Wisconsin Republicans and ALEC

[Sabien]

This is an excellent blog post from Dr. William Cronon. He is a Professor of History, Geograpy, and Environmental Studies @ UW-Madison.

Who's Really Behind Recent Republican Legislation in Wisconsin and Elsewhere?
(Hint: It Didn't Start Here)

Here's a snippet:
"what we've witnessed in Wisconsin during the opening months of 2011 did not originate in this state, even though we've been at the center of the political storm in terms of how it's being implemented. This is a well-planned and well-coordinated national campaign, and it would be helpful to know a lot more about it"

http://scholarcitizen.williamcronon.net/2011/03/15/alec/

[lutefisk]

1. Good find. This should be distributed widely.

"The governor clearly welcomes the national media attention he’s receiving as a spear-carrier for the movement. But he’s surely not the architect of that movement."

I agree with that. The focus is so much on Walker, and to a lesser extent, Fitzgerald. They are objectionable, even vile, men, so it is too easy to not look beyond them when discussing their political/legislative actions. However, I have found it very difficult to believe that anyone who is from Wisconsin could write legislation, such as the Republicans have introduced, that tears Wisconsin apart so brutally. I think Cronon puts us on the right track to discovering the real powers behind this madness.

[sybylla]

2. ALEC isn't new. Rep. Scott Suder has been taking orders from them for most of a decade

I don't think the man has ever had an original idea when it comes to legislation, at least. He's totally creative when it comes to covering his ass, though.