Recalling Scott Walker

by folkbum

I want to be on the record here, not because I think my opinion is going to make a bit of difference but because, well, I have a blog and I may as well use it.

A, I don't care for Walker. Never have. Not when he was Rep. Walker, not when he was County Executive Walker, and sure as hell not as Governor Walker. He's left a swath of destruction--his fans would call it "reform," but then again, they don't have to deal with the aftermath--in his wake at every turn in his adult life. He should not hold any office, and helping him with that is, I think, a reasonable goal.

2, I think the DPW and the various grassroots orgs involved, while well intentioned and the ones to carry out this exercise in participatory democracy, are making a huge mistake by going at it in the middle of Packers season and snow and--this is key--in isolation. Wisconsin's Democratic voter turnout was never as high in recent years as in November 2008. Obama remains relatively popular here, and there will be a ton of complementary national resources pouring in from the national party and national orgs to spur Democratic turnout. Pushing ahead with an election this important that would likely be the first under the new restrictive voter requirements, which will take time for legitimate voters to overcome, is just dumb.

Finally, if anyone is going to beat Walker, it won't be Kathleen Falk, as much as she holds a special place in Mike Tate's heart. Jon Erpenbach, as much as he holds a place in the heart of #WIUnion, isn't it either. If it were me, I'd be camped out in Dave Obey's living room. If it takes some buckets and This Is What Democracy Looks Like to talk him into it, so be it. But there's your winning candidate, especially if he promises to step in as caretaker until 2014, just to clean up the mess.

Anyway, this is all me. You guys do what think is best.