Apparently, I’m the only one who doesn’t think Scott Walker is enough of a stud to win the governor’s race next year. It certainly has nothing to do with his looks. If homeliness hindered political progress in Wisconsin, then Gov. Jim Doyle would still be an intern.
It also doesn’t really matter that Walker has an awful personality. Or that he wears a clip-on tie (I might have made that last one up).
Unless the economy improves drastically and climate change brings us spring in January, Wisconsinites, in all likelihood, will still be unhappy with Doyle a year from now. They’ll be looking for a change. But if the people of Wisconsin happen to believe that a r?sum? is necessary to prove commitment to change, they’ll undoubtedly dismiss the favorite for the GOP nomination as a phony. After all, there’s not a Republican in the state more like Doyle than Walker.
I’m not saying they’ll realize the truth immediately. Reality often takes a while to sink in. For instance, Walker claims to be a fiscal conservative. People who don’t pay attention to his record believe him. That fiction has been presented as fact on at least three occasions on this very page.
Why would people believe such a tall tale without investigating its merit? No matter how much money Republicans waste, voters seem to believe the Democrats will spend more. Sometimes it’s true. However, in this election, there is ample evidence to dismiss the conventional wisdom. Like most Republicans put in charge of government, Walker has learned that fiscal conservatism is a much easier value to promote on the campaign trail than in elective office. Just look at the numbers.
Let’s start with the county budget Walker unveiled the other day. Like his buddy Jim Doyle, Walker increased spending for the government he was responsible for by roughly 6 percent. Like Doyle, Walker relied on money from the federal stimulus plan to fund the shortfall he had created by refusing to raise taxes.
Like Doyle, Walker claims he has never raised property taxes. Like Doyle, and very much like Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, Walker raised fees instead by hiking the bus fare and installing more parking meters in the city. Oh, and a ticket for the zoo costs more now. Couldn’t we have dealt with the recession without bringing the animal kingdom into the mix? They have nothing to do with this.
Walker talks a big game about cutting down government services, but his favorite tactic to fulfill this campaign pledge is merely to “privatize” the service, meaning the taxpayers pay and a company makes money.
As for debt, well, Walker has announced plans to triple his county’s debt burden for 2010. Who will deal with it is not really his problem. Even if he isn’t elected governor, the county board in Milwaukee is considering abolishing the position of county executive.
If there’s a difference between Doyle and Walker, it’s unlikely you’ll find it in analysis of fiscal policy. In simple terms of borrowing and spending, they are alarmingly similar.
They are similar in other, more ominous ways as well. For instance, it was Doyle, as attorney general, who supported inhumane “truth-in-sentencing” legislation back in 1999, which doubled the state prison population in a few short years and led to the state spending as much on prisons as on higher education. Like ’99-Doyle, Walker supports policy that puts non-violent offenders behind bars for years and protects nothing but the profits of the prison contractors who so heavily contributed to the campaigns of Doyle and former Gov. Tommy Thompson.
Of course, there are some differences. Doyle and some Democrats support gay rights while Walker and most Republicans oppose them. It’s also safe to assume that a Democratic candidate will be more favorable to environmental protections, expansion of health care and investment in education.
There are even crucial subtle differences within the areas of similarity. While both Doyle and Walker happily took places at the federal stimulus trough, only Doyle actually asked for the money. Walker railed against the plan for months, hoping that by opposing aid to Wisconsin he could one day be described as a budget hawk.
On the issue of crime and punishment, Wisconsin Democrats finally came to terms with their mistakes from the ’90s and have recently begun the process of reforming our draconian and expensive corrections system. Walker, without citing any proof of the policy’s effectiveness, will continue to include a 19th-century law and order plank in his platform until his advisers tell him it doesn’t work anymore.
So, they’re not exactly the same. But if the Republicans are looking to run against the Doyle legacy next year, I know they can do better.
Jack Craver ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in history. He is also the editor of a local politics and culture blog, www.thesconz.com.
