Thursday, February 23, 2012

Wisconsin GOP Playbook's First Rule: Never Apologize, Admit Error, Take Responsibility

Republican Strategy in 2012 has one essential, all-purpose rule:

Never admit error, apologize or take responsibility - - Arrogance in motion. Examples:

*  Redraft legislative maps that were drawn up by Republican leaders in secret, as suggested twice in two days by a panel of three Federal Appeals Court judges?

Nope, said the GOP, we'll take our chances with a trial - - before the same judicial panel that has repeatedly admonished (one sample) the GOP and its lawyers for pre-trial tactics.

*  Reconsider the Assembly's "rancid" mining bill - - that adjective was the pro-mining reform Journal Sentinel's Saturday editorial term for the Assembly measure - - in favor of a bi-partisan compromise drafted by two State Senators?

Nope, said Assembly Republican leader Jeff Fitzgerald, sparing his brother Scott, the Senate GOP leader, the possibility of having to concede that the Assembly bill was indeed "rancid," as well as the trouble of working with two Senators - - Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center), and Robert Jauch, (D-Poplar) - -  who were trying to introduce some civility, respect for Native American treaty rights, open-legislating and core Wisconsin water protection tradition (and law) into the process.

* Apologize for dropping the bomb, which is how Scott Walker described his en-collective-bargaining plan and bill to the fake Koch brother in a taped phone call (transcript and audio, here)?

Nope. All Walker has said that the call was a stupid thing to have done (and gotten caught at), and that he didn't lay a proper foundation for the plan - - political responses, not apologies from the heart.

* Accept responsibility for your staff after they've been charged will illegal activities that benefited him, or the GOP? Let what is called "the deck" on a newspaper story - - that's the bold-faced line under a headline - - in this Journal Sentinel posting inform you of Scott Walker's approach:

Governor says actions of ex-staffers not his fault

Being a GOP leader, legislator or contractor these days means never having to say you were sorry.

Which is an honest approach, because they are not sorry.

What's the recourse? The recall process.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Normally before a party continues with a seemingly doomed legal effort they consider the financial cost. In this case the Republicans get a free ride on taxpayer money and MB&F goes to the bank. Sweet.

Anonymous said...

"Not sorry"? James, I beg to differ with you. This group of Republicans in the Legislature and the Governor's Office are as sorry a bunch as I've ever seen in my lifetime.

GoyitoMKE