Taegan Goddard's Political Wire

Worth Clicking: Blasts from the past wound Romney


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February 23, 2011

Walker Pranked

A reporter got through to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) "by posing as right-wing financier David Koch...then had a far-ranging 20-minute conversation about the collective bargaining protests," Mother Jones reports.

He discussed the GOP strategy to hold Democratic senators' pay until they returned to vote on the controversial union-busting bill and how they were looking to get Democrats on ethics violations if they took meals or lodging from union supporters.

Most interesting: Walker said he would take "Koch" up on this offer: "Once you crush these bastards I'll fly you out to Cali and really show you a good time."

Ben Smith: "The call is worth a listen though, for the candid glimpse it offers at the suddenly-prominent Walker. It's also typical in that it reflects politicians willingness to give large amounts of time to rich guys whose obvious weirdness and terrible ideas are to be tolerated for the cash they put up."

Here's the audio:

Taegan D. Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Christian Science Monitor.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

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-- Dotty Lynch, CBS News political consultant

"Taegan Goddard has a knack for digging out political gems that too often get passed over by the mainstream press, and for delivering the latest electoral developments in a sharp, no frills style that makes his Political Wire an addictive blog habit you don't want to kick."

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-- Dick Morris, political consultant

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