It was pretty clear to most people that extremist Republican Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin was trying to bust the public sector unions by trying to take away their collective bargaining rights by creating a financial emergency, but he confirmed his goal was union busting on Tuesday after he was phone pranked by a liberal blogger.
Besides proving he wasn’t very smart and easily duped, the call proves this is just a union busting ploy because unions tend to support Democrats in elections. Walker thought he was talking to David Koch, one of the Koch brothers who has bankrolled teabaggers and is financing the current union-busting movement.
The transcript of the call is just hilarious and reveling, and Walker never knew he was being pranked. It did prove that this is not about balancing the budget but killing the unions. Walker tries to make the claim that the huge crowds that have jammed the capitol in Wisconsin in support of collective bargaining rights are paid, saying, “…they’re probably putting hobos in suits.”
Then they joked about trying to trick the Democratic Senators who left Madison so the Legislature does not have a quorum by tricking them into returning by thinking that Walker was actually going to negotiate in good faith, and Koch/blogger Ian Murphy joked Walker should bring a baseball bat to the meeting.
“I have one in my office; you’d be happy with that,” Walker said. “I got a Slugger with my name on it.”
Walker is obviously enjoying all the attention he is getting, and his ego is growing along with his infamy. He even compared himself to GOP saint Ronald Reagan, and he tried to equate union-busting with the fall of Communism. Someone should tell him about the Solidarity union movement and Lech Wałęsa.
"I pulled out a picture of Ronald Reagan, and I said, you know, this may seem a little melodramatic, but 30 years ago, Ronald Reagan, whose 100th birthday we just celebrated the day before, had one of the most defining moments of his political career, not just his presidency, when he fired the air-traffic controllers,” Walker said. “And, uh, I said, to me that moment was more important than just for labor relations or even the federal budget, that was the first crack in the Berlin Wall and the fall of Communism because from that point forward, the Soviets and the Communists knew that Ronald Reagan wasn’t a pushover"
Walker also made it clear that Wisconsin is ground zero for busting public sector unions, and he wants to import the union-busting to other states, including Michigan.
“I talk to Kasich every day; John’s gotta stand firm in Ohio,” he said. “I think we could do the same thing with Vic Scott in Florida. I think, uh, [Rick] Snyder-if he got a little more support-probably could do that in Michigan.”
The good news is that Snyder is saying, at least publicly, that he is not interested in union busting. But the Republican-controlled Legislature is another story, and they are doing nothing but union busting. I have no idea how this creates jobs.
Veteran Capitol correspondent Tim Skubick is reporting that Snyder went so far as to meet with Legislative Republicans on Tuesday to talk about their union-busting agenda over his agenda of reforming the tax system and the budget. Apparently, the Speaker of the House told him they were more interested in union busting than jobs.
16 comments:
Other than an unfortunate typo..."reveling" for "revealing" ... this was a pretty good post. I don't agree with all of it, but it's something reasonable people can debate about. I think you are implying that Snyder is going to have a lot of trouble with legislative Republicans...if so, I agree with you.
Stick with reasonable...even if one-sided...posts, and I'll do the same.
If you insist on lying about me...or refuse to admit even minor but obvious errors ... I might have to point that out.
Often your first post is reasonable and then your responses go berserk. Maybe you are using someone else's talking points in your initial post and then go crazy when it's all your own writing.
Whatever...it was a nice post and I appreciate it.
Thanks for pointing that out; that’s one of the words Harbrace lists as a troubling one. I have always been reasonable, but like all blogs, I write about what I want, what interests me and what I care about. That’s the great thing about blogs.
I do not lie. I have been mistaken and I may have a different opinion, but I simply do not lie. I have never written something that I know to be false. I have no problem with you pointing out my mistakes or differences of opinion. If it bothers me, I would not allow comments or ban you.
As far as my allegedly going berserk, I just see me giving back what I receive. I have never written something that I would be afraid to say to someone face; that’s why I use my real name. I like defending my positions because I believe what I’m writing, and I would not write about something I can’t defend. I know if I can’t it will be picked apart. If you want to call a true on the name calling, I can try to do that.
I read the transcript of the call. Well, the parts that he posted. Much was cut out, using your link to it.
What I noticed is that Murphy tried to get him to admit to bringing in hobo's and Walker said no. Murphy called Brzyinski a piece of ass, but Walker didn't follow it. The foul language was all used by Murphy. All of the suggestions that are untoward (for lack of a better term)are brought on by Murphy. Walker stuck to clean language and said only what he's said in public. Here's Murphy's words:
Murphy: Scott! David Koch. How are you?
Murphy: I’m very well. I’m a little disheartened by the situation there, but, uh, what’s the latest?
Murphy: Beautiful.
Murphy: Now you’re not talking to any of these Democrat bastards, are you?
Murphy: Goddamn right!
Murphy: Now, what’s his name again?
Murphy: All right, I’ll have to give that man a call.
Murphy: Ha!
Murphy: Now who could we get to budge on this, uh, collective bargaining?
Murphy: Well, they’re probably putting hobos in suits.
Murphy: That’s what we do. Sometimes.
Murphy: Beautiful, beautiful. Gotta crush that union.
Murphy: Goddamn right!
Murphy: Beautiful.
Murphy: Bring a baseball bat. That’s what I’d do.
Murphy: Beautiful.
Murphy: Beautiful.
Murphy: Right, right.
Murphy: Goddamn right! We, uh, we sent, uh, Andrew Breitbart down there.
Murphy: Yeah.
Murphy: He’s our man, you know
Murphy: You’re the first domino.
Murphy: Yeah. Now what else could we do for you down there?
Murphy: Right, right.
Murphy: Right, right. Well, we’ll back you any way we can. But, uh, what we were thinking about the crowds was, uh, was planting some troublemakers.
Murphy: Well, not the liberal bastards on MSNBC.
Murphy: Joe-Joe’s a good guy. He’s one of us.
Murphy: Beautiful, beautiful. But you gotta love that Mika Brzezinski.
Murphy: She’s a piece of ass.
Murphy: That son of a bitch!
Murphy: Well, good, good. Good catching up with ya’.
Murphy: [Laughs] Well, I tell you what, Scott: once you crush these bastards I’ll fly you out to Cali and really show you a good time.
Murphy: Absolutely. And, you know, we have a little bit of a vested interest as well. [Laughs]
Murphy: All right then.
Walker: Bye.
What? Talk about spin and lying. No, Walker/Koch said, “Well, they’re probably putting hobos in suits.” Walker didn’t say no, he said “Yeah.” How do you get no out of that?
Good for Walker; he wants to bust unions and take away civil rights in the disguise of balancing the budget but that’s OK with you because he didn’t use the words ass, dam or bastard. That's just fucking sad.
Wrong again, he has told everyone it’s about balancing the budget when it’s clearly about union busting, not balancing the budget. I guess only a billionaire, union- busting teabagger can get 20 minutes of the Governor’s time.
Once again, anonymous coward, I am still waiting for you to back up your outrageous lie that we were “nearly shoulder to shoulder once.”
Mcgoo, What o you think of the FLEEBAGGERS stopping Democracy in Wi.
Obama sure is bring in a lot of AstroTurf. And today he had a meeting with the head of the AFL-ICO
You may not think you are lying, but you do post things that are incorrect and then refuse to acknowledge, sometimes by changing your meaning in your response. I know we will never agree on this, so go ahead and deny, but I'm going to move on.
You are hardly fair and reasonable. You call people cowards for posting anonymously. I know I would never reveal myself to you for fear of verbal attack; others have stated the same. So you call us "anonymous cowards." That's not only unnecessary name-calling, it's also hypocritical, since you don't call those who agree with you "cowards" even when they post anonymously.
You also get obsessed because someone said they were shoulder to shoulder with you. Why do you consider that a lie? This isn't that big of a county. Don't you think it is all possible that you could be in the same crowd as someone else? Why would someone lie about that anyway? What's to gain? And how can he prove it, without revealing his identify, something he has already said he will not do.
You attack me and accuse me of taking positions I have never taken. I admit I've yanked your chain about what you call the slur. But if you look at it, I only do that to toss back at you the unfair tactics and accusations you toss out. You won't agree. I won't agree with your response. We will never change each other's opinions.
But you are hardly fair, nor do you have to be. You attack "rightwingers" for doing things that you excuse "liberals" for doing. (Is it fair or not to call someone a dictator?) You blame violence from one or two on the many. You call people republican fascists if they bring up the term democratic socialist, as if they're are equal counter-points. They are not. Fascism is thought to be wrong by most decent people. That's not the case for socialism. Lots of people think that socialism, to various degrees, is a fine thing.
I've wasted too much time on your blog. I started when I stumbled onto your unfair and unsubstantiated claims that the county Republican party was breaking campaign laws. They were not. They may have been sympathetic with the no-vote on the school ballot, and they have that right. But the people paying for the sign were pretty clear about who they were..the fact that they may have also been active in the republican party is irrelevant. I know people in my church who do a lot of things for the Democratic Party. Does that make the Church a party to what they do? (Go ahead, cut and paste your old, tired arguments...but that's what started me on the road to get your goat. If you could make a statement that wasn't true, I felt I could make a statement that was technically true even though it implied something about you that was not true...I won't go into repeating it because I don't want to start that up again.)
However, if you are going to allow Johnny C to continue his childish, vulgar attacks, I may respond...
Kevins,
Man today must be the march of a right wing troll and his multiple screen names. I know I'm wasting my time here I read Brad and his ilk whine about this for the past couple of post where is this left wing violence?
That didn’t last long.
I may not be lying because I’m not. I post things you don’t agree with or don’t like but I don’t lie.
I am fair and reasonable. Unlike you, I would never write something about you or anyone else that I would not say to their face. You can’t say the same. Give me a break, “I know I would never reveal myself to you for fear of verbal attack.” That’s bullshit. A verbal attack? Ooh, scary. I’m the one that should be afraid because it’s the rightwing tools that commit the violence and the vandalism. Gee, who would the “others who have stated the same” be, brett? More than likely you are all the same people. I call people cowards who make personal attacks then hide behind an anonymous name, like you do.
I’m not “obsessed because someone said they were shoulder to shoulder with you.” I say it because I know it’s a huge lie. I’m used to righting lies, but this is just outrageous. He knows it’s a lie, and I know it’s a lie, and he’s going to stand by it. It’s a taunt, not an obsession. Why should anyone believe what he says when he makes such an outrageous claim like that? Even if it were remotely true, it says a lot that he claims to know me, but I have no idea who he is. I guess that makes him a stalker. Beside, he is probably you anyway.
“You attack me and accuse me of taking positions I have never taken?” OK; then you’re not a conservative Republican. Then what are you? Your slur is not a proper analogy. But hey, keep making it; I left the last ones up. It says more about what a scumbag you are than anything else.
What do you call someone who suspends what the voters did and places all the power in the hands of an appointed person or corporation and can so what they want with no oversight? Dictator fits.
Right-wingers have committed violence, and people like Glenn Beck whip them up with zero consequences.
I don’t make it a habit of calling republicans fascists, but I’m sick of being called a socialist. I’m not and neither are Democrats. Somehow, I’m wrong for answering a name with a name of my own. Plus, you/him don’t call me a democratic socialist, you/him call me a socialist Democrat.
If you have “wasted too much time on my blog” then just go away. But the fact is that’s the only thing you are correct about; you wasted your time because you have never supported any claim you have made here.
I don’t recall the claim that the county Republican Party was breaking campaign laws. If you were referring to their stealth defeat of the Brighton millege in 2008 it was no doubt shady. That’s not the function of the county party.
You, cut and pasted your old, tired and false arguments, but I can’t cut and past my factual ones. Sorry, I have never let your lies stand, and I’m not going to start now. If the church was doing what the county Grand oil Party was doing, they would lose their non-profit status.
Why would I not allow Johnny C to continue his alleged “childish, vulgar attacks?” I let you continue your childish, vulgar attacks.
“I may respond?” Is that a threat? I say bring it.
You don't recall the claim that the Republican Party was breaking campaign laws? You made the claim over and over and over again...you even went so far as to say that the prosecutor wouldn't bring charges because he is a Republican. And now you deny saying it; only that it might have been "shady." Shady, by the way, is an opinion, but it is still wrong. There was nothing shady about it. And who are you to determine what a political party should do? And there is nothing about my church example that says the church is breaking the law...unless you are saying that it is illegal for active Democrats to belong to a church.
And why is it "outrageous" or "stalking" for someone to say they were standing near you at a county function? Does no one ever stand near you? Have you ever gone to the Balloonfest, Melon Fest, a high school sporting game, Hartland Memorial Day parade, Fantasy of Lights, Brighton Fourth of July parade, any of the free concerts or anything else in the county where the public might attend? If so, is it "outrageous" that someone might have stood near you?
I never questioned whether you were right or wrong in calling someone a dictator. I merely asked if it was OK to call someone a dictator. You went into attack mode and, I assume, starting justifying that it was OK to call Snyder a dictator. So, then, is it OK to call Obama a dictator?
One debate is whether Obama is a dictator or whether Snyder is a dictator. I happen to agree with most sane people and think that neither deserves the name...but at least it is something that can be debated.
A completely different question is whether there is anything wrong...or whether it is hate speech...to call someone a dictator simply because you disagree with his positions, especially when he was elected in a democratic election. I think it is silly and somewhat hateful...and weak to do so. You seem to think it is hateful and racist to call Obama a dictator, but it is fine to call Snyder a dictator. Rather than debate issues, you resort to weak name calling and then get all offended when someone else does the same thing.
For all the name calling you've pointed at me, I think you will be hard pressed to find any comments where I criticized Obama or his policies. You will find instead that I've criticized your weak, ill-informed and dishonest commentary. Big difference. You can't defend yourself so you paint me as a biased right-winger. I don't think you can find much support for that claim among what I've written. I think you are a pompous, ill-informed idiot, but that doesn't say anything about me political beliefs.
As for Johnny C, seriously, can he write a coherent sentence?
How about refreshing my memory.
Why is it "outrageous" or "stalking" for someone to say they were standing near you at a county function?” First, that’s not what he said, second, it’s a lie and third with the history of sneaky violence from teabaggers someone who knows you but hides could be a concern. He never said it was a county event. Perhaps that’s what you thought you said.
Again, when you do away with elected local officials in favor of an appointed person with unlimited power and no oversight, what do you call it? As for “attack mode," I always give what I get. Calling the President a dictator is one of the tamer things he has been called.
As for being “hard pressed to find any comments where” you criticized Obama or his policies, under what name? If my commentary is weak and ill-informed then why can’t you debunk any of it? A guy making anonymous smears has the balls to call me dishonest. Good one. But, I’ll just take it as a compliment and say thank you.
I’ve more than defended myself. Again, I appreciate the compliment. “…That doesn't say anything about me(sic) political beliefs?” And you say Johnny C can’t write a coherent sentence?
Kevins,
Can you write something that has correct spelling? Or can you write something that is based in reality?
Seriously dude all you and your countless screen name have done is whine and make shit up. That theory of if you tell a lie often enough only works if people don't already know the truth.
Where did you get that transcript from? Andrew Breitbart? Anyone with common sense who listened to that audio between Scott Walker and faux David Koch now know this isn't about saving the state's budget it's all about him trying to break the unions and setting off a chain of events that will impact other union states.
Your other screen name Kevins whine about oh left wing violence yet the best you can do is repeat the same thing over again. Or better yet you whined about President Obama using a line from "The Untouchables" while overlooking the massive amount of violent rhetoric and imagery your side has put on display for the last two years.
Seriously Guru your troll has a lot of time on his or her's hands between the constant lying this person also find time to create his or her's own backup.
Finally the right wing freak out over Czars your Kevins your boy George W.Bush had 28 of them.
McGoo, You didn't answer My Fleebagger post. You are the one so quick to come up with monikers.
I make one typo and you jump on it? Typical. Did you see Johnny C's last post? "finally the right wing freak out over Czars your Kevins your boy George W.Bush had 28 of them." Fine writing and rhetorical skills there.
I've debunked you many times. Your snappy response is, basically, "Oh, yeah?"
I merely asked if it is a good thing or a bad thing to call someone a dictator. You can't handle the debate, so you switch it to something else.
For the record, I've not called any American politician a dictator...ever. I don't think I've ever criticized President Obama on your blog. Yet somehow I'm a rightwinger.
I have no idea what the other blogger originally said about standing next to you. I only know that you repeatedly say it was an "outrageous lie" that he was standing "shoulder to shoulder" with you or something like that. Your response makes to sense and contradicts yourself. First you say it's a lie (although you give no way to prove that statement, because you can't). Then you say you have a reason to be scared if he's standing next to you. First, he's offered no reason for you to fear him; second, you just said he's never been standing next to you, so how can he be a threat?
I can only imagine your outrage if a conservative group planned a rally to "storm the capitol."
You invent threats. And when you are caught in lies you either ignore it, or try to change what you said, even though the printed version remains on your blog.
Tell me again, what law did the county Republicans break? Who were the lawbreakers? Oh, yeah, I forgot. Now you say you "can't recall" saying they broke the law...although you said it all the time. Now they were only shady. Which is also a lie.
How is it that American citizens going to a parade were planning to break the law when all they were going to do was protest John Dingell? Why is that against the law but it's OK for unions to rally in Wisconsin and Lansing (and it is OK...they are participating in an important American right. I just don't see why you want to deny other Americans that same right...just because you don't like their opinions.
Heck, a guy voted for Dingell but didn't like his vote. He said so at a public meeting (pushing a relative..son?...in a wheelchair). And you said he should have been arrested.
There is a lot of fascism in you. You just accept it because you fancy yourself as liberal.
I've never criticized Obama. I've criticized you. That's a fact. You can whine all you want, but facts are facts.
oops...i hit publish instead of preview, so at least two mistakes got through. I intended to say "no sense" not "to sense" and I thought there was another one, but I can't find it now.
I know how you and Johnny C are such sticklers for good grammar and spelling!
Kevins,
One you're trying to make a issue about how I write on a internet comment section while you're having issues with spelling.
And another thing dude along with the spelling you don't know what socialism and communism is, saying someone is a socialist and communist is like calling a black man a Uncle Tom and a Black nationalist at the same time.
And I guess you use the other screen name to be a super size hypocrite that screen name whines about President Obama using a line from "The Untouchables" while you had a elected Republican official telling people in her district they should be armed and dangerous.
Debunked how? The links that your other screen name uses are from conservative opinion pages and right wing websites.
And dude you should be the last person talking about someone else spelling.
I just thought it was ironic that in a post where you take him to tasks for something, you do the exact same thing. I sure did see his last post; it’s factual.
Sorry, you have never debunked me, and I have never "Oh, yeah.”
No, you refuse to answer the question. Again, when you do away with elected local officials in favor of an appointed person with unlimited power and no oversight, what do you call it?
Again, under what name?
Yes, it’s a lie because it never happened. Second, I said if it were true, he/you would appear to be a stalker. Seriously? After the record of violence from right-wingers there’s no reason “for you to fear him?” I’m still wondering why you insist it was a county event because those words were never used. Also, he wasn’t standing next to me, but I use my real name; I’m not hiding like you.
The problem with your logic, I have never been caught in a lie.
I asked you to cite the specific incident from a blog I have been wring since 2006, and you refuse. Fine, if I recall correctly, the county GOP was advocating in a local non-partisan election when they were not registered as a PAC.
How many times do I have to explain to you about the parade? The family parade is a fundraiser for the fair board, and Congressman Dingell was the Grand Marshall. If teabaggers wanted to be in the parade, they should have paid the entry fee.
Why is it OK for unions to rally in Lansing and Wisconsin? You really don’t know why? Because they are taxpayers, and the Capitol belongs to them.
Ah, the Dingell townhall. It’s illegal to disrupt a meeting.
How is there any fascism in me? You really need to buy a dictionary.
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