Wisconsin Governor-elect Scott Walker’s transition office has been the target of spirited social media campaigns by both proponents and opponents of high-speed rail in Wisconsin this week.
The Sierra Club, the Wisconsin AFL-CIO and progressive groups such as One Wisconsin Now urged their members to attend rallies, sign petitions, make phone calls and send e-mails to Walker’s transition office, which has set up shop across the street from the Capitol.
The AFL-CIO asked members to sign a robo-letter asking Walker to reconsider his vow to kill the high-speed rail project that would connect Milwaukee to Madison.
“Great leaders must often summon the courage to change course. With that in mind, the Wisconsin labor movement urges you to reconsider your position on the high-speed rail. This is an opportunity to create good, family-age jobs and set the stage for further economic growth,” the labor union’s letter to Walker stated.
According to the progressive groups, the rail line would create 4,732 construction jobs and 9,570 permanent jobs in Wisconsin.
Sensing that the progressive movement was dominating the debate, conservative talk radio host Vicki McKenna, whose show is heard on WIBA-1310 in Madison and on WISN-1130 in Milwaukee, launched a counter-campaign of her own to urge her listeners to call and petition Walker’s transition office to stop the train.
In addition to making her calls for action on the radio, McKenna started a social media barrage.
“Scott Walker needs you to call him if you want him to keep his campaign promise to stop the cow-speed rail line!!!!” McKenna wrote on Facebook. “He’s getting hammered by calls from the train lobbyist people. So call him!!!!”
Then the fur began to fly.
One Wisconsin Now countered on Twitter: “This Madison right-wing radio blowhard (@VickiMcKenna ) is mad at the idea of 13,000 jobs in WI.”
To which, McKenna replied on Facebook, “Memo to whack job lefties who follow my tweets: here is the phone number to the radio station … call anytime. do try NOT to be profane and sexual like you were the last 10 times, though. can ya try?”
McKenna called Scot Ross, executive director of One Wisconsin Now, “the man behind the push to shove rail down our throats.”
Conservative Kyle Prast, a community blogger at Brookfield Now, picked up on McKenna’s counter-campaign and urged her readers to call Walker to voice their opposition to the rail project. Prast wrote, “I called about 10 times this morning but always got a busy signal, voice mail, or leave a return phone number message. Then I tried again this afternoon at 3:10pm and got through right away. I stated I wanted to go on the public record of being strongly opposed to high speed rail and as requested, gave my name and email address to the woman in the office. She said they will continue taking calls on this as long as people call. That means in the days, weeks, and months ahead. So make that call!”
Whether you are for or against the project, you can make your voice heard in Walker’s transition office by calling (608) 261-9200.
Steve Jagler is executive editor of BizTimes Milwaukee.
