On the heels of questions about Walkers' intentions from Madison's police chief and mayor, Wisconsin State Senator Tim Carpenter has released the following letter.
Dear Governor Walker,
I am informed that a tape recording has been released in which you apparently held an extensive discussion with someone you believed to be your campaign supporter, David Koch. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel states that the caller was actually a reporter, pretending to be David Koch, and it has posted a transcript of the recording. It appears that you admit the call occurred, and have not contested the authenticity of transcript.
David Koch is the billionaire businessman who reportedly contributed thousands to your campaign and who the media claims is a key source of funding for shadowy political groups that spend hundreds of thousands of dollars attacking your political adversaries in our state.
At a historic moment in our State’s history, brought on by your refusal to compromise with elected officials regarding the elimination of worker’s rights, you still refuse to talk with Democratic legislators. However, you apparently have no problem taking a phone call from “Mr. Koch” and to:
• Discuss your strategy to lay off public workers to seek partisan advantage to pass
your agenda;
• Discuss your plan to lure Democratic legislators to the Capitol on the pretext of
negotiation, but then state that you would never actually negotiate;
• Discuss your plan to use the pretext of negotiation to get a quorum for legislative
fiscal action that Republicans so far have not been able to do;
• Discuss that you considered the “planting” of paid troublemakers into the
peaceful protests at our Capitol; and to
• Give your enthusiastic acceptance to an offer from “Koch” to fly you out on a vacation to show you a “good time” once you “crush these bastards.” Your response was “That would be outstanding…” Given that Koch’s businesses could reap vast rewards with the ‘no bid’ sale of the Wisconsin’s power plants that you propose in your budget repair bill, this response is severely troubling.
Governor Walker, this tape would make Richard Nixon blush. If the recording and the items discussed by you are indeed your plans, you have no business being in public office in our State, and should resign.
Sincerely,
Tim Carpenter
Note:
You'll need to scroll about a third of the way down in comments to bypass the grammar nit-pick I started. Not that it's not a fun discussion, but the stuff relevant to the Senator's letter got pushed down a bit in the article melee.
The comments here are consistent with the peaceful, good-natured outpouring of free expression we are currently enjoying in the heartland. I thank you all for that.
Update:
The Senate walkout is now the last barrier to the passage of Walker's bill. The Assembly quickly passed the legislation early this morning.
Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca is not happy with the way Assembly Republicans quickly approved Gov. Scott Walker's union-busting budget bill.
“The contempt displayed this evening toward democracy and the people of Wisconsin by the Republicans in the Assembly was appalling," Barca said in a statement. “And Republicans in the Assembly knew their cause was so flawed that they rushed a vote in seconds, cheating Democratic representatives of the opportunity to vote against this horrible legislation. Then they fled the chamber surrounded by armed law enforcement agents refusing to explain their actions to the media or face the citizens who were gathered outside."
