As I surf the intertubes, I often find myself wandering onto conservative blogs and news sites, sometimes to find out what conservatives are talking about, and other times just for the sheer entertainment value. As I was checking out the website for the “Recall Doyle” effort, I came across this gem, courtesy of user “Cutiebear0730”:
I heard he wants to give Illegals a Drivers License! That is discusting and messed up. Those pigs are in our country illegally in the first place and are the first ones lined up at the welfare office just begging for their free checks they get every month.
I don’t think there’s anything else I can say about the comment; it kind of speaks for itself.
However, since we’re talking about of Gov. Doyle (in a roundabout sort of way), here’s what Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, one of his would-be opponents in 2010, had to say on Twitter recently:
I said this morning (profound to some + shocking to others): taxpayers should vote on any new tax.
While I think the idea of taxpayers voting on any new tax via referendum is an idea worth exploring, I can’t help but wonder if Scott Walker picks and chooses which taxes he thinks taxpayers should vote on. After all, Walker’s on record as being opposed to the sales tax referendum that was on the ballot in November 2008 in Milwaukee County.
Here’s a word of advice to Walker: try not to flip-flop too much; it makes you look indecisive.
“…taxpayers should vote on any new tax,” Walker says. That’s a dog whistle to the hard-right members of the audience that Walker supports TABOR, the so-called Taxpayer Bill of Rights. As a constitutional amendment, it would have citizens vote on any new tax — sort of like how we the people of Milwaukee County voted __in favor__ of an additional sales tax. It would tie the hands of the state legislature from making any new taxes, which delights the anti-tax crowd. TABOR crippled the state of Colorado following its passage in 1992, but it was later loosened in 2005, precisely because people were fed up with their roads and the educational system going to hell because of TABOR.
You know who was behind Wisconsin’s former interest in TABOR? None other than Dr. No himself, our former Governor Tommy Thompson…
The brilliance displayed in the comments about the “illegals” is why a Mike Nichols, a Patrick McIlheran can function as shills in a daily newspaper for today’s Republican Party.
The appeal to racism, bigotry and hate is a staple of the GOP, and not just isolated American whacks.
Since the inception of Nixon’s Southern Strategy in 1968, continuing through Reagan’s 1980 campaign kick-off in Philadelphia, Mississippi [the site of the murder of civil rights workers, Schwerner, Goodman, and Chaney, 16 years earlier], right on up to Bush and McCain, playing on the bigotries in America has been standard GOP fare.
Instead of the ignorant and hateful being politically marginalized, the GOP sees a political opportunity that they have never stopped using. The results are plain and ugly.
The appeal to bigotry on the GOP’s side and the fight against bigotry on the Democratic side is argubly the chief dividing line between the two parties.
The ReCall Doyle hype is a joke, as is the vacuous arguments against the Democrats defense of the blacks and browns.
Hatred doesn’t belong only to those who are perceived to be right-wing; the holocaust museum shooter’s blog was filled with hatred towards Jews, Christians, and the Bible. Despite the “uncultivated” language you quoted re. illegals, I have to take exception to the notion that resenting illegal immigrants is “bigotry”. My husband is a LEGAL immigrant, so why is it “racist” or “bigoted” to insist that everyone who immigrates, jump through all the hoops HE had to jump through? Allowing illegals just isn’t FAIR, and liberals are always about being FAIR, aren’t they?
Re the recall movement, I am proud to be part of the BAD, RAD, DAD, AND JUST PLAIN MAD. That is, Businessmen Against Doyle, Republicans Against Doyle, Democrats Against Doyle, (oh, yes!) and the just plain Mad Against Doyle. Right now, Doyle’s popularity is only 34%, counting ALL WI voters. Hear this? This includes Democrats!
And WI’s PER CAPITA deficit is the highest in the whole USA! $1180+ compared to CA’s measly $584 per person. You need to remember, NO SOCIETY EVER YET TAXED ITS WAY TO PROSPERITY. And THIS, more than anything else, is what drives the recall movement.
Resenting illegal immigrants is one thing, but calling them “pigs” is quite another.
As for Gov. Doyle’s approval ratings, I’m not worried, considering polling shows him with a decent lead over Scott Walker or Mark Neumann.
We need change in people and a change in government. Vote independently in every election. Don’t vote party lines. There are clunkers in all parties. Vote the person, vote independence from party line, and for goodness sake, vote for who you want and do not vote against the ideology you are afraid of.Too many people are anti-Republican or anti-Democratic Party. Stop allowing them to make you afraid. Put your adult clothing on when you vote, please.