Walker Meltdown: Blowback for saying he would take AHCA Waiver! Truth is, he didn't Walk-Back Waiver, returning to failed Taxpayer funded High Risk Pools

Funny how it's always a "political stunt" or "grand standing" when Democrats talk about political issues in public. Republicans are above all that.

Most telling was this comment from Scott Walker to Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson: "You wanna play politics..."

...and that's what Walker has been doing all his life, heck raised a family on the taxpayer dime.

The whole recorded Walker meltdown was one huge "grand standing" effort. Scott Walker worried that Nelson's question about preserving Wisconsinites current health care guarantee was somehow "taking away from tourism?" Yea, it took a real hit yesterday.

County Exec. Tom Nelson nailed it; it did get under Scott Walker's skin, big time. Walker wants to accept an AHCA waiver and return the state to high risk pools. He can't take the heat apparently.

For a question Walker didn't want to answer, he "grand standed" a number of times answering the question just so he could trash Nelson. Poor victim, not confident in your unpopular position accepting the AHCA waivers Scottie? Not even Congressional Republicans thought governors would dare take the waiver...but Walker did right outta the gate.

Adding insult to injury, reporters this morning are suggesting Walker walked back his comments about taking the waiver, which he didn't.

Here's a look at the entire childish Scott Walker meltdown and the grownup...Tom Nelson. Walker's pandering to the cameras was an embarrassment not soon forgotten:

Walker: "If you want to have a press conference, go ahead. He'll have a press conference. No, no. If the county executive wants to have a press conference on something else, you can talk to him later, but if you want to steal away from tourism you can do that."

Nelson: "No, no. This is a big deal. Three-hundred thousand people in Northeast Wisconsin."

Walker: "If you want to run for Congress, you had your chance."  

WBAY covered the story, reporting Walker later clarified his position, suggesting a change that I just don't see. Walker said he'd take the waiver, period, no denial:

Remember, we're just coming off this historic GOP repeal vote, and the first day to ask Walker why he wanted to take the waiver...not an unimportant issue for anyone in the state:

Walker: "Just so we're clear folks, just to be clear, the county executive wants to take away from tourism right now and play a political stunt."

Nelson: "No."

Walker: "About a topic that has nothing to do with what we're talking about today. It's on an issue that was voted on in front of the House of Representatives, but is not even going forward in the Senate right now. We'll take a look at it when it goes through the United States Senate. We're going to lobby in a way that allows us to do the things we've done here in the state of Wisconsin for the first time in the history of the state we cover everyone I think in Medicaid. It's something we didn't do Tom when you served in the Legislature."

Nelson: "Nope, nope. So you don't support the legislation?" 

Walker: "There was a waiting list -- a waiting list for people living in poverty when you served in the state Legislature. I removed that waiting list so that no one living -- you can make up the facts." 

A NOTE: Wisconsin had a waiting lists in 2009 because of increasing enrollment and lack of funding, not because Democrats didn't like the program. In fact, Gov. Doyle opened BadgerCare up to childless adults:

Nelson: "You have sent to other states hundreds of millions of dollars for the Medicaid expansion, taking care of everything from the opioid crisis you're dealing with, for health insurance for those individuals. We're not.
Walker: "You had your chance with the voters in this state in the northeast part of Wisconsin to run for Congress. The voters rejected your opinion."

Nelson: "You're making this political."

Walker: "The voters rejected--"

Nelson: "You are the one making this political."

Walker: "My goodness. Ask anyone else here. Was this the approach? You can contact me in office. (Appleton) Mayor Hanna talked to me about this project (the exhibition center). He didn't come here and interrupt something based on tourism."

Nelson: "I think this is a big issue."

Walker: "If you want to play politics, you should run for office. If you want to run for governor, run for governor."

Nelson: "This is a really big issue."

Walker: "If you want to run for Congress, you had your chance."  

Nelson: "Governor, I cannot tell you how many people come up to me. They're worried about this."

Walker: "Again, ladies and gentlemen, this is one of those where you see why he had his chance to run for Congress. People saw someone who would politically grandstand instead of addressing the issues of the day. I will address this issue as it makes its way through the United States Senate and before it gets to the President of the United States."

Nelson: "We can make this political. It's very disrespectful to the people of Northeast Wisconsin." 

Walker: "You're being disrespectful to all the people in the state of Wisconsin."

Nelson: "No--"

Walker: "If you were doing something more than pulling a political stunt--"

Nelson: "No, I want a conversation with the governor."

Walker: "When's the last time you reached out and contacted us?"

Nelson: "When's the last time your office reached out? You've come here every once in a while for a photo opp."

Walker: "Talk to Mayor right there. Talk to the mayor. Talk to all the other local officials."

Nelson: "No, no."

Walker: "I'm here today because the mayor of Appleton reached out to me about this subject -- made a point of it -- and it's one of those where, again, if you want to grandstand here--"

Nelson: "This has obviously gotten under your skin." 

Walker: "What's gotten under my skin, ladies and gentlemen, is the fact that someone decided to pull a political stunt and show up at an event about tourism--"

Nelson: "I'm just asking questions. I'm asking a question that's on the minds of so many people."

Walker: "--celebrating a new exhibition center. And the simple answer is, we will stand for the best interests of the people of the state of Wisconsin just as we have done, which is something you were not able to accomplish during your time in the Legislature. Everyone living in poverty for the first time in our state's history is now covered under Medicaid in the state of Wisconsin--"

Nelson: "So you are committing, you're committing--"  

Walker: "-- thanks to our leadership, and we will continue to push for plans that allow us to have the plan we enacted, not the one you left us with when you left the state Legislature."

Nelson: "Not true." 

Walker: "The facts are the facts. You can do a political fact check."