Walker And Gerrymandering - - More Friday Follies
Gov. Walker likes to drop the bomb and fire other salvos on Fridays - - apparently he thinks that's either the way to make news or hide from it - - so I'd guess this afternoon is when Walker stops playing coy and inks ten years of GOP gerrymandered incumbencies.
In other words, when you see a headline like this in the Wisconsin State Journal on a Thursday - - Gov. Walker mum on signing the redistricting bills - - you can pretty much assume that the decision has been made and the action is imminent, maybe within 24 more hours - - like today.
Remember, he's the guy who called his surprise union-busting measure "a modest proposal" and "progressive," obfuscated his mandates on local spending and negotiating by calling them "tools,"and touted his radical and now-failed plan to turn the UW-Madison over to a separate board he'd control as a plan for "flexibility."
With Walker, you have to look behind the words, spot the intent that is the opposite, and plan accordingly.
As for Fridays, remember that he:
Announced that "progressive" [sic[ plan to wipe out collective-bargaining on a Friday;
Announced that "progressive" [sic[ plan to wipe out collective-bargaining on a Friday;
Threatened massive state layoffs on a subsequent Friday - - probably to give workers an anxiety-filled weekend;
Then signed the union-busting measure a month later on a Friday morning during a private, protester-free moment in his office, with a ceremonial signing set for later that afternoon;
And signed the carry-your-gun-everywhere bill on a Friday.
So today's probably the day he'll sign the redistricting bill and simultaneously drive the recalls - - those aimed at six of his Senate allies as well as a campaign aimed right at him, too - - into a higher gear.
That's because voters are turned off and stirred up by the GOP playing fast and loose, repeatedly, with process and law on behalf of their own partisan advantage; the heavy-handed redistricting rushed through the Legislature for Walker's signature is just the most recent example.
When the Senate tips back to Democratic control next month, and Walker himself is successfully recalled and then forced to stand again for election - - and the election will be a referendum on Walker, and not the fake referendum he ginned up against Gov. Doyle, who was not on the 2010 Gubernatorial ballot - - Walker and his party will have brought it on themselves with fake politicking and Friday Follies.
9 comments:
If you want to make a prediction that's likely to come true, predict that King Scottie will propose a tax cut. Sometime in the next 6 months, a billion or so will magically "appear" in the state treasury, and The King will give it back to the people as a tax rebate or as a rate cut. It is the only real strategy this one-trick pony has, and it will appeal strongly to the many people who have been convinced that the single essential virtue of government is that it be cheap.
Well... Mama used to say (this is true) that Heinous Bastards like to drop "bad things" on their targets on Friday for the sheer sadistic joy of it.
Business Offices are closed over the weekend, you can't really ACT on anything, can't get any defensive wheels in motion, can't call your lawyer, can't go dispute or resolve anything. You have to stew, twist, and turn in sleepless misery. It ramps up the feelings of THEM being all-powerful and calling the shots - YOU being powerless, and a "react-or", not an "actor".
They giveth like Gods, you receiveth like Bitchez,
Then if all goes well, By Monday morning you're a drooling basket-case who can barely string a few words into sentences and so are that much less able to fight back effectively.
I guess you could call these "non-traditional bedtime stories" but anyways, all these years later, I have to say, they hold up to reality testing rather well.
As Obama said, elections have consequences. 2010 the electorate figured out the radical nature of the Democratic party, and they were thrown out.
Walker won the "walker referendum" of the Proser election, so obviously the majority of WI citizens like a balanced budget and like the working stiffs not being asked to pay more for a few pampered state workers.
Keep pulling your hair out!
I recall Walker making one important announcement on a Saturday. On that occasion, I think he was desperately trying to change the subject.
From the Bill Glauber of the Journal Sentinel, April 2, 2011: "Gov. Scott Walker announced Saturday a three-year project to refurbish the Hoan Bridge and the surrounding roadway."
To Anonymous2,
Your statement that "Walker won the 'walker referendum' of the Prosser election," is overly optimistic.
An American Enterprise Institute analyst writing for National Review Online, warned that when you compared the Walker-Barrett race to the Prosser-Kloppenburg race, Prosser won only because he did much better than Walker in Milwaukee County. The analyst explained this was because there was much lower turnout in Milwaukee County than in other predominantly Democratic counties, and that conservative candidates in non-partisan races in Milwaukee County consistently run several points better than Republican candidates in hard-fought partisan races.
In other words, Skippy and Alberta Darling have plenty to sweat over.
I don't think Scotty will get the chance to throw out that "special tax cut", because this budget won't make the revenue numbers. Hidden in today's JS article on Milwaukee County's situation was a mention that it was already $4.4 million in deficit for this year. Guess who signed off on that last budget? If you guessed Scott Walker. YOU ARE CORRECT!
I'm saying a Walker lackey leaks out the redistricting signing around 5:30 tonight. They're so stupidly transparent.
The font on this site is too large.
Looks like my prediction was wrong, and Blogging Blue has an interesting theory why, involving a scripted-out veto that won't change anything.
As I noted in the comments, this would be a chance for this administration to do a cynical move to try to make Walker look "reasonable". He's been trying that some lately (hpefully with no success, because the attempts are beyond lame), and we need to call these dopes out on it at every turn.
Hear Ye:
This is an Official Check-back to see if you allowed the last comment I remember making here.
You Did!
Yee ha! If I was a nicer person I'd swear Undying Fealty.
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