Hard Working Wisconsinites Exercising Free Speech Rights Labeled Terrorists by Gov. Walker, Again.

MADISON, Wis. — In a speech before right-wing political activists at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker compared citizens of his home state who disagree with his policies to terrorists. One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross said that even more outrageous than Walker’s comments yesterday, and his refusal to apologize for them, is that this is not the first, but just the latest, instance of Walker comparing Wisconsin citizens to international terrorists.

“Gov. Walker has shown time and again that he will do and say anything to get elected,” commented Ross. “Apparently that includes labeling teachers, nurses, firefighters or anyone from Wisconsin who disagrees with his agenda as a terrorist. His comments are an insult to the hard working Wisconsinites who love their state and their country and are exercising their rights as Americans to disagree with their government.”

In his CPAC speech Gov. Walker said he was concerned about the threat of terrorism on American soil and indicated that he was qualified to prevent incidents because he has already dealt with Wisconsin citizens speaking out against his regressive and ineffective policies. Harkening back to a statewide outcry over his controversial attack on the workplace rights of public employees like teachers, nurses and public safety workers Walker boasted, “If I can take on 100,000 protesters, I can do the same across the world.”

This is not the first time Walker has made such statements equating Americans who exercised their free speech rights and spoke out publicly against his policies with terrorism. At an exclusive New York City dinner attended by a collection of millionaires and billionaires it was reported by dinner attendee Larry Kudlow in the National Review that, “Similarly, Walker believes his stance against unions in Wisconsin would be a signal of toughness to Islamic jihadists and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.” This was the same event at which failed GOP presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Rudy Guiliani declared President Obama does not love America, sentiments which Walker steadfastly refused to repudiate.

During the 2011 outcry against his agenda by citizens across Wisconsin Walker revealed he had contemplated inciting violence by inserting trouble makers into what were peaceful crowds numbering over 100,000. In a conversation with a blogger whom Walker thought was notorious right wing funder David Koch he indicated he had, “thought about it” but was concerned about getting caught.

In addition, Walker brags in his ghost-authored book, Unintimidated that he entertained his staff in 2011 by reading them a derisive top ten list about members of public employee unions that included the statement, “You know by having a copy of the Holy Koran on your desk your job is 100% safe.”

Ross concluded, “Gov. Walker’s comments and longstanding, seething contempt for working people who dare to stand up for their rights is unsettling. That comparing them to terrorists as a part of his stump speech as he auditions for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination is beyond outrageous, it ought to be disqualifying.”