One Wisconsin Now
Press Release

Gov. Scott Walker Defense of Taking Donation From Marijuana Industry Advocates While Calling For More Drug Testing: $25,000 Check Too Small to Influence Him

Warped World View of Career Politician on Full Display

By - Jul 21st, 2017 10:50 am
Cash. Photo by Moritz Wickendorf.

Cash. Photo by Moritz Wickendorf.

MADISON, Wis. — Gov. Scott Walker has offered an excuse perhaps even more incredible than the hypocrisy he displayed in pushing a drug testing scheme on Wisconsinites while, as head of the Republican Governors Association (RGA), accepting a major contribution from a marijuana industry trade group. According to Walker, a $25,000 campaign contribution isn’t big enough to buy his support.Madison – Gov. Scott Walker has offered an excuse perhaps even more incredible than the hypocrisy he displayed in pushing a drug testing scheme on Wisconsinites while, as head of the Republican Governors Association (RGA), accepting a major contribution from a marijuana industry trade group. According to Walker, a $25,000 campaign contribution isn’t big enough to buy his support.

“Scott Walker has outdone himself this time,” commented One Wisconsin Now Deputy Director Mike Browne. “He’s trying to tell us he’s not a hypocrite for taking money from advocates for the use of marijuana at the same time he’s pushing for policies to impose drug testing on people because the check wasn’t big enough to buy his support.”

Responding to a media inquiry about the information revealed earlier in the week by One Wisconsin Now:

The governor also indicated a $25,000 donation won’t sway the organization.

“If you look at that dollar amount versus the tens of millions of dollars we’ve raised, I doubt that has any more influence,” he said. 

Walker added that any money wouldn’t sway his agenda.

Walker began calling for drug tests as a condition of receiving public assistance benefits in late 2014 as he also began ramping up for his run for the Republican presidential nomination. Finding the issue of targeting vulnerable populations with punitive drug tests politically popular with the right wing, he has continued, and expanded on his scheme. In 2016 Walker appealed to the federal government for waivers to require Wisconsinites submit to drug testing to receive food assistance and job training. Most recently, Walker has proposed making Wisconsin the first state in the nation to require drug tests for certain Medicaid recipients.

Yet in the midst of his political posturing on drug testing, Walker, as head of the Republican Governors Association, accepted a $25,000 contribution to the organization from the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) on February 7, 2017. The NCIA touts itself as, “… the nation’s only industry-led organization engaging in legislative efforts to expand and further legitimize the legal cannabis market in the U.S.”

“This one donation is nearly double what a person struggling to get by, who Scott Walker thinks should have to take a drug test, makes in a year. Defending his hypocrisy by claiming $25,000 in campaign cash isn’t enough money to merit his attention shows just how warped the world view of career politician Scott Walker has become,” concluded Browne.

One Wisconsin Now is a statewide communications network specializing in effective earned media and online organizing to advance progressive leadership and values.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.

Mentioned in This Press Release

Organizations:

Recent Press Releases by One Wisconsin Now

Dan Kelly’s Opinion: It’s OK to Lie in Judicial Campaigns

State Supreme Court Candidate Co-Authored Column Opposing Efforts to Clean Up Court Campaigns

Campaign Cash Keeps Flowing to WILL’s Shill Dan Kelly

Over $14,000 from Board Members of Right-Wing Legal Group to State Court Justice’s Campaign

Right-Wing Group That Wants to Criminalize Abortion Backs Dan Kelly State Supreme Court Campaign

Dan Kelly Supporters Want Court Action to Allow Enforcement of Abortion Ban Dating to 19th Century

Comments

  1. myfivecents says:

    By Walker saying a $25,000 campaign contribution isn’t big enough to buy his support, he is admitting that there is a big enough dollar amount that will buy his support. He can be bought if they pay enough. There is no way he talk himself out of this one.

  2. AG says:

    Wait… so… if someone gives him money, and his policies are in line with the views of the donors, that’s bad. However, if he gets money from donors and his policies are not in line with those donors, that’s… er… bad?

  3. Vincent Hanna says:

    A politician will take money from anyone (and return it later only if it’s potentially damaging to their future reelection prospects), but it seems stupid to give money to one who opposes your core beliefs and will do nothing to advance your agenda.

  4. Jesse says:

    Walker , that’s awesome you are now getting jobs you promised some yrs ago .
    That’s great , the bad thing is 72% of Wisconsinites want legal weed.
    You say you want the best for us in Wisconsin, then why are you picking on the poorest of the poor people in Wisconsin. people who need food, realy, that’s the lowest shot you could give to the residents of Wisconsin. Pick on the Fuckers running the black market in our state and leave the poor alone. You have an opinion , well ,so do we , and so doe;s the rest of Wisconsin & I will bet there not on your side…………………………… .

Leave a Reply

You must be an Urban Milwaukee member to leave a comment. Membership, which includes a host of perks, including an ad-free website, tickets to marquee events like Summerfest, the Wisconsin State Fair and the Florentine Opera, a better photo browser and access to members-only, behind-the-scenes tours, starts at $9/month. Learn more.

Join now and cancel anytime.

If you are an existing member, sign-in to leave a comment.

Have questions? Need to report an error? Contact Us