Wisconsinites, moderates and progressives everywhere are upset—and it’s completely justified—by Gov. Scott Walker’s comparison of peaceful Capitol protesters to ISIS.
He tried to backtrack on his comments, but we all know it’s BS.
And he knows his backtracking is BS, too.
Walker made the comparison intentionally. It was no "gaffe."
He’s at CPAC, for god’s sake. He’s not exactly going to moderate his words.
He’s flinging red meat at the crowd.
Walker, and the right wingers who support him, have so successfully demonized unions, moderates, liberals, progressives and protesters in general that it’s perfectly reasonable for him to compare peaceful protesters to ISIS, at least in some quarters.
Not only is it reasonable, it’s beneficial.
The nation is just now getting a taste of what Walker is like. (Check out Joel McNally’s take on it in this week’s Shepherd.)
Walker is living in a bubble. Since taking office in 2010, he has successfully shut out anyone who is outside of it. He still makes some time for the corporate media outlets in the state—led by the Journal Sentinel, which has backed his political career since its inception—and with just a very few exceptions he only meets and greets the public in tightly controlled settings, usually at small manufacturers around the state who invite him in.
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Walker has never tried to engage the opposition. In his mind, he doesn’t need to do so. He can exploit the state’s polarization (and racism) and play only to the conservative voters in the state.
And here’s the thing missing from most national reports on Walker: he’s had a sympathetic Legislature and Supreme Court since becoming governor in 2011.
When he talks about “getting results,” well, how hard is it to get results when your party has a lock on power in all branches of government?
So make no mistake. Walker, in his odd mind, truly believes that the peaceful Capitol protesters are like ISIS.
That’s his bubble. And we’re living in it.
