On Christie Turf, Walker Compares Himself to Reagan

Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker prepare for a televised debate against Democratic challenger Mary Burke (not pictured) Friday, Oct. 17, 2014, at the WMVS-TV studio in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Benny Sieu)
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At a fundraising event in New York, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) likened his push to cut down on collective-bargaining rights for public sector employees to the late President Ronald Reagan’s fight with federal air-traffic controllers in the early 1980s.

The potential 2016 presidential candidate Walker, speaking at a breakfast of major Republican donors Thursday in Manhattan, argued that his push to roll back the collective bargaining rights of public service employees in Wisconsin was in the same vein as Reagan’s fight with air traffic controllers during their strike in the early 1980s, according to The Washington Post.

According to several attendees cited anonymously by the Post, Walker argued that Reagan’s fight with the air was a way of showing strength to the Soviet Union.

The Post report on the lunch did not provide a direct quote of Walker’s remarks.

Walker has regularly highlighted his fight with public sector employees. He’s argued that his victory in curbing collective bargaining rights shows he can stand up to big government unions.

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