Two Guvs - one who works, and one who grifts

Yep, it's a new day in Wisconsin.

#HolyMackerel #Wisconsin gets new leadership: https://t.co/iwfeyptg6m@GovEvers pic.twitter.com/qrTD9UCdWM

— Phil Hands (@PhilHands) January 8, 2019

We'll leave Matt LaFleur out of it for now (I am cautiously optimistic), and instead let's discuss what our new Governor said when he was sworn in yesterday. I'll start with this analysis from Capitol reporter Steven Walters, who noted that Evers struck a conciliatory and universalist tone.

The 67-year-old former teacher, principal and state school superintendent didn’t indict Republicans for dozens of conservative changes enacted since 2011 or blame them for new limits to his powers passed in December’s “lame duck” session.

But, he said, “We’ve become paralyzed by polarity and we’ve become content with division. We’ve been indifferent to resentment and governing by retribution."....

He said his top three campaign issues — funding K-12 schools, college and universities; making sure more middle-income residents have health care, and fixing the state’ s highway system — got him elected.

“But today is bigger than these issues that we all care about,” he added. “We cannot fix these problems unless people come before politics.”

I also liked these parts of the speech (you can read the whole thing here), which continued the theme of shared Wisconsin values, but also contrasted with the acrimony we have dealt with in recent years.

170 years ago, our forefathers charged us with being industrious and innovative – they gave us a mandate to go forward. We face that calling here today. We must turn the page on the tired politics of the past, and we must lead by example. It’s time to remake and repair our state and to reclaim our better history.

The people of Wisconsin demanded a change this November, and that change is coming. But that change won’t happen without all of us. So, that hard work begins here today....

Finally, it begins in these marble halls where, as elected officials, we are reminded that our obligation and our allegiance are to the people of this state, not any political leader or party. That is the promise and the spirit of our service. May we dare to transcend divisiveness and party line. May we have courage in our conscience. And may we be willing to do what’s best for the next generation rather than the next election.

That'd be a far cry from the act of the guy Evers beat in November. Scott Walker infamously told one of his billionaire supporters that he would use “divide and conquer” as a method of governing, and then did so for the next 8 years. It not only poisoned the atmosphere of a state that used to pride itself on decency and a high quality of life, while the state fell further behind the economic recovery in the rest of the nation.

Speaking of our now ex-Gov Dropout, he gave a preview of the bilge he plans to dish out in the coming years, through this idiotic take on US Sen./Dem presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren.

Just what America needs...an out-of-touch liberal law professor who thinks government is the answer to our problems. True freedom and prosperity don’t come from the clumsy hand of government, they come from the dignity of hard work! https://t.co/fYne6ZcUYh

— Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) December 31, 2018

As Urban Milwaukee’s Bruce Murphy notes in am,article titled "The Eternal Campaign of Scott Walker", why is this lifetime politician giving this take? Especially when Walker clearly is planning on drawing paychecks from the government in the future.

...few in Wisconsin have gotten more from the clumsy hand of government than Walker. One Wisconsin Now added the totals and found Walker has earned $2,263,058 in salary since 1993 from his jobs in state and county government. To maximize his compensation from the taxpayers, Walker sold his home in Wauwatosa and lived exclusively in the governor’s mansion, the only Wisconsin governor in memory to do this.

It’s hard to think of anyone who better fits the conservative complaint about citizens who “who suck endlessly on the government’s teat.” Walker has done it for nearly his entire adult life.

And whatever money he earns in the next few years while preparing to run will be from special interests, conservative groups looking to get policies they favor passed. He will simply be cashing in yet again on his career as a politician.

Murphy adds that the recent revelation of Walker moving into a high-priced home in Milwaukee (odd enough, Walker campaigned in 2012 saying "We don't want Wisconsin to become like Milwaukee.") means that there are even more opportunities for corruption. Particularly because Scotty hardly has enough money lying around to afford that place on his own.

Walker is not wealthy, as [AP Reporter Scott] Bauer has reported: “Based on his most recent statement of economic interests, he has two retirement accounts each worth less than $50,000. He has three other funds valued between $15,000 and $150,000, total. He’s carrying more than $100,000 in student loan debt and credit card debt between $15,000 and $150,000.” That statement shows he hadn’t paid off his student debt, which goes back 28 years.

Which makes you wonder how he can afford a downtown condo in Milwaukee, if he found it onerous to pay for his modest Tosa home. Apparently Walker has already been guaranteed a steady income for giving speeches and advocating for conservative causes. Is he getting paid by billionaire Diane Hendricks or perhaps the Koch Brothers? Now that he’s not in government, Walker won’t have to disclose who is helping support him.

Grifter’s gonna grift, you know. Thank God he's not doing it at our expense anymore.

In the meantime, us in Wisconsin finally have a Governor that actually cares about an outcome other than the next poll, fundraising figures and political advantage. And unlike the last 7 1/2 years of the Age of Fitzwalkerstan, maybe we'll actually end up in the top half for job growth as a result.