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Angry protesters demand his recall, "calling him a bully and likening him to Scrooge, Hosni Mubarak, even Hitler. (He's) become a national figure," a lightening-rod, "the man who set off a storm of protest, now spreading to other states..."
"Critics and supporters alike say Mr. Walker has never strayed from his (political) approach....pressing for austerity, and never blinking or apologizing for his lightening-rod proposals."
He's unabashedly pro-business, anti-labor, and, like all politicians, beholden to big money backers. According to Democrat Senator Chris Larson:
"Unions have always been his pinata, over and over. And this time I think he's trying to out-right-wing the right wing on his way to the next lily pad."
Unfazed, Walker said he's "not going to be intimidated, particularly by people from other places." Within days of taking office, he hung a sign on his office doorknob saying: "Wisconsin is open for business," meaning he's brazenly pro-business/anti-labor.
Straightaway, he and state lawmakers passed $117 million in mostly business tax breaks, exacerbating state budget problems. Moreover, according to Democrat party spokesman Graeme Zielinski:
He's "a hard-right partisan who does not negotiate, does not compromise. He is totally modeled after a slash-and-burn, scorched-earth approach that has never existed here before."
Clearly he was chosen for his role to ram through harshness to be replicated nationally. Last fall he was preparing. Before taking office, he urged Republican lawmakers not to approve new lame duck session public workers contracts. Once governor, he wanted "maximum flexibility" to force passage of anti-labor measures. Now he's got it, arrogantly and dismissively, saying:
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