Evidence: GOP State Senator Blackmailed Into Voting For Scott Walker’s union-busting proposal.

[kpete]

A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel columnist says he’s got evidence that a GOP state senator may have been threatened to pressure him to vote for Scott Walker’s union-busting proposal.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/happy-hour-roundup/2011/03/03/gIQAylvZ9H_blog.html

A prominent business leader from state Sen. Rob Cowles' district was stunned when the veteran lawmaker explained why he voted in favor of Gov. Scott Walker's controversial budget-repair plan.

Cowles had contacted the business leader earlier this year to ask for the person's support in his upcoming recall election.

"He said, 'I didn't like this (bill) either. I didn't like being put in this position. I didn't like anything about the way it was done,' " the business leader quoted Cowles as saying. " 'But the governor's office told us if we didn't give them our support, they would run a tea party candidate against us.' "

The Green Bay-area business leader, who has not given campaign money to Democrats or Republicans, contacted No Quarter last week and spoke on background, meaning the paper knows the individual's identity. But the leader asked not to be identified by name in the Journal Sentinel because doing so would hurt the person's business and industry relationships.

MORE:
http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/noquarter/125323448.html

[Drale]

1. Why wasn't this brought to light right away?

Sounds like this guy is trying to distance himself from Walker so he can get reelected. Cowards the lot of them.

[iemitsu]

3. should have attempted to distance himself

before the rotten vote. its a bit too late now.

[Drale]

4. Exactly, he's afraid of not getting reelected now

so he's trying to drum up sympathy.

[fascisthunter]

2. WOW... what a Day.

[markpkessinger]

5. It's certainly political coercion, but it is not "blackmail"

I don't like what Walker did any more than anyone else, but you cannot call any threatened course of action "blackmail" from a legal standpoint. Legally, blackmail is a threat to reveal embarrassing information to a person's loved ones, associates, employer, etc., if the person does not follow a demanded course of action. But there is nothing whatsoever illegal about a governor threatening to run a candidate against a legislator if that candidate refuses to support a particular piece of legislation. That's a type of political arm-twisting that is part and parcel of a democratic system. You should be a bit more careful before describing it using such a loaded term as "blackmail."