Wisconsin Recalls

Walker On The 'Koch' Call: 'It Was Stupid'

Eric Kleefeld | December 27, 2011, 10:35AM

In an interview last Friday with the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, Gov. Scott Walker (R) gave perhaps his most blunt show of contrition yet for the mega-gaffe that could haunt him in the coming recall: His 20-minute phone call in February, at the height of the protests against his anti-public employee union legislation, with a blogger posing as conservative financier David Koch.

The interviewer said that a friend of Walker's has said that the "Koch" call was the only time he saw Walker rattled, to have done something so "stupid."

"Yeah, that's a good way to put it, an accurate summary," Walker responded. "It was stupid. It was stupid -- you know, the call in and of itself, the whole fact that something like that would happen -- it diverted attention from, you know, a debate that needed to be focused on the facts, and instead got off into this hysteria and everything."

Walker also said the controversy served as a wake-up call to him, to stay focused on the issues at hand and not let the story become focused around himself.

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Howard Dean

Howard Dean's Koch Brothers 'Freudian Slip' (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 17, 2011, 9:41AM

MINNEAPOLIS -- Howard Dean gave a classic Netroots Nation keynote here last night, hitting all the buttons with the crowd of progressive activists and bloggers gathered here for their annual conference.

One of the most Netroots-friendly buttons he hit accidentally. Or so he told the crowd. While launching into an attack on the right and the conservative funders/progressive bogeymen known as the Koch Brothers, Dean first pronounced their name more like a famous part of ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner's anatomy than the classic cola.

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Wisconsin Protests

Palin Headed To Madison, Wisconsin This Weekend

Eric Kleefeld | April 14, 2011, 3:07PM

Former GOP Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will be headlining a Tea Party rally this weekend, at a venue that has served as the stage for some very high-profile protests of late: The Wisconsin state Capitol building in Madison.

The state Capitol, of course, was the site of massive protests both outside and inside the building, as tens of thousands of people gathered to show (and shout) their opposition to Gov. Scott Walker's anti-public employee union agenda. But now, as the Wisconsin State Journal reports, Palin will be coming to town to rally the other side.

And check out this nugget from the paper's report:

Americans for Prosperity is organizing busses to the event. Last year's gathering featured former Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson and others.

Americans for Prosperity is, of course, a Koch financed group. The Koch name has popped up quite a bit in the Wisconsin protests -- most notably after Walker's 20-minute phone call in late February with blogger Ian Murphy, who was posing as David Koch. During that call, Walker discussed his ideas for tricking the Democrats into coming back by pretending to negotiate, his ambition to bust the public employee unions in the mold of President Reagan firing the air traffic controllers -- an event that Walker said had led to the downfall of the Soviet Union -- and that he had considered (but ruled out) planting troublemakers in the crowds of protesters.

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Wisconsin

Walker: 'My Guess' Is Dems Had Phone Calls With 'Union Bosses In D.C.'

Eric Kleefeld | March 8, 2011, 10:06AM

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) and Wisconsin State Sen. Minority Leader Mark Miller (D)

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) is continuing a line of attack against state Senate Democrats, who have fled the state in order to block budget quorum on his anti-public employee union proposals, that he used at a press conference Monday: That state Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller (D) must be taking orders via phone from union leaders. But as Walker makes clear, he doesn't have actual evidence of this.

As the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports, Walker made the latest remarks Monday evening in an interview with state conservative talk radio host Charlie Sykes. "I don't have this on firsthand knowledge," said Walker. "My guess is he got a phone call from one of the union bosses in D.C. who said, 'You cannot go back there and let them have a vote.'"

As TPM previously pointed out, this is an odd attack in that the public does have firsthand knowledge of a phone call that Walker had: His phone call two weeks ago with blogger Ian Murphy, who was posing as Republican financier David Koch. During that call, Walker discussed his ideas for tricking the Democrats into coming back by pretending to negotiate, his ambition to to bust the public employee unions in the mold of President Reagan firing the air traffic controllers, and that he had considered (but ruled out) planting troublemakers in the crowds of protesters.

Wisconsin

Walker Accuses Dems Of Secret Phone Calls With Special Interest Backers

Eric Kleefeld | March 7, 2011, 3:04PM

At a press conference Monday afternoon, Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) fired back at state Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller (D), the leader of the 14 Democrats who have fled the state in order to block budget quorum on Walker's anti-public employee union proposals, who this morning sent Walker a letter calling for a meeting at the Illinois state line. And in his attacks on Miller, Walker suggested - with no apparent irony - that perhaps Miller has been having secret phone calls with special interest backers in organized labor.

Readers will recall Walker's own phone call two weeks ago with blogger Ian Murphy, who was posing as Republican financier David Koch. During that call, Walker discussed his ideas about tricking the Dems into coming back, his passion for busting the public employee unions in the mold of President Reagan firing the air traffic controllers, and other fun business. On Monday morning, state Dems announced that they were filing an ethics complaints against Walker, regarding things discussed on the call.

Walker started off by blasting Miller's letter and his handling of this whole situation. "We need to walk through why this letter is so ridiculous. And I think it's important," said Walker. "Because for the last several weeks, Sen. Fitzgerald [state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald] and my administration have been reaching out to reasonable senators, many of whom are interested and willing to come back to the state of Wisconsin. And time and time again, the person standing in the way of making that happen is Sen. Mark Miller."

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Wisconsin

Wis. Dems File Ethics Complaint Over Walker's Comments On 'Koch' Call

Eric Kleefeld | March 7, 2011, 12:54PM

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI)

Wisconsin Democrats are continuing their fire on Gov. Scott Walker's infamous phone call with blogger Ian Murphy, who was posing as Republican financier David Koch, in which Walker spoke of his passion for busting the public employee unions. And in their latest move, the Dems have announced that they are filing an ethics complaint with the state's Government Accountability Board -- accusing Walker of serious violations of the law.

"It [the call] showed Scott Walker as a grandiose plotter who thinks of himself as a national figure in the effort to distort the balance of power between working people and big corporations who seek to transform Wisconsin into a low-wage, low-benefits backwater," state Dem chairman Mike Tate said on a conference call with reporters on Monday. "But I'll leave it to you to discuss the political damage it has done to Walker and his corporate masters.

"What we are here to discuss is the fact that in his phone call, Scott Walker clearly violated campaign finance and ethics laws meant precisely to prevent the kind of shameful activity in which Walker was engaged."

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Wisconsin

Walker At Press Conference: I Said That 'Crushing The Bastards' Wasn't A Good Idea

Eric Kleefeld | February 24, 2011, 8:34PM

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI)

MADISON, WI -- Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) just finished a press conference early this evening, in which he continued to warn about the specter of layoffs of government workers if his budget does not pass, and called upon the absent state Senate Democrats to return to the state. Predictably, he continued to face questions over the biggest story of the last two days: His phone call with blogger Ian Murphy, who was posing as Republican financier David Koch.

Walker took five questions in total. The first two questions were both about the "Koch" call, followed by three questions about the budget bill itself and his efforts to end collective bargaining for public sector workers.

In his initial speech, Walker said he had spoken to a small businessman in Wisconsin, who was concerned about the strife going on in the state, and who asked why Walker did not simply take the deal of the increased contributions by public employees to their health care and pensions.

"You look at what's happened at the local level over the past two weeks with this measure...actions speak louder than words," Walker said. "Over the past few weeks we've seen in cities and counties and schools in a rush to pass contracts that don't have a 5 percent and 12 percent contributions. In fact, what I've seen, they have no additional contributions for pensions and health care costs for government employees. In fact, in some cases they've rammed through contracts that have an increase in the salaries."

Walker also spoke of the concern that he said he had for state workers. He said he wanted to avoid layoffs that would hurt people's families, and in response to workers' concerns would strengthen civil service protections on issues of grievances, terminations and discipline etc.

"We've also got to give those workers the right to choose," Walker said -- restating his point from yesterday's press conference that he would give workers the ability to save about $1,000 per year by not paying dues to a union.

But a great deal of interest still focused on Walker's statements on the recorded prank phone call released yesterday morning.

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Wisconsin Protests

Wis. AFL-CIO Ad Features Walker-'Koch' Phone Call (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | February 24, 2011, 5:06PM

Ad by the Wisconsin AFL-CIO, "Scott Walker and David Koch's attacks on Wisconsin's middle class"

The Wisconsin AFL-CIO is up with a new ad attacking Gov. Scott Walker's budget proposal to strip public employee unions of most of their collective bargaining rights -- making quick use of Walker's phone call with blogger Ian Murphy, who was posing as Republican financier David Koch.

Around the Capitol, the phone call is something people are talking about -- a lot. From the protestors yelling about Walker's "Koch habit," to reporters who kept asking him about the call during Wednesday's brief press conference. Indeed, it seems likely Walker will find it difficult to put the call behind him anytime soon -- from his discussion of political gamesmanship, brief considerations about planting fake protesters to start trouble, or his passion for busting the public employee unions in the mold of Ronald Reagan's firing of the air traffic controllers, this thing, as they say, has legs.

Enter the AFL-CIO's ad:

"Gov. Walker is set on eliminating collective bargaining for nurses, teachers, people who live and work in our communities," the announcer says. "He tells us it's for the taxpayers of Wisconsin. But to wealthy GOP funders like David Koch, it's a different story."

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