Capitol Report
By State Representative, Leon D. Young
Leon D. Young
Before Scott Walker suddenly suspended his presidential campaign last week, I vividly remember him boasting during the second presidential debate that he had been elected governor on three separate occasions in a blue state.
This, in turn, prompted me to ponder whether Walker’s boastful assertion was in deed correct?
There is no denying the fact that Wisconsin has a proud progressive tradition.
Fighting Bob LaFollette, Gaylord Nelson and William Proxmire are just some of the visionary titans that have represented the people of the Badger State.
Wisconsin, however, is also the home state of Senator Joseph McCarthy who instigated a ten-year reign of terror in Washington, D.C. The Wisconsin senator spent almost five years casting unfounded aspersions and black balling individuals in vain attempt to expose communists and other left-wing “loyalty risks” in the U.S. government.
McCarthy had used to same ploy, a crusade against subversives, in order to win a second term in the U.S. Senate.
However, the current Conservative landscape is a blatant reminder of the sign of the times in Wisconsin.
The GOP now controls both houses of the legislature.
Interestingly enough, Republicans increased their Senate/Assembly majorities in spite of the fact that Democratic candidates for the state assembly actually captured 50.7% of the statewide vote. Yet they won just 39% of Assembly seats.
This begs the obvious question: How could Republicans win so many districts with so few votes?
Because the 2010 redistricting they engineered used “packing”and “cracking”to frustrate the will of the voters.
Some liberal-leaning seats were packed with an overwhelming percentage of Democrats, and others were cracked apart to create districts that leaned just rightward enough to make them safe for Republicans.
The state Supreme Court provides another example of Wisconsin’s current Conservative climate.
Since Walker assumed office, the court has rubber-stamped his assault on collective bargaining rights (Act 10), validated the disenfranchisement of eligible voters (voter-ID law) and recently deposed its own chief justice (Shirley Abrahamson) because of her liberal judicial rulings. In addition, the state attorney general, Brad Schimelis also a Republican.
If that weren’t enough evidence, Wisconsin’s senior senator,Ron Johnson,is a Republican.
In 2010, Johnson succeeded in defeating liberal stalwart Senator Russ Feingold;the only senator to vote against the U.S. Patriot Act.
Now that Scott Walker’s delusions of presidential grandeur have suddenly come to an end, he can once again devote his full attention to the job at hand –undermining Wisconsin’s progressive traditions, like its Civil Service System. So tell me,how in the world can Wisconsin be considered a blue state?
Simply stated: It can’t!!!!