corrupted by the influx of money from ilk like the Koch Brothers who do not necessarily agree with the Tea Party positions but who do want to bust the unions and scare regular folks into voting against their best interests.
It is NOT in the best interests of the middle class in America to pay the highest burden of taxes relative to our percentage of income, but we do. It is NOT in the best interests of the middle class in America to be unable to bargain collectively for better salaries, benefits and working conditions, but these rights are systematically under attack because of the lies of people like Scott Walker and the Kock Brothers. It is NOT in the best interests of the middle class in America to be stupid and ignorant, undereducated and limited in our options but we've believed the lie too long about the sacred cows of military budgets and tax-cuts for the rich to do anything but cut the education budget. It is NOT in the best interests of the middle class in America not to have universal access to health care either...do I need to go on?
Carolinalady- You are the best!
When the 4th Turning comes (see Strauss and Howe) there will be a lot of changes.
This time, if we are smart, we will amend the Constitution to lock them in. So, when the people forget and flirt with old dumb ideas (like unions are bad for America, etc, etc), it will be that much harder to change them.
Examples-- put collective bargaining into the Constitution. Also change the Primary system somehow so more people come out to vote then.
@newsblog903: why thank you kind sir! (flutters both fan and eyelashes)
wow
It is NOT in the best interests of the middle class in America to pay the highest burden of taxes relative to our percentage of income, but we do NOT!
Middle class pays practically no federal income tax. The top 5% pay most of the tax, 58.72%, and the top 10% 70%.
http://www.taxfoundation.org/news/show/250.html
When a politician announces "middle class tax cuts" he is lying. "Middle class tax cuts" is a euphemism for tax handouts to the rich paid for with debt, which is used as an excuse to cut benefits for everyone else.
Mark: Public employees are already paying 100% of their pension. Check out Rick Unger's blog at Forbes. Really sheds light on this misunderstood topic.
Let's close down the unions and give the pension fund to the rich with tax cuts. Then dump the pension contracts on the public. They'll never know what hit them. Ha! Ha! Works every time.
"Wisconsin Retirement System Funding $72.8 billion WRS assets (market value) on December 31, 2009."
http://etf.wi.gov/publications/et8901.pdf
Scott Walker looks like a snake oil salesman and like he's never smiled in his life. He's not talking 'to' his people, he's talking at them, like a dictator. And now, unbelievably, he's threatening them. I agree with the sign one protester had "Scott Mubarak", only now it's "Scott Ghadaffi". Americans are watching what's going on in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and with them all the way, but then looking at their own situation. Oh oh The one thing Amerians hate the most is ..someone trying to 'fool' them.
BUT you have to feel sorry for the Republicans. After the horrible shape they left us in through years of Bush, and wars and 'deceipt', they have to do something or the Republican Party is TOAST. Throwing everything they can against the wall. What they still haven't realized is that Americans have good noses.. and know exactly what's on the wall. It's a 'hail mary' from 200 yards!
Glenn Beck has lost 300 advertisers. Poor Shepherd Smith, couldn't let himself lie so bad to the American people. Run Shep, Run! Rush is fixing his 'listener numbers'.
I say, get your popcorn and watch them implode.
I wish I could count on the electorate to come to its senses, but I'm not optimistic. Speaking of Blecch, I wonder if he is still babbling about "the Caliphate" and the (booo, scary) "Anti-Christ".
Jobs? Economy? That's so 2010. Now let's all be scaredy of Moslems and abortionists.
scott walker is a disgrace to true republicans. he made a mess of milwaukee.
I am a steady Republican voter. I am also not exactly pro-union. And I actually voted for Walker.
That said, what the new Wisconsin Governor is doing in this case is just plain shortsighted and wrong.
I don't know how it's done in other states, but traditionally in Wisconsin when major changes are proposed it is done with discussion and debate. The focus is on getting it done right rather than getting it done fast.
Walker tried to vaporize fifty years of collective bargaining rights in just six days. I have yet to hear a coherent argument such a thing needed to be punched through in less than a week. The fiscal year doesn't end until June 30. At most the threat of ending collective bargaining should have only been used if the unions weren't willing to bargain. The need for speed tells me the Republicans didn't want anybody to realize what they were rushing through until it had already become law.
He's offending enough of the electorate here that I can't see him getting a second term. And his majority is in deep trouble for 2012.