Gov. Walker and More Political Malfeasance

It seems that Wisconsin Governor Walker and members of his administration (both recently resigned) may have abused their positions.  Campaigning for higher office while employed by another government body, in most cases is against the law.  If Walker’s employees (high level I will add) worked on his campaign for Governor of Wisconsin while being paid as employees of his Milwaukee County Executive Office: Bad news for the Governor.

Many of you do not remember the Nixon Administration Watergate Scandal.   If you are fortunate enough to have lived during that period, you saw, read and heard government at its very worse.  The Watergate scandal was the result of efforts by Richard Nixon and his Campaign to Re-Elect the President (C.R.E.E.P.) squad;  a group of men who went far beyond working to secure re-election for Nixon.

The Creep Team was actively involved in efforts to literally fix an election. Their work focused on ruining the  reputations of   candidates who dared aspire to run against Richard Nixon.  The  common refrain during the period is that, Nixon was ‘the man who would be King”.  Once a young Washington Post reporter got wind of a minor crime at the Watergate Hotel, the case blossomed into the largest political scandal in U.S. History.

The Washington Post investigation of the scandal directly threaten the political life of Richard Nixon.

Nixon fought the threatening investigation into his presidency and his reputation up to the end.  He even proclaimed, “I am not a crook“.  He made that statement shortly before resigning  his  presidency and being assured by Gerald Ford that he would not go before an impeachment committee. As a footnote, each member of Nixon’s CREEP Team and a few others spent time in the US prison system.  Most of those convicted literally served in the White House.

As I perused a few headlines today, I ran across a developing story out of the State of Wisconsin.  Two of Governor Scott Walker’s top (former) staff members are under investigation for possible violations of campaign laws and inappropriate political  activities   while  working  as employees of Milwaukee County.  Walker was the former   County Executive for Milwaukee County.  Apparently, the staffers joined him on his gubernatorial staff after he won the governorship of the state.

HUFFPOSTS POLITICS AolNews is reporting that,

The raid came amid a secret Milwaukee County investigation that the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, citing unnamed people familiar with the case, has reported focuses on whether county staffers in Walker’s office did political work on the taxpayer dime.

HUFFPOSTS goes further,

Walker said he couldn’t comment about whether he believed the investigation was politically motivated.

“I don’t know because I don’t have any information about what it’s based on,” he said.

Those who followed the Watergate Investigation as The headline story in the early 1970s, have heard that before.  Nixon and his CREEP Team exhausted every imaginable effort to deflect blame for the Watergate Hotel break of Daniel Elsberg’s Office (and other offices).  I suggest that Nixon himself coined the phrase “liberal media’. They  fought the effort of the Washington Post in investigating the story and blamed the Post for keeping fueling the ‘fires’ of revelation on their crimes.

Governor Walker says that he has not spoken with Archer, a former and person whose home the FBI entered and took office materials.   I must ask, how realistic is that?  How many will actually believe that Walker has not talked with someone who is so close to his Office (before resignation)?

Walker’s veracity should be instantly questioned after his ill-fated ‘punked’ phone-call from a fake Koch Brother.

The Walker Staff Scandal  does not compare to the Watergate Scandal in depth nor scope.  Yet, the underlying significance of both cases are clear.  Is it possible that Walker managed a political operation (as he worked towards a run for Governor) through people employed by Milwaukee County?   Could Walker, himself, have been actively involved in violations of law and key in the political malfeasance?

While Walker like so many GOP benefactors of effective  obstructionism from the Right took office after the 20120 elections, Walker himself seems to wallow in headlines issues.  His ‘punked’  conversation with a  Koch yielded clear thought processes and  inclinations that often flag , “crooked politician”.   He often appears  inordinately callous towards people, while simultaneously  appearing to ‘cozy’ with the powerful and moneyed.  He literally expressed interest in joining the Koch in California for a form of ‘pat on the back’ for his anti-collective bargaining actions.

From Richard Nixon forward to today, the GOP seems to have  behavioral roots in subterfuge, gimmickry, operating on the  edge of criminal behavior. The party is also all too willing to do the  bidding  of the moneyed powerful who benefit most from  their  administrations.

Walker nor any former staff member have been found guilty of a crime, granted.  I do find it interesting that both staffers have   resigned from Walker’s office and I believe that the  embedded  video mentions Walker’s retention of legal counsel.  “…..if the investigation comes closer to him”.   Again, sounds very much like scenes from the move All the President’s Men (Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford).

Walker’s latest predicament is much like a grand old relative once told me as a youngster, “…if you see puffs of smoke coming from the top of those hills, you better believe an Indian is behind the smoke”.

The relevant question, however, is not for people like Walker, who are what they are. The  question is, how long will the voting public continue to fall victim to that ways of the Right?   GOP leaders, GOP supporters, and Right media seem much more focused on wining elections (for sake of agenda) than working for a better America.

All you owe the public is a good performance.
Humphrey Bogart