Wednesday, May 10, 2017

WI GOP legislators tiring of Walker, 'crap' budgets

You may remember that Saukville Wisconsin Republican legislator Rob Brooks, almost exactly two years ago, intemperately but boldly said right-wing GOP Gov. and perpetual candidate Scott Walker had submitted  "a crap budget.'

Fast-forward to the reception Walker's latest budget is getting that makes Brooks' 2015 freshman impoliteness look like child's play:

GOP leaders this time around tossed out large sections of Walker's budget, including a big one - - the red- ink-stained transportation section - - saying they would instead start from scratch to try and solve what years of Walker over-spending had done to budgets, unfinished, grandiose super-highways and pothole-filled everyday crap roads.

So the Assembly, with praise from lead Senate budget-writer and veteran River Hills legislator Alberta Darling, rolled out a complex tax shifting and transportation spending plan created by Brookfield Representative and accountant Dale Kooyenga, which, predictably, Walker now doesn't like.

The Governor says it's because the Kooyenga plan raises gas taxes. Kooyenga says it's basically neutral on that point, but the real reason Walker doesn't like the plan is that its creation bypassed Walker and suggested that maybe there was a smarter guy in the room.

And yesterday GOP legislative leaders, Darling among them, said they had no interest in even considering Walker's new plan to move state employees into a self-insurance model, leaving Team Walker fuming.

In other words, even Republican legislators are tiring of Walker's broad, mail-it-in strokes while tossing our blatantly third-term-campaign moves, jetting around the country making speeches, raising money and enjoying the perks of a year as chair of the Republican Governors Association while legislators back home have to slog through Crap Budget 2.0.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

As soon as they get their campaign money they will all fall in line. Actual decent would be frowned upon and rewarded with a primary challenge.

Sue said...

I don't understand. All these folks were right on board with what Walker wanted to do. They were part of it. Alberta "We're broke!" Darling has been fine with the direction this state has been going. Kooyenga hardly qualifies as the adult in the room.
What changed? The Wisconsin electorate continues to fall in line, with a few blips here and there. None of these folks have any reason not to continue down the road they've all been traveling. There don't seem to be any exciting Dem candidates on the horizon.
They haven't grown a conscience. Lots of campaign cash to look forward to - I'm sure that hasn't changed. Plus they get to engage in campaign coordination - the State Supreme Court said so!
I'm confused.

Lou said...

Sue, you are right on all that. Maybe there is something behind the scenes that we don't know about?

Lou said...

Sue, you right on all that. It is hard to understand why these Repubs are suddenly feuding with Walker in public. Maybe there is something behind the scenes we don't know about?