In These Times: What’s the Matter With Wisconsin?

[marmar]

What’s the Matter With Wisconsin?
The state’s motto is “Forward,” but it’s now turning its back on a rich progressive history.

By Theo Anderson


At the turn of the last century, Wisconsin was a critical incubator of early progressivism. In one year alone, 1911, Wisconsin’s legislature passed laws that created the nation’s first compensation fund for injured workers, a state income tax, environmental conservation programs and protections for women and children in the workplace.

Now, Wisconsin is at the vanguard of a movement that aims to undermine the political tradition it helped to create. The outcome of the 2010 congressional races in Wisconsin suggests sobering challenges for progressives at the national level. Democrats lost two seats in the House races, giving Republicans a 5-3 advantage. It’s the first GOP majority within Wisconsin’s congressional delegation since the mid-1990s. In the Senate, Democrats lost progressive stalwart Russ Feingold to a plastics manufacturer and Tea Party favorite son, Ron Johnson, who has dismissed the science of global warming as “lunacy.” Johnson’s campaign focused primarily on job growth, which he believes will be accomplished by lowering taxes and slashing government regulations.

But it’s in the realm of Wisconsin’s state-level politics that the rising challenge to progressivism comes into stark focus. The GOP took control of both houses of the Wisconsin legislature and also won the governorship—a one-day power shift unparalleled in Wisconsin since 1938. The new governor, Scott Walker, served as the Milwaukee County Executive before the election. As with Sen. Johnson’s, the central themes of Walker’s campaign were fiscal responsibility and the promise of a less regulated, more “pro-business” Wisconsin. Walker’s time in office will offer an interesting test of the 19th-century dogma that has defined the GOP for three decades—”supply-side economics,” the idea that lowering tax rates actually increases tax revenue by promoting economic growth. On other fronts as well, Wisconsin appears ready to blaze a trail back to the nineteenth century:

Killing public works projects. Walker campaigned aggressively against a proposed high-speed train linking Milwaukee and Madison, calling it a “boondoggle” that would saddle the state with unsustainable repair and upkeep costs. In December, the $810 million in federal construction funding that had been awarded to Wisconsin was redirected to several other states. ........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/6935/whats_the_matter_with_wisconsin

[somone]

1. It's the upper Midwest

The wingnuts and teabaggers have been resurgent in Minnesota and Iowa as well.

[Sal Minella]

5. The Iowa situation I understand somewhat -- the Iowa Supreme Court

decided (unanimously) that gay marriage can't be prohibited under the Iowa Constitution -- I suspect that this "liberal" interpretation probably tipped many middle-of-the-road voters into voting Republican in this past election.

Thus we are left to deal as best we can with Zombie Terry Branstead as Governor, and a Republican state House that immediately went after contraceptive services like a chicken on a June bug. (The Iowa Senate is still Dem and should be able to provide some sanity.)

For many decades, Iowa has prided itself on its excellent public education -- and now Branstead wants to do away with all our universal pre-school education programs, too -- Among Republicans, "Women and children first" refers to those who get thrown overboard to make room in the lifeboats for the fat rich old white guys.

As for Minnesota -- I have no theories -- the state gave us Wellstone and Humphrey -- and somehow now the soil has been poisoned to produce the likes of Bachmann and Coleman and Pawlenty.

[ewagner]

2. It's obviously a plot

those islamofascistcommies have obviously been slipping something into our water-supply to make us stupid.

The Wisconsin tea-baggers have been drinking abundantly from the "stupid-fountain".

[HereSince1628]

3. This article captures one of my regular rantings...

Personally I think the problem is RUST.

Manufacturing has really been crippled here, truly middleclass jobs are disappearing. The result is progressives are currently outnumbered by the greedy top unwilling to be taxed, and the massive not quite at bottom who are resentful about not having enough to live as they once did, fearful about slipping the rest of the way to the bottom and resenting every tax contribution they make. Greed and fear are holding the top and the almost bottom together in a coalition that really holds not much beyond 50%.

[vssmith]

4. Yes! Wisconsin gave us Robert LaFollette but it also gave us Joe McCarthy

[Doctor_J]

6. Hate Radio

Until that is blown up, this will continue