Scott Walker (R-Wisconsin) (2011-)

Using lying rhetoric of fiscal policy to poorly disguise his anti-union and anti-domestic labor tactics. . .which is fooling no one - at least in the usually-intelligent state of Wisconsin. Oh, Scott- it isn't Wall Street playing Las Vegas or domestic companies partaking in bad fiscal policies - it's the (drum roll) damn middle-class unions that are killing America. Sure. And the workers aren't taking it lying down - it's about damn time. But is it too late?

He belongs in the corner wearing a dunce cap.His party has been trying to screw workers out of their rights for years.While some Unions are crooked and/or uselessly in the pockets of the rich,people DO need to stick together if they want things like Benefits,Vacations,Breaks,and a wage they can actually live on. Want to go back to the "Good ole days" when workers in Henry Fords factory were not even allowed to go to the bathroom? How about the garment factory where the women working there burnt to death in a fire because they were LOCKED IN ? That was what many jobs were like before the Unions.Meanwhile,these Politicians (democrats too) are so cowed to corporate wealth they'd shit themselves before asking THEM to pony up & pay taxes that reflect their GROSS incomes.Many large corporations pay NO taxes at all.

Domestic politics has gotten more interesting in the past few days with the events coming out of Wisconsin. Truth be told, the labor unrest is largely nationwide at this point, perhaps at no greater point since the late 1960's. At least 20 states have seen protests over austerity measures, deregulation of key industries, and union-busting tactics. Strike breakers are being utilized in many states, some of which are aligned with right wing political groups like the American Legislative Exchange, who are associated with the Koch Brothers and other more reactionary elements. Class warfare is becoming a key motivating factor in politics once again. Basically what we've been seeing in Europe for the past few years is coming to the United States. Newly elected governors like John Kasich in Ohio, Scott Walker in Wisconsin, Rick Scott in Florida and others are taking antagonistic stances against public unions, in a replication of Ronald Reagan's strategy of breaking the air traffic c... Read more

Clearly trying to make a place for himself alongside Palin and Bachmann in the Tea Party, Walker is a political showman, willing to do anything to put himself in the headlines. You can tell that's what motivates him because he follows ideology at the price of practical politics. First it was turning down millions of federal cash for a light-rail line connecting Milwaukee and Madison that would have employed thousands of Wisconsin workers -- federal cash that won't be offered twice. Then it was trying to dismantle the state teachers' union. Here the issue really isn't the budget. He could simply bargain with the union for concessions that they probably need to make (and would probably be willing to make), but instead he just decided to make it an ideological issue about the unions' right to exist. It's a risky political strategy, but one that might pay off for him in the short term. In sum, Walker might earn a high rating as a political tactician, but it's clear to me that his willingn... Read more