Watching WI GOP Gov. and faithful Trump servant Scott Walker withhold his formal re-election campaign announcement reminds me of a harried Dad at the airport baggage carousel.
Has anyone seen Ned's suitcase? Who has Molly's backpack? Can grandpa's van carry everything?
Scott Walker, campaigner-and-baggage-handler-in-chief.
* Are you aware Ron Johnson & friends just voted to kill the deductibility of state and local taxes - - including property taxes - - from taxable federal income? You bet Walker and his consultants are trying to figure out how to spin it. More precisely, away from it.
Those are hugely important deductions for people in high-tax states like Wisconsin, but Trump needs to gather additional revenues to pay for bigger, long-sought giant tax cuts for the rich, leaving politicians like Walker holding the bag.
Walker may try and bob, weave and brag his way around this campaign land mine with some word salad about the standard deduction which people who itemize don't take anyway.
And remind people that he has cut taxes for average filers (will he also add that his tax cuts focus on high-earners and businesses?) to the tune of a cup of coffee a week or a Happy Meal every month, but I don't think that's going to make people forget they won't be able to deduct their property and state tax payments if Trump and Ron Johnson prevail on behalf of the Koch interests and Friends who are making the demands.
* And it will be interesting to see how Walker explains to voters, especially seniors and working families who are pitching in for their elderly relatives' care that his pal Donald Trump wants to cut billions from the Medicare and Medicaid programs he pledged not to cut during the presidential campaign - - a campaign and candidacy which Walker supported:
Walker is the one whose administration has failed to stem the spread of chronic wasting disease in the state deer herd, and whose corporate servitude has led to an ever-expanding number of bills, laws, one-sided settlements and special favors to businesses that are filling wetlands and giving polluters a green light.
I don't think Walker can campaign in rural Wisconsin this fall on the strength of his ritual deer-stand photo and, then come springtime, his fishing season opener appearance as state natural resources are constantly on his chopping block.
And accessed on the second-worst roads in the nation which have deteriorated on Walker's watch.
* Walker also has to sell taxpayers statewide on the notion that the Foxconn deal isn't just a $3.74 billion public subsidy to a foreign-based company pledging to build and hire in the southeast corner of the state.
And to make voters forget that he's failed after nearly eight years in office to create the 250,000 new jobs he'd said would be a snap after just one, four-year term, as was reported earlier this year:
Walker likes to say that Wisconsin is open for business.
Apparently, "open" is open to interpretation.
Now, where's that baggage cart? Get an extra.
Has anyone seen Ned's suitcase? Who has Molly's backpack? Can grandpa's van carry everything?
Scott Walker, campaigner-and-baggage-handler-in-chief.
* Are you aware Ron Johnson & friends just voted to kill the deductibility of state and local taxes - - including property taxes - - from taxable federal income? You bet Walker and his consultants are trying to figure out how to spin it. More precisely, away from it.
Those are hugely important deductions for people in high-tax states like Wisconsin, but Trump needs to gather additional revenues to pay for bigger, long-sought giant tax cuts for the rich, leaving politicians like Walker holding the bag.
Walker may try and bob, weave and brag his way around this campaign land mine with some word salad about the standard deduction which people who itemize don't take anyway.
And remind people that he has cut taxes for average filers (will he also add that his tax cuts focus on high-earners and businesses?) to the tune of a cup of coffee a week or a Happy Meal every month, but I don't think that's going to make people forget they won't be able to deduct their property and state tax payments if Trump and Ron Johnson prevail on behalf of the Koch interests and Friends who are making the demands.
* And it will be interesting to see how Walker explains to voters, especially seniors and working families who are pitching in for their elderly relatives' care that his pal Donald Trump wants to cut billions from the Medicare and Medicaid programs he pledged not to cut during the presidential campaign - - a campaign and candidacy which Walker supported:
Scott Walker Throws Support Behind Donald Trump in Campaign SpeechBut let's not suggest that all of Walker's campaign trail burdens are Trump's doing.
Walker is the one whose administration has failed to stem the spread of chronic wasting disease in the state deer herd, and whose corporate servitude has led to an ever-expanding number of bills, laws, one-sided settlements and special favors to businesses that are filling wetlands and giving polluters a green light.
I don't think Walker can campaign in rural Wisconsin this fall on the strength of his ritual deer-stand photo and, then come springtime, his fishing season opener appearance as state natural resources are constantly on his chopping block.
And accessed on the second-worst roads in the nation which have deteriorated on Walker's watch.
* Walker also has to sell taxpayers statewide on the notion that the Foxconn deal isn't just a $3.74 billion public subsidy to a foreign-based company pledging to build and hire in the southeast corner of the state.
And to make voters forget that he's failed after nearly eight years in office to create the 250,000 new jobs he'd said would be a snap after just one, four-year term, as was reported earlier this year:
The total number of jobs created since Walker took office is 185,208, or 64,792 short of Walker's goal of 250,000.And that last year, Wisconsin showed little growth and had a net loss in manufacturing jobs, according to data released in May:
Wisconsin lost manufacturing jobs in 2016, the first year that's happened since the Great Recession.
Detailed job numbers released Friday afternoon by the state Department of Workforce Development show Wisconsin lost 3,776 manufacturing jobs.
The job losses came at a time when Wisconsin was spending nearly $300 million a year to cut manufacturers’ income and corporate taxes in an effort to grow the state’s economy.
The same set of job numbers also showed overall hiring slowed in 2016 as the state added just 11,590 private sector jobs.And we're approaching day five of a cover-up by Walker and his always-troubled Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation of just what was discovered at the 11th hour in the proposed giveaway agreement with Foxconn - - a summary post about the deal with dozens of links is here - - that is holding up contract signatures.
Walker likes to say that Wisconsin is open for business.
Apparently, "open" is open to interpretation.
Now, where's that baggage cart? Get an extra.
