New NY Times Publisher A.G. Sulzberger Has an Unusual Admirer: Wisconsinâs Far
Scott Walker
What no one mentioned is that Sulzbergerâs journalism is appreciated by a surprising figure: Wisconsinâs Republican Governor Scott Walker  who used an article co-written by Sulzberger to bolster the resolve of wavering GOP lawmakers in the midst of Walkerâs ferocious attack on public sector unions in 2011.
Walkerâs description was generally accurate. The Times article portrays a conflict between the intellectual elites in Madison who âpredictably opposeâ Walkerâs plans and the real Wisconsinites âaway from Madisonâ who believe that âpublic workers needed to share in the sacrifice that their own families have been forced to make.â It quotes six people who work in the private sector who support  Walker âs crackdown on public sector unions  and only two who donât like it.
However  this three-to-one ratio in support of  Walker  seems slightly peculiar  given the voting patterns in the area. The eight Wisconsinites lived in towns across Rock  Walworth and Jefferson Counties.  Walker  won 55 percent of the vote in the three counties in 2010  and 54 percent in the 2012 recall election. Both times  Walker  actually lost Rock County  where Janesville is located  making up for it in the other two  redder counties.
Also notable is  Walker âs excitement that the lede on the story is about a man named Rich Hahn  whoâd been laid off twice by GM. The reason for Walkerâs joy is obvious: The piece originally described Hahn as âa union man from a union townâ who nevertheless believed âsomething needs to be done â¦ and quicklyâ about greedy public unions. However  after the United Auto Workers found no record of Hahn as a member  the Times ran a correction reading that while Hahn âdescribed himself to a reporter as a âunion guy â he now says that he has worked at unionized factories  but was not himself a union member.â
What no one mentioned is that Sulzbergerâs journalism is appreciated by a surprising figure: Wisconsinâs Republican Governor Scott Walker  who used an article co-written by Sulzberger to bolster the resolve of wavering GOP lawmakers in the midst of Walkerâs ferocious attack on public sector unions in 2011.
Walkerâs description was generally accurate. The Times article portrays a conflict between the intellectual elites in Madison who âpredictably opposeâ Walkerâs plans and the real Wisconsinites âaway from Madisonâ who believe that âpublic workers needed to share in the sacrifice that their own families have been forced to make.â It quotes six people who work in the private sector who support   [TGT]  âs crackdown on public sector unions  and only two who donât like it.
However  this three-to-one ratio in support of   [TGT] seems slightly peculiar  given the voting patterns in the area. The eight Wisconsinites lived in towns across Rock  Walworth and Jefferson Counties.   [TGT] won 55 percent of the vote in the three counties in 2010  and 54 percent in the 2012 recall election. Both times   [TGT] actually lost Rock County  where Janesville is located  making up for it in the other two  redder counties.
Also notable is   [TGT]  âs excitement that the lede on the story is about a man named Rich Hahn  whoâd been laid off twice by GM. The reason for Walkerâs joy is obvious: The piece originally described Hahn as âa union man from a union townâ who nevertheless believed âsomething needs to be done â¦ and quicklyâ about greedy public unions. However  after the United Auto Workers found no record of Hahn as a member  the Times ran a correction reading that while Hahn âdescribed himself to a reporter as a âunion guy â he now says that he has worked at unionized factories  but was not himself a union member.â