Scott Walker: A Threat to Democracy

The Huffington Post ^ | July 22, 2015 | Ellen Bravo, Director, Family Values @ Work

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Four years ago, I was among tens of thousands of Wisconsinites who made their way to Madison every weekend to march against Scott Walker and his attacks on public education and on unions. We were all ages, ethnicities, political persuasions, chanting: "This is what democracy looks like!" Homemade signs sprouted amidst the snowflakes. My favorite: "He's not a Packer, he's a Steeler." (The Packers had just triumphed over Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl.)

Turns out what Scott Walker set out to steal was democracy itself.

First came the attack on collective bargaining for public sector unions, done with a particularly sleazy sleight-of-hand. Walker pointed to cutbacks workers faced in the private sector and declared that public sector workers were the "haves" who needed to be cut down a peg. Never mind that the private corporations he pointed to were rolling in profits. The problem, according to Walker, wasn't bloated corporations and overpaid executives -- it was public school teachers and home health care workers and snow plough drivers. Walker's goal went far beyond asking for more sacrifices from public sector workers; he was out to destroy the power of their unions. A hallmark of democracy is the ability of workers to come together to bargain collectively and have a voice at work.

Next he went after.....

[big SNIP]

As we shivered during the Wisconsin uprising, many of us cheered at the sign that read, "I thought it would be warmer in Egypt," referring to the uprising there demanding democratic rights. Wisconsinites became more and more aware we were dealing with an enemy of democracy. American voters would be wise to learn from our experience.

[KGeorge]

Chicago is even pretty close. Some of the people at Ferguson went on to the West Coast after that.

[Excellence]

“American voters would be wise to learn from our experience.”

We are and we’re hoping it goes national.

[John Valentine]

It is good that nowhere in America is a democracy. The founders gave us a representitive republic, a republican form of government if you will.

A radicalized socialist-progressive minority foisting their destructive policies on the rest of us through deceit, corruption, fraud, intimidation, extortion, and malicious prosecution is hardly democracy in any case.

Such rhetoric is revealing however when one considers their TRUE intentions, which have nothing to do with bourgeois “democracy” and everything to do with the exercise of power.

[tanknetter]

It would seem to me that a case study in “democracy” would be winning an election, doing something incredibly controversial, winning a recall election and then winning reelection within 4 years.

This twit is speaking of “democracy” using Orwellian Newspeak.

[exnavy]

I concur.

[M Kehoe]

The more I read from Huff Post, Slate and Salon the more I like Scott Walker.

5.56mm