Walker kicks Wisconsin media to the curb
Hard not to miss the dismissive treatment Scott Walker gave reporters when he dropped into the state from his national travels and signed during a tightly-scripted Monday appearance at a Brown Deer company the controversial, fast-tracked 'right-to-work' bill.
The governor tweeted his action through both his campaign and official accounts, but left Badger Meter without taking questions from Wisconsin media — the same approach he took on Saturday at two political events in the early presidential state of Iowa.
No way Walker was going to take questions about the disinterest he'd expressed in 'right-to-work' legislation during his 2014 gubernatorial campaign, and his earlier opposition.
And he certainly wasn't going to open himself up to related questions about recent flips on issues from Big Government ethanol mandates, to immigration reform and other issues.
Walker right now doesn't much need Wisconsin reporters, space in their papers or time on their air, just as I'd noted in November that he didn't Wisconsin voters anymore, either.
He's free of the state electoral process for another four-year cycle, and, as a presidential hopeful, is far more likely now to speak with Fox News or national righty talk radio or selected out-state media as dictated by the early primary and caucus calendars.
A veteran politico I know said it's as if Walker has triggered a breakup with Wisconsin media; he's the party in the relationship who has changed, is looking elsewhere and moving on.
What I like about the metaphor besides its clarity is that those who have been kicked to the curb can always play the jilted ex.
After all, they're the ones who could air and share the dirty linen, as pride goeth before the primaries.
Cross-posted at Purple Wisconsin.
8 comments:
My friend in the media said that he always stalemated them by refusing to dialogue when they asked questions beyond his talking points. Now might be the time to do some real investigative reporting by delving into his positions past and present and bringing then forth for the public to see. Also there has to be some John Doe info if one dug a little or things around the fringes of John Doe that the public should know about. Or they could simply come together and refuse to report on his bill signings and the like and let him put out his own news releases and then attack them for the falsehoods they contain. Walker plays loose with the facts and not at all with the truth...reporting could feature antithesis of what he claims. His budget with all its cut should be featured daily with the cuts to government services and then the point hammered home that his tax cuts with no revenue behind them has caused this budget crisis.
Respectfully disagree. Scott Walker's career is not possible without the help of the state's largest media outlets. You don't write about this, but it gets posted into these threads from time-to-time.
I could lay out many many examples, but will not do that right now. Those following, whether you choose to write about it or not, know that Scott Walker is a media creation and we all know which media outlets lead the cheerleaders.
These same media outlets will not change their pro-Walker coverage. You seem to be trying to make it sound like Scott Walker is now dissin' the media he has exploited and nothing could be farther from the truth.
He doesn't talk to media unless its on his terms because he doesn't have to. The media in Wisconsin will just run his talking points. A few factual pieces may show up in the state's largest newspaper, but there will be at least 3 pro-Walker pieces to any one factual piece that isn't flattering.
And most every day, there will never be anything in the state's largest newspaper that isn't pro-Walker and flattering. This matters, because the rest of the state's media follows suit.
Walker refuses to take questions because this gets spun as him being "bold" and "unimtimidated". It also is used to feed the lie that the media has a liberal bias (LOL -- all the pro-Walker propaganda comes from liberal media?!?!?!).
It is misleading to proclaim that Walker has "kicked" the state's media to the "curb". This is a symbiotic relationship and the media is not going to stop reprinting pro-Walker talking points.
In fact, this charade you are blogging about today will be used by the media to promote Scott Walker and inoculate him from tough questions. The state's biggest newspaper will not ask questions anyhow and now they have a manufactured excuse not to ask anything.
With the help of Scott Walker, they have just ducked responsibility for doing any real probing or reporting of the divisive politics Scott Walker is going to drop on unsuspecting Wisconsin citizens.
And the upcoming "bombs" have nothing to do with helping Wisconsin, for crying out loud, he's running for President!
I think you are confusing editorials and columns with news stories. And as I have said many times, most of what we know about Walker - - from the Doe to the budget disaster to the recent accounting of his campaign hires - - originates with mainstream media.
It's not as simple and black-and-white as you argue.
I think we can all agree that those poor Iowans who actually believe that Scooter will support alternative energy sources don't know what it's like to be Walker-bombed.
It seems to me that many news stories have some version of 'Walker's office replied' or 'Walker's spokesperson stated'. I don't think there has been much face time with Walker anyway and assume that if state media objected to this arrangement that fact would make its way into editorials and columns in the form of calls for greater transparency and more answers from Walker himself. There is a 4+ year history of questions unasked and unanswered, or questions asked and then acceptance of light-as-air answers without followup.
This is one of the reasons Walker is going to fail so badly nationally. He has literally no experience handling reporters' questions, because the state's media has been ok with keeping its distance and accepting what is dished up by his office.
After all these years I expect basic information from the newspapers but look to alternate sources for more analysis and depth.
It is misleading to proclaim a poster does not know that there is a difference between editorials, commentators, and news when the entire purpose of the post was obviously to point out that THERE IS NOT DIFFERENCE AT MJS!
Walkers M.O. -- If it is not on my script I don't talk about it. If it is on my script, I only say what is scripted, nothing more. That is proof of low intelligence and the inability to spontaneously react to any given question or situation.
@ my5cents :
But it worked for Ronald Reagan! And if all else fails, he can wear a "hearing aid"... or Tonette can stand next to him, wearing a "hearing aid" under a hairstyle that covers her ears, and be his "Nancy"....
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