Wisconsin unions and Democratic lawmakers are calling on Gov. Scott Walker to apologize for comparing his battle against union protesters to the global fight against terrorism.
The governor was asked at the Conservative Political Action Conference how he would deal with threats such as the Islamic State group.
He responded by saying that the country needs a commander in chief who can be strong, and wrapped up by saying: “If I can take on 100,000 protesters, I can do the same across the world.”
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Madison firefighter and Iraq War veteran Sam Yackel was among the thousands who protested at the state Capitol in 2011. At a news conference on Friday, he called the governor’s remarks “insulting, outrageous” and “delusional.”
“Scott Walker does not know the first thing about terrorism, fighting for our country, or being part of a democracy,” said Yackel. “His comments were disgusting and offensive to both my service and the pillars of our democracy.”
In follow up interviews at CPAC, Walker said his comment was not meant to compare union protests to terrorism, and that most people heard it the way he meant it.
Walker made similar remarks at a recent dinner in Manhattan.
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