Calendars, Facts Are Walker's Enemies

Updated: Though frequently distracted by fund-raising tours and DC day-dreaming, Scott Walker grasps that his central 2010 campaign promise "to create 250,000 private-sector jobs before the end of his four-year term," as PolitiFact puts it, was an amateurism, stupid boast that will dog him every day until the November election.

40% progress towards a foundational goal is pretty poor performance for a chief executive looking for another term and higher office.

So in yet another of the dodges fast-becoming his signature move, Walker now says in a Journal Sentinel Thursday story that he should get another year - - to the end of 2015 - - to hit the goal.

So now he's claiming it was a Five-Year Plan all along - - a Walker hat tip to the discredited Soviet model for things that are bound to fail - - though note the Madison Capital Times also says the Walker promise was keyed to one, four-year term:

Gov. Scott Walker famously promised during his 2010 campaign that he would bring 250,000 new private-sector jobs to Wisconsin by the end of his term in 2014. How's he doing? We're keeping track with this database.

And I am unaware of any request by Walker to either paper to correct their reporting.

Walker's time-shifting in the Journal Sentinel story is revelatory for two reasons.

*  First, for dizzying spin:    

In his 2010 run, Walker built his campaign around a promise that the state would add 250,000 jobs if he were elected. Since he was sworn in, the state has added about 101,500 jobs.

Walker said Wednesday in Madison he would not concede that the state could not achieve his jobs promise — and raised the possibility he may have until Dec. 31, 2015, to do it. 

"Our goal was to get there by 2015. I've said all along, whether it's the first day or not — obviously that's maybe debatable," Walker said. 

In a follow-up question, asked if he was saying he might have until the end of 2015, rather than the beginning of that year, to achieve that promise, he said: "I said by 2015 — not by the end of. What I said was, whether it's Jan. 1 or some point in the future, our goal was to get there in 2015."

Translation:

Teenage son to parent: 

I'll be home by 12. 

Arriving home mid-day the next day, teenage son to angry parent: 

I meant 12 noon.

Also intriguing is the classic, clumsy Walker word-salad that brushes aside the added year. 

"Our goal was to get there by 2015. I've said all along, whether it's the first day or not — obviously that's maybe debatable," Walker said.

This reminds me of another Walker historical re-write that earned him one of 34 PolitiFact "False" or "Pants on Fire" rulings:

"Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says he campaigned on his budget repair plan, including curtailing collective bargaining."

Walker contends he clearly "campaigned on" his union bargaining plan. 

But Walker, who offered many specific proposals during the campaign, did not go public with even the bare-bones of his multi-faceted plans to sharply curb collective bargaining rights. He could not point to any statements where he did. We could find none either... 

We rate his statement False. 

*  Second, for Walker's tone-deaf, underlying arrogance:

Walker says that he might not complete a second term if re-elected in November, as if voters would elect a Palinesque quitter who'd given notice in advance.

In other words, peons, Walker prefers the Presidential big stage than your parades in, say, Peshtigo, Pewaukee or Palmyra.

Translation: 

You're lucky to go to prom with me, but I'm free to leave with someone who better suits me.