Op Ed

Tommy Predicts Walker Could Lose Big

“President should not be a bully,” Thompson says, and that will hurt GOP.

By - Apr 10th, 2018 11:19 am
Scott Walker and Tommy Thompson.

Scott Walker and Tommy Thompson.

Former Wisconsin GOP Governor Tommy Thompson (1987 — 2001) had some blunt truth for Trump, state GOP Governor Scott Walker and other Republicans. Thompson said: “He’s (Trump) a bully, and the president should not be a bully.” And, Wisconsin Public Radio reported: “Thompson predicted the Republican Party and … Walker could face historic losses in November’s elections.” Thompson also contrasted his electoral and governing style to Trump’s and Walker’s: “The philosophy now is … 50 percent plus one vote. … don’t have to worry about those other people. I (Thompson) wanted every vote.” Small-town Wisconsin wisdom.

Thompson had foreseen last week’s electoral debacle for Walker and the state GOP. Rebecca Dallet crushed Walker-backed Michael Screnock for a seat on the state Supreme Court. Dallet won across the board, including the Fox Valley and western Wisconsin. Moreover, she triumphed despite the National Rifle Association endorsement of Screnock. Limited, sensible gun control is no longer the third rail of state politics. And, Walker and the GOP-led legislature lost big in a vote to abolish the state treasurer’s office. Voters want checks and balances.

Earlier, Walker was rebuked by three state judges, including a Walker appointee, for disregarding the law by refusing to hold special elections for two vacant state legislative seats. Walker had stunningly miscalculated with his Nixonian “dirty tricks”. Part of a pattern. Walker has attempted to suppress voting with burdensome, unnecessary voter ID requirements, severe restriction of early voting and now removing thousands from voting rolls (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). Meanwhile, Trump “repeated his false claim that millions of people voted illegally in the 2016 election” (Washington Post). Voters are not amused.

Back in January, Democrat Patty Schachtner blew away her GOP opponent for a vacant state Senate seat. The GOP had held it for seventeen years. Moreover, Trump won the district big in 2016. Schachtner’s victory is part of a blue wave nationally. Since 2016, Democrats have flipped a net 35 state legislative seats from GOP to Democrat in special elections (Boston Globe). Then there’s Virginia.

Virginia Democratic Governor Ralph Northam won by nine percentage points last November. He had coattails – Democrats (mostly women) picked up fifteen state legislative seats. Now the GOP-led Virginia legislature is on the verge of passing Medicaid expansion. The blue wave also hit Alabama and Pennsylvania.

In December, Alabama Democrat Doug Jones beat Republican Roy Moore for a vacant U.S. Senate seat. Moore was strongly supported by Trump despite “accusations of sexual abuse and child molestation” against Moore (New York Times). In March, Pennsylvania Democrat Conor Lamb won a vacant U.S. House seat in the middle of Trump country on a message of economic fairness. The GOP spent more than $14 million. Big money lost. Change in the air for Wisconsin and elsewhere.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report said: Favorable polls, Democratic enthusiasm and GOP retirements are “aiding House Democrats’ path to a majority”. Cook also downgraded Wisconsin’s Seventh Congressional District, held by GOP Representative Sean Duffy, from solid to likely. Checks and balances.

This column was originally published by Wispolitics.com.

Bill Kaplan wrote a guest column from Washington, D.C. for the Wisconsin State Journal from 1995 – 2009.

Categories: Op-Ed, Politics

13 thoughts on “Op Ed: Tommy Predicts Walker Could Lose Big”

  1. Terry says:

    Hopefully Tommy is correct and Career Politician Scott Walker loses big, for if Walker does win again Wisconsin will be lost forever. Spread the word, get your friends and family registered to vote everybody and come November let’s take our state back from these crooked republican charlatans!

    Dump Walker 2018!

  2. Eric J. says:

    Maybe Tommy would like to return to Madison in a higher position this year.

  3. A Prire says:

    Tommy’s mouth to Gods ear!

  4. Jake currently of the MKE says:

    Thompson left the state on a fiscal meds when he left, he also got rid of the public intervener and started the concentration of power to the governers office and he was the one who said ,”stick it to Milwaukee.
    TT was not as bad as Walker but he’s still a uber capitalist.

  5. Rich says:

    Walker was rebuked by three state judges, including a Walker appointee

    Please stop reporting that part about who appointed who. You’re — all media — are trying to make it a part of the story when the only part that should matter is

    disregarding the law by refusing to hold special elections for two vacant state legislative seats

    By continuously adding that to the “reporting”, you’re helping tell everyone that’s something they should care about
    Report on “why” the judge reached that conclusion. Do an analysis of the merits and focus people on understanding that part. By reducing it with the label, you get attitudes with no depth like:
    1) Thank god that judge stood up to Walker
    2) That’s typical, Walker appointed him so no wonder he chose that way
    3) Sh*t. Why didn’t “our guy” do what he was supposed to do?

  6. Troll says:

    Tommy Thompson blames Trump if Walker loses. Go back under your rock, Tommy. If Ted Cruz or Mike Pence was president the violent left would still bring out the knives. Thank God Trump is abully and not a jellyfish like the Bush family. Three more credible reasons, National Republicans joined Democrats to sign massive spending bill in March that spends another trillion dollars of borrowed money(base turned off). Two, Walker’s courting of Foxconn gets slammed by the media while trolleys get praised.(Independents, rural voters turned off) Three, the political pendulum swings back and forth. We new the Democrats day to sit at the adult table was coming. Will have to see which heterosexual. white male, the Democrats pony up will be the next governor.

  7. max says:

    You got the bully part right Gov Tommy, but did you forget about the fraud and money laundering part of Don the Con?

  8. Terry says:

    Troll and republicans everywhere are having nervous breakdowns! Paul Ryan just quit rather than lose in November! Trump is cornered by the law and is about to wag the dog! Let’s keep it up Americans!

    Dump Walker!

  9. Matt says:

    Hey Troll, are you Paul Ryan? You have his reasoning skills.

    But who got killed in Charlottesville by a leftist? Oh yeah, no one. Who got murdered in a Sikh Temple in Oak Creek by a leftist? Oh yeah, no one. Dylan Roof loves the same literature you do, and I’m sure you are preparing to celebrate the Oklahoma City bombing on April 20. Or are you more into pouring one out for Hitler on his birthday?

    If you want to get in a name calling contest at least make it challenging by not outing yourself as a dumbass.

    Watch your words dumbass. If you ever grow enough to get a job you actually care about your moronic word will get you tossed right off that Burger King payroll. And your mommy might not reinstate your allowance.

  10. Troll says:

    Matt, Charlottesville was organized by Jason Kessler who in 2009 was in operations of Team Barack Obama. You seem to have issues with me calling out Tommy Thompson a Republican. You maybe on the wrong site. This site, Urban Milwaukee attacks Republicans and your angry that I criticize Thompson.Tommy Thompson was a big government Republican . He had his issues that went national but Wisconsin government grew big under Tommy.

  11. Terry says:

    @Toady Troll, Big Government is growing Bigger under republicans Walker and Trump as well. Pee testing the poor for food isn’t free afterall! It requires new Big Government programs, more bureaucracies, more laws, rules and as other foolish regressive red states have learned in the past, these programs always cost far more than what they ever save from kicking any actual (in reality very few) layabouts off the dole. Meanwhile Walker lingers in his warm Big Government subsidized bubble bath up at the governor’s mansion. C’est trop cher Vichy Troll!

    Dump Walker

  12. Troll says:

    Terry, your right Walker has spent more to subsidize Badgercare than any known Democratic Wisconsin Governor in Wisconsin history. He has also preserved state pensions for government employees as Democratic candidates(McCabe) look to open for all citizens and migrants. Wisconsin is at full employment. I donot think it hurts to attempt to get felons,and drug addicts into the work place.
    I have also noted above that Trump signed into law a bill with Paul Ryan’s backing to feed government spending. Ryan knows he cannot justify that bill, a bill that he criticize of Democrats back in 2009. The only silver lining I see is that most politicians and the public don’t care about debt, furthermore economically the country is in trouble if Fed rates go to high as the Fed dumps treasuries on to the market from both ends($600 billion on its books plus one trillion a year to accomadate U.S. spending). Who will buy these treasury notes?

  13. Terrj says:

    @NaziTroll,
    Wrong. Crooked Scott Walker got drunk on power and corruption and drove the state into the ditch. Sorry, no paved roads, no functioning affordable healthcare system, stealing our voting rights by gerrymandering, giving 4.5 billion to a foreign company, $7.50 slave wage part time no benefits “jobs”, selling the state and environment off to his corporate donors just won’t cut it anymore.

    Dump Walker 2018!!
    Dump ALL republicans in November!!

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