Now that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has all but announced his 2016 Republican primary presidential campaign, it is time to examine everything this man says in public.
Such as when he drew a shaky comparison between union protesters and Islamic State terrorists.
Speaking to the Conservative Political Action Conference this past week, Walker actually said his experience facing down tens of thousands of angry union members has prepared him to wage war against ISIL.
Union protesters equal monstrous terrorist cult. Get it? One is the same as the other.
Walker has sought to put a bit of distance between himself and those remarks. He told reporters after his CPAC speech,Ā āThereās no comparison between the two, let me be perfectly clear. Iām just pointing out the closest thing I have to handling a difficult situation was the 100,000 protesters I had to deal with.”
Still, the critics make a point of wondering why he would make such a ghastly comparison in the first place.
I’ve covered my share of union disputes over the years, in OregonĀ reporting and commenting onĀ teacher strikesĀ and in Southeast Texas,Ā where the union movement remains a significant political force. I get that union protesters can be a rowdy bunch, that they actually threaten people with physical harm, particularly those who cross picket lines.
However, whatever preparation a president has in fighting hideous terrorist groups such as ISIL and now, as we’ve learned, Boko Haram, shouldn’t have any relationship with how they handle union employees who have the right under our governing framework to seekĀ “redress of grievances.”
As U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., a friend of the union movement, said in a tweet: “If Scott Walker sees 100,000 teachers & firefighters as his enemies, maybe it’s time we take a closer look at his friends.ā