Wisconsin's Governor Scott Walker was interviewed by Greta Van Susteren the other night on Fox News. He was talking about his recent ad, the first one to show a teacher, Kristi LaCroix, who looked sincerely into the camera and talked about how great Walker's policies have been. In the ad, she says, "it's not about being popular. It's not about getting the votes. This is what is right. Scott Walker said from the beginning "I'm going to do what is right for Wisconsin," and he did. He did."
Greta mentions that Kristi LaCroix "is being embarrassed and being harassed and being threatened" and Scott Walker goes on to say:
"…this teacher literally sat down in front of a camera like I am right now and just talked. She had no script. She just talked what was on her heart. We have another teacher starting with a similar ad today and we will have workers in the private sector and parents and grandparents. But this woman just said what was on her mind. It's amazing to see how outrageous it is. That's what happens when you see so much influence coming in from outside of Wisconsin. That's not the way we do it in Wisconsin. We don't attack people because it's a difference of opinion."
They are both aggressively earnest, exuding sincerity and bewildered by their subject-positions as victim. Kristi has claimed that "she is sorry she ever did the ad," and the rightwing has quickly anointed her as this month's icon of Truth and the American Way.
I state emphatically: I have no patience with any kind of violence or bullying behavior. If indeed Ms. LaCroix has been getting threats, then that is wrong, and it should stop. However, her own behavior is not above reproach. I recently uncovered a story about a Milwaukee woman who has been mercilessly hounded by Santo Ingrilli's rightwing Facebook hate-circle, Walker Backers Watching Walker Stalkers. People in this group attempt to find personal information of their "adversaries" and publish it in their hate ring, with direct and implicit directives suggesting violence, particularly against women.
Ms. LaCroix has been a party to this activity in the past. In one thread, where they were discussing their target's web-based business, Ms. LaCroix suggested, in reference to the woman's Facebook page, that "maybe it is time to post on it so that prospective customers can know who they are buying from."
A short while later, one of the frequent contributors to this site, a "William Jenkins" posted "If you like cheap ass jewelry from a disgusting slob of a person, this is the place for you. Suck a cock, whore!" Enough similar postings ensued that the woman had to take down her business page and send the link only privately to faithful customers.
While Ms. LaCroix is not responsible for Mr. Jenkin's posts, there is a pretty clear causal chain between one and the other. Ms. LaCroix should not be hounded by anyone because of her commercial, but she is not an innocent victim. She is involved in some of the most vile Facebook groups that I have ever come across, sites that in the past have sported posts (referring again to the owner of the business mentioned above) that expound "loading up the rape-me van" and similar noisome sentiments:
Ingrilli today gave notice that site users should "please refrain from any personal attacks on our adversaries etc..as it serves no purpose on this page ay longer." That is good advice, as a lot of people are now watching them. However, a little fresh paint won't cover the ugliness which Kristi LaCroix, Scott Walker's laudatory teacher "who just says what is on her mind," is a part of.