Walker says Wisconsin is a national model
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker says changes similar to the ones he made to his state's collective bargaining laws could be accomplished elsewhere as long as Republicans think about the next generation instead of the next election. Speaking in Bloomington today Walker said that the Wisconsin changes are working. He said the federal government and other states should follow suit.
"What we did earlier this year in Madison, I think resonates this year whether it's in Madison or in St. Paul or in Springfield or in Indianapolis or Columbus or Austin or in the halls of Congress in Washington D.C. We need men and women of courage and the people to stand up with them to back them up along the way. That's what we did earlier this year in Wisconsin."
Walker said Republicans in Wisconsin withstood pressure from Democrats and labor unions to punish them for the changes they made in the past year. Walker spoke to about 1,000 Republicans at the Midwest Republican Leadership Conference, which continues tomorrow in Bloomington.
You can listen to Walker's speech here:
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Political Strategist Karl Rove also spoke at the event. Rove, who served as political director to President George W. Bush, repeatedly criticized President Obama during his speech. He called Obama's Thursday news conference "petulant and petty."
"There he was lecturing us again, wagging his finger at us," Rove said. "We all know he doesn't really want to pass this so-called jobs bill. He really doesn't care. He'd prefer to have it as a political tool to beat up his political opponents."
Rove got his loudest applause from the GOP audience when he suggested that the federal health care law could be repealed if Republicans take the U.S. Senate and the White House.
You can listen to his speech here:
While Rove got a loud applause from the audience, he got a glitter shower after his speech. A protester known for throwing glitter on Republican candidates pounced on Rove after his speech.
The attack occurred when he was signing books.