In her first national TV interview, Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mary Burke was questioned by popular liberal MSNBC host Rachel Maddow Wednesday.
Maddow led into the interview by highlighting the victory of Democrat Terry McAuliffe over Republican Ken Cuccinelli in the Virginia governor's race Tuesday. Maddow took particular delight in pointing out the all-male cast of fervently anti-abortion pols who stumped for Cuccinelli in the final days of the campaign, including Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.
A common theme emerged from Burke's answers to Maddow's several questions: She is running on the "issues that matter" to Wisconsinites and her ability to "bring people together."
Will Walker's obvious attempts to shore up support for a presidential candidacy affect his ability to win reelection, asked Maddow.
"Well I think what the people of Wisconsin care about is whether they have a governor who is focused on the issues that are most important to them,” Burke said. “And as I travel around the state I hear that people are concerned about jobs and that a governor has that focus that they're making that a priority and that they're doing all they can to move the state forward. We've been lagging in terms of job creation since the recession and I believe we can do better by bringing people together, considering all the options and making sure that we're focusing on the ones that work."
Why did the recall fail, asked Maddow. And why will Walker lose this time?
"Well I think it gets down to who we are in Wisconsin. We're people who like to get along with each other and we like to work together to move this state forward," she said. "As you mentioned, (the fight over Act 10) was incredibly divisive and I think people really want leadership that does bring people together. And I've heard that as I traveled the state, so I think that will be a big campaign issue –– the type of leadership. Is it the type of leadership that brings people together or is it the divisive leadership that we've seen over the last three years?"
Referencing measures Walker has championed that seek to shut down abortion clinics or make it more difficult to pursue gender discrimination lawsuits, Maddow asked Burke if the "sharp right turn" on women's issues contributed to her decision to challenge Walker.
"Absolutely. You know I believe very strongly that women should have the freedom to make their own health care choices and what the governor has done is roll back Wisconsin many, many years and so I think it's important that we are able to make those choices and I was encouraged to have Planned Parenthood's endorsement today but also we will be focusing on the issues that matter most to the people of Wisconsin, which are jobs."
Maddow, noting how unusual it is for an organization such as Planned Parenthood to make an endorsement a full year before an election, wondered whether that signals another high-profile race in Wisconsin, with national groups on the left and the right pouring millions of dollars into a heartland proxy war.
"Well I wouldn't be surprised by it and I think that no doubt Gov. Walker has made himself a national tea party figure and that will bring attention," responded Burke.
She then quickly pivoted back to her central message:
"But I think in the end the election will be about what the people of Wisconsin care about. About whether they have leadership that's focused on the issues that are most important to them," Burke said. "I have a track record of 30 years in terms of addressing issues in the private sector. I worked for Trek Bicycle in the division I ran there we increased sales from $3 million to over $50 million in just a few short years. At the Department of Commerce we had a 4.8 percent unemployment rate and 84,000 more jobs than we have today."
Please Wait…
It is obvious from the statements I made that I was being absurd, and you need to read into it. "Union's run by saints, Graeme Zielinski drinking and driving, and Rachel Maddow interviewing any Republican with the same softballs and leading questions you saw in this interview" you can't see I was showing the absurdity of the Liberal talking points. (giving ACT 10 money to the Koch brothers?) Come on GK, you are brighter than that. Try a little sarcasm in you blogs and maybe you will reach more people.
By the way, I like your facts.
Reading is clearly a challenge for you so I'll condense my remarks below to ease these facts transmission through your considerably thick skull.
-When Walker took office the structural deficit was $3.6 billion.
(http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2011/feb/25/mark-pocan/wisconsin-state-rep-mark-pocan-says-gov-scott-walk/)
-The structural deficit in Walker's next budget is $664 million.
(http://news.wpr.org/post/new-budget-will-give-wisconsin-664-mil-structural-deficit)
$3.6billion > $664million um-kay? And Act 10 helped make this happen.
I don't know where you got your facts on deficit reduction. We all know that all the proceeds from ACT 10 went from Walker to the Koch Brothers.
We also know that Unions are run by Saints, Union officials don't drink and drive, and that Rachel Maddow would ask the same softball questions she did here if Scott Walker took up her invitation.
BTW, I am grateful for the links you provided. I had been wondering what the status of the structural deficit was and now I know. Thanks :)
Believe it or not there are a lot of people that...wait for it...hate governmental bureaucratic waste while not giving a flip about social issues. For these people voting for Walker is very much aligned with their interests.
Now it would be awesome if the parties were able to ditch their idiot contingents (labor and religious right) but I'm not holding my breath. If you insist by labeling those that disagree with our ideology as knuckle draggers I'll remind you of all the excellent behavior we witnessed from your bucket banging cohorts in 2011.
Wait WPR is a "delusional paid propagandist"?!
http://news.wpr.org/post/new-budget-will-give-wisconsin-664-mil-structural-deficit
"A new report by the legislature's nonpartisan budget office shows Governor Scott Walker's proposed budget would leave Wisconsin with a $664 million “structural deficit.”"
And dear old sweet Professor Reschovsky at the LA FOLLETTE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS is one too!
http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2011/feb/25/mark-pocan/wisconsin-state-rep-mark-pocan-says-gov-scott-walk/
"We turned UW-Madison economist Andrew Reschovsky to opine on Walker’s numbers.
Reschovsky, who teaches at the La Follette School of Public Affairs, estimates the state deficit at close to Walker’s figure of $3.6 billion. He said the agency spending numbers were realistic, and that Doyle’s figure obscured the scope of the problem.
"People who suggest the problem isn’t real, I don’t think they are right," he said."
While I never!
Well thanks for setting me straight IrisK. And all this time I thought 3.6 billion was bigger than 664 million. Goes to show what B-school will teach you!
You think a governor who represents all the citizens is their friend. You surely have some problems identifying relationship boundaries.
(http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/article_d89a1ae2-3a5a-11e0-a028-001cc4c002e0.html)
And you understand that Walker's reduction of the structural deficit from $3.6billion to something closer to $500million due to the reforms allowed by Act 10 benefited everyone in the state.
Again, I ask you, aside from wanting to be everyone's friend, name one thing Mary Burke is for or against.
Burke is a grown up, who would not hang around with her knotzie pals and mock and demonize the public employees.
I was not a union member, never banged a bucket. I believe we all live in a society, with people of all abilities. I believe we should care for those who are less fortunate.
I believe that since we all participate in the economy, we all have a responsibility to give back. I think the WMC members who do not recognize this fact are bigger takers than any person who uses public assistance.
Why don't you tell us all what Burke believes. Can you? Or are you just one of those simple bucket bangers that would vote for a potted plant over Walker because he dared overturn your rice bowl with Act 10?
I get that Burke is still finding her legs with her new political hobby and needs to bone up on the mechanics of dealing with the media but she has yet to have an interview with anyone in the media that hasn't been friendly to the point of fawning.
The real test will be getting her to explain why she put up $2.5 million of her own money for a charter school only now to demur when asked if she supports them. Where does she stand on anything? Does anyone actually know?
"Mary Burke was questioned by popular liberal MSNBC host Rachel Maddow Wednesday."
Or and Jack, I think "popular" means something different to you than to most people.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/30/msnbc-may-ratings-maddow_n_3354785.html
"Rachel Maddow delivered what the Hollywood Reporter said were her lowest total viewing figures in her show's history, and she even fell behind timeslot rival Piers Morgan—a very rare victory for the CNN host."