June 10, 2012

Scott Walker uses his newly won influence to press Mitt Romney to go "big" and go "bold."

A fascinating interview on "Face the Nation" today. I think Bob Schieffer was trying to use Walker to portray Mitt Romney as too right wing. We heard a recording of Romney's answer to Obama's "private sector is doing fine" remark. Romney said Obama wants another stimulus "to hire more government workers," and Romney (rather stupidly) cited "more firemen, more policemen, more teachers" (instead of naming some less popular government job titles). Romney characterized "the message of Wisconsin" as a desire to "to cut back on government." Schieffer craftily framed the question, asking whether the message was that people "want fewer cops and fewer firemen and fewer teachers or was there a different message?"

Walker had the wits not to agree with the question as framed. It would have been unwise to recommend firing cops, firemen, and teachers. The message of the Wisconsin recall was, he said, "slightly different." Flipping to the positive, Walker said that the message was that people want leaders who "take on the tough issues." The point is to make people less "dependent on government programs because they have a job in the private sector where they can control their own freedom, their own destiny and ultimately lead to greater prosperity."

Shieffer tried again to get an attack on Romney going, asking — again naming the popular government workers — "Well, do you think Governor Romney is talking about getting rid of more teachers and firemen?"


Walker rejected the bait again: "No.... The answer is not more big government.... I know in my state our reforms allowed us to protect firefighters, police officers, and teachers. That's not what I think of when I think of big government." By the way, Romney only opposed hiring more state workers, so that's consistent with Walker's idea of protecting firefighters, police officers, and teachers. (Isn't it interesting that Walker's speech shows more respect than Sheiffer's — "firefighters" instead of "firemen" and "police officers" instead of "cops"?)

Next Shieffer compliments Walker — "People on both sides out there sort of said, well, you know, I may not agree with the governor on the stand he took, but he was a man of conviction" — and that sets up a third invitation to attack Romney: Some Republicans "are saying that he needs to stand up more for things and not sort of try to be all things to all people."

And here's where Walker applies some pressure to Romney. He cites Romney's record with approval and says that Romney "has got the capacity" — a phrase he will use a total of 3 times — to adopt "a clear plan."
[P]eople like Paul Ryan and others and I hope that he goes big and he goes bold. I think he has got the capacity to do that. I don't think we win if it's just about a referendum on Barack Obama. I think it has got to be more.
I think voters are hungry, and my state a good example. I had people in the last couple of weeks of my election come up to me and say, I voted for your opponent the last time but I'm voting for you now.

And the reason for them was simple, they said, finally someone is willing to take on the tough issues facing our state, the economic and the fiscal crisis we faced in our state. People are so hungry for leaders that are willing to be able to stand up and take on those decisions. So I think the governor can do that as well.

SCHIEFFER: Is Wisconsin Romney country now?

WALKER: Well, I think it's up in the air. I think it's definitely in play. You know, six months ago I think the White House had it firmly in their column. I think it is up in the air.

But I think it's really very much left up not just to Republican or conservative voters, but to those swing voters who again elected me by a larger margin than they did two years ago to say, if Governor Romney can show that he has got clear plan, a plan to take on the kind of reforms we need to make America great again, particularly for our kids, I think that can win in Wisconsin and I think it can win in other swing states.
You see what Walker did?  At first, by avoiding sounding as though he wanted government workers fired, he seemed more sympathetic and softer than Romney. But in the end, he said that the way to win the swing states like Wisconsin, was to be an out and proud conservative like Ronald Reagan. That was well played... and not what Bob Schieffer was angling for.

75 comments:

Badger Pundit said...

Excellent analysis of the dynamic between committed conservatives like Walker & Ryan, and Romney. Especially if Romney takes their lead, Wisconsin should be in play in November.

Tom said...

Walker continues to impress . . .

Martin L. Shoemaker said...

I don't expect Governor Walker to be the Republican V.P. nominee this year. He would lose a lot of influence in Wisconsin if two months after such a big vote of confidence he was portrayed as abandoning the state.

But after this past week, I expect him to have a VERY prominent speaking slot at the convention.

n.n said...

I am increasingly impressed with Walker. He has handled the real and manufactured situations presented to him with a finesse uncommon for a politician -- a combination of diplomacy and leadership.

As for Romney, I assume the isolated quote was in a context which includes that while public workers are a de facto standard of our society, and a police force (i.e. granted authority of law enforcement) is indispensable, there is only limited benefit to increasing their number, and, in fact, an imposed drag, without a commensurate improvement in the general economy.

rhhardin said...

I'd propose lowering pay and benefits until the application pool for teachers, firemen and policemen is the right size for the state's need. It's not a tough issue, it's clear as day.

What kind of insanity gets people talking about protecting them?

It's a job.

It must be all children out there in TV land.

n.n said...

Martin L. Shoemaker:

Walker should remain in Wisconsin and continue to prove his mettle. As governor he will obtain necessary executive experience and, if he wishes, will be poised to run for president. A governorship is an ideal proving ground from which to select the president.

Penny said...

I agree with Walker that the people want their elected leaders to take on the tough issues, but then he neglected to clearly define the issue that he himself took on.

BIG MISS!

Instead of talking about public sector unions and their outrageous benefits' schemes that few states, red OR blue, can continue to support, he goes all fluffy with his "freedom from government handouts" routine.

Walker? KISS!

Chef Mojo said...

Buh, buh...Buh, But what about John Doe!!!111!!!???

Walker's not gonna be VP. He's too valuable where he is.

That was a very impressive exchange. Scheiffer was pleasantly frustrated by Walker. He knew he was dealing with a smart cookie who can think well on the run. Scheiffer can be a dick, but he'll give props when a guy like Walker works his way through the interview without dodging, ala Axelrod. Walker reframed and defined the questions, and thus had control over the answers and, more importantly, the message. Kudos.

Penny said...

And in case you wonder, I was not sending a smooch to Walker.

KISS

Keep it simple, stupid.

The Crack Emcee said...

I like Scott Walker - a lot - and, if I were on his team of advisors, I would tell him to stay as far away from Mitt Romney as humanly possible. They represent two different types of governance entirely, and Walker doesn't need to get his good version mixed up with the mess that is Romney's in any way, shape, or form.

There was no way to duck this direct question, but keep it to a minimum - and Romney at a distance,...

Martin L. Shoemaker said...

n.n,

Exactly! Although I think Romney needs a V.P. who's a lot like Walker, I think Walker would lose his value if he accepted a hypothetical V.P. offer. He becomes a better future candidate by staying where he is, weathering the storms, and making his case. If he accepted an offer now, he would lose all this temporary influence as voters felt abandoned. He can build lasting influence by staying right where he is.

But in the mean time, there are a lot of hours of speeches to fill in that convention. I'm betting Governor Walker gets a prime time slot. I wouldn't be surprised if he got to be the one who officially introduced Romney to the convention. And a prime time speaking slot is yet another boost for his national ambitions down the road.

Penny said...

I can understand all the sugar for Walker given the recall results, but let's not overstate his political expertise, which to my mind, is minimal.

He is hardly a "great communicator". In fact, he did minimal communicating before he decided to simply utilize the advantage of having both a republican senate and house to vote through his agenda.

One might say he used the "mathematics approach" to legislating.

YoungHegelian said...

Let me say, right up front, living in bluest of blue, affluent, Democratic, Montgomery County, MD when somebody asks me if we should cut the firemen, police, and teachers, my response would be "with a chain saw, please".

As rhhardin says, "It's a job."

Ipso Fatso said...

Schieffer was just doing his job, that is to shill for the Democratic Party. Expect plenty more where that came from until November.

Penny said...

Republicans are pleased...All's well that ends well.

Democrats are outraged!

Penny said...

If Althouse commenters cannot even imagine their ire should the mathematics be turned around here, then I am not sure what to say?

Other than...WAIT!

This will most assuredly happen to you some day.

Pendulums swing.

Martin L. Shoemaker said...

Penny, apparently you were asleep in 2009 and 2010 when the mathematics approached was applied by the Democrats at the national level.

The result was a historic midterm repudiation and a continuing dissatisfaction with their policies yet today. Yes, sometimes the pendulum swings.

Meanwhile in Wisconsin, when Governor Walker (according to you, not saying I buy it) governed by mathematics, the result last week was a slightly HIGHER margin of victory than he had in the real election.

Sometimes the pendulum isn't done swinging when you think it is.

Edmund Burke said...

here is what I took from Walker. 1. he is becoming increasingly annoying as a self promoting type 2. His comments to Schiefer were along the lines of Rommey needs to be more like ME.

Penny said...

Why on earth are we sitting here rejoicing that firefighters, policemen and teachers are losing their jobs?

Just because those are the three groups that seem to be mentioned most often doesn't mean we need to buy into that ridiculous democratic rhetoric.

When did thoughtful people start believing that trimming the fat from government automatically translated to the loss of jobs for firefighters, police and teachers?

Penny said...

Yeah, OK. That is precisely how local politicians have trimmed their budgets in the past.

But why?

Cause they can get both republicans and democrats screaming in unison, "Oh NO!"

It's a diversion, folks.

It's a diversion that has worked so well at the local level that it worked its way up to the state level. And now, APPARENTLY, we have so totally bought into this bullshit meme that we talk about it on the Sunday news shows and in buildups to presidential elections.

Michael K said...

I'm very impressed with how astute Walker is and am impressed with how nimble Romney's team is. He needs to avoid a few clumsy phrases, like "I like firing people" when he should have said, "I like the people to have the ability to fire.." He also was a bit clumsy in naming examples of public workers although he is right about numbers. The Madison cops certainly chose to support the unions over the people and lost cred as far as I am concerned.

Great clip on You Tube today; a HuffPo guy saying "When Romney is elected..."

http://www.capoliticalreview.com/videos/huffpos-sam-stein-on-romney-when-hes-elected-president/

Penny said...

This ridiculous meme is the same as saying that when your family falls on hard financial times, your obvious resolution is to kick one of your kids out of the house.

Get a grip!

There are many, many ways to trim the fat in YOUR house, and in the PEOPLES' house as well.

edutcher said...

What's interesting here is that the Lefties can no longer toot their own horn, as it has been shattered at the local, state, and national levels, and the Republicans aren't obliging them by making any mistakes.

So they are reduced to hoping they can start a little bit of the civil war going on in their own ranks.

Edmund Burke said...

here is what I took from Walker. 1. he is becoming increasingly annoying as a self promoting type 2. His comments to Schiefer were along the lines of Rommey needs to be more like ME.

Flop sweat.

"She reminds me o' me"

Rooster Cogburn to Sgt LaBoeuf, regarding Miss Mattie Ross.

george said...

Why are they discussing teachers and firemen when these things are local and state responsibilities?

Why would it make sense to send the money to Washington and then turn right around and send it back? Unless someone is wanting to take a cut along the way or wants to buy votes in certain localities then it makes no sense whatsoever for the federal government to get involved.

YoungHegelian said...

@Penny,

When did thoughtful people start believing that trimming the fat from government automatically translated to the loss of jobs for firefighters, police and teachers?

I don't think "thoughtful people" ever did believe that, but the "firemen & policemen first" ruse is often used by Democratic bureaucrats as a shield to hide behind when it comes time to trim the bureaucracy so that taxes can be cut.

But that ruse assumes that the police, firemen, and teachers still hold the public's respect.

Well, folks aren't buying it anymore. Police, firemen, and teachers are locally provided services, and when we as taxpayers can see that we're not getting our ROI even from the "guardians", then it becomes clear that we're not getting our ROI from any of the state & local government services.

Mom said...

So in Penny's analogy, teachers, police officers and firefighters are childlike dependents who can't fend for themselves and need to be cared for by the rest of us, as their governmental parents. Hmm. I thought the whole point of public workers was to provide necessary services to the people -- not to be cared for and cosseted by them. But maybe that's just me.

edutcher said...

george said...

Why are they discussing teachers and firemen when these things are local and state responsibilities?

Because the Lefties believe everything should be controlled centrally.

That's how their beloved Uncle Joe did it.

PS Walker seems to be going Ann Coulter one better and asking the Romster to unleash his Inner Conservative.

Cedarford said...

When you get right down to it, we really do need to question the conventional wisdom that the one thing America must have more of and gear all our taxes and the economy to - is the need for more Hero cops, firefighters, and caring and wise and nurturing (as well as heroic teachers).

I question even Republicans kow-towing to the idea that the three "Hero worker" categories are somehow politically inviolate, and should have total job security - unlike any other state or city or Federal employee.

Does it really serve a state and it's citizens better to say all 49,000 teachers must remain hired rather than go from a 12 - 1 to 13-1 teacher student ratios by sacrificing them to layoffs instead of the 3 bridge inspectors in state and the 28 man repairs crew?

Is it imperative to grovel to Obama and the "more heroes!!" crowd that demand the citizens of Texas and Maine help pay for the hiring binge Chicago made with "More Hero firefighters"? Or is it CHicago just has more people on staff by a factor of 3 than other US cities, and they must cut back? Even if that means 11 people firehouse respond to a fire 3 times a week instead of 12? Or that CHicago might be forced to get volunteer firefighters, as other cities do??

Penny said...

It might be exactly like that, edutcher, but it is more likely that all of us live on "sound bytes" these days, and if it SOUNDS GOOD for me and mine? I'm enjoying the parade....right here in River City.

And if it doesn't sound good to me? I will learn to BEAT THE DRUM!

boom boom boom

tiger said...

1) WHY should teachers/police/firefighters be immune to budgetary concerns? ESPECIALLY teachers. MPS teachers make an average (w/pay&benefits) $103,000 per 9 month year by their union's own figures yet this outstanding pay package has done nothing to improve test scores.

2)As for first responders we need just enough, not too much and there are plenty of studies done on numbers needed per capita.

3) As for Walker taking a hypothetical VP offering. Not gonna happen but to who ever said he didn't have enough experience: he has more experience being governor and a county executive than our current president with his years of being an non-participating empty suit in the Illinois and US senates.

and finally
4) I was sent an email today of a picture showing firefighters coming out of a burning building with the caption 'Do these look like thugs to you?'
I replied 'they certainly don't but when a member of their union board -Mahon Mitchell - calls for mom-and-pop stores to be boycotted if they didn't agree with the union's agenda then, yeah, that's thuggery'.
Her only response? I misspelled Mahlon's first name.
HA!

Unknown said...

Penny said:::: He is hardly a "great communicator". In fact, he did minimal communicating before he decided to simply utilize the advantage of having both a republican senate and house to vote through his agenda.

Penny seems to think that the Wisconsin legislature flipped from Democrat to Republican (along with the governorship AND the US Senator) by magic.

Walker's communication during the campaign (in which he did allude to curtailing union wage escalation and bargaining privileges) was great! Enough to soundly thump his opponent ... er what was his name? Penny communicates poorly (or deceptively) when she calls the legislative control "an advantage" when it really was a mandate from the Wisconsin.

Of course Penny, and 700,000 petition signers disagreed that it was a mandate, and last Tuesday after month's of Walker's very clear communication regarding the success of his reforms, the voters confirmed that they had given him a mandate.

Penny said...

Here's the game...

States, counties and cities live off the teat of the federal government. When the federal government runs into financial problems, it sends less money to the local level, while telling the general population that they are "cutting back".

And they are! Less money to locals.

This is just about the time that local pols talk about getting rid of police, firefighters and teachers to meet their budgets.

Some locals go the waste removal route...just cause they know their constituents better....But you get my drift.

The alternative, so they say, is higher taxes!

"Hell NO!", say some taxpayers.

But then other taxpayers come forward to protect their local schools "just the way they are"...and just because "my kid loves his teacher".

And then..."The vote."

Ignorance is Bliss said...

I don't think Walker should take a VP offer, he is better off in Wisconsin, biding his time.

Although maybe he could stay governor while also taking a small, part-time role in Washington to gain some national experience.

How about a seat on the National Labor Relations Board?

tom beebe said...

A fix on this, a patch on that. Hopefully Romnet will come to take the "think big and bold" message. We need to replace all our federal taxes and all federal transfer payments (money given NOT in exchange for goods or services received). I'll send such a plan on one page to any who ask, tbeebe6535@yahoo.com

Unknown said...

Penny said: When did thoughtful people start believing that trimming the fat from government automatically translated to the loss of jobs for firefighters, police and teachers?


Here Penny is transparently pushing Obama's meme from his "private sector is fine" faceplant. Somehow despite the gargantuan growth and spending that President Goldman Sachs has conducted we are losing teachers, firemen and police. Does anybody remember that we sent the states 25 billion two years ago to keep all the teachers? Is it time to feed the teacher meter again?

This is just play 76 in the Democratic playbook. All government workers are vital public servants like policemen and firefighters. Walker's genius was configuring a reform that kept the status quo in Teachers (no significant teacher layoffs except the 4 counties).

Walker did run on math. That Wisconsin payables were greater than its income. In other words we were broke. His honest and crystal clear communication convinced Wisconsinites.

wyo sis said...

Michael K
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBfWB64iHAs

Paddy O said...

This ridiculous meme is the same as saying that when your family falls on hard financial times, your obvious resolution is to kick one of your kids out of the house.

Get a grip!

There are many, many ways to trim the fat in YOUR house, and in the PEOPLES' house as well.


Preach it!

Yes, and your earlier comment hit on why this is always the conversation--it's what foments responses.

But, nobody really thinks that the problem is with how many police or firefighters we have. It's all the other bloat that needs to be cut. But that's precisely the problem here in California--they're never going to cut the bloat, so they cut services and service providers.

Somehow there needs to be a "Lean" amendment written up that requires a 10-15% reduction in budgets without any cut in services--it can only target wasteful spending or administrative costs or bureaucracy. Every department in government would have to go through this, and if it was required I have no doubt they would find the way to make the cuts without our feeling the cuts.

Unknown said...

Penny said ::::

Here's the game...

States, counties and cities live off the teat of the federal government.

Uhhh Penny, These governmental bodies are part a Federal system and should support their services to their citizens via their own taxes. The requirements that States balance their budgets means they are going to have to balance their resources against their citizens tax burden like Walker did.

Doesn't anybody ever consider that in some locations enrollments are dropping and therefore we don't need the same numbers of teachers?

http://www.gazettextra.com/news/2012/feb/01/janesville-schools-enrollment-continues-drop/

http://www.shawanoleader.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=27&ArticleID=31773

A new enrollment study projects that the Elmbrook School District's resident enrollment will drop by 475 students, or 7.4 percent, between 2010 and 2015, prompting School Board members to begin asking questions about the district's future

http://www.brookfieldnow.com/news/68921647.html#!page=0&pageSize=10&sort=newestfirst

garage mahal said...

Escape to Wisconsin! Where neighbors hate each other. No jobs. And human waste in your drinking water. Forward!

David A. Lunde said...

After listening to the Democrats and their Swiss Guard in the media, I am completely convinced that all government workers are either teachers, cops, or fire fighters.

Penny said...

This "GAME" we play? It's like musical chairs...right here in River City.

And it's a load of crap, but only because no one chooses to even TRY to explain that there are solutions beyond throwing out teachers, firefighters and cops.

The federal government is not your friend.

When they get in financial trouble? They send their shit downsteam to the state and local level.

And just when you think you can't take anymore shit?

Ritchie The Riveter said...

I approach cutting public-service spending the same way I approach trimming military spending ... you start by cutting the stuff that is designed more for fighting political wars, than the real kind.

Like layers and layers of administration, as opposed to the "operators" we are always threatened with losing if we vote NO to tax increases ... and keeping "operators" on staff that have shown they aren't able to get the job done ... and new high-dollar facilities, paid for by our tax dollars or donated-but-maintained by our tax dollars, that are peripheral to achieving essential objectives (at best), such as technology centers that, by the time they are opened, are behind what the students already have in their backpacks with respect to computing power.

You focus on the ESSENTIAL elements of the particular mission ... not the nice-to-have's, like political correctness and promoting ideology.

Once that is done, then you do what WI has done, and bring wages and benefits more into line with equivalent work done by those who pay the taxes.

And you do all this while communicating with the "operators" directly, instead of having their views filtered -- both ways -- through the administrators and union leadership that will tell you what they want you to hear.

Penny said...

"And just when you think you can't take anymore shit?"

What? We need a new "Federal Sanitation Plan"?

Ha ha

That was a euphemism for some sort of federal grant that goes to the natives who are acting out in less than desirable fashion.

Meaning.....We're throwing SHIT at each other and we've run out of federal toilet paper.

Penny said...

Local politicians are idiots who no more want to resolve intractable problems than their federal counterparts.

They're plumbers.

Gotta keep that shit moving.

Penny said...

Paddy O, we agree.

But as long as Athousians choose to see a "win" as the "way"...

Well. We have work to do.

FedkaTheConvict said...

My dad did not graduate from college so he's obviously stupid. I'm surprised that nice Mr. Schieffer didn't tie him in knots.

The Genius Savant said...

It's of absolutely no surprise that a way over-the-hill "anchor" who has had unquestioned job security for decades would be bested by a younger, more-on-the-line-everyday, skilled politician.

That it's remarkable that it happened says a lot about the majority of politicians (both parties) and that someone like Schieffer is thought of as someone who can/does trip up people and/or still should have a job himself.

Aridog said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Aridog said...

Paddy O ... pretty sure you are aware of how right you are regarding "bloat."

At the risk of irritating others by posting a quotation I've posted s few times before, here's an illustrative depiction of "bloat" ...one that applies to states and cites as well as the feds, IMO, in the quotation:

... Research I conducted shows that between 1961 and 2009, the number of executive layers—or ranks by title—at an average cabinet-level agency jumped from seven to 18, even as the number of executives per layer swelled from 451 to 2,600. If Congress and the president want greater accountability from the bureaucracy, they should cut the standard reporting chain in half and reverse the recent proliferation of lower layers occupied by chiefs of staff, deputy chiefs of staff, team leaders and management-support specialists. [Paul C. Light in the WSJ]

Government "executive" tiers have inverted the management pyramid with layers of lard, who contribute literally nothing to service performance. I'm not guessing in agreement, I worked in the federal system....one that should tip over of its own imbalance were it not for political props holding it up.

Mark O said...

Shieffer is as nasty a little man as inhabits television today. Remeber him as the man who thought John Edwards' love child was not news.

Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...

And human waste in your drinking water. Forward!

And to think, the left wanted to put promote the one guy responsible for pumping billions of gallons of shit into Milwaukee's drinking water.

ampersand said...

In Illinois the hero workers are the cops,the firefighters,the teachers and the babysitters.
(900 million dollar budgets and SEIU members to boot)

Penny said...

Sheiffer is low man on the Sunday News Show totem pole.

Now that we established THAT as fact.

How exactly might we categorize that Walker was his guest?

Penny said...

Oh!

Nevermind....

Penny said...

Look. That sounded too cruel for words to those of you caught up in the Wisconsin recall.

Thing is, Walker doesn't have ONE clue how to take his message national, and worse than that? Apparently the RNC is so disfunctional that they didn't either.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz is feeling "importanter"!

Penny said...

Sheesh!

I used to suppose the really neat thing about democracy was that someone wins and then that pisses off someone else.

Penny said...

Now?

Oi....

Phil 314 said...

Local politicians are idiots who no more want to resolve intractable problems than their federal counterparts.

This from the folks who shouted "THIS IS WHAT LOOKS LIKE!"

rhhardin said...

The way you set wages isn't by what the average taxpayer makes but by the size of the acceptable applicant pool.

Even Rush gets that wrong.

Fen said...

Insty: "when they talk about taxes it’s always for teachers, firemen, and police — but when they spend your taxes, it always seems to go to some guy in a leather chair downtown you never heard of."

Penny said...

And the "applicant pool" is more often planet-wide than it is 20 miles from home like it used to be.

Here's the sad news.

Legislators HONESTLY believe they're working hard on your behalf by pushing through new rules raising the minimum wage for work done in your state.

Mel said...

I actually do think it's okay to fire - or decide not to hire - police officers, firefighters and teachers.

I will be voting for exactly one member of my current city school board in the next election: the one who didn't vote to spend $500,000 next year on a STEM school joint venture with our county. (The county is also spending $500,000 on the school.) The school will partially serve 80 city students and 80 county students. Partially serve...they will get their science and math classes at the stem school and then be bussed back to their "home schools" for reading, social studies and related arts. WTF?! That's a stinkin' lot of money to spend per kid for 2/3 of a school day and a bus trip. (And, it's not sour grapes that my kid didn't get in, he loves to write and play trumpet and didn't apply.)
When a sheriff's deputy is caught stealing drugs from the evidence locker you damn well better be able to fire his ass and the same for the cop who downloads kiddie porn on a church's wi-fi network because it's not secure.

I can't think of anything awful I've read about our fire department in the last year, but if our population decreases and we don't need as many anymore, then yes, let some go...

Geez, people, we're out of money. We can't afford the sacred cows anymore.

bagoh20 said...

We have to cut police, firefighters and teachers you say? Well then, that's different. By all means, lets go broke to avoid that, because I'm sure that once we are bankrupt everything will be fine in the public sector just like it is in the private.

When people say we are broke and that our government is unsustainable, I thought they meant like a liberal problem where is all just made up. We can't have these real problems. Who the hell started that crap. Let's go back to global warming, or Guantanamo, peak oil, or homelessness. Those problems are a lot more fun to "solve". They actually go away when you just stop talking about them.

Alex said...

Instead of firing firefigheters & Police officers, shouldn't we fire those $200K/year administrators?

Alex said...

garage is back and more triumphant then ever!

JohnnyT1948 said...

Whatever our Hostess' impression of Gov. Walker's interview today, AOL is headlining it as "Walker Breaks From Romney On Key Issue" and then linking to a HufPost story http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/10/scott-walker-disagrees-wi_n_1584628.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl1%7Csec3_lnk1%26pLid%3D168641

"Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) said on Sunday that he disagreed with Mitt Romney's recent statement that the governor's win in last week's recall election showed that voters oppose hiring more teachers, firefighters and police officers."

Penny said...

Well, it's only right that the republicans "break".

After all, this was a week or two wherein we say stalwarts of the democratic party "breaking".

Think Cory Booker and Bill Clinton and Fast Eddie Rendell!

Penny said...

New meme?

Sure feels that way to me, course what do I know other than what I read.

And what I read was fast Eddie Rendell giving his take on how he became a darling of the electorate by saying "unpredictable" things.

"Truth to Power!"

Remember when he was DNC chair and he told Gore to let the recount go?

Ha ha, that was priceless.

And according to Rendell, if I can read between the lines, the stuff that makes centrists think you are one of them!

Penny said...

Five months to go in this election cycle.

And the presidential candidates' "party friends" are breaking to the center in what can only be described as bold and independent moves!

You buy this crap?

Keep it up and the government in power will be building a wastewater facility in your back yard. lol

Rick Caird said...

The real conflict here is Shieffer angling for a specific answer. Shieffer is editorializing via his questions. Shieffer is clearly coming down on a specific side for this election and that side is not Romney.

Christopher in MA said...

Is "Penny" just Carol Herman under a different nic? The scattershot thorazine-addled posting seems fairly similar.

Escape to Wisconsin. Where neighbors hate each other.

Yeah, sending death threats and boycotting business does tend to piss people off, oddly enough.

No jobs.

Explaining why you've got time to post all day.

And human waste in your drinking water.

To join the Wisconsin human waste that posts here.

Forward!

How's that crow tasting, garbage? I hope you're choking on it.

grackle said...

His comments to Schiefer were along the lines of Rommey needs to be more like ME.

Which is the MSM's spin on the interview – as a criticism of Romney by Walker.

damikesc said...

Why on earth are we sitting here rejoicing that firefighters, policemen and teachers are losing their jobs?

Just because those are the three groups that seem to be mentioned most often doesn't mean we need to buy into that ridiculous democratic rhetoric.

When did thoughtful people start believing that trimming the fat from government automatically translated to the loss of jobs for firefighters, police and teachers?


When a company is bleeding money, they don't use that time to beef up their security or training budgets.

That's why.

Anonymous said...

And now for some perspective. Anybody remember Arnold in California, who was the Gubernator until he misread the electorate there?

Remember GWB talking about his 'capital' from the 2004 election, and his decision to try and use that to back Social Security changes? That one broke his coalition, and contributed to the Dem win in 2006 (along with Amnesty).

The Dems read the 06 and 08 rejections of the GOP as mandates for them, the 'we won' attitude, and they tried to ram through Obamacare based on it. That led to their historical-scale defeat in 2010, their worst performance in literally decades.

The GOP promptly misread that rejection of Obamacare as a mandate for entitlement changes, voted for Paul Ryan's budget, and found that their enormous momentum from 2010 immediately evaporated, because that was _not_ what the TEA Party and E2010 were about.

Remember Kasich in Ohio? He won a solid victory in 2010 as governor, only to see the same voters that rebuked Obamacare vote to _undo_ his attempt to bring down the unions. Same election, same voters, they rejected Obamacare by a huge majority and also turned Kasich into a lame duck. Kasich's arrogance and overconfidence may well have cost us Ohio in 2012, which might mean a 2nd Obama term.

In Wisconsin, the unions made highly public asses of themselves, alienating people who might otherwise have been sympathetic, and Walker succeeded when Kasich failed in large part because he was _less_ bold and _less_ reckless than Kasich.

It's all very well for Walker to advise boldness to Romney, but a rejection of your opponents is not the same thing as a vote of support to you. Economic policy is a minefield. Bold leadership in a minefield is not likely to produce good results. We need savvy, caution, and a clear-eyed understanding of where the electorate is, not 'boldness'.

Boldness in pursuit of policies about which the electorate is ambivalent is a very likely way for us to salvage Obama from his own errors.

Anonymous said...

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David