By this time next month, friends and families will be gathered around the Thanksgiving table heartily digging into their turkey and potatoes. As the meal continues, conversation will probably turn to more serious topics. In my household, someone always brings a charged political issue to the table, casually sets it between the cranberries and stuffing and then proudly watches the ensuing food fight and verbal backlash shatter the once-amiable atmosphere.
This year will be no different and someone is bound to bring up Gov. Scott Walker. Walker has been making headlines after dipping his toes into the pool of autobiographical writing and is set to release his book “Unintimidated: A Governor’s Story and a Nation’s Challenge” by mid-November.
This seems to be a very relevant title—at least, the word “unintimidated” is pertinent. No matter how you feel about Walker, we can all agree that he inspires deep disagreements. He has definitely worked fearlessly to promote radical changes in state policy, challenging the status quo while angering many Wisconsin residents, especially teachers, state employees, senior citizens and the disabled.
In his 278-page book, Walker focus on his 2011 power struggle with the state’s public unions and the subsequent recall battle of 2012.
I’m getting the feeling that people will only read this book if they want to introduce this topic over turkey, if they support Walker and his policies or if they want to familiarize themselves with the subject matter just enough to mock “the Imperial Walker” further. In fact, the mockery has already begun and his book won’t even be available for sale until Nov. 19!
However, the Associated Press recently obtained a copy and reported it criticizes former Republican presidential candidate and Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign. It also conjures up an image of Walker, 2016 President of the United States, which I find downright scary.
All of our presidents have been relatively well-educated people. The last president who did not actually graduate from college was Harry Truman. By the time 2016 rolls around, America will have had the luxury of being governed by college graduates (though of a debatable quality) for more than 60 years — a tradition that should not be broken by a Wisconsin governor who didn’t complete his education at Marquette University.
Here’s some more food for thought. Last year, Politifact ranked Walker as the most dishonest governor in the United States. More than half of his statements have been rated “mostly false” or worse while a mere 11 percent were rated true. In light of this, I question the validity of Walker’s book.
Furthermore, AP reported that — shocker — Walker’s book is one-sided and presents the governor and his past actions in a positive light. Apparently, it glosses over details regarding Walker’s fight with the unions and his repeated promise to create 250,000 new private sector jobs over his four-year term, a pledge that has become far-fetched fantasy at this point.
Overall, I have low expectations for Walker’s book. Its release will only further prolong a worn-out discussion about our governor’s current and past policies and will no doubt bring politics to the Thanksgiving table. And that’s something I am not thankful for.