The Recall Walker Campaign Is More About Hate Than Anything Else

It has been interesting listening to people talk about why they want to recall Scott Walker.

I hear things like, it's about job creation, it’s for the kids, claims that the balanced budget was a trick, he is not supporting the working class, and I hate him. All but the last reason, hold no merit when a little thought is applied. As for hating Scott Walker, I can’t argue they do not hate him, but I doubt that will make for a successful campaign for their candidate.

On the issue of job creation, they site the October jobs report. If we look at that report California and Illinois were at the top of the list and I don't think anyone will argue we should copy those states.

In the last year they were 4th and 5th on a list of government debt most likely to default. Also, the unemployment rate in California is 11.7% and Illinois is 10.1% compared with our 7.7% rate. There is nothing Scott Walker has done or proposed that hurts job creation. But many proposals from the other side, such as raising corporate taxes, will hurt job creation.

If we had balanced the budget, the Democratic way, like we see in Milwaukee schools or across the nation, many more public workers would be unemployed. Like I have said, the biggest threat to jobs is concern we will undo the changes that took us from 42nd the 28th on the list of best states to do business. If these people had any concern for jobs they would not be pushing more recall elections. Clearly they could care less about job creation. If job creation is your concern I would vote against and recall challenger to send the message we are moving in the right direction.

It’s for the kids is also a laughable argument. Would firing more teachers, like Milwaukee did, be better for the kids? Because of Scott Walker’s changes thousand’s more teachers are in the classroom than if we balanced the budget the way Doyle did by cutting funding without any tools to deal with the losses.

Was it for the kids when WEAC created a health insurance company to rip off school districts financially when they need to fund operations? Would it be for the kids if we borrow more money and raid funds and then leave the kids the bill for our spending like Doyle did?

If this were about the kids, they would be demanding resignations from those who decided to sign a deal with the teachers union in Milwaukee before the budget was even discussed, and before the state funding situation would be clearer. They had to know it was likely Walker would be governor and significant changes were coming. We have not even discussed the fact that teachers unions have fought against many reforms to help improve education of children to protect their ability to collect more dues. Clearly the recall is not for the kids.

The idea that the budget was balanced by a trick is almost not worth discussing. Tricks are things like fund raids, and increased borrowing like Doyle did. This budget restored the Doyle fund raids. Clearly this budget was balanced by real spending cuts, but with tools to minimize the impact on government services. Just ask any public worker if they saw real cuts.

Yes the surplus is just a projection, but one even the Democrats believe. Democrats wanted to spend the projected surplus as soon as it was announced.

The answer to the concern about Scott Walker’s support for the working class depends on your definition of the working class. If you believe only public employees count as the working class, then we could have a debate on which is better; mass layoffs or concessions on benefits supported by 2/3 of people in the state.

If you include private sector working people, who were protected from large property tax increases then it could be argued Walker is the hero of people working in this state. The idea of taxing corporations more as an option is a Red Herring argument. Even if that were a good idea, and it is worth the loss of economic growth, that would not change the need for government to be responsible spending the money it collects.

Which would help workers more; letting workers keep more of their own money benefiting all workers in the state, or making sure public workers pay way less for healthcare and retirement than private sector workers?

With all these arguments difused, the recall is really appears to be about hate of Scott Walker, because the special interest groups want their power back. As of yet, they have not come up with any reason why any rational person would want to put them back in charge. For now, it does not matter to the self-serving base collecting signatures, but they will need a better answer to win the election.