Scott Walker wins. And Wisconsin loses. Mayor Dave opines:
This is a black day for Wisconsin's economy.
The 5,000 or so construction workers who could have been employed over the course of the next few months building high speed rail have Scott Walker to thank for their continued unemployment.
A governor-elect who claims to be making jobs his top priority has killed thousands of good-paying jobs before even taking office. And it won't stop here. Walker has laid out nothing less than an all out attack on the modern economy.
This truly is a sad day in Wisconsin politics. What's most painful about the train's departure is that Scott Walker didn't even need the issue to win. Had he not mentioned the train once during his campaign he still would have won 52 percent of the vote and he could have made Wisconsin a proud promoter of the 21st century technology and economy.
I wonder if deep down, buried beneath his desire to be on the cover of the National Review, Walker understands how pathetic and irresponsible this grandstanding is. No amount of tax cuts and deregulation will be able to help Wisconsin after Walker has successfully moved our economy into the dark ages.
The good news is that the march backward has political consequences for Walker. If the Democrats don't succeed in portraying him as a knuckle-dragger on the train, they'll at least have an easier time when it comes to stem cell research, for instance.
Hopefully there will be some political consequences for Walker on this one. The Democrats can't let this go unpunished.
Follow The Sconz on Twitter or Facebook to get regular updates on city and state politics. Please send anonymous tips, interview requests or any other comments to jcraver@isthmus.com.