Ezra Klein: what a prank call proves about Wisconsin

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2011/02/what_a_prank_call_proves_about.html

(...)

But if the transcript of the conversation is unexceptional, the fact of it is lethal. The state's Democratic senators can't get Walker on the phone, but someone can call the governor's front desk, identify themselves as David Koch, and then speak with both the governor and his chief of staff? That's where you see the access and power that major corporations and wealthy contributors will have in a Walker administration, and why so many in Wisconsin are reluctant to see the only major interest group representing workers taken out of the game.

The critique many conservatives have made of public-sector unions is that they both negotiate with and fund politicians. It's a conflict of interest. Well, so too do corporations, and wealthy individuals. That's why Murphy -- posing as Koch -- was able to get through to Walker so quickly. And it shows what Walker is really interested in here: He is not opposed, in principle, to powerful interest groups having the ear of the politicians they depend on, and who depend on them. He just wants those interest groups to be the conservative interest groups that fund him, and that he depends on.

That's one of the most staggering things about this. I'd like to know if anyone else has been given that kind of access to the governor during this episode. I'm guessing the answer isn't just no one else, it's hell no, noone else.

The governors chief of staff and the governor are right on the line with this guy for an unprecedented amount of unscheduled interview time. Amazing and very, very telling imho.

I'd be curious from your experience, and from what you know of others in the biz, isn't this remarkable?

what is the word?

CONSPIRACY.

He repeated Walker's spokesman's response almost verbatim.

"The governor takes many calls...the governor didn't say anything in the call that he hasn't said in public...those mean bloggers...blah, blah, blah."

:puke:

I have no idea why anyone listens to that child.

And he pretty much tore apart the whole "public sector union is breaking the state budget" argument.
He's pretty damn well-informed.
He used to go on KO all the time.

Goes to show very vividly where the loyalty of the repukes "lie".

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Hypocritical dipshit.

:kick:

does Joan Walsh.

And that's giving him 15 watts for free.

Anybody can be propped up as a puppet of a corporation if the corporation is willing to spend the bucks to get them into office.

Sarah P Leathers almost became the Veep, for crying out loud!!

collect evidence to protect themselves when the inevitable time comes to be thrown under the bus as a Patsy for the Oligarchy.

When asked to describe the budget outlook for the state, he said gloomy.
When asked how he felt about it (since he was the jerkwad that was here for the last 4 years), he said gloomy.
When asked if he knew what type of cuts would have to be made to balance the budget, he said gloomy.

Turns out that he had watched the weather report the night before on tv and they said it would be gloomy.
He liked the way that sounded, and took it as his own!

What a sweet, sweet bu$t!

He is the male equivalent of the half term Senator of Alaska.

:kick:

others while taking this type of call?

Couldn't have been said any better. Though, only weak-minded people would have ever thought he felt the need to attack unions without something corporatist behind it.

AKA... republicans.

Union-busting, plain and simple.

Gov. Wanker is bought and paid for. He represents the money of anyone who pays him. Not the people.

"We've got the best damned democracy money can buy." Bigbux Doug

He has hit the nail on the head. Money = access.

fabricated from the right to petition part of the first amendment is legalized bribery.
Anyone I know that has recently donated to a campaign can test this. Call them up and see how much "free speech" your contribution bought you.

If this story were about a similar incident in any other country, we'd be calling it corruption, abuse of power, etc. We wouldn't dance around it with mealy-mouthed descriptions excusing or explaining such behavior. I'd like to think this is a turning point of sorts. I don't think it is, though it is good to read these sorts of comments.

Kicking and recommending, big time! :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :yourock: