Reveals political intentions in phone call with impersonator
IF ANYONE DOUBTED that Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s union-busting “Budget Repair Bill” — which ends collective bargaining for state employees — was more about destroying the unions than balancing the budget, they need to listen to an audiotape released Feb. 3 that catches the governor in some unguarded moments.
A Buffalo Beast editor posing as billionaire and conservative political activist David Koch phoned the governor and got him to reveal himself. The governor’s office confirmed the phone call but says the governor “maintained his appreciation for and commitment to civil discourse.”
But in the audiotape, the governor seems to be taking a different tack. In it, he reveals that he is setting a trap for Wisconsin Democrats. He says he is considering inviting the Democrats and GOP leaders to sit down and talk, but only if all the missing Senate Democrats return to work.
But it’s a deception, he reveals to the phony Koch. If they return, the Republicans will declare a quorum and begin business. Once the quorum is met, it won’t matter how many Democrats are in the room.
When the fake Koch responds with, “Bring a baseball bat. That’s what I’d do,” Walker responds, “I have one in my office. You’d be happy with it.”
He also reveals he has layoff notices ready “and five to six thousand state workers will get notices…I don’t budge.”
Does this sound like commitment to civil discourse?
And when the phony Koch says, “Once you crush these bastards, I’ll fly you out to Cali and really show you a good time,” Walker comes back with, “That would be outstanding.”
It would, too. An outstanding ethics violation.
Soon after the audiotape was put online, the web site for the Buffalo Beast went down. It seems to be suffering from traffic overload.
But you can listen to the tape here.
[www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/23/scott-walker-buffalo-beast-phone-prank_n_827058.html]
Or read about it in a number of locations. Here are two.
Mother Jones
[www.motherjones.com/mojo/2011/02/scott-walker-koch-brother-crank-call-wisconsin]
Business Insider Online
[www.businessinsider.com/scott-walker-punked-david-koch-2011-2]
