Walker’s first television commercials in his questfor the Republican gubernatorial nomination touted the launching of a “BrownBag Movement,” symbolized by Walker’s claim that he’s so frugal he packs a baglunch every day.
Citizens who wanted to join Walker’s campaign forlean government were invited to purchase brown paper bags (five for $7, 50 for$35) embossed with Walker’s picture and slogans such as “I have to brown bag itso I can pay Wisconsin’s taxes” and “I’d be eating out if government wasn’tgobbling up my money!”
Pretty clever, actually, although state Democratsridiculed the fact that the entire promotion was recycled almost word-for-wordfrom a campaign used 12 years ago by Ohio Republican Sen. George Voinovich.
But there is another more embarrassing problem.Politicians who feast in glass restaurants shouldn’t throw hard rolls.
Two Associated Press reporters, Ryan Foley and ScottBauer, went through Walker’s campaignexpenditures and discovered Walkerand his campaign staff had spent more than $24,500 on meals, often at high-endrestaurants, over the past year and a half.
While supporters are being encouraged to eat out ofbrown paper bags bearing Walker’s picture, Walker and his campaign staff werespending $2,182 for “meeting expenses” at Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Middletonand $805 at Timmer’s in West Bend.
Other impressive tabs paid with campaign fundsincluded $244 at the Bay City Smokehouse in Green Bay, $230 and $193 atCarrabba’s Italian Grill in Greenfield, $230 at the Capital Grille inWashington, D.C., and $149 at the Waterfront in La Crosse.
It takes bags of campaign contributions to live sohigh off the hog.
Truth in Walker’s Actions?
There’s nothing particularly shocking about acandidate and his campaign staff running up big bills in nice restaurants, butit’s not very honest to then falsely portray the candidate as an ordinaryworking stiff going off to work every day with his sad, little ham-and-cheesesandwich.
The hypocrisy was what made the AP report a legitimatepolitical story. Interestingly, even though newspapers all over the statepicked up the AP story, Wisconsin’slargest newspaper, the Milwaukee JournalSentinel, blacked it out to protect their hometown candidate fromembarrassment.
There is something fundamentally dishonest aboutpoliticians running for governor claiming to be ordinary folks. Candidates inthe last gubernatorial race raised and spent more than $30 million. Ordinaryfolks need not apply.
And there is something particularly jarring about Walker presenting himselfas your average working guy carrying a bag lunch. It’s all those averageworking guys with bag lunches employed by Milwaukee Countywho have been laid off or had their wages and benefits slashed with unpaidfurloughs and other contractual givebacks.
Walkerhas claimed the right to refuse to live up to county contracts negotiated withunions under special “emergency powers” as county executive. The emergency wasthat Walker wasrunning for governor and did not want to raise taxes enough to pay the county’sbills.
Walker, who has eliminated jobs throughout histenure as county executive and heads a government on the brink of bankruptcy,now claims to have the power to createciting a totally made-up number250,000jobs as governor of Wisconsin.
A whole lot of Milwaukee Countyworkers believe job creation should begin at home.
A working-class hero Walker is not. His lack ofrespect for the basic principles of labor relations was demonstrated when Walker submitted a countybudget that included drastic wage and benefit reductions that had never beennegotiated with county unions.
Rather than bargaining in good faith to reach amutually beneficial agreement through a process of give-and-take, Walker expects union leaders to enter into shamnegotiations where working people do all the giving and Walker does all the taking.
Working people in Milwaukee County who really dohave to eat bag lunches saw their family-supporting jobs disappear as Walkeroutsourced their work to private, profit-making companies operated by wealthycampaign contributors.
In order to create private profits from what used tobe public service, private contractors sometimes hire back desperate, laid-offworkers at a fraction of their previous pay.
Maybe the next time Walker and his campaign staffenjoy a sumptuous $2,000 wingding at an expensive steakhouse, he could ask fora doggie bag to take a little back to those who really need it.
Comment onthis article at expressmilwaukee.com.n