Thursday, April 9, 2009

Walker And His Lincoln Logs

Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker wrote an essay he titled "Reclaiming Lincoln" and had published at the Inside Scoop. It is painful to read, not only for his horrible lack of command of the English language, but also for the sheer hypocrisy of it all. If Walker were a student in Jay Bullock's class, I don't know what kind of grade he would have gotten, since I don't know what's lower than an F, but I know it's not worthy of a gold star.

Michael Horne, at MilwaukeeWorld.com, points out Walker's grammatical and spelling errors, as well as the sophomoric quality of the whole thing.

Since Mr. Horne has that covered rather thoroughly, I thought I'd point out some of the hyprocisy and other nonsense. Walker's parts will be blockquoted and italicized:
As 2009 is the Bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, we all should take the opportunity to admire and reflect upon Lincoln the Emancipator, Lincoln the man who single-handedly held the Nation together through its most troubled time, and Lincoln the Commander in Chief.
Whereas Lincoln steered the country through a divisive and difficult time, Walker helped to create the divisive and difficult time for Milwaukee County.

It is because Lincoln was a great Man and Great President that makes him such a current hot commodity, surprisingly among Barrack Obama and his Democrat Party. While it is not surprising that anyone would embrace Honest Abe over the likes of Jimmy Carter, Ted Kennedy, or Robert Byrd, both the Democrats and the mainstream media are attempting to cover up the most important Lincoln… Lincoln the Republican. It is time for Republicans to reclaim Lincoln from the Democrats. An examination of Abe Lincoln makes clear that his politics formed the Republican Party, and his beliefs are still the major planks in the GOP platform.
Meanwhile, Walker is not so hot of a commodity himself. In a recent poll by a right wing group, it was found that Walker, after six years of campaigning, is no more popular than a guy who has been silent for the past ten years. Although Walker would do better to try to emulate President Lincoln, that would probably mean he'd have to give up his one trick pony show.

And don't even get me on the whole honesty issue. Again.

Lincoln was a simple farm boy who through his own hard work, determination, and patience overcame obstacles, setbacks, and defeats to become President of the United States. His presidential campaign was built on the platform of free labor. At his Gettysburg Address, Lincoln famously said “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” This was not just lip service, as evidenced from the words of contemporaries like Frederick Douglas, former slave and early civil rights leader. Douglas said Lincoln was “the first great man that I talked with in the United States freely who in no single instance reminded me of the difference between himself and myself, of the difference of color."
Walker, on the other hand, dropped out of school when he lost an election, in a blow out, for student president to a write-in candidate. And instead of treating people equally, or trying to lift people up like Lincoln did, Walker worked at suppressing poor people, the elderly and the disabled by continuously cutting their services. But Walker did this not by judging their skin color, but by their wealth.

Specifically, Lincoln was talking about ending the evils of slavery, but more broadly, he was emphasizing the equality for each person in the eyes of God and government. The belief that every individual should be free to succeed, or as the Declaration of Independence reads, that all people are created equal, and that all have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This sediment that all men are equal is evidenced in the Republican Party’s current platform of equal taxes on all, and opportunity for all regardless of race, gender, or age.
Notice Walker's focus on money all the time? But the Republicans do believe in equality for all, as long as they toe the party line and are able to give healthy campaign contributions.

Contrast that with the tenants of the Barack Obama and the Democrat Party, who believe the way to treat everyone equally is restrict freedom, opportunity, and success through government sponsored taxes and regulation.

Walker has no problems restricting opportunities or freedoms. Just tell him your with a union and see how he responds.

Although Wisconsin’s interaction with Lincoln was relatively limited, his beliefs have always guided Badger State Republicans. Governor Tommy Thompson made Wisconsin a great place to live, work, and raise a family. Mark Neumann was a foot soldier for Newt Gingrich’s Contract with America. Looking forward, America’s Dairyland is blessed to have young republican leaders who share Lincoln’s beliefs, like Congressman Paul Ryan, Attorney General JB Van Hollen, and the Fitzgerald brothers. Building on our proud history and continuing to promote the beliefs of individualism, opportunity, achievement, and freedom, we can proudly and accurately proclaim to be the Party of Lincoln.
Thompson raised taxes and the deficit. Notice how he refers Neumann as a "foot soldier?" He is trying to minimize him without being offensive because he knows he wouldn't be able to beat Neumann in a primary. And I thought that the GOP weren't very happy with Van Hollen...

But what has Walker achieved? Losing control of the Income Maintenance Program to the state due to his abdication of his duties, a record amount of neglected infrastructure bills, dangerous and unkempt parks, a transit system in its death throes and a legacy of hypocrisy.

And now my favorite part:

Walker serves the citizens of Milwaukee County as Executive and was a one time candidate for Wisconsin governor.

A one-time candidate for governor, for the past seven years, who has served little but his own political aspirations and his campaign contributors.

1 comment:

  1. Bottom line is Lincoln wouldn't recognize today's Republican Party. "Opportunity for all"? What bullshit. Opportunity for the moneyed gentry. Appeal to the least common denominator by telling people what to be afraid of and who's to blame. That's not Lincoln.

    ReplyDelete