Lesson for Wisconsin Is Don't Become Alabama

On Nov. 10, Gov. Scott Walker defended sexual predator Roy Moore, saying allegations of child sexual assault are not credible, comparing women's complaints with unfounded rumors that Walker had a "love child," (Wisconsin State Journal).

Walker reversed himself three days later after widespread criticism left Walker looking ridiculous.

Walker's support for Moore is one of the stories where his character is on display, explaining why Walker avoids unscripted public appearances where he has to answer questions.

Now, as the nation celebrates simple decency, the fundamentalist Walker is back to making Wisconsin into Alabama, if we let this project continue.

Scott Walker's False Claims He Has Held "Listening Sessions" Across Wisconsin

Scott Walker appears on ABC News This Week
and offers his third position on amending
the Fourteenth Amendment in seven days.

Updated - "The impression is fast setting in that Scott Walker, former King of Iowa, is a nonsense person and a ridiculous presidential candidate. (Newell, Salon)"
 ---
To understand Scott Walker is to see an undeveloped psyche, a man with no essence who will say anything with facts posing no barrier.

This morning the Wall Street Journal reports Walker saying, "We’re doing the hard work of the town-hall meetings, the small-group sessions. I think that pays off because, while the national media is focused a lot on another candidate, in the end, voters in these early states clearly take this stuff seriously." (O'Conner, Wall Street Journal)

Last week, Walker said his flip-flop on Common Core education standards is the result of holding listening session across Wisconsin: "We'd hold sessions around the state, we'd listen to people, we'd talk to people," said Gov. Walker. (Neumann, WKOW-TV)

Actually, Scott Walker has held zero townhall-style, unscripted listening sessions in Wisconsin.

Walker's recent false claims to the contrary are asserted out of concern that Walker doesn't know much about public policy, displaying not-even a pedestrian grasp of major public policy issues, ala Sarah Palin with whom Walker does not wish to branded this early in the campaign.

This is a guy whose press office demanded that all questions be pre-screened on a press phone call on Walker's healthcare plan 'to phase out ObamaCare on Day One' last week. (Politico)

This is considered open and accessible for Scott Walker who regularly bans reporters in an attempt to keep his lack of policy knowledge a secret.

This is not a well-kept secret, it's just not many in the campaign press write about it. Writes Dylan Byers in the right-leaning Politico:

In March, Walker made public appearances in Texas and South Carolina but closed the events to press and refused to take questions from the media. In April, while visiting Europe, he held no public events and took no questions from reporters. In May, while visiting Israel, he did the same. An aide told the Journal that Walker was going to 'focus on educating himself about Israeli issues and won’t hold public events or take questions from reporters.'

Walker's refusal to hold listening sessions, from the Midwest to the Middle East, should be news, as should his lying about it.

It is understandable from Walker's point of view why Walker avoids unscripted question-and-answer sessions.

Take this the latest headline on CNN: Scott Walker on birthright citizenship: 3 positions, 7 days. Writes CNN's Eric Bradner:

The Wisconsin governor and Republican presidential candidate was asked on ABC's 'This Week' whether he backs Trump's push to end the 14th Amendment's mandate that all children born in the United States are automatically granted citizenship. 

'Well, I said the law is there. And we need to enforce the laws, including those that are in the Constitution,' Walker said

United States Constitution

What "laws" are in the United States Constitution?

For Scott Walker's edification, here is a link to the Leonere Annenberg Institute for Civics explaining the United States Constitution. There are no laws in the Constitution.

Walker would do well to begin with Article 1, Section 1:

Section 1 - The Text
All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.

Section 1 - The Meaning
The framers of the Constitution separated the powers of government into three branches, granting legislative power (the power to pass laws) to Congress, executive power (the power to administer the laws) to the president, and judicial power (the power to interpret and enforce the laws) to the courts. The unique and limited powers of Congress are contained in Article I.

Fourteenth Amendment Citizenship Clause

With respect to Scott Walker's on-again, off-again commitment to amend the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution, Jenna Johnson in today's Washington Post has a timeline of Walker and his campaign's statements over the last week. It's pretty funny and at Walker's expense. Last Monday evening Walker blamed his change-the-Fourteenth Amendment-citizenship-clause position on a confusing "three-hour roving [press] gaggle."

Last Friday, Walker explained he was for changing the Fourteenth Amendment citizenship clause because he was "tired." (Blue Cheddar) (ThinkProgress) (CognitiveDissidence) (Mal Contends)

Johnson's piece ends with a quote from AshLee Strong, Walker's campaign spokeswoman, saying in part: "His position is very firm."

Firm, and strong and bold. Unfortunately for the nation, Walker's idea of a bold unscripted question-and-answer session is to yell at an audience, "Unintimidated! I am not intimidated by you, sir, or by anyone else out there."​

Career Politician Scott Walker Hits "Career Politicians"

Brianne Pfannenstiel reports Scott Walker said the American people have "had it with Washington" and career politicians in the Maid-Rite diner in Webster City, Iowa last night (Des Moines Register).

Pfannenstiel did not mention that Scott Walker (47-years-old) is a career politician who first ran for office at age 22, months after leaving Marquette University in 1990, lost; then moved into a white Wisconsin Assembly district ringing Milwaukee in 1992 to run for an open seat, won, and has been in elected office since.

Walker's record in office, winning or not, has been marred by scandal and corruption, a perverse inclination to demonize large swaths of the population while avoiding listening sessions with the Wisconsin people and refusing to campaign on what he does as a policymaker.

Caught behind closed doors, Walker has been videotaped assuring a billionaire, Diane Hendricks, that he will "divide and conquer" the Wisconsin people when asked if Walker could turn Wisconsin into a "red state."

Walker refuses to repeat the "divide and conquer" phrase, while still demonzing non-Walker supporting citizens.

Notes Charlie Pierce:

"[A]lone among the crowd of candidates, Walker most clearly is running on his record of being a complete prick to the right people – which include teachers and nurses and the people who clean up after Alzheimer's patients in group homes. Running against the right people is a staple of all campaigns, right and left, but it's rarely as clear the raison d'etre of one as it is the raison d'etre of the Walker campaign. It is a toxic combination of belligerence and aggressive victimhood. You have to go all the way back to the George Wallace campaigns of 1968 and 1972 to find one that is so clearly defined by the people whose political power it wants to crush.​"

For sale

Give me, give me, give me, says the GOP.
You got it, say rightwing billionaires

"We’re helping (Scott Walker), as we should. We’ve gotten pretty good at this over the years. We’ve spent a lot of money in Wisconsin. We’re going to spend more." - David Koch (Singer. Palm Beach Post; February 20, 2012)

Koch, it was revealed last year, also boasted of siphoning money into the campaigns of Wisconsin GOP senators as well.  

Republicans have gotten pretty good at being the post-Citizens United party of billionaires, grabbing up money in a period in which concentration of wealth is worse than in the Gilded Age.  

Republicans maintain their alliance with the religious right and Catholic Church out of practical political necessity. The same with gun manufacturers. (See today's Homeowner Shoots and Kills Teen Who Entered Wrong Home After Party.)

But GOP hearts are where they get their money—rightwing billionaires like Christopher Cline of Cline Research and Development (Mining), the Koch brothers, Diane Hendricks, and rightwing forces such as Sheldon Adelson, and assorted other billionaires funneling money into Super PACs.

For Republicans, Wisconsin, the United States, public land, the public school system, anything they can get their hands on are for sale.

One Wisconsin Democrat, Sen. Lena Taylor (Milwaukee) has her hands out and wants to suck in some of the anti-public school, rightwing money as Taylor apes her GOP colleagues.

Let's hope Taylor is an aberration. We know Scott Walker, Paul Ryan and hacks such as Pennsylvania Republican Governor Tom Corbett are the norm.

Scott Walker: The Phantom Governor

Used to be in Wisconsin, listening sessions and facing the people of Wisconsin was an acknowledged duty of elected officials.

Failure to adhere to this political ethos likely meant you were voted out.

For example, in Wisconsin's second congressional district, we lost Rep. Robert Kastenmeier (D-Madison, 1958-1990), a truly great public servant but one who didn't spend enough time in the district.

Now, comes Scott Walker.

And a new manner of disengagement, and embrace of anti-public billionaires like the Koch brothers, Diane Hendricks and AIG's Hank Greenberg. The Wisconsin people?

Ignore them, says Scott Walker.

Walker has transformed the Wisconsin Office of the Governor page into a personal propaganda sheet.

Walker jets around the country, this weekend in Nebraska, ignoring the Wisconsin people.

Walker refuses all non-scripted encounters with the people.

Walker refuses press conferences.

Walker has set records for jetting around the country raising money from out-of-state monied interests.

Walker's administration actually sends armed police to the homes and workplaces of Wisconsin citizens to issue citations for singing in opposition to selling out our state.

Walker stonewalled the Milwaukee DA's office and forced a criminal John Doe probe.

Walker maintains a criminal defence fund but won't face the Wisconsin people to explain.

Walker's top aides have been convicted of stealing from military veterans.

One can go on.

The question remains how long can Walker get away with this?

How about coming back from Nebraska, cut back on your time out of Wisconsin, and talking straight with the Wisconsin people?

We deserve nothing less.