Following is the statement of Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate in response to President Obama’s State of the Union address:
“In tonight’s State of the Union address President Obama laid out the Democratic vision for opportunity and action.
“The President’s vision stands in stark contrast to Scott Walker’s so-called ‘Blueprint for Prosperity’ — a tired retread of the same Paul Ryan plan that voters overwhelmingly rejected in the last election. Instead of moving forward, the Walker/Ryan plan would take us back to the failed policies of the past and continue a rigid social agenda instead of putting Americans back to work.
“But the President’s speech wasn’t just about plans and visions; it was about action.
“By using executive authority to increase the minimum wage for federal contract workers, President Obama made clear that he heard the voices of 73% of Americans who support raising the minimum wage and he won’t allow ideological Republican obstructionism to get in the way of helping more Americans get into the middle-class.
“President Obama is joined by Democrats in Congress and in statehouses all across the nation in pursuing policies, like a minimum wage increase, that strengthen our economy and help more Americans climb the ladder of opportunity.
“In Wisconsin we’ve seen three years of the opposite approach, where Republicans like Scott Walker put politics ahead of people, leading to job growth that trails the national average and diminished standards on wages, healthcare, and education.
“Only by electing a new governor this fall will Wisconsinites be able to fully reap the benefits of President Obama’s vision of progress and expanded opportunity.”
