Under Gov. Scott Walker’s watch, Wisconsin has fallen from 11th to 37th in the nation in job creation. But you wouldn’t know it after listening to Walker’s most misleading State of the State address yet. Throughout the speech, the governor attempted to distract Wisconsinites from his failed record on job creation, his decision to deny healthcare to thousands of hard working Wisconsinites and the radical voter suppression and forced ultrasound bills he signed earlier this year. This year’s State of the State felt a lot more like an extended campaign ad than an honest picture of Wisconsin under Walker.
Throughout his speech, Walker danced around Wisconsin’s job creation ranking of 37th in the nation, using enough spin to make anyone dizzy. He celebrated Wisconsin’s projected budget surplus, neglecting to mention that much of the surplus was created by cutting nearly a billion dollars from public schools and the technical college system. States like Minnesota, California and New York have projected budget surpluses too. However, unlike Walker, the Democratic governors of these states earned their surpluses through economic growth, not by slashing public education.
Perhaps the most fascinating thing about this year’s State of the State address was how many of his own policies Walker neglected to mention. In the speech, Walker defended his decision to reject the federal Medicaid expansion under Obamacare but neglected to mention that his decision would cost Wisconsin $119 million and would kick 77,000 Wisconsinites, including 29,000 children, off Medicaid. It’s pretty rare that a policy both costs the state money and takes away people’s healthcare, but that’s exactly what Walker did.
Walker also neglected to mention two of his most noteworthy legislative accomplishments this year. First, he made no mention of the landmark voter suppression bill he signed in November, which drastically cut early voting hours and reinstated Wisconsin’s voter ID law. In 2012, 392,000 people, including many students, voted early. Those who voted early overwhelmingly voted for Democrats, so naturally, the governor chose to cut the hours. Second, Walker neglected to mention the mandatory ultrasound bill that he signed, which would force women seeking an abortion to undergo an invasive and medically unnecessary transvaginal ultrasound. Neither of these bills created jobs. Instead, both were designed to limit the rights of Wisconsinites.
This year’s State of the State address did not show Wisconsinites an accurate picture of the Walker administration. Walker ignored his dismal record on job creation, healthcare, education, women’s rights and voting rights. All this year’s State of the State showed is that we need new leadership in Madison.
