Running for President
Walker declares his candidacy for President, portraying himself as a man who gets things done, who got a conservative agenda passed in a state that normally supports Democrats, and who has curtailed the power of labor unions.
In the Republican field, there are some who are good fighters, but they haven’t won those battles. And there are others who’ve won elections, but haven’t consistently taken on the big fights. We showed you can do both. I am running for president to fight and win for the American people.
May cede Florida primary
Walker says he may not compete in Florida’s March 15 primary to gain an financial advantage.
If we chose to get in, I don’t think there’s a state out there we wouldn’t play in…I mean, other than maybe Florida, where Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio are at least in some of the polls essentially tied….They’re going to eat up a good amount of that financial advantage that Governor Bush is going to have. A good chunk of that will be gone after the Florida primary.
‘Next president must shrink government’
Walker says that the next president must shrink federal government for it to succeed in an interview to the Breitbart News.
Right now, at the federal level, we have a federal government that’s too big to fail. We need a government that’s small enough to succeed. One of the most important ways we can do that is by taking chunks of it and sending it back to the states.
He also says that he is moving closer to making a decision on running for president and would disclose it by July.
My state budget is done at the end of June, and so obviously my number one responsibility over that period is to complete a state budget—and so I’ve said in state and publicly that I won’t make any declaration about my intentions until after that…It will be shortly thereafter, not too far after the first of July.
Face the Nation interview
Walker gives an interview to Schieffer on Face the Nation. Walker blames Clinton for creating a foreign policy mess and promises that his foreign policy would be a complete contrast to that of Clinton.
If I choose to get in this race, [foreign policy is] something I’m going to lay out a very clear plan for what we should do going forward, and how we should address the issues we face here in America and the issues we face around the world. I think there’s a wide open door to lay out a very clear doctrine. And I do think that if foreign policy plays an important role, the contrast would be clear.
Criticizes Obama’s foreign policy
Walker criticizes Obama’s foreign policy and calls for an aggressive stance against terrorism.
Obama’s foreign policy has been to draw a red line in the sand and allow people to cross it…. United States should deal with terrorism head on and take the fight to them.
Denies immigration flip-flop
Walker denies that he has flip-flopped on issues related immigration.
It’s just a narrative from the other campaigns in response to the fact that we have a strong reputation for keeping our word…This is one that we listened to the people all across the country-particularly the board of governors-and saw how this president messed that up and that’s an issue where I think people want leaders who are willing to listen to people.
This Week interview
Walker talks about the possibility of putting U.S. boots on the ground to fight ISIS in Syria in an interview to ABC’s This Week.
We have to be – go beyond just aggressive air strikes. We have to look at other surgical methods. And ultimately, we have to be prepared to put boots on the ground if that’s what it takes…I don’t think that’s an immediate plan…I wouldn’t rule anything out. I think when you have the lives of Americans at stake and our freedom loving allies anywhere in the world, we have to be prepared to do things that don’t allow those measures, those attacks, those abuses to come to our shores.
Policies save $1 billion
Walker reports that his policies of limiting public employees’ collective bargaining rights have saved state and local governments more than $1 billion.
It’s not just about saving money and balancing the budget. It’s about new ways to provide services.
Property taxes decrease
According to Wisconsin’s Department of Revenue, for the first time in twelve years property taxes have decreased on average throughout the state due to Walker’s reforms, limiting collective bargaining rights and cutting state funding to public schools.
Our reforms have reversed a decade of property tax increases from previous administrations. For the first time in over ten years, the average property taxpayer will have more money in his or her pocket than the year before.
Obama, Walker meet
Walker greets Obama on the Milwaukee airport tarmac and presents him with a Milwaukee Brewer’s baseball jersey that has Obama’s name and the number 1 written on the back. Obama is visiting the Master Lock Company to highlight the Midwest’s manufacturing sector. Obama:
What’s happening in Detroit can happen in other industries.
Walker:
The bottom line is we’re one of the biggest, most dependent on manufacturing of any state in the country. We appreciate the fact that the president’s focusing on manufacturing.
Limbaugh interviews Walker
Limbaugh interviews Walker by telephone. They talk about the recall campaign, the unions and collective bargaining and how Walker’s reforms are working: changing a $3.6 billion deficit into a projected $300 million surplus without raising taxes or layoffs, the schools are the same or better, school taxes decreased, net gain in jobs, protecting core services, and saving city governments millions of dollars.
We took on our problems head on, we took them on. We thought more about our kids and our grandkids’ future than we did our own political futures. And, in the end, I believe I still have faith in the American voter and the voter in Wisconsin, I believe, if given the truth, the majority of people in our state will say, ‘You know what, we want leaders who do what they say they’re gonna do. We want leaders who think about the future, not just about being worried about what group may run ads against them.’
Supports Walker recall
ThinkProgress asks Damon if he supports efforts to recall Walker because of his school budget cuts:
among other things, yeah.
Proposes no-tax-raise budget
Faced with a $3.6 billion deficit, Walker proposes his first State budget promising to fill in the gap without raising taxes. His budget reduces spending by $4.2 billion cutting more than $1.25 billion in aid to schools and local governments. He emphasizes that if the legislature passes his budget repair bill, then the aid will not be missed because governments will be able to cut contributions to employees’ health and pension plans. He is also cutting $500 million from Medicaid, $250 million from higher education, and eliminating 21,325 full-time state jobs.
We need a leaner and cleaner state government. As we decrease spending, we also increase flexibility so local government and state government have the tools to deal with reduced revenue.
Heritage Foundation interview
In an interview with The Heritage Foundation, Walker discusses his reasons for reducing union employee benefits and abolishing their collective bargaining rights because governments are broke and can’t afford to continue subsidizing unions.
When the private sector is paying . . . twice what we’re talking about for health care . . . it’s realistic that at a tough time, when the private sector . . . has been making sacrifices to keep people working, we should expect the same from government. . . . I saw it first hand as a county official when I tried to do things like ask for a little more from pensions . . . or even tried to do a thirty-five hour work week, as in a way to avoid layoffs, the union leadership basically said, ‘forget it, go lay five, six hundred people off, we don’t care.’ They know the power of collective bargaining forces local governments not to be able to make those sorts of reasonable decisions.
No compromise
Unions agree to concessions on their benefits if Walker agrees not to take away their collective bargaining rights. A union director:
We are prepared to implement the financial concessions proposed to help bring our state’s budget into balance, but we will not be denied our God-given right to join a real union . . . we will not – I repeat we will not – be denied our rights to collectively bargain.
Walker refuses to compromise because collective bargaining prevents the flexibility governments need to manage their budgets.
It doesn’t work. My goal all along has been to give all these folks – I asked for it in the past – the tools to control their own budgets . . . I know as a (former) local official, collective bargaining time and time again was the thing that stood in the way of local governments and school districts being able to manage their budgets. Let’s not kid ourselves. The reality is, it’s about the money.
Tells Democrats to return
Democratic senators flee to Illinois so the Senate does not have a quorum to vote on Walker’s budget repair bill saying they need more time to debate and understand the bill. Senate minority leader Miller:
This is a watershed moment unlike any that we have experienced in our political lifetimes. The people have shown that the government has gone too far. . . . We are prepared to do what is necessary to make sure that this bill gets the consideration it needs.
Walker tells the Democrats to return to the state and
do the job they’re paid to do. It’s either a matter of making reductions and making modest requests of our government employees or making massive layoffs at a time when we don’t need anyone else laid off.
Refuses to negotiate
Walker refuses to negotiate with unions over his plan to reduce their benefits which will cost the average employee 8% of his or her salary.
I don’t have anything to negotiate. We are broke in this state. We have been broke for years. People have ignored that for years, and it’s about time somebody stood up and told the truth. The truth is: We don’t have money to offer. We don’t have finances to offer. This is what we have to offer.
Wants to limit union rights
Walker looks at many different legal options to limit employee benefits cost and weaken unions in order to balance the budget. Options include decertifying unions, not allowing unions to negotiate with the state, modifying current laws, and limiting or abolishing union rights. He wants to require employees to contribute 5% to their pensions and 12% to their health costs. Currently they contribute nothing to their pensions and only 4%-6% of health costs.
The bottom line is that we are going to look at every legal means we have to try to put that balance more on the side of taxpayers and the people who care about services. . . . You are not going to hear me degrade state and local employees in the public sector. But we can no longer live in a society where the public employees are the haves and the taxpayers who foot the bills are the have-nots.
Union leaders say they will fight if the state tries to modify laws governing state unions. A union director:
It’s too bad Scott Walker wants to destroy a law that assures the uninterrupted delivery of high-quality public services and has kept labor peace for more than three decades. We certainly prefer negotiation to confrontation.
Refuses federal money
Walker refuses to ask for any federal money for county projects and programs even though Milwaukee County has large budget shortfalls including $300 million for park repairs, $43 million for transit and $300 million to rebuild its mental health complex. He feels that the county and country will be better off without federal money since it contributes to unbalanced budgets.
All we are asking for is ‘do no harm.’ I’m not asking for any new projects or things to be done here. . . . The last thing you want to do is put money in hands of government, if the goal is to pull the economy from recession.
Public transit disputes
County Executive Walker and Milwaukee Mayor Barrett argue over how best to use $91.5 million in federal money for transit. Walker opposes using money for rails, instead wanting road vehicles including hybrid express buses in designated lanes. Barrett sees wisdom in road vehicles but is adamant about building a three-mile street car circuit. Walker also proposes that sales tax revenue from automobile sales be used for transit.