Taiwan explains Wisconsin

Cheeseheads cheering Governor Scott Walker

As previously noted, Taiwanese animations are the future of all mainstream news and consequently a regular feature of this blog. As usual, the folks at NextMedia have distilled US TV news, newspaper commentary, blogs, and twitter feeds on the Wisconsin standoff into an easily digestible two minute animation. After three posts on the subject we'll give NMA the last word. It appears this story is winding down anyway, and the Dividist is getting bored with it.

This is what a cheesehead protest looks like in Taiwan:

"Republican Scott Walker was elected governor of Wisconsin in the US mid-term elections last year. He ran on a conservative platform emphasizing fiscal responsibility.Once in office, Walker set about dealing with Wisconsin’s debt problem. He targeted the benefits of Wisconsin’s public sector unions.Knowing that they would lose if the matter came to a vote, Wisconsin’s Democratic senators fled to deny Republican lawmakers from bringing the matter to the floor. When Walker started threatening to cut benefits, public sector workers like teacher, firemen and nurses were enraged. Despite threats from Walker that he might mobilize the national guard against the unions, 25,000 strikers converged on Wisconsin’s state capitol to protest the proposed cuts. The protest struck a chord all over the world. A local pizzeria got orders from as far abroad as Egypt to help feed the strikers. But what will happen to Wisconsin’s fiscal condition if they get what they want?"

The Dividist wonders why we bother watching the news. We should just wait for NMA to distill every story down to its essence.

Despite all the giddy excitement on the left about the embarrassing prank call to Governor Walker from a fake David Koch, he did not say anything that is going to change the dynamic in Wisconsin. The problem is not anything he said in the call. The problem is that he took the call.

Taking that call reinforced left wing paranoia about David Koch which is beginning to take on the epic proportions of right wing paranoia about George Soros. The only likely long term effect will be to Walker’s presidential ambitions and potential re-election. He'll be running against that audio recording for the rest of his political life. So it goes. He took the call, now he'll live with it. The Dividist is good with that. But as far as the legislative standoff is concerned, this is a foregone conclusion. Walker will win.

Wisconsin Democrats run for the exits.

Polls do not support the AWOL Wisconsin Senators. The state Assembly is on the verge of passing the Walker Budget Repair Bill and the Senators will have to return sometime or be recalled. The protesters in Madison will have to go back to work or be fired. The Republicans have the votes and Walker has the will. Done deal. We'll update here with any breaking news, but the Dividist thinks it is Kabuki Theater from this point. Moving on.

Divided and Balanced.™
Now that is fair.