Walker 'Divide and Conquer' Video

The Leftist blogosphere went berserk last night over this piece of video of Scott Walker.

JSOnline posted it on YouTube.

Yes, that's the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the same Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Graeme Zielinski hilariously claimed "has endorsed and coddled ScottKWalker at every turn."

Documentary filmmaker Brad Lichtenstein videotaped this conversation in which Gov. Scott Walker says he would use "divide and conquer" as a strategy against unions. Video courtesy of Brad Lichtenstein

The Journal Sentinel, arm of the Tom Barrett campaign, is so excited by the video that it's published the transcript.

This is a transcript of a conversation between Gov. Scott Walker and Diane Hendricks, co-founder of ABC Supply, on Jan. 18, 2011. The conversation was captured by documentary filmmaker Brad Lichtenstein, who was on site to videotape a meeting of the economic development group Rock County 5.0. The conversation took place in ABC's foyer just before Hendricks escorted Walker into the Rock County 5.0 meeting.

Diane Hendricks: Can we talk just for two seconds before we get up there?

Scott Walker: Yeah, yeah, that's fine.

Hendricks: - some issues we're just going to avoid a little bit. And by the way, this is Brad and he is part of Rock County 5.0 and he has been filming everything.

Brad Lichtenstein: I've been doing a documentary -

Walker: Oh, cool.

Hendricks: - so what we're going to do and talk about right now is just concerns that Mary (Willmer-Sheedy) and I have that we probably, are a little controversial to bring up upstairs. OK? I don't want to - because there's press up there.

Walker: OK, sure.

Lichtenstein: Just so you know, nothing I do is going to see the light of day for over another year.

Walker: OK, that's fine.

Hendricks: So we'll just take five minutes. You know, they don't know. Any chance we'll ever get to be a completely red state and work on these unions -

Walker: Oh, yeah.

Hendricks: - and become a right-to-work (state)? What can we do to help you?

Walker: Well, we're going to start in a couple weeks with our budget adjustment bill. The first step is, we're going to deal with collective bargaining for all public employee unions, because you use divide and conquer. So for us the base we've got for that is the fact that we've got - budgetarily we can't afford not to. If we have collective bargaining agreements in place, there's no way not only the state but local governments can balance things out. So you think city of Beloit, city of Janesville, any of the school districts, that opens the door once we do that. That's your bigger problem right there.

Hendricks: Which state would you mirror? Is there any state that's already . . .

Walker: Well, (Indiana Gov.) Mitch Daniels, did - now, see the beautiful thing is, he did it in Indiana, he had it by executive order that created the unions years ago, and so when he came in about a week after he eliminated through executive order. In Wisconsin, it's by the statute. So I need lawmakers to vote on it. But the key is by tying it to the budget, there's no way to unravel that. Because unless they're going to come up with $800 million for example - it's not exactly that amount, but it's close - there's no way they cannot pass that unless they're going to pass a tax increase . . .

The video posted on YouTube doesn't include all that's transcribed by the Journal Sentinel.

Missing is the part when Governor Walker is told that he's being FILMED for a documentary. Missing is the part when Walker explains, "If we have collective bargaining agreements in place, there's no way not only the state but local governments can balance things out."

Obviously, Walker is aware that what he says will be on the record. In other words, this isn't an unguarded moment at all. He has nothing to hide here.

Nonetheless, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "willing partners" in the media, the Democrat party of Wisconsin, official Democrat spokesman Graeme Zielinski, and Leftist bloggers all tweeted about this video. The Leftists are reacting like information of some smoking gun dropped in their laps.

The Democrats put out a news release:

May 10, 2012

BREAKING: Video Exposes Scott Walker "Divide-and-Conquer" Plotting With Billionaire

Video just released shows Scott Walker vowing to a billionaire benefactor that, contrary to his public statements, he would employ a secret "divide-and-conquer" strategy to deceive the public and accrue power to himself.

Walker was filmed for a documentary entitled, "As Goes Janesville." In it, he is seen talking to Diane Hendricks, a billionaire who has given him $510,000, promising he would institute "Right-to-Work-For-Less" laws that would kill private sector unions, after he destroyed the bargaining rights of public-sector unions.

Read about the plot here.

Walker has made public statements claiming that he was not supportive of "Right-to-Work-For-Less" legislation, and also claimed that his attack on collective bargaining for public employees was not about power grabs.

See the video here.

Tom Barrett sent out this email shortly after 10:00 PM Thursday night, subject line - "Shocking video: Divide and Conquer?":

Friend --

We all know Scott Walker didn't tell the truth to the people of Wisconsin about his private plans for an ideological civil war.

But now there is never-before-seen footage of Walker talking to a Koch Brothers strategist that proves it.

In a shocking video uncovered by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Walker is caught red-handed discussing his intention to strip workers of their rights as part of a larger secret strategy to "divide and conquer" Wisconsin for his own political gain.

I need you to help us expose Scott Walker's bait and switch by clicking here to watch the video. After you watch, please share it with your friends and chip in with $5 towards our campaign to put Wisconsin first.

After Walker says "Oh yeah" to assaulting working, middle-class families, the Koch strategist in the video pledges to do whatever she can to help advance Walker's war.

She then made a $500,000 contribution to his campaign.

Walker's Wisconsin is a pay-to-play government where backroom deals are made, promises are broken, and the average Joe takes a pay cut while mega millionaires fund his right-wing extreme agenda and Wisconsin suffers.

That's not the Wisconsin I know and love.

There are only 25 days left to defeat Scott Walker. And with your help right now, I'll go to work to bring our state together and heal political wounds, instead of Walker's way of pitting people against each other and catering to special interests.

That's why I need you to watch the video uncovered by the Journal Sentinel, share it on your social networks and make a donation of $5 to help us return open, honest government to Wisconsin right now.

Walker has right-wing billionaires fueling his dishonest campaign. I have people like you standing up for what's right.


Thank you,

Tom Barrett

This is a dramatic about-face by the Democrats, switching focus back on to unions after they had abandoned that as a reason for the recall. But now, they're acting like the video is a game-changer.

It's not.

I'd be concerned if I thought the Journal Sentinel had some damning video on Walker. They don't.

This is just lame.

Walker knows he is being filmed. He's describing what needs to be done in order to get Wisconsin out of its fiscal death spiral.

You can't take the words "divide and conquer" and make the accusations that Barrett does.

That's out of context.

Barrett claims "Walker is caught red-handed discussing his intention to strip workers of their rights as part of a larger secret strategy to 'divide and conquer' Wisconsin for his own political gain" in the "shocking video."

Barrett includes the mandatory "Koch" connection in his email.

Walker's "own political gain"? What is that? Saving Wisconsin from ruin? That's everyone's gain.

There's certainly nothing wrong with Diane Hendricks, a Beloit businesswoman, wanting to help Walker make Wisconsin more friendly to business.

Naturally, she supports Governor Walker.

That, of course, doesn't stop the Barrett campaign from making this ad:



The comments posted for the ad are typical of the rabid Leftists.

Example:

Hopefully his ass will be divided and then conquered in a jail cell.

chiggymonkey

Charming.

I want to know why the Journal Sentinel has posted an edited portion of Lichtenstein's documentary on its website and on YouTube.

The transcript posted by the Journal Sentinel's Patrick Marley doesn't match the video.

Why?

Did the Journal Sentinel prepare the campaign ad for Barrett, assisting with the editing?

Is this the sort of Walker "endorsing and coddling" by the JS that Zielinski was talking about?

Clearly, the Democrat/union/media complex is on the attack.

The release of the video, the one Walker knew was being shot, doesn't change anything. The reality is his policies have been stunningly successful.

The "divide and conquer" sound bite is typical sleazy politics, trying to make Walker out to be some evil guy with an evil plot of destruction.

Walker should be commended for doing what needs to be done to save Wisconsin families from the hell being experienced by people in other states, bankrupt and drowning in debt. Their futures are bleak whereas the sun is shining in Wisconsin.

And Barrett should quit acting like a lunatic, yapping about Walker's "private plans for an ideological civil war."

Really loony.

Instead, Barrett and company should talk about all those great accomplishments Barrett has had as mayor of Milwaukee. They should remind Wisconsin voters of what a great job he's done. They should go through his remarkable record of achievements, point by point.

Oh. That's right. Milwaukee, a true war zone in some areas, is a mess and getting worse, thanks to Barrett.

Isn't it interesting that the Journal Sentinel dropped the alleged "shocking video" after Rasmussen and other polls found bad news for Barrett?

I suspect the determination was made that Barrett needed a boost.

This video falls short of providing that. Very, very short.