Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Scott Walker is a conservative hero, and liberals have themselves to blame for it

◼ Whether it's unions or universities, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) has waged a number of huge fights -- symbolic and otherwise -- with liberals. So far, the fights have only served to bolster his credentials among national conservatives who like nothing more than a Republican willing to poke liberals in the eye. - Washington Post

And now New York Times columnist Gail Collins has thrown Walker another hanging curveball by which to bash liberals and shine in the eyes of conservatives.

In a recent column widely derided as a "hit piece" by conservatives, Collins centered on Walker's breakout speech in Iowa, declaring that it was "his moment." Known for her stream-of-consciousness writing style, Collins sets herself up as a kind of fact-checker of Walker's record. She blames the governor for cutting state aid to education that led to teacher layoffs -- particularly in regard to one teacher who had been honored.

But there was just one big problem with that assertion: Walker wasn't actually in office when said cuts were made.

The headline -- "Scott Walker Needs an Eraser" -- pretty much said it all, except it wasn't Walker who needed one.

The correction, which came two days after the column was posted, said: "An earlier version of this column incorrectly stated that teacher layoffs in Milwaukee in 2010 happened because Gov. Scott Walker 'cut state aid to education.' The layoffs were made by the city’s school system because of a budget shortfall, before Mr. Walker took office in 2011." KEEP READING

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