Gov. Walker’s Supreme Anger
He lashes out in frustration after Judge Dallet's high court victory, afraid a blue wave is heading his way.
Gov. Scott Walker. Photo from the State of Wisconsin.
An executive whose party suffers historic election losses lashes out with angry tweets. Where have we seen this before?
But this time it’s not Donald Trump, it’s Scott Walker.
In the aftermath of an historic defeat in a state Senate race in January, Gov. Walker issued a “wake up call” to his fellow Republicans. Now, after his former lawyer and hand-picked candidate for the state Supreme Court suffered a crushing defeat, Walker has lashed out with a series of angry tweets disparaging fellow Wisconsinites who happen to disagree with his brand of regressive, special interest driven politics.
While Walker angrily takes to Twitter, his defenders in the right wing noise machine are furiously trying to spin away the significance of Judge Rebecca Dallet’s victory in the race for state high court.
With their post election analysis, Scott Walker and his conservative defenders are getting it wrong.
And the victory won by progressives came despite a $2.8 million, all out effort by the conservative campaign machine. Over 40 percent of Dallet’s opponent’s campaign warchest came directly from the Republican Party of Wisconsin. The National Rifle Association weighed in and the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce spent $1.6 million, including $1 million on an abhorrent ad violating the privacy of the victim of a childhood sexual assault.
Democrats and progressives are energized, and they realize the power they have to make change with their votes. Far from being angry, they are filled with hope that by showing up and making their voices heard at the ballot box in elections they can alter the direction of their state for the better.
Judge Dallet’s victory reinforces that optimism, and that is a big deal.
And a closer look at the progressive margin of victory in the court race shows why Gov. Walker and the GOP are so desperately afraid of elections they went to court to try to prevent them from happening.
Of the five counties included in the 1st Senate District, where a special election is set to occur, Dallet took 62 and 55 percent of the vote in Door and Brown Counties respectively. She won Manitowoc County and was bested by less than 300 total votes combined in Kewaunee and Calumet Counties.
Columbia County, which comprises almost the entire 42nd Assembly District, where the other court ordered special election will occur, was taken by Dallet by 12 points.
The electoral numbers in the court race also show the possibilities for statewide and state legislative races, if Democrats keep up the momentum into the Fall. Good, progressive candidates turning on key constituencies, like Generation X and Millennials who now comprise the largest demographic voting block in the state and nation, means these voters will turn out and vote.
Gov. Walker can lash out in frustration and his right wing enablers can try to spin away what’s happened. But the blue wave is real, and it is here.
Joanna Beilman-Dulin is the research director of One Wisconsin Now.
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Thanks Gov….. I’m driven by anger and hatred?
Excellent article! I highly recommend everyone support One Wisconsin Now. Together, we can move Wisconsin forward and away from the angry, divisive, regressive and ultimately disastrous policies of Career Politician Scott Walker and republicans in Wisconsin. Let’s keep the Big Blue Wave going through the June special elections that Walker tried and failed to stop, and then on to November when we can finally…
Dump Walker and ALL republicans in Wisconsin!
In fairness, if you were facing the prospect of having to get your first real job at Age 51, you might be irrational and freaking out too.
At the next Democratic Governors debate maybe they will allow some one of color on the stage or maybe lacking a “Johnson”. Will the Democrats have another grumpy, old, white, hetrosexual debate . Apparently, the Democrats feel that only white straight men can feel compassion for Hispanics on the southside of Milwaukee, or gay men on the east side. Are the Democrats using a breast test examination to exclude women on the debate stage or are they using a paper bag to determine the color of those who can speak and cannot speak. Can they make room for Tom Barrett? There is a winner.
@Nazi Troll, Do you have fetal alcohol syndrome? Or previous head trauma perhaps? The democrats could run a ham sandwich and beat Career Politician Scott Walker. You are overthinking it. Your racial and gender stereotypes/profiling and gender identity politics are clouding your thoughts. Here let me explain. All that matters is that whoever wins the governorship in November, it isn’t just another, sleazy, scheming, corrupt, conniving, drooling republican half-wit. It’s very simple.
Dump Walker
Maybe that is why, sadly, some like Ted Nuget and his buddies are now advocating for violence against democrats, liberals and anyone else who will not be apt to vote straight republican this fall. I wonder if they’ll actually be TRYING such violence to try to intimidate voters or if they’re just blowing hot-air?
Walker is one of the biggest taxpayer welfare queens that ever existed.
Wisconsin deserves a wave of clean government to undo the corruption that we have now. A blue wave would be good, but would not last long: maybe 4 to 8 years til people decide to change their mind.
Focus on providing representative government, more local control, accountability and getting the undue influence of big money out. Focus on disallowing the conflicts of interest promoted by the Realtors and the Chamber of Commerce. Focus on ending Pay2Play politics.
That wave will last for a century or more.
I found Walker’s tweets to be insulting. He implied that voters across the state weren’t capable of thinking for themselves and were simply duped by special interest advertising. Not a good look.
Internal Revenue numbers show 7,000 Illinois tax returns have changed addresses. Welcome to Wisconsin as the government union ran state of Illinois slow walks to insolvency.
Troll, Meanwhile the “socialist’ state of Minnesota sudsidizes its (very few) residents that work in Wisconsin because taxes are still HIGHER in Wisconsin under Walker and Republicans! Sooo many more people Wisconsin residents work in Minnesota but for the few that due, the State of Minnesota actually pays, almost 10 million per year to offset the HIGH TAXES in Walker’s Wisconsin. Wisconsin couldn’t even afford to do that. Walker sucks!
Walker not being from Wisconsin found it easy to divide and conquer a once forward thinking state. This is just the beginning of removing dinosaur type thinking politicians who never gave a damn about the working class just the NRA, WMC, ALEX, Bradley Foundation and the good old Koch boys. It is time to send these lying unamerican politicians backing.
@Troll Internal Revenue numbers show 7,000 Illinois tax returns have changed addresses.
That’s how many reps we kicked out of our state, you can have whats left of the Ill GOP, on the other hand over 12,000 WI tax returns have changed addresses from WI to Il and another 14,000 from Indiana, so we’re doing just fine.
Nice Try Tho
Walker and republicans are idiots and they have destroyed Wisconsin, corruption, dark money pay offs, gerrymandering, cancelling elections, schools are unfunded, roads are crap, Foxcon is a disgrace to any fiscal conservative, get rid of Walker and GOP in November everybody. It’s not hate and anger, it’s optimism at finally getting a chance to get rid of these crooked career politicians, liars and frauds.