Now this is just hilarious:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/...
U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) isn't a fan of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's attacks on his Democratic opponent's wealth, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Tuesday.
"I would prefer they do not do that," Johnson said when asked about state Republicans labeling Mary Burke, the Democratic challenger, as "Millionaire Mary."
"Far too often in the political realm we demonize success, we demagogue against it," he told the newspaper. "What we should be doing is incentivizing success." - TPM, 8/5/14
Here's a little more info:
http://www.jsonline.com/...
Johnson said: "I don't want to demonize or demagogue against" outsourcing at Trek Bicycle Corp., which manufactures 99% of its bicycles overseas. Walker's campaign has criticized Burke for profiting from those overseas operations.
Asked if Trek should be criticized for the way its taxes are paid, Johnson said, "No."
Walker has attacked Trek for not paying corporate income taxes for decades. Trek operates under Subchapter S of the IRS code, which allows a company to pass on its tax obligation to its shareholders at a lower rate.
Johnson, a millionaire, retains ownership in the Oshkosh-based plastics company Pacur, which is a limited liability corporation. In an LLC, taxes are passed through to owners.
Joe Zepecki, a spokesman for the Burke campaign, said: "We don't agree with Senator Johnson on much, but you have to respect his putting politics aside today and being a voice of reason..."
For his part, Walker said he has never called Burke "Millionaire Mary," and added: "I really don't care about her personal wealth or what she makes."
Walker's campaign, however, has repeatedly used the "Millionaire Mary" tag, as has the state Republican Party. - Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel, 8/5/14
When a wealthy Tea Party Senator is trashing your style of attacks, that's saying something. But Walker has no choice but to go this route in his attacks against Burke:
http://www.newrepublic.com/...
And now here is Scott Walker, who trumpets his success at lowering taxes in Wisconsin and making it a business-friendly environment, going after Mary Burke for the fact that Trek is set up in the same way as more than 4 million businesses nationwide. Huh?
Walker’s Paul Wellstone turn could come back to haunt him should he survive reelection and run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. Why is he taking the risk of alienating them and opening himself to attacks in the GOP primaries? Tom Bevan of RealClearPolitics suggests it’s a sign of just how worried Walker is about losing this time around: “It smacks of desperation,” writes Bevan. The fact is, some of those who voted for Walker in the 2012 recall election sparked by the anti-union legislation were doing so more out of protest against the recall process than out of love for Walker. Dig into the polls and it’s not hard to detect some Walker fatigue—even some voters feeling good about the direction Wisconsin is headed in say they will vote against him.
But I’d suggest there’s more to it than just the pressure Walker is feeling from Burke. Walker may be willing to risk accusations of apostasy for the reason I laid out in my recent cover story on him: because he enjoys such deep, abiding support from the airtight, monolithic Republican bubble in hyper-polarized Wisconsin, which may lead him to feel he has little to fear in taking a couple shots at Burke that are technically breaking with dogma. Already, Walker is getting back-up from the fiercely loyal conservative echo chamber in Wisconsin—the Right Wisconsin website led by Milwaukee talk radio host Charlie Sykes took up Walker’s side, arguing that it was hypocritical for Burke to have enjoyed the benefits of a tax status that many Democrats criticize, while completing overlooking the hypocrisy evident in Walker attacking a successful business for doing the things that successful businesses do: seeking out low-cost labor and money-saving tax structures. If a Republican can get away with class-baiting attacks on a wealthy businesswoman without fear of tut-tutting from his own local allies, what’s to stop him? - The New Republic, 8/1/14
We can beat this clown, we just have to get our base out to the polls. Click here to donate and get involved with Burke's campaign:
http://burkeforwisconsin.com/