VOAFTED ON HIS SHARE OF STATE
BUDGETS.
UWM EMERITUS PROFESSOR AND
FORMER DEMOCRATIC STATE SENATOR
MORDECAI LEE JOINS US WITH HIS
TAKE.
NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
>> THANK YOU, FREDERICA.
>> SO YOU HAD MUSINGS THAT
GOVERNOR EVERS MIGHT WELL VETO
THE ENTIRE BUDGET.
THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN.
REPUBLICANS HAD SAID THAT THEY
WORKED AT MAKING THE DOCUMENT
VETO PROOF.
IS THAT WHAT HAPPENED HERE?
<!32768> I THINK THAT'S PART OF
THE EXPLANATION.
EVEN THOUGH THEY TRIED TO WRITE
THE LANGUAGE SO IT WOULD BE VERY
HARD TO DO PARTIAL VETOES AND
THEY DIDN'T GIVE HIM VERY MANY
OPTIONS, HE STILL COULD HAVE
VETOED THE WHOLE BUDGET.
HE COULD HAVE TRIED TO GET JOE
BIDEN TO HOLD OFF ON REVOKING
THE FEDERAL DOLLARS, THE
BILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
BUT I THINK WHAT IT COMES DOWN
TO IS GOVERNOR EVERS DOES NOT
LOVE POLITICS AND HE DOESN'T
LOVE FIGHTING.
AND EVEN THOUGH THE REPUBLICANS
IN THE LEGISLATURE IN A SENSE
ENJOY CONFRONTATIONS, ENJOY
FIGHTING, HE JUST DOESN'T WANT
TO.
TWO YEARS AGO HE COULD HAVE
VETOED THE BUDGET AND HE DIDN'T.
THIS YEAR HE DIDN'T EITHER.
BUT THE SLICKEST MOVE HE DID IS
EVEN THOUGH HE HAD VERY FEW
OPTIONS, HE TOOK CREDIT FOR THE
TAX CUT.
>> THAT WAS SLICK.
>> FOR THOSE WISCONSINITES AND
INSIDERS WHO THINK THAT GOVERNOR
EVERS IS A LOUSY POLITICIAN, I
GOT TO TELL YOU, TAKING CREDIT
FOR SOMETHING THAT YOU DIDN'T
REALLY DO IS ABOUT AS GREAT A
POLITICAL MOVE AS YOU CAN
IMAGINE.
SO I THINK HE HANDLED IT PRETTY
WELL GIVEN THAT HE HAD REALLY A
WEAK HAND.
YOU KNOW, IN POLITICS YOU HAVE
TO PLAY THE HAND YOU'VE BEEN
DEALT.
YOU CAN'T CHANGE YOUR CARDS.
AND I THINK HE MANEUVERED OUT OF
IT PRETTY WELL, AND I THINK THE
REPUBLICANS ARE SORT OF
FRUSTRATED.
>> WELL, YOU REALLY THINK HE CAN
TAKE CREDIT FOR THOSE?
I MEAN, IT WAS A
REPUBLICAN-WRITTEN BUDGET.
THEY STARTED FROM SCRATCH.
AND THAT WAS WHAT THEY DID WITH
IT.
>> TO INSIDERS, THIS WAS A WIN
FOR THE CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN
IDEOLOGY OF GOVERNMENT.
THIS WAS THEIR BUDGET.
THEY DIDN'T LET HIM GET A WHIT
OF ANYTHING.
THEY CAN FEEL THAT FOR THEM IT
WAS A WIN.
BUT FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF
POLITICS, OF GETTING CREDIT,
GENERALLY SPEAKING IN POLITICS
THE VOTERS LOOK TO THE CHIEF
EXECUTIVE, THE PRESIDENT, THE
GOVERNOR, THE MAYOR RATHER THAN
LOOKING AT INDIVIDUAL
LEGISLATORS OR THE LEGISLATURE
AS AN INSTITUTION.
SO I THINK THE VOTERS WILL GIVE
THE GOVERNOR WHEN HE RUNS FOR
REELECTION MORE OF THE CREDIT
THAN THEY WILL TO THE
LEGISLATURE.
>> I WAS GOING TO ASK YOU, IN
TERMS OF THE POLITICAL MESSAGING
AROUND THIS DOCUMENT, WHO DO YOU
THINK DOES BETTER?
>> I THINK THERE'S NO DOUBT THAT
IN TERMS OF MESSAGING, BECAUSE,
AFTER ALL, POLITICS IS ABOUT
SPIN.
IT'S ABOUT IMPRESSIONS.
IT'S NOT ABOUT SUBSTANCE.
I THINK THE GOVERNOR WINS.
HERE'S WHY.
HE'S RUNNING FOR REELECTION AND
HE SAYS I GAVE YOU A TAX CUT.
AND THEN WHOEVER WINS THE
REPUBLICAN NOMINATION FOR
GOVERNOR SAYS, NO, YOU REALLY
SORT OF DIDN'T.
ALL YOU DID WAS SIGN A
REPUBLICAN BUDGET.
THAT DOES NOT FIT ON A BUMPER
STICKER.
AND POLITICS IN THE END IS THE
SPIN OF THE MESSAGE.
AND SO I THINK HE WINS.
AND IF ANYBODY'S IN A TOUGH
POSITION, IT'S REALLY THE
DEMOCRATS WHO ARE RUNNING FOR
REELECTION TO THE STATE
LEGISLATURE.
MOST OF THEM VOTED AGAINST THE
BUDGET.
HE SIGNS THE BUDGET.
HE PROBABLY FELT THAT HE HAD
JUST KNOCKED THE STILTS OUT FROM
UNDER THEM.
BUT NONETHELESS, WHAT DOES THE
REPUBLICAN SAY?
YOU VOTED AGAINST THE BUDGET AND
YOU SHOULDN'T GET CREDIT FOR THE
TAX CUT.
I JUST DON'T THINK THAT WILL
WASH IN POLITICS.
<!8192> IN TERMS OF THE
SUBSTANCE, REPUBLICANS WON.
THE LEGISLATURE WON.
CONSERVATIVES WON.
IN TERMS OF POLITICS, I THINK
DEMOCRATS WON.
>> INTERESTING.
MEANWHILE, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF
THIS BUDGET IN THIS TIME OF
FEDERAL COVID MONEY AND A
WINDFALL OF TAX REVENUE?
DOES IT STRIKE YOU THAT THE
SPENDING AND TAX CUTTING WAS
WELL DEPLOYED?
>> WELL, IT'S TRUE THAT WHEN THE
GOVERNOR INTRODUCED HIS BUDGET
AND HE INCLUDED SOME TAX CUTS
AND SOME TAX INCREASES, THE
SITUATION SIX MONTHS AGO WAS
VERY DIFFERENT.
AND NOW THERE'S JUST THIS FLOOD
OF MONEY, BOTH FROM THE STATE
AND FROM THE FEDS.
SO I THINK IT'S A DIFFERENT
SITUATION.
AND IN A SENSE TONY EVERS SHOWED
HOW FLEET-FOOTED HE WAS TO
ADJUST TO THE NEW SITUATION.
BUT THE PRESSURE FROM
REPUBLICANS WILL BE KEEP CUTTING
THE BUDGET, LOOK HOW BIG OUR
SURPLUS IS.
>> MORDECAI LEE, THANK YOU FOR
YOUR INSIGHT, FROM UWM, EMERITUS