The most revealing comments by politicians are rarely revealed. This is because they’re made in unrecorded conversations, when politicos let their guard down.
However, in a recent sting, blogger Ian Murphy recorded a revealing phone call he made to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. Murphy pretended to be David Koch, the far-right-wing billionaire who pumped more than a million dollars into Walker’s election last year. The governor is very busy, but he spent 20 minutes regaling the fake David Koch with details of his effort to kill the collective bargaining rights of state workers.
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For example, Walker’s power play was being blocked by 14 Democratic senators who have left the state to prevent any senate action. Walker giddily told “Koch” that his legislative troops were ramming through a rule to require all senators to pick up their paychecks in person, apparently assuming the 14 absentees would care as much about money as he does and rush back.
The governor was especially excited about his scheme to use state workers as political pawns: “I’ve got layoff notices ready [for five or six thousand employees],” he exulted, delighted to sacrifice them as pressure on the senators to return. “Beautiful,” responded the Koch masquerader, who then suggested “planting some troublemakers” among the crowds protesting the governor’s union-busting. “We thought about that,” Walker assured him, but dropped the idea because “the public is not really fond of this.” Besides he said, the public’s protesting is “not going to affect us.”
“Well, good,” said the billionaire imitator, adding that “Once you crush these bustards, I’ll fly you out [to California] and really show you a good time.” Now this offer from his superrich, corporate co-conspirator rally excited the guv. “All right,” he replied, “that would be outstanding. Thanks a million!”
Actually, Scott, Koch is into you for more than a million.
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