of Walker as a tax-and- spender might seem amusingly incongruous, it is true that his budget reduced two tax credits for low-income citizens. What his enemies didn’t mention: Tax cuts else- where in his budget more than offset those chang- es. In fact, the budget the state adopted actually shaved the state’s net tax revenue by $23.6 million. If fighting smears and
a recall battle at the same time bothers Walker much, he doesn’t show it. In an exclusive
Newsmax.TV inter- view, he seems to take it all in stride. “I said I’d balance the budget; I’d do
ROAD AHEAD Protesters seeking a recall election gather at the Capitol building in Madison, Wis.
it without raising taxes; I’d do it with- out using tricks or gimmicks that were used in the past, and I’d still make sure that we protected seniors and needy families and children and ultimately do things like putting more money in the classroom,” Walker tells News- max. “We did all those things. And so a handful of folks want to stand up and cry foul.”
His real crime, he says,
has been “keeping my promises.” Walker, a preacher’s
son who was inaugurated in January 2011, found himself in the national headlines a month later after proposing a “bud- get-repair bill” that called for additional contribu- tions by public employ- ees to their healthcare plans and pensions and a decrease in pay. The bill also called for serious limi-
istration, and liberal groups such as
MoveOn.org immediately attacked Walker as a union buster. Walker countered that his proposals would actually save public-sector jobs by lim- iting benefits that would still far sur- pass those of private-sector workers. Walker defends his record like a
Wisconsin Governor
man with a clear conscience. He com- pares Wisconsin to Illinois, where Democrats increased taxes rather than address the state’s out-of-control spending and entitlements. Illinois appears to be locked in a downward spiral, as job creation suffers. Unem- ployment continues to be about 10 percent, com- pared to 7.3 percent for Wisconsin in November. Given the powerful
SCOTT WALKER: Goal is 250,000 new jobs by 2015.
SEE VIDEO AT:
newsmax.com/SeeTV
forces lining up against him, Walker isn’t making the mistake of underesti- mating his enemies. He says the national unions and other groups spent
tations on the collective bargaining power of public-employee unions. Union leaders, the Obama admin-
about $44 million on the six-state Sen- ate recall elections last summer. The $13 million that Walker spent on his successful campaign to become gover- nor pales in comparison.
T
he tens of millions of union dol- lars pouring into Walker’s state
in a bid to defeat him may be the least of Walker’s worries if the economy doesn’t turn around. In November, after a mini-jobs
boom that occurred earlier in the year, Wisconsin recorded its fifth consecu- tive month of declines in private-sec- tor employment. Of some comfort to Walker despite
that gloomy report: The ManPower employment outlook report predicts job growth will be picking up for Wis- consin this quarter, thanks to strength in the state’s manufacturing, transpor- tation, retail, and hospitality sectors. Walker came into office promising
to add 250,000 jobs in his first term. But if predictions of a first-quarter resurgence are accurate, he will still have time to make his case to the vot- ers. Election officials say May would probably be the earliest they could organize a statewide recall election. “I view it as an opportunity,” Walk-
er tells Newsmax. “I’m an optimist. I think it’s a great chance to remind the people of the state of Wisconsin that the reforms are working and that we’ve got a plan and a positive out- look for the future of Wisconsin.”
FEBRUARY 2012 | NEWSMAX 27
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