Scott Walker for Governor

Scott Walker is offering Wisconsinites change and hope.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker on Tuesday formally launches his bid to unseat Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle with a full-throated attack on Doyle as a liberal big spender who's flubbing his chance to fix the state's deep budget deficit.

The 41-year-old Walker, a Republican, accuses Doyle of trying to raise state taxes and to shift some of the $5 billion deficit to the future. Walker also faults Doyle for proposing "a grab bag of every left-wing idea out there" in his 2009-'11 budget, including an early-release program for nonviolent prison inmates and requiring prevailing union wage rates to be paid on publicly funded building projects.

Those changes represent "a sellout to liberal special interests," Walker said Monday. "This is turning back the clock to the same kind of hopelessness Wisconsin had in the early '80s under (then Gov.) Tony Earl."

The Journal Sentinel is already setting up the narrative. Walker is negative and on the attack.

It's not mean-spirited or negative to be realistic.

Of course, Doyle is trying to raise taxes and he pushes Left-wing ideas.

...State Democratic Party spokesman Alec Loftus said Walker's criticisms of Doyle were overly negative and "show that he's lacking his own ideas and his own solutions to the problems that our state is facing." Doyle is working with President Barack Obama to help create jobs while Walker "is traveling around the state launching attack after attack," Loftus said.

"It shows desperation that he's starting out his campaign on such a sharply negative" tone, he said.

This is all politics.

It's ridiculous to say that Walker lacks his own ideas and his own solutions to problems facing the state.

I think it's also interesting that Loftus is whining about a Republican launching attacks.

Remember Obama's campaign? Gee, did he attack President Bush? I believe he did. In fact, he still does.

...Walker reaches out to conservatives in remarks prepared for his Tuesday campaign swing, saying he would move Wisconsin toward "the principles of limited government, economic growth and personal freedom."

Wait a minute...

Hey, Alec Loftus! Walker's plan to "move Wisconsin toward 'the principles of limited government, economic growth and personal freedom'" sound like ideas and a positive agenda.

I guess Loftus has difficulty distinguishing between attacks and ideas.

Anything Walker proposes will be framed by the Dems as an attack and being highly negative.

I can understand the tactic. Doyle has to run from the reality of his screw-ups and broken promises.

Wisconsinites need to ask themselves: Are you better off than you were four years ago?

...Walker also says Doyle's action - and inaction - harms Wisconsin businesses. The governor's push to enact combined reporting for income taxes on businesses played into Harley-Davidson's latest layoff decision, Walker said. Under the combined reporting measure signed into law earlier this month and made retroactive to Jan. 1, all companies with common ownership file a single tax return.

Harley spokesman Bob Klein said the state's new combined reporting law cost the firm $22.5 million in the first quarter this year, but said that "had nothing to do with our work-force reductions."

Walker also says Doyle failed to personally lobby executives at Thomas Industries to keep open a plant in Sheboygan. The firm's parent company, Gardner-Denver Inc., has announced plans to move about 280 factory jobs to Louisiana.

"When Gov. Doyle demonstrates a lack of interest in the problems facing employers it sends a clear message that Wisconsin is not the best place to do business," Walker said.

Walker said his approach to the state budget crisis would start first with budget cuts, including consideration of state employee wage reductions and layoffs. He also would push for state employees to pay for a bigger share of health care costs and to contribute more toward their pensions, Walker said.

He would also seek opportunities for privatizing some state services, Walker said. He'll unveil more specifics later in the campaign, he said. It's 17 months until the September 2010 primary and 19 months until the 2010 general election.

There are those pesky concrete ideas again from Walker.

It's nuts for the Journal Sentinel and the Demos to emphasize Walker's attacks, especially when he clearly has a lot to offer state residents.

I think the energy of the Tea Party movement is a big plus in Walker's favor.

People want change. Doyle two terms have been woefully ineffective. He has a record of broken promises and lies that will haunt him.

Eight years of Doyle's radical lib agenda have not left Wisconsin stronger. 100 Days of lib extremist Obama is enough. It's been too much.

The time is right for change we can believe in.