Walker all-in for welfare accountability… except for his corporate welfare program
This past Saturday at the Iowa Ag Summit, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker trotted out one of his most tried-and-true brags when he pontificated about how he's made it harder for working class Wisconsinites to obtain food stamps by proposing drug testing and other hurdles for welfare recipients to overcome. It's a stigmatizing line that the presidential hopeful has used countless times to highlight his conservative credentials in front of audiences in his home state, in Iowa and recently at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Underlying Walker's rhetoric is misguided right-wing logic that drug testing welfare recipients constitutes strong stewardship of taxpayer funds. Indeed, Walker is all about making it harder for members of the working class to access government assistance. But he's all for making it easier for corporate titans to access taxpayer-funded grants and advantageous tax breaks through the woefully mismanaged private economic development agency he created -- the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC). WEDC has been as ineffective at helping Walker reach his infamous goal of creating 250,000 new jobs in his first term as it has been scandal-ridden.
MEMO: Scott Walker Refusing to Answer Questions after Doubling Down on Extreme Positions
As Scott Walker gets closer and closer to announcing his run for president, he’s doubling down on extreme positions that are taking him closer and closer to the right wing conservative base. On top of that, he’s avoiding answering press questions on these positions because he only wants to talk about them to extreme audiences who share his views. In just the past couple weeks, he avoided answering press questions at CPAC in late February, after a speech to the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce last week, at the Iowa Ag Summit this past weekend, and after signing his disastrous right-to-work bill in Wisconsin yesterday. Since Scott Walker won’t talk about his positions, we’re happy to fill the void. Here’s what Walker has been up to lately:
- He insulted working families across the country when he compared union protesters to ISIS terrorists;
- He’s falsely claimed that President Reagan firing air traffic controllers made the Soviet Union take him more seriously;
- He’s attacking working families again by pushing through new right-to-work legislation after promising he wouldn’t;
Iowa Ag Summit Shines Light on Glaring Flaws in GOP Field
The Republican field had a chance to stand out at this weekend's Iowa Ag Summit, but instead displayed the same political skill that cost them the Presidency in 2012. Scott Walker focused on promoting his extreme positions, Jeb Bush ran a failed play from Mitt Romney's playbook, and the #GOPRebrand hit new lows as Rick Perry compared immigrants to tracking UPS packages and Rick Santorum repeated his opposition to legal immigration.
Rick Perry
Compares Immigrants to UPS Packages
Mike Huckabee
Says Immigrants Come "Because They've Heard There's A Bowl of Food Just Across the Border"
EXPOSED: GOP's Dazzling Display of Hypocrisy
Republicans have been quick to point the finger after the recent e-mail controversy. But attempts to score quick political points has only invited scrutiny into their questionable e-mail practices. They should look in the mirror before reciting their talking points. Check out these articles calling out the GOP for their humiliating hypocrisy.
MSNBC: Jeb Bush owns his own email server
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush owns the server that runs [email protected], the personal email account he used as governor to conduct official, political and personal business.
Asked who controls the server that operates that email address, Bush spokeswoman Kristy Campbell responded: “He owns it.”
The server was housed in a state-owned office building during the years that Bush served as governor, from 1999 until early 2007. A Bush source familiar with the situation said there were “digital security” measures in place to protect Bush’s emails, but declined to elaborate on how the server and its data were physically and digitally kept from harm.
Scott Walker's Hypocritical Attack
American Bridge 21st Century Vice President Jessica Mackler released the following statement on Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's hypocritical attacks:
"The past few weeks have revealed Scott Walker to be the least prepared, least knowledgeable Republican presidential wannabe, but now he's making a run at being the most hypocritical, too. These cheap, political attacks are ignorant of Governor Walker's record--and reality."
GOP Hypocrisy Revealed: Jeb Bush Releases Less Than 10% of Private Email
SHOT:
RNC Spokesman Sean Spicer says Jeb Bush has released all of his private emails. [CNN, 3/4/15]CHASER:
Jeb Bush Said He Got 2.5 Million E-Mails On His Public Account And 550,000 On His Private Account During His Eight Years As Governor. According to the Naples Daily News, “Jeb Bush learned plenty during his eight years as Florida governor, he told a crowd at a United Christian Giving fundraiser in Fort Myers on Thursday. The president’s little brother and former president’s son took few partisan shots, mostly entertaining the crowd with stories from ‘Mount Tallahassee.’ […] Bush said he got 550,000 e-mails on his private account and another 2.5 million on his public account during his eight years as governor. That helped him stay in touch with the people of the state even though the capital is far removed geographically from most of the population.” [Naples Daily News, 7/12/07] Jeb Bush Said He Would Launch A Website On Which He Will Make Available About 250,000 E-Mails From His Time As Governor. According to the New York Times, “Jeb Bush said he would launch a website on Tuesday on which he will make available about 250,000 emails from his time as governor of Florida, as well as the first chapter of an e-book about his administration. The emails, which were obtained by a number of news media organizations through a public records request in December, show Mr. Bush’s style in communicating with both his staff and his constituents.” [New York Times, 2/9/15]MEMO: Jeb Bush Hypocrisy on Email Disclosure
Earlier this week, Jeb Bush attempted to capitalize on the recent email controversy by tweeting “Transparency matters. Unclassified @HillaryClinton emails should be released. You can see mine, here jebbushemails.com.” Bush’s attempt to score quick political points exposes him to a powerful hypocrisy attack. As governor, Bush used private emails; thus far he has not disclosed them all. There is even early media speculation that Bush’s actions may have skirted Florida law. Key Points:
- Bush used a personal email address as governor, and there are messages missing. As the Washington Post reporters, “Bush used his personal email address, [email protected], to conduct official, political, and personal business…” but Bush’s email disclosure website (which was already public and available at the Florida state archives) lacks many key messages, including any messages between Jeb Bush and his brother, then-President George W. Bush.
- Media accounts establish that Bush, not the State of Florida, decided which private emails to disclose – apparently nothing would have stopped the Bush team from selectively leaving out politically problematic emails. As the Tampa Bay Times reported, “The Bush files, though enormous, are not complete” because they lacked “emails the governor deemed not relevant to the public record.” In other words, Bush selected what was “relevant” or not for the public record, not civil servants.
American Bridge Submits Open Records Request For Unreleased Bush Emails
Today, in accordance with the Florida Open Records Law, American Bridge is requesting unreleased emails sent from Jeb Bush's private email account during his time as governor. Recently, Bush was quick to brag about releasing 250,000 emails in his ostensible devotion to transparency -- but Bush said he received 550,000 emails on his private account and 2.5 million emails on his public account during his gubernatorial tenure. A full copy of the open records request can be found here, and is copied after the jump.
Can anyone spare a life vest? Asking for some friends in GOP leadership…
As Speaker Boehner continues to flail in an attempt to fund the Department of Homeland Security, the political fallout is seemingly endless. Boehner, Congressional Republicans' already low approval ratings, and even relations between the House and Senate GOP caucuses all continue to take on water over the struggle to pass a clean DHS funding bill.
Today's maneuvering is just the latest humiliation for the GOP, raising doubts that the Republicans can even function as a majority party. Some conservatives are even leading a whisper campaign to oust Speaker Boehner. Speaker Boehner's inability to manage this internal discord and dissension may not merely lead to his downfall, but that of his party as well. But don't take our word for it -- check out these no good, very bad headlines raking Boehner and the GOP over the coals...VIDEO: Jeb Bush: CPAC's Persona Non Grata
CPAC 2015. Thousands of attendees, hundreds of speakers and panelists, and upwards of a dozen GOP presidential hopefuls. And yet, a singular, overwhelming theme from the Conservative confab -- unmistakable rancor for former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. All three days of the conference found Conservatives landing jab after jab on Jeb, from Laura Ingraham to Chris Christie to Donald Trump.