Dailytakes

Some will attempt to paint today’s Milwaukee County Board action as the public’s repudiation of the Walker reform agenda. It will be the same people who will point to this post as a fissure in Walker’s own base.

Not even close.

Today was a setback for taxpayers and for Walker, but it’s not a repudiation of his agenda. His reelection chances are unaffected by today’s spendfest. In fact, if cultivated correctly the backlash from today could lead to a renewed reform movement that will make his reelection more probable.

First, let me be perfectly clear. The blame for the 8.8 million dollar increase in the Milwaukee County portion of the property tax levy rests mostly at the feet of those Supervisors who voted today to override nearly all of Scott Walker’s vetoes. At the feet of those same board members who rushed through votes 22 vetoes in a mere 46 minutes this afternoon. That’s an outrageous $192,219.70 in increased spending per minute.

As I wrote earlier, however, the battle over spending in the 2008 County Budget was lost long before today’s votes were taken.

Walker’s efforts in the last couple of months prove the axiom that you miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.

I’m not alone in thinking his post-introduction public lobbying for his own budget was in a word, tepid. His few calls to a few talk show hosts focused mostly on the pay raise issue, an issue covered extensively here and elsewhere for nearly a year.

His recent veto message was almost apologetic, and that’s a damn shame. Taxpayers did not propel him into office to merely be a speed bump on the liberal tax and spend highway.

Is Walker tired of pushing water uphill? Is he sick of always fighting against the liberal tide of career spenders? I highly doubt it. Scott Walker’s tank is never empty.

Perhaps this failure is a result of some of the personnel Scott has himself empowered. While they may be good, decent individuals, he has life-long partisan democrats, bureaucrats, and liberals in many key leadership positions on his staff and throughout his Administration.

There have always been those around Scott who think Walker needs to be moderated, his rhetoric toned down with platitudes, and his image softened by lilting Irish tunes. Lately, they seem to be the guiding force on his team.

For Scott Walker to be successful in implementing the agenda on which he ascended into office, he needs to be engaged, energized and relentless. Conservatives need to be aggressive in order to be successful. We don’t have willing partners on the editorial boards or in the main stream news coverage. We don’t have the institutional support of the public employees who implement the policies we fight for or against. But armed with common sense and an understanding of the burdens and needs of real citizens who are being asked for more and more tax dollars, we can be successful.

Unfortunately for Milwaukee County taxpayers, someone seems to have told Scott to extend an olive branch to the County Board with the hopes that this soft approach would curry their favor. All it did was empower them. They viewed his passivity as a weakness, and they successfully thwarted much of his agenda this budget cycle.

I’ve known and respected Scott Walker for more than 15 years. I’ve worked for him in the past. I can tell you with absolute certainty that he does not need to be massaged, coached and nuanced. Scott is best when those around him let Scott be Scott.

Would he have been more successful in keeping the levy down if he more aggressively fought for specific provisions? Maybe. I definitely think so. But we’ll never know for sure, because the battle wasn’t fought.

All I can point to is the pay raise issue. When engaged, taxpayers responded and forced the Board to back down.

Let’s face it, Walker needs more allies on that Board. In order to get those allies elected, however, he needs to aggressively lead. When he leads, people listen. But he has to take the battle beyond the broadcast signal of a few influential talk shows.

Please, someone find the real Scott Walker and get him back to work.

Is it unfair to expect so much of one man? Perhaps. But he’s in the big chair at the Courthouse, it comes with the territory. Moreover Scott can effectively and aggressively carry the mantle of a successful taxpayer champion. He’s done it before.

I’m dismayed that they blew this one, but am optimistic regarding the other battles ahead. And there will be battles. Because those who want more of our tax dollars will never stop coming back for more and more and more.

Here’s hoping these battles are actually fought. And here’s hoping other conservatives throughout Wisconsin also understand that you can’t succeed without all out, organized, aggressive efforts.

More on that later.

Stay tuned…