Walker's Race Baiting Backfires

I pointed out a few days ago that one of the major planks of the Romney/Ryan ticket was race-baiting, highlighting Mitt Romney reliving the specter of Ronald Reagan's imaginary welfare queen.

Unsurprisingly, the race-baiting was a premeditated attack to play on their base's inherent racism.

Equally unsurprising is the fact that Scott Walker is trying to help his team out by using state resources to promote this particular plank.

In his weekly e-newsletter, which, by the way, had a weird thing going on with all sorts of different fonts, he included this passage:

Wisconsin has been a leader in welfare reform for decades, emphasizing the fundamentals of work and personal responsibility. We believe those who can work should work. Work gives individuals dignity and purpose.

I recently sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius regarding federal changes to welfare.

I’m concerned new guidance from Washington raises serious questions about the current administration’s commitment to moving low-income families from welfare to work. I urged Secretary Sebelius to reconsider their most recent approach and adopt the approach pioneered by Governor Tommy Thompson and approved by President Bill Clinton.

Walker then included a link to this copy of his letter to Secretary Sebelius. In it, the gentle reader will note, is almost a verbatim version of Romney's attack on Obama on the work requirements. At least they have their talking points down pat.

Too bad they're completely inaccurate.

Sebelius replied on the same day with a letter which Walker described as "disappointing" and a "form letter" which did not address his specific concerns.

However, even on the quickest glance, the gentle reader can see that Sebelius' letter specifically answers his attack, pointing out that the new policy does not change the work requirement laws, but is a waiver for governors such as Walker to be innovative in developing more effective means of helping Americans get back to work and off of welfare. Furthermore, Sebelius includes the actual law that allows her the authority to implement this policy in response to Walker's accusation that she did not have that authority.

I can imagine that Walker is disappointed. Not only did she deftly dismantle an entire line of attack, but she put it on him to help people get back to work, something he is utterly inept at doing.

But if it's any consolation, Walker's level of disappointment is nothing compared to our disappointment in his performance as governor.