Journal Sentinel endorses Scott Walker, acknowledges Barrett has better ideas

Ask anyone in Wisconsin what the most important issue is right now and odds are good the answer will be “jobs.” Yet the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel endorses Scott Walker for governor while saying;

“Barrett['s]… jobs and deficit proposals are far more detailed than Walker’s and should be considered even if he’s not elected.”

So…why is Walker getting the nod?

The endorsement begins with Walker’s ridiculous promise to create 250,000 jobs during his first term as governor, reducing the unemployment rate to 0.03%. Despite Walker’s inability to bring any jobs to Milwaukee County during his tenure as county executive,  the paper still leads their endorsement with this dubious and unsubstantiated claim, with no attempt to follow up on the logistics of creating a quarter-million jobs.

Returning to the praise for Barrett’s deficit reduction plan, Scott Walker has pledged to reopen billions of dollars in tax loopholes, on top of the state’s projected $2.7 billion deficit. Without ever stating what programs will be cut, Scott Walker would dig Wisconsin’s budget hole deeper.

Capper and Cory have more on the Journal Sentinel’s strange endorsement criteria. At least the paper didn’t endorse RoJo.

Scott Walker comes to Black River Falls

And it didn’t help him much. Mark Neumann won in the City by 40 votes. The AP just called the race for Walker however.

Walker’s speech Sunday was typical empty rhetoric and lies. He talked about “balancing the budget” but not the $400 million in unfunded pension obligations.

He said he was the first Republican Milwaukee County Executive in 50 years, but didn’t mention that position is  nonpartisan.

These kids look enthused to be there.

I counted 20 supporters before Walker’s Brown Bag Bus of BS showed up. That’s 30 less than the 50 signs lining the courthouse lawn.

I suppose the campaign had plenty of extra signs. I’d be embarrassed to put a cardboard monument to failure in my lawn too.

These boots are too funny not to include. The only way Scott Walker is BA material…get it?

Republicans celebrating incompetence by supporting Scott Walker

By supporting Scott Walker’s campaign, the Republican Party is advocating a level of incompetence that could severely cripple the state. This could be by design, or ignorance.

The right-wing’s hatred of government is vast and complicated. Limited government is claimed as a basic tenet of the Republican Party’s platform, until they find the world around them needs morality legislated in the right-wing vision.

Scott Walker has proven himself incompetent time and time again. If Walker is allowed to do to Wisconsin what he has done to Milwaukee County the mentally ill will be neglected, on the street making you uncomfortable (you know it’s true) every time you walk past. Between overtime paid and income lost, furlough days will cost taxpayers. Buildings will be crumbling across the state.

The only aspect of Walker’s failures that doesn’t fit in this theory is the chunk of concrete that fell off the Courthouse. Despite the “limited government” rhetoric Republicans take the lock-em-all-up approach to criminal justice. But that’s the paradox of “conservative Republicans.”

Does this hypocritical political party want a failure of government on the state level? Scott Walker is certainly up for the job.

Scott Walker always puts cuts ahead of public safety

When Scott Walker announced a plan to cut 4,000 jobs that are currently unfilled from the state budget, it was dismissed as a gimmick by AFSCME, bloggers and both the Neumann and Barrett campaigns, because cutting positions that do not exist won’t save money.

Not yet mentioned is Walker’s stated exemption of “public safety positions” from cuts. As Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker has proven that public safety personnel are not exempt from his perennial quest for privatization, no matter the cost to county coffers or public safety.

Earlier this year Walker canned 76 courthouse security guards, replacing them with private employees from the security firm Wackenhut. Several years ago Milwaukee County hired Wackenhut to provide bus security, and Wackenhut failed miserably. Worse, after Wackenhut employees took over courthouse security duties it was discovered their supervisor spent three months in jail because as chief of police in Manawa, WI he made;

“repeated unwanted sexual advances towards on-duty male officers after pressuring them to drink beer and watch pornography at his home.”

When Walker senses a politically advantageous cut, he makes it with no consideration of the consequences. Scott Walker did not put public safety first when firing courthouse security, when a chunk of the courthouse crashed to the ground, or at O’Donnell Park garage. He won’t put public safety first as governor either.

Will Pro-Life Wisconsin rescind Scott Walker endorsement after condom comments?

Today Scott Walker delivered his nomination papers to the Government Accountability Board. A reporter asked about his endorsement by Pro-Life Wisconsin (who also endorsed Walker challenger Mark Neumann), a group whose anti-choice position extends so far right as to oppose all forms of contraception.

Walker refused to comment on Pro-Life Wisconsin’s platform, referring to his legislative record as “pro-life” but when the reporter asked him if he opposed condoms (as PLW does) Walker said, “To me that’s not a position of the government.”

Bravo to Walker for actually taking a limited government position after all his rhetoric, but how will this bode for Pro-Life Wisconsin’s endorsement of Walker? Among the group’s extreme positions;

“We urge our elected officials to ban surgical abortion without exceptions for rape, incest, or the life and health of the mother.”

Walker’s statement that the government has no business intervening in condom use seems completely sane to most people, but when your policy is against terminating a pregnancy when the life of the mother is on the line?

Hypocrisy has always been rampant among the conservative base — limited government, except when the government should legislate morality — so I’m not holding my breath for the endorsement to be rescinded, but there is the chance Walker could “clarify” (retract) his statement.

Curiously, Wisconsin Right to Life’s Google ad calls its group “The most effective pro-life organization in Wisconsin,” perhaps an acknowledgement that Pro-Life Wisconsin’s extreme policy positions are counter-productive within the anti-choice movement.

Republican Governors Association flip-flop on Barrett’s job creation record

Today the Republican Governors Association issued a press release attacking Tom Barrett as a job-killer. However, last week One Wisconsin Now pointed out that a Republican Governors Association ad accuses Colorado Gov. Hickenlooper of losing Frontier Airline jobs to Wisconsin, using clips from a Tom Barrett campaign ad on job creation!

From the Party of No Ideas comes another failure — establishing a coherent narrative. Should we put this party back in charge of our state? A national Republican organization can’t even keep from contradicting itself in a span of less than a month.

That shouldn’t be surprising, assuming the RGA is going along with the Republican Party of Wisconsin in supporting Scott Walker, they have nothing to go on. Scott Walker is a failure as Milwaukee County Executive. County spending has increased faster than state spending under Doyle. Services are in poor shape. And county spending has increased faster than state spending under Doyle!

Maybe the RGA got its flip-floping idea from Scott Walker, who just pulled another one, this time on concealed carry. We cannot let Walker fail Wisconsin the way he is failing Milwaukee County.

Ron Johnson opposes Child Victims Act, Republican gov primary gets awesome

Check out Blogging Blue on Ron Johnson’s opposition to the Child Victims Act.

Jim Klauser wants his donation to Mark Neumann back, over Neumann’s statements on Walker’s Milwaukee County budget increases. Neumann says he’ll give Klauser’s money back if Klauser can prove the statements were false. So Neumann will be keeping his money. This primary is awesome!

Klauser is also calling on Neumann to quit the governors race. I wonder if Kyle over at the world’s new worst blog will be criticizing Klauser for subverting the electoral process and all that, like he’s done regarding the 7th congressional district seat being vacated by Obey. My guess? Unlikely.

Scott Walker’s Rolling Blunder Tour Wraps Up

Updates on the final leg of Scott Walker’s Rolling Blunder Tour from Blogging Blue and Cognitive Dissidence.

Tomorrow the GOP convention begins in Milwaukee. Coincidence? Of course Slippery Scott would like us to believe that.

Scott Walker’s Rolling Blunder: Wisconsin Rapids, Waupaca and La Crosse

While Scott Walker is out on a motorcycle ride promoting his campaign for governor Milwaukee County, perhaps he should tell all the businesses that were able to keep people working and keep our economy afloat due to money from the federal stimulus that they should just give the money back. Then he can go after the public services that were able to provide important care to people at a crucial time. After all, Walker detests the stimulus (except when he brags about jobs it created in Milwaukee County).

While he was in Wisconsin Rapids today, he could have stopped by the school district offices and told them that “make[ing] available special education and related services for children with disabilities” was a waste. Or at Newpage paper, he could have personally disposed of the waste products generated by paper making, instead of using the new equipment that was manufactured and installed.

While in Waupaca, Walker could have stopped at the Veterans Home and told the nurses the patient lifts and monitors they are receiving would be nice, but not the federal government’s prerogative to purchase.

In La Crosse, Walker should have gone to Workforce Connections. There, laid off workers were retrained for new careers and older workers with disabilities were trained for part-time employment. On his way out of town Monday morning, Walker will ride past Oak Avenue South, under repair using stimulus funds.

Each disbursement was a tiny cog in the economy. For every item purchased, many people had a hand in production. Slippery Scott would have these people out of work, as a political stunt to get his Party of No back in power. Thanks, but no thanks Walker.

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Tuesday update: Eye on Wisconsin and Blogging Blue have more on the Monday and Tuesday legs of Walker’s stunt.

The new new media in the race for Governor and Senate

Mark Neumann may be bragging about his Facebook following but Democrats Tom Barrett and Russ Feingold have the edge in new new media.

Barrett launched a SayNow profile today, allowing people to call 414-395-1855 and leave a message for Tom and the campaign. The messages are available for anyone to listen to, with ideas on job creation ranging from tax cuts to beautifying buses, personal stories, constructive criticism and “I hope your hand gets better” well wishes. SayNow appears to be used mostly by entertainers, a candidate for public office utilizing the platform is intriguing.

Senator Feingold recently launched a mobile messaging program allowing users to sign up for text message updates. The vote for predictions of sausage race winners on opening day was brilliant, though I missed my chance to cast a ballot. Text RUSS to 91990 to sign up for the updates.

But don’t forget to tell your friends IRL to vote for the candidate that actually brings jobs to Milwaukee and the senator fighting for the regular citizens of Wisconsin. Being good at the internet doesn’t win elections yet.