An aide to Governor Scott Walker (R-WI) has offered further proof that racism has not yet ended, with a number of extremely racist tweets that were recently uncovered by the Wisconsin State Journal. Taylor Palmisano, Walker’s former deputy finance director, was fired after a string of offensive tweets were made public by the paper.
“I will choke that illegal mex cleaning in the library. Stop banging [expletive] chairs around and turn off your Walkman,” Palmisano tweeted March 9, 2011, according to the State Journal.
Amazingly, this wasn’t the only racist rant Palmisano tweeted while working for Walker. After attending the University of Wisconsin’s Rose Bowl game in January of 2011, Palmisano tweeted about her bus ride: “This bus is my worst [expletive] nightmare Nobody speaks English & these ppl dont know how 2 control their kids #only3morehours #illegalaliens.”
The Walker campaign responded quickly by cutting ties with Palmisano and issuing a statement condemning her actions. “Taylor Palmisano has been immediately removed from her position with the Friends of Scott Walker campaign,” campaign spokesman Jonathan Wetzel said. “Both the governor and the campaign condemn these insulting remarks, which do not reflect our views in any way.”
Palmisano’s poor judgment extends beyond jumping on the “illegalaliens” hashtag. Just prior to her dismissal from the Walker administration, Palmisano’s work behind a keyboard was able to damage the governor’s re-election campaign with an odd appeal to potential donors, whom she lobbied to contribute to Walker’s campaign instead of buying their children Christmas gifts.
“Instead of venturing into the cold this Black Friday, stay in and give your children a gift that will keep on giving,” Palmisano wrote. “Instead of electronics or toys that will undoubtedly be outdated, broken or lost by the next Holiday Season, help give your children the gift of a Wisconsin that we can all be proud of.”
She ended with: “A strong Wisconsin is the best gift you can give.”
Photo: Gage Skidmore via Flickr
Correction: This story initially stated that Palmisano’s tweets were made public by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal. They were actually reported by the Wisconsin State Journal.
