The transition from Gov. Jim Doyle to Gov.-elect Scott Walker has caught the attention of several observers in Wisconsin and has been labeled as unprecedented in recent political history. Walker, a Republican, has been extremely proactive in his efforts to halt several key initiatives that have been started under the administration of Doyle, a Democrat.
"Unprecedented and...inappropriate."
Ranging in scope from high-speed rail to universal health care to biofuels, Walker has been an outspoken opponent on a variety of measures that Doyle has begun under his watch. Since Walker does not become Wisconsin’s 45th governor until Jan. 3, the degree of his involvement as a governor-elect has risen to a level never before seen in the state.
As published in JSOnline, former Wisconsin governor Tony Earl said, “What’s going on now is unprecedented and in my own view it’s inappropriate.” Earl, a Democrat, who served as governor from 1982-1986, further elaborated by saying, “Mr. Walker will become governor in January. He’s not governor now.”
Walker, for his part, feels that there is no time to lose given the projected budget deficit of $2.7 billion over the next two years. As published in JSOnline, Walker stated, “We’re not picking a fight. We are just asking the current administration not to take action on things that potentially would put us in a more challenging spot when it comes to the next budget.”
Walker has taken a stance on many issues that Doyle has favored and is feverishly working to stop them before they are implemented. A failure to do so would make him stuck overseeing programs that he was not in favor of from the outset. As published in JSOnline, Jim Klauser, transition director for former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, a Republican, said, “The Doyle administration is pursuing several projects such as the train…that would not be completed in their term of office, but they are committing the state” for the foreseeable future.
Many issues involved
It has been widely reported that Walker strongly opposes high-speed rail in Wisconsin and has vowed to kill it as governor. After applying strong political pressure against Doyle for committing the state to spend the full $810 million high-speed rail grant with the federal government, Doyle backed down and agreed to suspend the project, ultimately placing the fate of the train in the hands of Walker.
Walker has asked the Doyle administration to suspend other key projects, as well, including the construction of a biofuel boiler and the implementation of the new health care law. In regards to the boiler, which is being constructed at the Charter Street Power Plant, Walker is asking that instead of building a boiler that will burn biofuels, such as wood chips and switch grass, that a natural gas boiler be implemented instead. Such a move would save the state $100 million of the $250 million construction cost to build the boiler.
This move, however, has met with some criticism from those that say it will kill jobs. As published in the Wisconsin State Journal, Gary Werner, a member of the Madison Chapter of the Sierra Club, said, “We don’t have any natural gas here in Wisconsin. So every dollar spent on natural gas is a dollar leaving Wisconsin.” Werner believes that although the state would save money upfront on construction costs of the boiler, the long-term costs to the state would outweigh those initial savings.
In regards to universal health care, which Walker has vehemently opposed since the early days of the campaign, he is requesting that the Doyle administration refrain from implementing certain aspects of this program. Walker plans to add Wisconsin to the dozens of states in the Union that have filed lawsuits against the federal government, citing the new law as unconstitutional. He intends to allow state Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen to file the suit shortly after Walker assumes office.
Between now and Jan. 3, if recent events are an indicator of future actions, it appears that this epic game of tug-of-war will continue on a variety of governing issues.
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