STEVE KINDERMAN - Eau Claire Leader-Telegram/Associated Press Gov. Scott Walker
About John Nichols
John Nichols, associate editor of The Capital Times, is the author of seven books on politics and the media. He writes about electoral politics and public policy for The Nation magazine, and is a contributing writer for The Progressive and In These Times.
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Joseph Stalin is reputed to have suggested that it did not matter who cast the votes. What matters is who counts the votes. I don’t have a taste for comparing Gov. Scott Walker with the Soviet strongman. But when it comes to managing elections, Walker is giving his harshest critics ample encouragement to make the comparison.
How so? While Stalin wanted to game the system after the voting was finished, Walker wants to game it before the voting begins.
Specifically, Walker and his legislative allies have moved in recent days to have the state’s Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules cede authority over the state Government Accountability Board — which oversees Wisconsin elections — to the governor.
Walker’s scheme is a dictator’s dream. With the prospect that the scandal-plagued governor could face a recall threat in short order, what could be better for Walker than gaining control of the rule-making process regarding recalls?
Read more: http://host.madison.com/ct/news/opinion/column/john_nichols/article_f37ae96d-774a-5235-a910-3dbae6ed1495.html#ixzz1aQF0v2JY
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