How Different Is Scott Walker From Muammar Qaddafi... Really?

Scott Walker and the Republicans backing his anti-union jihad are morphing into Hosni Mubarak, King Hamid, Muammar Qaddafi... With Russ Feingold calling on Walker to stop his assault on Wisconsin traditions and end his attack on the basic human right of workers to be able to use collective bargaining, Jeff Cox, an Indiana Deputy Attorney General (who still hasn't been forced to resign), is urging him to use live ammunition against workers exercising their constitutionally guaranteed rights. This is especially troubling because Walker has called on the National Guard to further politicize a difficult situation.

Wisconsin Democratic Party chairman Mike Tate is warning that Walker is getting out of hand and leading the state to catastrophe. "The Wisconsin National Guard is the pride of Wisconsin and should not ever be used for political ends. With each new day that passes since the people have risen against Scott Walker's divisive power grab, Wisconsin sadly sees another of his unprecedented abuses of power. Soon, we won't recognize Wisconsin."

Some already don't. You probably already read about the call-- now confirmed-- that Walker had with David Koch, the oil industry billionaire and John Bircher behind the tea party-- or at least the call Walker thought he was having with Koch. (It was a reporter impersonating Koch and Walker let his freak flag fly. He should resign today.) Listen:





"Scott Walker won't listen to Senate Democrats, or the hundreds of thousands of average Wisconsinites who are speaking up against his divisive power grab. But an oil billionaire from Kansas gets his full attention," Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate said. "It is a damning, embarrassing and possibly illegal admission that Scott Walker has put Wisconsin up for sale."

An analysis by NYTimes pollster Nate Silver seems to indicate that Walker is delusional if he thinks this political stunt is going to help the right-wing. Getting suckered in by partisan polls by firms like Rasmussen or Clarus are a waste of time and he points to a Gallup poll released Tuesday that finds that while the public has ambivalent feelings toward public sector unions, they say they oppose any move by their state to eliminate collective bargaining rights by about a 2:1 margin. While reducing benefits and pay for government workers is somewhat unpopular (it is opposed by a 53-44 margin), reducing their collective bargaining rights is much more clearly so (it is opposed 61-33). And Mr. Walker’s budget proposal aims to do some of both. And this is hardly the first time Walker has provoked a war against unions and working families.

As Milwaukee County Executive in 2009, Walker tried to get rid of the unionized  security guards at the county courthouse and replace them with contractors, which he promised would save the county money. The County Board rejected the idea, but in March of 2010 Walker “unilaterally ordered it,” claiming there was a budget emergency....Unfortunately for Walker and Milwaukee taxpayers, an arbiter later ruled that Walker had overstepped his authority, and ordered the county to reinstate the unionized workers, pay backwages, and pay tens of thousands of dollars in arbiter fees.

LOL! My twitter page just went crazy...