It Is Not The Critic Who Counts

The man ranked by scholars as one of the greatest U. S. Presidents ever once said, “It is not the critic who counts. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly. His place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”

On January 3, 2011, Scott Walker took office as the Governor of Wisconsin. Governor Walker proposed the “Wisconsin budget repair bill” which caused a big uproar of protest. I won’t go into the details of the bill now except to say that it passed into law despite facing massive obstacles.

Protests about the bill started on February 14, 2011 before the bill even passed into law. Over 30,000 people participated in the protests that February and more as the weeks passed… even surpassing 100,000 total at one event. Even all 14 State Democrats (The Wisconsin 14) left the state to avoid having enough members of the legislature present to present the collective bargaining bill – a tactic that eventually failed.

In spite of all the boycotts, the protests and the departure of the 14 Democratic Senators, the collective bargaining bill passed into law in March. This caused even more protests and boycotts. In addition, two lawsuits were filed against the state claiming that the law was unlawful.

On May 12, 100 pages of public records with details of emotions and threats that occurred during the protests were released. In June, public unions in Wisconsin sued Governor Walker at the Federal level claiming violation of 1st Amendment rights. The critics were getting louder.

Amazingly, by the end of June though, all the lawsuits against the State and Governor Walker on the local and Federal level were lost and the bill was upheld by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. And while the protests started to die down, that wasn’t the end of the opposition. In fact, the opposition was just getting warmed up. Governor Walker’s opposition next started working on a recall election.

As the nation watched on June 5, 2012, Governor Walker was re-elected and remains in office. In fact, in spite of everything that happened, he won by a slightly LARGER margin than in his original 2010 election. This means that while all the protesting was making the news, the supporters came out to vote.

In addition, Wisconsin has started to see some of the fruit of Governor Walker’s efforts. Walker has taken one of the largest State deficits in the United States at $3.6 Billion dollars and turned it into a budget surplus and validating some of the things Walker said he would do in office.

Now you may not agree with Governor Walker and his policies, and you may think he’s done more damage than good. And depending on who you talk to, you may be right. Put aside what your political beliefs may be for a moment and maybe even your feelings Governor Walker and take a deeper look at what he did.

He stayed true to his beliefs and fought for what he thought to be right instead of capitulating to the cries of protestors and critics. Walker was in the arena, striving valiantly, and most importantly, doing what he said he was going to do – even with the threat of being recalled.

Yes, he said he was going to implement these policies and procedures even before he got elected the first time – and unlike many politicians (unfortunately), true to his word, Scott Walker did what he said he would do. He put his job (and to some degree according to the threats released on paper, his life) on the line to implement his policies, and he did not back down. He kept fighting until he finally won in legislation, in court, and in public.

Realize that it’s easy to back down when the going gets tough. It’s easy to “compromise” your beliefs in the face of opposition. It’s easy to “change your mind” when your critics are yelling threats and profanity at you. The sign of a true leader though is sticking up for your beliefs; sticking up for what you believe to be right; and standing strong in the face of opposition.

So the next time you’re doing what you believe to be right, listen to what the oppo

sition has to say, weigh the advantages and disadvantages, and most importantly, stick to your beliefs. Remain true to yourself and remember what Theodore Roosevelt said in his “Man in the Arena” speech, “It is not the critic who counts…” Make your beliefs count and stay strong.

Celebrate Life!
Chaffee-Thanh Nguyen