This Economy Is Getting Us Nowhere – But This Isn’t Stopping the GOP from Gutting Wisconsin’s Traditions

We Need to Stop Them

Last week it came out in the Milwaukee Journal that under the over two years of the Walker administration, only 62,000 new jobs have been created, well short of the 250,000 jobs he promised when he ran for governor.

It’s worse than that. Our friend Chris Liebenthal in his blog pointed out that since Walker’s budget was passed in 2011, only 30,000 Wisconsinites took on new jobs. The other roughly 30,000 happened under Jim Doyle’s budget. This is a keeper. The numbers you need are all there.

Think of it. We shouldn't have lost this election in 2010 because Doyle was doing a pretty good job in terms of job growth. Wisconsin at that time was 11th when it came to job creation and now, we are 44th. Maybe Walker is paying tribute to old 44 Henry Aaron.

And here's how Doyle's policies worked. Many of you remembered how conservatives screamed that "Diamond Jim was 'robbing' the road building fund." Adults of course would call this deploying funds, and what Doyle did was make sure the safety net was woven a little tighter to catch those in free fall from the recession. As a result, the money spent by those people propped up by government assistance spent it here, in Wisconsin, leading to other people being hired.

And here's how Walker's policies are failing. He is keeping that money in the road builder's fund at the detriment of Wisconsin's disadvantaged. Many of these road builders, such as Tim Michels, who you recalled ran against Russ Feingold back in 2004 and lost, are well off and like most well off people put the money in off shore accounts. A lot of good it does Wisconsin.

It is sad when you think of it that people were discontented with a governor that was riding the wave of the improving Obama economy and put someone in office who is sweeping the state under by crackpot economic ideas.

There's more. It is bad enough that the Wisconsin GOP has used their electoral victories to make an extremist makeover of this once proud Wisconsin state. They are pushing every right wing wet dream -- vouchers, attacks on women's health, the perversion of democracy through Jim Crow style voter ID and giving vulture capitalists every little thing they wish for at the detriment of workers and consumers.

But it turns out that despite the crowing about how Scott Walker has balanced the budget, according to Bruce Murphy, Walker might be making our long term deficit worse.

Don't Shoot Until We See the Whites in Their Eyes Yes, despite Walker's 51% approval rating, all of these conditions make Walker vulnerable. But throughout our state the hue and cry is being heard, "but who is going to run against him?"

Relax. There is plenty of talent among Wisconsin progressives. Here is the big reason why it is not a good thing for someone to emerge right now. Even at this time, there is plenty of vulture capitalist money backing Walker. Should anyone stick their head up, they are going to get swarmed with negative ads.

There will be a right time for a candidate. The trick is, what is the that time? What we need to do is get set for 2014 There is a grassroots movement sweeping the state and we are going to need you and me and others to make sure we have time set aside to work this election. We can win this, but timing is everything.