Welcome to this edition of crime stoppers.
State Sen. Dale Schultz is the progressives' favorite Republican at the moment, other than long-retired or -- better -- dead Republicans, of course. Schultz takes pride of place for being the lone Republican holdout on Gov. Scott Walker's public employee compensation reforms.
Somebody egged the exterior of the senator's Capitol office the other day and The Capital Times, outraged by this threat to democracy, points a bony editorial finger at the culprits:
The response of Walker and [Lt. Gov.] Kleefisch partisans to Schultz's show of independence was bitter and destructive. Schultz's office in the Capitol was egged in an act of vandalism that ...
Tailgunner Joe would be proud of that construction! ("Bitter and destructive!") Who knew Rebecca Kleefisch was hoarding eggs?
The Capital Times still retains egg on its face for stoically resisting the recall of accused (and ultimately convicted) felon Chuck Chvala. Of course, Chuckie was/is a Democrat. His acolytes ran the Senate until last year's election.
My alma mater is consistent, however, in its cynical partisanship. The CT is all-in for recalling Gov. Walker and Lt. Gov. Kleefisch. The non-union news outlet is incensed over the limits Republicans (minus Schultz) imposed on collective bargaining by most government employees:
The recall movement is genuine and determined. It has put pettiness aside ...
Good to hear that the recall movement has put pettiness aside. About time! No more blowing stadium horns in opponents' ears. No shouting down opponents. No more vile chanting while a 14-year-old girl is trying to speak. No more harassing elected state representatives. No more boycotts, vandalism or Hitler references.
Now, if we could just do something about the death threats.
Put pettiness aside: go for the kill!
For background music, set your iPod to Ralph Stanley's "O Death."
News you will never see in the Progressive Dane news outlet: threats against the governor's life. They just don't exist in Progressive-land.
A known felon suggested, in a recent Facebook posting on a recall website, killing Walker rather than recalling him. (Well, that would save soliciting the required 540,000 signatures.) This was up for three days until removed on Monday after MacIver News began investigating:
"Rather than recall him... Can we kill him instead? Just curious," wrote Regan Cowan on the Recall Walker Kick Off Rally event page on Facebook Friday afternoon.
There's more to this terrible tableau. If The Capital Times is not taking these threats seriously, state law enforcement is. Tuesday's Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports:
David Erwin, a captain in the State Patrol and the head of the unit that protects the governor, said the threats against Walker have reached a new level. State officials declined to discuss those threats or the governor's security in any detail because they said it might put him at risk.
"Any threats targeting the governor, his family and the lieutenant governor are not comparable to past administrations. Because of the increased threat level, for the first time we need to provide security at this level for the (lieutenant governor) and the governor's family."
But what about the egging of Sen. Schultz's office! Who is the egg man, goo goo g'joob?
Wisconsin v. Ohio
Voters in Ohio overwhelmingly rejected its Republican governor's public employee compensation reforms Tuesday. Is the same thing in store for Wisconsin?
Mother Jones magazine -- not exactly Faux News -- offers four reasons, "based on dozens of interviews and on-the-ground reporting in both states, why Ohio's clash is fundamentally different from Wisconsin's."
It's a great article and you can read it here, but I will summarize its major points:
- Walker exempted police and firefighters, Ohio Gov. John Kasich did not.
- Republicans were divided in Ohio but, except for Sen. Dale Schultz, united in Wisconsin.
- Ohio voted in a binding policy referendum, which we don't have in Wisconsin, not in a recall. A recall requires a viable opposition candidate to succeed. Mahlon Mitchell, anyone?
- Republicans should win the money war.
I would add one more:
- The gift of time. Any recall cannot be held before next April. Meanwhile, Gov. Walker's reforms are being eagerly implemented by school districts and other government bodies across the state. No layoffs, no tax hikes, no government shutdowns, and balanced budgets all around.
On point 3, Wisconsin voters are weary of recalls. Wisconsin Policy Research Institute's poll (PDF) in October showed 52% of respondents believe recalls are a negative development in Wisconsin politics to 42% calling it a positive.
Christian Schneider concurs at National Review Online.
