eastern healEzra Klein
At least Republicans tell you they dont give a fecal impaction about everyday Americans and make you figure out how to avoid depending on them for help.
Tapped
Walkers done.
70% of Wisconsin 8th graders cant read this.
Its so funny to watch these bitter reactionaries in Wisconsin cling to their pensions and unions.
What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight， and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.
William Blake searches the Constitution and the statements of the Framers for evidence that they envisioned supermajority rules in the Senate. Short version: They didnt.
Hes a right wing radicals wet dream. Those who wore brown shirts in 1920s Germany would be most proud of Governor Scott Walker. Hes a kindred spirit.
For a HILARIOUS web site: http://www.wix.com/demandthetruth2/obamajokescatalog
UNREAL!!! SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FUNNY!!! (Political parody of Obama， Michelle， Rahm， Barney Frank， Pelosi the Witch， Schumer and more!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Doesnt Walker actually say in the conversation that he has spoken with a specific democrat lawmaker?
Not only did Walker get pranked， he also demonstrated what a bold two-ced liar he is.
Theres only one teachers union， and theyre allowed to turn 1-2% of every workers paychecks into a huge campaign chest that would take a decade of hard work in a creating valuable product and/or guessing right on Wall Street to match and exert as much influence on the politicians.
So the legislators who are supposed to be negotiating with the governor cant get him， millionaires who create astroturf organizations get right through.
Ummm， actually， when David Koch asks about planting demonstrators in the crowd to cause trouble， Walker responds:
So koch gave 43，000， spent another 3.5 million in smear ads， but most importantly， they paid for the creation of and the training of the tea bagger movement. The tea baggers are a bought and paid for subsidiary of koch industries.
Weak tea， indeed.
Megan McArdle
Perhaps he is taking a page out of the Republican play book who seem to be trying to do everything they can to overturn our Presidential election. Yes， elections do count. The American people overwhelmingly elected Barack Hussein Obama to be President of the United States of America. That means they rejected Republican policies and accepted Democratic policies. You people have been throwing temper tantrums ever since. Why dont you all follow your own advice. It certainly would make life a whole lot better. I mean two years of the whining， bi!ching， moaning， fear， scare， smear， doom and gloom is enough. Get over it， accept the outcome of the election yourself.
Hello Gov. Walker， this is GEORGE PETERSON…
Given how important retirement planning and health care are， that seems to be a pretty astute negotiation. Now， the state is trying to renege on those promises. It is not because they are too expensive; they are cheaper than private sector employees overall. It is because they want to destroy the power of the unions to negotiate at all.
Posted by: Commenting1 February 23， 2011 12:50 PM
it was plenty incriminating…he admits to have already thought about planting counterprotestors (thankfully he didnt， but thats beside the point). Also he admits that he is planning on scamming the 12 missing senators back for a negotiation session， with no intention of negotiating， but only so that rebublicans can go ahead with the vote due to them being there—which is decietful. He also seems very intent on sure that koch is clear that though it may appear that hes negotiating with the dems， rest assured， he is not negotiating， in essense， dont worry， buddy. He also praises the help that prankster-koch has sent in for support， namely brietbart， while in public the governer derrides the outside forces that have come into the state to support the protestors….
Anyway， Democrats are wrong on Keynesianism， wrong on public unions， were wrong on Jim Crow， and wrong on slavery. The compassionate conservatism of Reagan/Clinton-Gingrich/Bush I/Bush II is the centrism that will win out and beyond the basic necessities compassion warrants， the social liberalism you enjoy so much you must pay for yourselves. If you want to change your wealth or the distribution of wealth， get an education and a high paying job and， after giving so much to the USA conduit for charity to the poor， give even more to charity. After serving in the military， that is the best social work a citizen can do today.
Poor t lil conservative ko0ks — I would venture all your press adventures end in ilure (Iraq， Social security， et al)， but you dont seem to get why that is， so I wont.
Elgipper，
To me the truly damning aspect of the discussion about planting troublemakers is the reason Walker decided against it.
Gov. Walker talks about coercing the Democrats into returning by passing a law that would require them to pick up their paychecks in person if they miss two consecutive meetings of the legislature. (Im surprised he doesnt get the Republicans to pass a bill that cuts off their health benefits if they miss two consecutive meetings).
Walker， and Palin， and the rest of the extremists seem to be targets of rather bizarre prank calls. The wanting-to-be-connected-to-the-rich-and-mous politicians set themselves up for mess like this. Walker is a smoothe talking I-shall-not-be-moved worst kind of politician.
Paul Krugman
Reading Constitution Aloud Skit Bombs.
Thats not how the lefties are spinning it， but then what else have they got lately?
Boots on the ground caused that .. not cowards like Mr. Walker. Find another dead hero to hide behind Mr. Walker.
Back in 1974 the， people in the know all said that， by the year 2000， the Worlds OIL would be gone， used-up， exhausted.
The only REAL news organization in this country， Jon Stewarts Daily Show， gave us an AUDIO TRANSCRIPT of Governor Criminal contemplating planting troublemakers in protesting crowds， except he worried that a violent incident might backfire.
Mr. Klein，
Its obvious the Left has gotten its talking points (LA Times， NY Times， Ezra， etc.) and Koch Bros. are to be excoriated as the center of evil Right Wing influence in the US.
SCOTT WALKER didnt recognize the FAKE David Koch.
Mark Thoma
How is it that in the 21st century America we still have corrupt unions that force employees to join their mob and pay a union dues (protection money) every payday if they want to work. I thought these shakedowns ended years ago.
For that matter， I also wouldnt take at ce value the word of legislators who fled the state that they cant get in contact with the governor.
Word is that the Obamas needed a bigger bed so that Union heads Andy Stern and Richard Trumka could sleep in their bed with them….before that they had Barak sleeping on the floor!
Walker presents the union busting as common sense fiscal policy to the public， but has a brutally idealogical take on it when talking to a ke supporter Koch. He comes off as cynically two-ced at about the level of Richard Nixon. In ct， this might be a Nixon moment for him.
Posted by: msoja February 23， 2011 1:26 PM Report abuse
Walker seems to be an idiot， the unions are just thugs and addicts protecting their interests， and anyone who abandons their job responsibilities to just rally for their own cause should be fired by their superiors， or， if not， that says a lot about the superiors， eh? This is an embarassing exercise of American narcissism and lust for power. Maybe the people in the Middle East who are truly revolting for change for their country are on the internet， and when not reading about information on their own issues， see this pathetic display of gimme that， its mine mentality of this country and realize that their own leaders are guilty by association with us.
For a HILARIOUS web site: http://www.wix.com/demandthetruth2/obamajokescatalog
And it is especially damning that he was contemplating pulling a Mubarek and paying thugs to cause trouble among the tens of thousands of working people who are resisting having the human rights crushed by the power of a rogue government and a power mad tyrant.
Previous: Jamie Galbraith: The government is not， by any means， a pure representative of the working population.
As for the comment that twice (or was it thrice?) insisted that most 8th grade students in Wisconsin cannot read: Wisconsins students ACT scores ranked as 3rd highest in the country. Stop lying. http://www.ohe.state.mn.us/mPg.cfm?pageID=1439
He can explain that away by saying he politely did not correct Mr. Koch but meant send representatives into the crowd to make their case to the protesters.
I wouldnt take phone calls from legislators who fled the state either. But maybe thats just me.
For a HILARIOUS web site: http://www.wix.com/demandthetruth2/obamajokescatalog
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BTW， WI public employees wont have to worry if theyre underpaid compared to their private sector counterparts (as Ezra claims). Certainly， theyll be snatched up for employment by eager companies desiring fresh productive employees. Cant wait to see that experiment carried out.
North & South Dakota are the place to be if you want that ol SOLVENT feeling.
OBAMA and the DEMONRATS in Wisconsin ACTUALLY HAVE brought in UNION and MARXIST trouble-makers ALREADY.
Dork Burger might want to work on some code words there， like Sugar Daddy， when KochRoach calls to dictate the peoples business.
Talk about the Left manucturing a story.
UNREAL!!! SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FUNNY!!! (Political parody of Obama， Michelle， Rahm， Barney Frank， Pelosi the Witch， Schumer and more!!!!!!!!!!!!)
He will be busted as a result. Good riddance， scist anti-American creep.
Its OK Ezra， if we stand together we can rise up and deny these thugs the monthly union dues that are their lifes blood… or is it that you would prefer to go and scream murderous taunts at the children of Scott Walker?
When exposed， Klein quickly desolved Journolist. Nothing Klein says is to be believed. Hes tainted.
–The critique many conservatives have made of public-sector unions is that they both negotiate with and fund politicians. Its a conflict of interest. Well， so too do corporations， and wealthy individuals.–
The American Scene
I mean， no matter what the Post says， and lets ce it， at least for the moment the coverage is less than flattering， but I suppose with a phone call that can be changed， but anyway， the guy looks out of his depth.
Spencer Ackerman
rpixley220– you must be a product of the public school system. If they (public sector employees) are cheaper than private sector employees overall then cant we conclude that the unions are iling， ie， even with monopoly bargaining power， they cant win compensation on par with the private sector? Shouldnt we give workers the benefit to opt out of the union since the current union has iled to secure compensation in line with the private sector for workers of similar ability and demographic? The union is systematically holding down its members wages!
~~~~
dnara wrote: The left is so desperate!
Theyre even re-playing the phone conversation between Walker and the man who punked him.
What part of no deal dont you get. Elections matter and you lost. If you want a better deal， run on it in 2012.
Again， moderate and independent voters， say goodbye to all incumbents of more than 10 years in office if we have an election in 2012， because neither party cares about the citizens， believe it by their deeds， not words. And pay attention to who are the high rollers of these playahs， because you are guilty with who you hang out with.
This is why its common for the money to spend on both parties. It gets access no matter who wins.
Health Care Repeal Fails (unless the activist Right Wingers on the Supreme Court decide to overturn hundreds of years of case， again， for their right wing corporate overlords (Koch bros)
Actually listening the to first 10 minutes of the phone call reveals some incredibly disturbing ideas from the governor of Wisconsin — ideas that seem more in place in a totalitarian regime than in a democracy.
You believe Koch brothers spend money on campaigns? George Soros Sr spent a well publicized $24 million on the iled 2004 presidential campaign of John Kerry.
Ezra， I realize that your job is heat rather than light but I am amazed at the butterfly effect of you and your journalism cohort.
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The Dem legislators are using the only measure available to them， civil disobedience. It is harsh and difficult to sustain but if they feel it is worth the harm they believe this legislation will do， then that is their right to not allow it to come to a vote.
Heck， its not uncommon that in local and state elections candidates that donate TO the public sector lobbying efforts to encourage them to endorse their campaigns.
Gonzo journalist Ian Murphy noticed one of Wisconsins Senate Democrats complaining that Gov. Scott Walker was impossible to reach on the phone. So Murphy came up with a prank call: He posed as right-wing financier David Koch and called Walkers receptionist. Shortly thereafter， he was on the phone with the governor himself. You can listen to the conversation here — though the site seems overloaded by the traffic — or read Adam Weinsteins summary here. Walkers office has confirmed the call was real.
thank you for this post.
Lethal? Lolz.
Wow， incredible strawman Ezra. Even if this bill is passed， unions CAN contribute to campaigns and influence elections. Workers just wont be forced by law to pay union dues if they dont want to.
Its obvious the Left has gotten its talking points (LA Times， NY Times， Ezra， etc.) and Koch Bros. are to be excoriated as the center of evil Right Wing influence in the US.
The notion that unionized workers in the public sector enjoy the same level of largess from government as Wall Street， billionaire individuals like the Koch brothers， or corporations in general， is truly laughable.
Nothing incriminating， my butt.He aint doing it for the budget， which he lied about yesterday; hes doing it simply to bust unions.
I hope the citizens of Wisconsin run his yahoo out of Wisconsin on a rail.
Brad DeLong
WALKER only CONSIDERED bringing in trouble-makers.
Are you getting the picture here? Its time to get him out of office， one way or another， at any and all costs.
He will be busted as a result. Good riddance， scist anti-American creep.
Yet， didnt stop old tough talkin Walker invoking Reagans name and claiming on the call， of all the stupid things， that the air traffic controller strike settlement caused Communism to ll.
Apparently one of Wisconsins Senate Democrats was lying. Or Ian Murphy is.
Given that there are slews of other ways to balance the states budget without eliminating collective bargaining rights， and that the states public employee unions are willing to pay more of their salary for health insurance and to fund their pensions， its becoming abundantly clear that Scott Walker is interested only in breaking the unions， both public and private.
In the private sector， corporations and individuals lobby and petition to get their own money back， or to stop having it forcefully extracted， so as to be able spend it on things that they value， which isnt likely to include buying more congressmen to get more of ones own money back.
Unions gave $400 million to Democrats in the 2008 campaign cycle， and they expect to get something in return， like exemptions from Obamacare or the card check bill that would effectively abolish the secret ballot in unionization elections
Rortybomb
Id rather know my enemies and avoid them than be screwed by my alleged allies.
You might also find it interesting that I offered the possibility that Murphy was lying， rather than the anonymous Senator.
—
You do realize that there is more to compensation than pay right? The Unions successfully negotiated wages that were lower than the private sector but with increased pension and health care benefits.
You might wish to learn about the Wisconsin QEO law， in effect for the 18 years leading up to 2009， which effectively ended collective bargaining rights for teachers all over Wisconsin.
Ryan Avent
They can recess it to come talk to me， but theyll have to come back there. The reason for that is， legally， we believe， once theyve gone into session， they dont physically have to be there. If theyre actually in session for that day， and they take a recess， the 19 Senate Republicans could then go into action and theyd have quorum because they started out that way， so were double checking that.
Yep. This is how money buys power: it gets access.
Fortunately only 7% of the private sector belongs to unions， but no government employees should be forced to pay union dues as a condition of employment.
Get it? …Or else he would do it.
The Great CONSERVATIVE hero Hosni Mubarak just eliminated， other conservative dictators are doomed.
Ha This is great， the governor came out smelling like a rose and the r-left criminal impersonator is going to jail.
lol. What are you getting out of being a corporate apologist， anyway? A nice pat on the head? If you really want the sort of society you profess to desire， why not just go ahead and move to China? I guess it isnt quite Christian enough， though the ethics seem to be about right.
And if ， as you apparently believe， public employees are underpaid relative to private sector counterparts， arent the unions iling at their job as being the only major interest group representing workers. Shouldnt we give union members the option of a majority vote each year to disband the union if the union continues to il at securing adequate compensation relative to the private sector? Why should the union be a protected monopoly if it is iling these hard working public servants at securing compensation in line with the private sector? Dont these teachers and public servants deserve better?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Walker did not campaign on this， he campaigned on jobs. And he has not created job one. In ct， he passed on the opportunity to create jobs on the high speed rail initiative. And here， in this call which is more damning than Klein thinks， he uses public jobs as nothing more than political bargaining chips. Hes playing with peoples lives like theyre pawns on a chessboard. That is despicable.
And whats Ezra Klein doing writing about another mans exposed covert conversations? Klein the founder of Journolist， that group of 400 liberal journalists who agreed to paint Karl Rove as a racist even though they couldnt find proof of it. They decided to proceed anyway because they believed that just by putting it in print would smear him enough to besmirch his conservative cause.
What part of no deal dont you get. Elections matter and you lost. If you want a better deal， run on it in 2012.
How well does anyone believe Governor Scott Walker knew David Koch， given that he didnt hang up on him for the duration of the conversation， after hearing his voice? Walker didnt know what Kochs voice sounded like. How well could he have known him?
But if the transcript of the conversation is unexceptional， the ct of it is lethal. The states Democratic senators cant get Walker on the phone， but someone can call the governors front desk， identify themselves as David Koch， and then speak with both the governor and his chief of staff? Thats 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.
Ezra， you err. When the ke Koch offered Walker a trip to California and Walker responded positively， he can be said to agreeing to a transaction that is illegal in Wisconsin.
Whats happening in Wisconsin is a filibuster by the Democrats. Remember that even very recently， Ezra used to write about how the filibuster is a bad thing. I dont think weve heard that from him again， since the Wisconsin Democrats fled from a vote.
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This should be part of the discussion， but we know journalists are in lockstep with the socialists like obama and the democratic chicken anarchists in the WI state house.
Walker contemplated planting demonstrators in the crowd to cause trouble
Shameless. Pathetic.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2011/02/wisconsin_public_unions
Umm， isnt taping someone and not getting them to agree to the taping， and then publicizing it the way this guy gleefully admits he did AGAINST THE LAW!? I dont know Wisconsin statutes， but， in my state we watched how the State Police used it against a guy who videotaped his arrest， and while the guy did not get it used against him， it was a charge and required legal representation.
The Democratic Party stopped representing the poor and the low-income working people a long time ago and has become obsessed with winning elections at whatever cost. Theyve ruined out government budgets AND our schools， caused wide-spread unemployment， and misery.
Get off your high horse and speak up against this dangerous influx of thugs before someone gets hurt. Say publically what you must surely privately feel， tell the teachers that if they must protest they should do it on the week-ends because the school children are not pawns in their greedy battle.
Walker takes calls from Birch Society heirs and scists but not from Democratic Senators. What does that say about Walker?
Ill bet that you have never lived the life of the Wisconsin voters and taxpayers you so easily dismiss as foolish， misguided or cheated. You grab at any whiff of legitimacy to re-assure us that the public employee unions have some sort of countervailing power role to play… Ezra， last time I checked the unions were corrupt cash cows for the burly thugs who seem to spontaneously generate in the bosss suites at the union halls. Maybe youre just scared， afraid to say anything， to timid to speak truth to power.
We encourage users to analyze， comment on and even challenge washingtonpost.coms articles， blogs， reviews and features.
Basically to follow up my last post， the headline in tomorrows will be:
By the way， the term is not gonzo journalist but rather lying dirtbag; a microcosm of what passes for justice in Democratic circles and explicative of why whatever Democrats say， they hide their real purposes， greed for power， prestige， privilege， and untoward wealth.
We threw the bums out in 2008 and now we will have to throw the bums out in 2012.
To Walkers credit， he doesnt say anything incriminating. When Murphy/Koch offers to plant demonstrators， Walker declines. The worst you can say is that wheeastern health employmentn Murphy/Koch makes a lewd comment about Mika Brzezinski， Walker doesnt challenge him on it. But that portion reads to me as Walker politely grunting in response to an odd provocation. I imagine politicians are pretty good at gently moving the conversation along when their contributors say crazy things.
Spending on schools has gone up somthing like 300% since 1959 with NO improvements. Imagine that money spent with the old system that worked well， i.e.， teachers are paid what they are paid and they can look for a better offer otherwise and they are a fired at will. If you dont like that system， get a different job or be a teacher elsewhere. That is how 95% of the economy works and why the USA and the West is the workers paradise they are. It is the workers children whose lives Democrats are ruining generation after generation and the public service unions are among the worst aspects of our society presently. This is not social justice， but gangsterism.
Maybe its newsworthy， maybe not. But folks， dont extrapolate from reporting on one event， and one opinion， to grand arguments about the Dems or all of the issues of today rolled together.
Cant get through to your elected officials? Your right-wing billionaire can. He bought access you dont have.
Yeah， there is the parallel. Egypt and Libya are like Madison， only the difference is they are literally laying their lives on the line for a principle， not a buck.
Walker and Repuppies get caught on the side of Evil State Govt. against the little people…….again.
I see the t lil ko0k threatened and perhaps realizing he is in over his head.
Get it? …Or else he would do it.
and with the disastrous leadership in the republican party now， you can be sure that all reasonable people will be voting democratic.
Really?
The critique many conservatives have made of public-sector unions is that they both negotiate with and fund politicians. Its a conflict of interest. Well， so too do corporations， and wealthy individuals. Thats 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.
The Economist documented a 14% pay gap between public sector employees and private sector employees with the same skill/ educations set. So， Ezra is correct to write that public sector employees make less pay. The reason is not union ilure， however， it was a matter of priorities. The lower pay was offset by job security and generous benefits and pensions. Now， that deal is jeopardized by states that want to renege on the deals they struck. Nice.
The methods Walker has been using in pursuing his agenda and the public outrage subsequently generated demonstrate that he is not necessarily acting in good ith， which I think both sides of this debate can agree should be a perquisite for public service. If you know that a large number of your population is going to take issue with an item on your agenda， it is at least common courtesy to allow for public presentation and an opportunity for hearing. I think it is reasonable to expect this at all levels of government， isnt it?
I understand why Ezra wants to draw attention away from the ct that 14 Democratic senators have fled the jurisdiction. To try to suggest that Gov. Walkers phone availability is more important than one side not showing up for work at all is laughable， though.
elgipper
Felix Salmon
$43，000 directly， PLUS $65，000 laundered through the Republican Governors Association， PLUS 3.4 million on campaign ads.
if ， as you apparently believe， public employees are underpaid relative to private sector counterparts， arent the unions iling at their job
I curious if you have any proof that Gov. Walker is refusing to take MIA Wisconsin Senators calls， except for the word of the same missing Democratic Senators? Besides I wonder what they really have to talk about. Gov. Walker is proposing the same changes to the relationship between the government and its unionized workers that he campaigned on and got elected on in 2010. The Wisconsin Democrats are adamently opposed to the point that theyve abandoned their posts and left the state (hopefully their pay is getting is getting docked). Dont see much common ground there.
I will never vote for another Republican as long as I live. Every time you elect a Republican， you get the missing link between the ape and snake. I made the mistake of voting for Wisconsin Governor Lee Sherman Dreyfus in 1980. After one horrible term， he slinked off to a lucrative private job， one step ahead of the tar and feathers. How many Joe McCarthys will Wisconsinites put up with before you learn?
(Luke 12:2-3)
Dont be angry at Klein because one of your own got busted again， Goober. Until you Goobers start cing the cts about your corrupt Republican leadership， you are going to continue to get angry at the wrong people and towards the wrong party.
Be careful Tea Bag Republicans， the mean old liberal left doesnt mind you look like the sheep that you are. Walker is a dumbass! Welcome to politics in the 2011 internet age. People know you got punked all over the world. I was even laughing so much I sent it to my friends in Germany， who think the USA is one big Jerry Springer Show. And they are on the mark!
In typical conservative shion， it is again time for you to ignore the cts and corrections others here have provided you and repost your dogmatic propaganda.
The Official Obama & Washington， D.C. Political Parody Joke & Gift Catalog (Hilarious political spoofs and fictitious items for sale) !!!!
Kevin Drum
How many times has your boy Trumka been to see Bambi?
also， i heard a segment on television， of rush limbaugh， speaking about michelle obama. the things the said， were so offensive， not just to the first lady， to the first mily， to sasha and malia…but to all women. and to this country.
Whats happening in Wisconsin is a filibuster by the Democrats. Remember that even very recently， Ezra used to write about how the filibuster is a bad thing. I dont think weve heard that from him again， since the Wisconsin Democrats fled from a vote.
maybe not incriminating per se， but i thought it pretty revealing and quite unflattering when the governor revealing his ruse to lure the democratic reps back to wisconsin under utterly lse pretenses.
The Stash
Keep up the great work on this issue Ezra. This story is much larger than one governor versus unions. Its about whether or not our representative democracy can continue to function in the ce of unchecked corporate influence in all phases of our political process. Your post hits the nail on the head.
You conservatives are worthless. You need to watch the movie Soylent Green to get an idea of the ONE thing you MIGHT be good for.
http://blogs.forbes.com/rickungar/2011/02/22/a-secret-deal-between-gov-walker-and-koch-brothers-buried-in-state-budget/
The Official Obama & Washington， D.C. Political Parody Joke & Gift Catalog (Hilarious political spoofs and fictitious items for sale) !!!!
Was it because he thought he did not need to go to the trouble to discredit the protesters? Yes.
But society can never go back to the good old days like the Tea Party wants to do. You know， How you gone to keep them down on the rm after they have seen gay paree!
Soros Secretary of State elections campaign has produced 38 Democratic Secretaries at the state level; you know， those guys who certify election results such as Al Frankens in Minnesota.
The only REAL news organization in this country， Jon Stewarts Daily Show， gave us an AUDIO TRANSCRIPT of Governor Criminal contemplating planting troublemakers in protesting crowds， except he worried that a violent incident might backfire.
Walker: You know， well， the only problem with that because we thought about that. The problemthe， my only gut reaction to that is right now the lawmakers Ive talked to have just completely had it with them， the public is not really fond of this[explains that planting troublemakers may not work.]
He talks about tricking them back by agreeing to a session that does not bring up the union-busting legislation， then halting to meet privately with the Democrats， and having the Republicans reconvene on the theory (perhaps legal in Wisconsin) that once you have a quorum， you dont lose it even if legislators leave the chamber.
What a lame article.The caller doesnt get the Gov. to say anything bad.Then Ezra tries to say the prankster is a Gonzo Journalist，ha i bet Hunter Thompson RIP， is puking his guts whereever he is.If the senators from Wis want to talk to the Gov why dont they quit hiding in Ill and do the job they were elected to do and head back home to WIS.Lame， Ezra， Lame
Its all over the local and cable news， Goober.
OBAMA， like GADAFFI， is seeking SNIPERS， to take out T Party leaders when the counter-demonstrations start in Madison.
As it is now， your silence on the influx of teamster thugs from New York， you silence on the shameful protest against Mr. Walkers children is dangerous to the citizens of Wisconsin. Leave the people of Wisconsin alone， the New York Teamsters union， Hof， doesnt speak for the citizens of Wisconsin.
Was it that the law enforcement officers dragooned from across the state on short notice (who have been terrific， by the way) might be injured， and that would be wrong? No.
Was it that citizens on the square and in the Capitol might be injured， and that would be wrong? No.
Ezra，
The same Bible comes back to bite the GOP in the bottom round gristle and all…..
The law capped increases in overall compensation subject to collective bargaining at an annual rate of 3.8%， which school districts could apportion as they saw fit between salary and benefits. Since the rising cost of health care benefits alone equaled or exceeded that rate， the inflation-adjusted salaries of Wisconsin teachers declined steadily over that time period.
Bush-Dolt Concience Clause for Health workers junked by Executive Ord…er – no legislation necessary.
BTW， WI public employees wont have to worry if theyre underpaid compared to their private sector counterparts (as Ezra claims). Certainly， theyll be snatched up for employment by eager companies desiring fresh productive employees. Cant wait to see that experiment carried out.
The Congressional Research Services primer on the Constitutional and nuclear options for changing the Senates rules.
Ezra， go to Wisconsin， meet the people who voted Walker in， talk to them… as it is now you just insult them by implying that they were fooled by big money or are too back woods to understand whats good for them.
The money quote from the punked Governor Walker who shows his devious and dishonest approach at negotiation.
The ct though that his budget proposal includes the option to sell state heating， cooling， and power plants with minimal oversight and no bidding shows who his true constituents are. Whether you think the state should be in the position of owning these assets or no， surely you conservatives can agree that the public is owed full oversight and as much of a return on such a sale as possible? Lack of oversight = something stinks.
Posted by: ElectricBill February 23，
The Governor reveals himself to be a despicable creep whose real goal is simply to bust the unions， not just public employees， but private sector too.
–Gonzo journalist Ian Murphy noticed one of Wisconsins Senate Democrats complaining that Gov. Scott Walker was impossible to reach on the phone.–
Ha This is great， the governor came out smelling like a rose and the r-left criminal impersonator is going to jail
THANK GOD that the financier， or any important big-wig is able to get through to the political figures because， if these people had to waste their LIMITED TIME talking to RADIO STATION RIFF-RAFF all the time， THEN， NOTHING WOULD EVER GET DONE.
Walker， like the rest of the Republican pond scum really dont give a damn about the deficit – their only goal is to destroy the only firewall that people who work for a living really have – unions. May each and every terminally greedy， ethically bankrupt GOP weasel rot in hell in 2012. Sooner， if at all possible， would be even better.
Isnt this exactly what the Tea Party did to President Obama in early 2009? The President won ir and square， but the DC groups that riled up what became the Tea Party immediately began planting the seeds of illegitimacy — and then took to the streets.
There will be accountability for their actions and that is certainly expected and just. What that accountability will be remains to be seen. One persons bad actors are the others heroes.
Wait， also; the entire purpose of the protest is to cause trouble， i.e.， to physically interfere with the democratically elected government.
On a related note， why arent more people discussing the portion of the legislation which would allow the Wisconsin government (i.e. Walker) to essentially give away public utilities to whoomever he wants without oversight? And guess who owns the companies that are poised to benefit?
There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed， or hidden that will not be made known.
Doesnt this prank call prove that Scott Walker is not close to Koch? He doesnt recognize his voice! He doesnt drift into a more personal style of speech. He treats him like a generic political supporter.
BECAUSE WE THOUGHT ABOUT THAT. If thats not damning enough， theres also quid-pro-quo going on at the end as well.
Step back and see it for what it is. Two extremist interests who in the end do collude for one endpoint: separate as many idiots who are the public from any and all dollars they can collect. And， you vote or work with these con artists. America， whatta country!
–I find it interesting that you would automatically assume that the Democratic Senator is lying. Wow!!!!–
Ezra， believe you should read/listen more carefully. Walker makes clear with comparison to Reagan and firing of air traffic controllers – which he links to ll of Berlin Wall – that the current dispute IS about defeating the unions， and not about the budget deficit. That was his pre-roll out pep talk to his own cabinet! And he also reveals a plan to get Dem senators back and proceed with legislation under lse pretense. Watch the Wisconsin press， they are following very closely.
Walkers just another tough talking Tea Party Patriot who is a complete coward like the most of them.
You know what is lamer than this story? All of you commenters who just echo the empty and lse promises of your parties and puppet leaders of both parties! Republicans do not give a rats bottom about anyone else but their cronies and buddies on high， and the Democrats act holier than thou and yet behind the scenes do the exact same. And you idiots just do the work for these scummy leaders by carrying their prosthetic devices to hose the public， and think you are in league with them， when， they will sacrifice you all without any hesitation or concern to save their own bottoms. Now there is representation!
If you heard I was going to talk to them， thats the only reason why. Wed only do it if they came back to the capital with all 14 of them， and my sense is， hell， If they want to yell at me for an hour， Im used to that. I can deal with that， but Im not negotiating.
Why， because he had a 20 minute conversation with one of his campaign donors， a major contributor to the tea party? I mean， I find it interesting that you would automatically assume that the Democratic Senator is lying. Wow!!!!
Actually Ezra， I think theres a pretty big difference between the two. The public employees union financially supports the Dems， and the Dems， in turn， give tax dollars away to the unions. Assuming the Dems ever intend to honor these benefits promises to the unions， it will likely require higher taxes to be paid by people who arent treated nearly as well as the public employee union members. Conservatives want to be keep more of the money that they earned (i.e.， pay less taxes). Is there anything that Dems do that doesnt involve taxing certain people more and then giving that money to someone else. Do Dems ever support having people keep more of their money as a general matter — that is without dividing it up on a class basis.
ElGipper – Koch Brothers gave $43，000 directly to Walkers campaign.
Somebody somewhere comes up with some wild theory about how the Republicans somehow cheated somebody someway and then it grows into an actual tiger through a thousand retellings and enhancements and then just like a puffy cloud on a summers day it just seems to drift away un-noticed when the underlying cts prove to be union manuctured.
In 2008， Soros was smarter， burying his campaign money within his numorous political organizations， which then spent money on Obamas campaign， through ads and other means. Moveon.org， the Center for American Progress， Media Matters and dozens of other less known campaign groups were started and are funded by George Soros Sr.
Walker did decline the offer to bring in trouble makers but did say it was an option that had been discussed. Walker.You know， the， well， the only problem with that because we thought about that.
Atrios
So， Im LOVING the PRIORITIES that WALKER has set up in his administration. He is a political leader that CAN GET THINGS DONE and not just a back-slapper or Good-Time-Charlie in the political game for EGOCENTRIC reasons alone， though we dont begrudge him of one.
What part of no deal dont you get. Elections matter and you lost. If you want a better deal， run on it in 2012.
Your selective concern about money in politics is enlightening. Its time that we end taxpayer subsidization of the Democratic Party through public employee union coerced paycheck contributions. Scott Walker is doing the Lords work on this.
Walker takes calls from Birch Society heirs and scists but not from Democratic Senators. What does that say about Walker?
Its Been A Bad 2011 for the Teapublicans So Far:
The Treatment
Unions lobby for other peoples money to be paid to their members， then confiscate a part of it (in Wisconsins case， the government forcefully withholds the unions dues on behalf of the union — a nifty bit of rotten uousness — just like it forcefully extracts Social Security and Medicare taxes)， a significant portion of which the union then sends back to its vored politicians in the form of campaign donations， and round and round it goes.
Koch Brothers also spent $3.5 MILLION in independent attack ads against his opponent.
I would be willing to sit down and talk to him， the assembly Democrat leader， plus the other two Republican leaders -talk， not negotiate， and listen to what they have to say， if they will in turn， but Ill only do it if all 14 of them will come back and sit down in the state assembly， said Walker， according to transcripts of the call.
The two processes are not the same， and its either raw ignorance or raw mendacity (in Kleins case， probably both) to try to pretend that they are.
eastern healEzra Klein，Marginal Revolution
governor walker has shown himself to be a foolish man and a poor leader. his most mous moments are now behind him.
How does a private corporations negotiate? By offering to bring their business into the state for tax credits? But if Walker and the state reject a deal there are other private corporations available to anchor that store location. Theres only one teachers union， and theyre allowed to turn 1-2% of every workers paychecks into a huge campaign chest that would take a decade of hard work in a creating valuable product and/or guessing right on Wall Street to match and exert as much influence on the politicians.
Responding to:
What part of no deal dont you get. Elections matter and you lost. If you want a better deal， run on it in 2012.
I think Ezra Klein lies， and should not have a job in this field.
Matthew Yglesias
Im certain when the time comes， youll gladly let your pension go， then. I know I love when contracts with me are broken.
Why dont journalists report that 70% of Wisconsin 8th graders cant read this????? That is not lying， and it is not fraudulent.
Suppose I call Nancy Pelosi， posing as a Republican. How soon does anyone believe I could get through to her. But I call back posing as George Soros. Bet I could get right through. How many believe Pelosi wouldnt take the call? How many believe she or her secretary might respond， congresswoman Pelosi will bet back to you?
Somebody obviously was lying， though， because it turned out not to be impossible to talk to Walker.
I have grunted at all kinds of racist， ist and assorted other kinds of crazy comments to move a conversation along so I dont really have any problem that the governor would do the same. But its everything else thats a problem…
Something doesnt jive with this claim of We cant get ahold of him.
Screw the Unions， the DemonRATS， and the Progressive/Marxists in the White House.
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Its high time we ended this one man， one vote business. Lets use the corporate model going forward where you get to vote based on your ownership interest. Or， in the case of the public sphere， the more taxes you pay， the more votes you get. Now that would be a ir way to do things.
When exposed， Klein quickly desolved Journolist. Nothing Klein says is to be believed. Hes tainted.
Apparently one of Wisconsins Senate Democrats was lying. Or Ian Murphy is.
Was it that the property of merchants on the square might be damaged， and that would be wrong? No.
Never served a day in our armed forces despite our country being at war for most of the past twenty years.
Ezra，
Asking whether there is proof that Walker wont take Dems calls is reasonable. But should they produce evidence that they cant talk to him， you will admit he is wrong yes?
–Gonzo journalist Ian Murphy noticed one of Wisconsins Senate Democrats complaining that Gov. Scott Walker was impossible to reach on the phone.–
I hope Murphy used a ke voice like Ferris Buellers friend Cameron did when he called Ed Rooney:
Democrat Reps? Those worthless bottom fish left town when the going got tough wasting tax payers money and showing this spineless Democrats as chicken feces.
Your selective concern about money in politics is enlightening. Its time that we end taxpayer subsidization of the Democratic Party through public employee union coerced paycheck contributions. Scott Walker is doing the Lords work on this.
Posted by: bbwk80a
The Official Obama & Washington， D.C. Political Parody Joke & Gift Catalog (Hilarious political spoofs and fictitious items for sale) !!!!
Are you an idiot Kline. All donors to any party have access， like George Soros and the Unions to the Democrat party.
Whats happening in Wisconsin is a filibuster by the Democrats. Remember that even very recently， Ezra used to write about how the filibuster is a bad thing.
Walker and his Republican/Big Business patrons wont be happy until all American workers are serfs. Walker， I suspect， considers this Gods plan.
And no matter how the press portrays this over the next few days， before， you know， you all slip further into denial about what has happened here， well， it must bother him he was so roundly booed. That first glimpse of reality is scary， isnt it?
I curious if you have any proof that Gov. Walker is refusing to take MIA Wisconsin Senators calls， except for the word of the same missing Democratic Senators? Besides I wonder what they really have to talk about. Gov. Walker is proposing the same changes to the relationship between the government and its unionized workers that he campaigned on and got elected on in 2010. The Wisconsin Democrats are adamently opposed to the point that theyve abandoned their posts and left the state (hopefully their pay is getting is getting docked). Dont see much common ground there.
Thats the way it works in a well oiled democracy. But we will be in great shape in the long run if we have ir elections and enough oil or alternate fuel.
The comments section is amazing. Ezra is rendering an opinion， that is true， but Ezra didnt call the governor， Ezra didnt weigh in on the events in Wisconsin per se. Ezra is opining on an event， one someone else did， and its outcome.
Do you really think that if a major donor called a Democratic governor during a time of crisis， the governor wouldnt answer? If， say， the teachers union rep called the governor， the governor wouldnt answer?
Next: Lunch break
Koch Brothers give $43，000 to Walkers campaign that spent $11，000，000! Thats fractions of 1%. Koch Brothers dont even rank in the top 30 political contributors to WI politicians.
Was it that it would be dishonest， and that would be wrong? No.
For me， right now I would rather watch the unions lose， because they lie and game the system as much as the Republicans， only the uneastern healEzra Kleinions look you in the eye and tell you they care and want to help the public， while they hold a bat in their other hand behind their back， ready to club you when you turn your back.
This is a non-story to anyone who (a) knows anything about how politics is practiced in this country and (b) is being intellectually honest. You know (a)， so (b) must be the problem here.
Tom Laskawy
Well， people shouldnt be surprised at all. They got what they elected. Tell me of a time when a Republican didnt have as a major concern the interest of the powerful? The conservatives (Tea Parties and all)keep a mess out of the economy with the only intent of chopping at the middle class， then they claim needs for austerity of which they never complaint when their party was in power. And who does always pay? The little people. When is America going to wake up?
The Vine
Going back to the good old days would be scooping horse manure up in the cities daily and shipping it to rms like they did before autos (early 1900s). Cant go back.
I think Ezra Klein lies， and should not have a job in this field.
Steve Benen
Justin Fox
So， are we to assume that all the behind the scenes calls between the Democratic leaders， sponsors， union supporters and other protestors are entirely devoid of any such trickey and ill intentions? How could they POSSIBLY be resorting to such tactics when their cause is so noble?(snort!)
NONE of you media people can tell the truth about any of this， can you? Walker is a like an expert gardener with a hoe: His is an excellent hoer. He is a natural born sucker for the Kochs. AND he plans to sell-off Wisconsins assets in a no-bid garage sale， to the buyers of his choosing， at prices that HE sets.
That kind of money buys quite a bit of influence， wouldnt you say?
That prank call proves Walker is indeed corrupt and he needs to step down and resign. He showed the country today that money in his pocket talks and he could careless about Wisconsin， the people and as we also know the GOP in his State.
UNREAL!!! SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FUNNY!!! (Political parody of Obama， Michelle， Rahm， Barney Frank， Pelosi the Witch， Schumer and more!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Is this someone who deserves public office?
One thing is increasingly clear， you have very little credibility， your cts are designed like chicken mcnuggets， salty and yet of questionable origen. I see that the republican senators got an average of $300 apiece from some sort of conservative operation and I am shocked…. its comforting to know that the dem senators have gotten nearly $30，000 each over the last week or so， from some unnamed source (could it be afscme?) for skipping the state. I would hate for the dem senators to actually have to report to work to be in touch with the Governor， every state legislator should be able to phone in his thoughts to the floor of the senate， any other way of doing things would just be crazy.
Baseline Scenario
Thats a very nice piece of propagandizing there， Klein， but as usual， its dishonest at root.
First they run， then they try political entrapment.
And if ， as you apparently believe， public employees are underpaid relative to private sector counterparts， arent the unions iling at their job as being the only major interest group representing workers. Shouldnt we give union members the option of a majority vote each year to disband the union if the union continues to il at securing adequate compensation relative to the private sector? Why should the union be a protected monopoly if it is iling these hard working public servants at securing compensation in line with the private sector? Dont these teachers and public servants deserve better?
If you think this prank call means Walker is D-U-N， youre sillier than I originally thought.
It is more like We cant chance his mind， so he is ignoring us and well claim he isnt listening or taking calls and call it a day.
So， Walker is being ridiculous， and by the way， so are the unions. We watch clueless fight selfish， and who wins? Ill tell you who loses， the public who gets screwed by either side. Face it Americans， the Republicans and the Democrats only care about their limited， selfish， greedy agendas. This is the conflict that should make moderate， independent voters， who are the majority group of voters， finally tell these extremist losers to go find other people to prey on!!!
The only purpose unions have anymore is to be a fund raising arm of the Democrat party.
So， what we now know is that Gov. Walker has never met David Koch and barely knows who he is， but even when talking privately to his supposed corporate master， Walker doesnt say anything that he hasnt said in public. Yes， I am quite shocked and scandalized.
The filibuster as implemented in the US Senate is a bad thing， and Erza has said so. The filibuster being waged by the WI legislators is how the US Senate should work. High profile AND high cost for its use.
We are addicted to oil/automobiles and the end is near as r as oil goes; that is we will be out in 50 or a 100 years or so and may have to drive scooters. But let the good times roll in the meantime.
That is what the Democrat party has devolved into. Third party time folks!!!
What does that mean ? David Koch is NOT a frequent caller you idiots !!
Koch Brothers give $43，000 to Walkers campaign that spent $11，000，000! Thats fractions of 1%. Koch Brothers dont even rank in the top 30 political contributors to WI politicians.
Prank call? I call Ian Murphy a liar and a fraud. What is so virtuous about a liar? Is he the lefts hero for being a liar?
BTW Scott， one problem with you trying to comapre yourself to the Great President Reagan， he was much older than you and did not have your sweet lips. Remember Charles， the thin one， likes to be sucked and David， the t one， likes to be blown. You are on a roll Scott please do not let us down now.
And whats Ezra Klein doing writing about another mans exposed covert conversations? Klein the founder of Journolist， that group of 400 liberal journalists who agreed to paint Karl Rove as a racist even though they couldnt find proof of it. They decided to proceed anyway because they believed that just by putting it in print would smear him enough to besmirch his conservative cause.
Economix
Real Time Economics
Taxvox
I mean， at the very least， their offices are in the same building. They could certainly try showing up at work for a day and maybe， just maybe， theyd bump into Walker in the hall or at the water cooler.
Now， we know that Canada has at LEAST 6-times more petroleum that Saudi Arabia will ever have， though in different form and that the U.S. too has MASSIVE deposits of petroleum yet to be exploited at least in the quantity of the Middle-Eastern reserves locked up in coal， shale， gas， and other forms.
Nothing incriminating， my butt.He aint doing it for the budget， which he lied about yesterday; hes doing it simply to bust unions.
At the end， Walker claims that Reagan busting the ATC union brought down the USSR. The man is Glenn Beck/Michele Bachmann-level crazy.
Jared the Tea-Party Assassin.