Walker's approval rating slips again as WI sees the beginnings of a leftward swing

Latest Marquette Law School Poll shows a preference for liberal leaders in the state

Gov. Scott Walker’s approval rating slipped down once more in the latest Marquette Law School poll, down to 37 percent approval. Nearly three-in-five Wisconsinites disapprove of the governor’s job performance.

And can we blame them? Walker has consistently and repeatedly changed his course for the state since taking office in 2011. He campaigned on bargaining with public sector unions as a candidate in 2010, but once elected he led a crusade to dismantle them.

He justified doing so because the civil service program would remain intact, leaving in place some important worker protections. Today, he attempts to dismantle that as well.

He promised us safety through his deregulation of gun laws in the state, but instead we got more crime.

He promised to create 250,000 jobs in the state and 10,000 new businesses. We have yet to reach the first goal (nine months after it was originally “due”) and the businesses he counts include Girl Scout troops and American Legion posts. When this failure became clear, he changed his jobs promise into a “bold goal” -- an Orwellian edit to be sure.

Even when he implied that he’d stay in Wisconsin to finish out his second term during his 2014 re-election campaign, he ended up running for president. It seems now that he will fulfill that pledge at least, not because he wanted to but rather because he was such a dismal candidate.

Let’s face it -- Wisconsinites feel jilted by this governor. And that’s the underlying reasoning behind his low approval numbers.

Though short on policy questions the Marquette poll reveals some interesting trends. Among them, Russ Feingold is winning the race against incumbent Sen. Ron Johnson. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders all defeat respective Republican presidential challengers. And President Barack Obama has a positive approval rating in the state at 51 percent.

Wisconsin is beginning it’s pendulum swing back to the left. It's better late than never, I suppose, and with this swing we can begin to undo the damage that Walker & Co. has wrought to our state.