National Fund-Raising Tour, Not Chairing WEDC, Was Walker Priority #1

WEDC - - Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation?

Or Walker Economic Disaster Confirmed?

Talk about a collision of fumbled ideology, overbearing hubris and classically-failed Politics 101 - - see day one/unit one handout, "Managing The Home Fires."

Walker came into office and quickly moved to eliminate the former Wisconsin Department of Commerce and replace it with an ideologically-correct, quasi-private agency.

Walker The Reformer.

Presto! A business to serve business.

To create business, and serve business in the state that he allegedly opened for business, get it?

"Hey, look, I founded a corporation. Only 9,999 to go."

And thanks to compliant GOP legislators, WEDC was set up free of big guvmint red tape and other messy things like goals, standards, protocols, legal, fiscal and internal management controls to make sure our tax money was spent wisely, fairly and productively.

But more importantly, to meet a political goal - - helping Walker win his campaign bet that he could create 250,000 new jobs/10,000 new businesses.

From the beginning, the charade that is WEDC was a massive, PR-driven misuse of state power and public dollars so by the end of 2014, Walker and all that 'free' market philosophy and corporation-managed achievement were going to look clever, brilliant, and prescient.

Just in time for his 2014 re-election and perhaps a bid for the Presidency.

But the failed, scandal-plagued and mismanaged agency - - with a scalding state audit providing all the details (full text, here)  - - could have used an involved, management-attuned and authentic Chairman riding herd on senior leadership to make sure this agency - - his agency - - could succeed.

After all, the Wisconsin economy was counting on it.

But Walker is a dabbler, not a doer, and with the state falling nationally on his watch to #44 in job creation, the WEDC underwent top-tier turmoil (latest resignation, earlier resignation and the story of one senior fiscal official who stayed all of one day) at the top.

Walker's response? A default on responsibility.

He chose instead to fly around the country, bask in the glories of his union-busting recall win, fuel the Presidential buzz, raise campaign funds with false claims and pile up chits for his personal and political advancement.

Running the state, shoulder to the wheel and in particular guiding the WEDC?

Work is for little people.

The mess at WEDC is Walker's and Walker's alone, and it will deservedly follow him on the campaign trail here and elsewhere like his own shadow.