Mike Tate: Dreams of Wisconsin’s next governor

Earlier today the Wausau Daily Herald posted an op-ed written by Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate outlining how Wisconsin’s next governor will be nothing like Republican Gov. Scott Walker.

The op-ed does a great job balancing attacks on Scott Walker’s record as governor with a clear vision for how his Democratic successor will govern much differently. Here’s a snippet from Tate’s op-ed.

Wisconsin’s next governor will be quite different than Scott Walker.

We are in the final stages of collecting the signatures necessary to recall Walker, in a vast, people-powered movement fueled by an historic rejection of his radical agenda.

Walker’s strategy will be to prolong the period before the recall is certified, with wasteful lawsuits and other shabby game-playing, but it will not hold off the inevitable.

The question will then turn to the candidate who will replace him. I have no doubt Walker’s successor will be able and qualified. And I know, whoever emerges, he or she will be much more than that — because that is what Wisconsin is now demanding.

Wisconsin’s next governor will unite Wisconsin after the division it has endured under Walker and necessarily will work with all sides to come up with real solutions to the common problems we face. Wisconsin’s next governor will value moderation and respect all sides of the argument. He or she will not put their party before the good of the people.

This is precisely the kind of message that needs to get out about Scott Walker and a recall….not just why we support a recall, but what we want to see from our next governor. It’s not enough to simply say what we’re opposed to; we should also be articulating what our vision is, and I’m glad Mike Tate did just that.