Since when did tenure become a liberal icon?? [View all]

[a kennedy]

Scott Walker takes on another liberal icon: tenured professors.....

First, Gov. Scott Walker defeated public-sector labor unions. Then, he declawed their private-sector counterparts. Now, just weeks before his expected entry into the presidential race, the Wisconsin Republican is staring down another conservative target: college professors.

The trifecta could cement Walker’s reputation among conservative Republican primary voters as a bold leader willing to battle entrenched interests of the left in the name of reform.

But faculty at the state’s universities — backed by national higher education groups — say he is risking the quality and prestige of one of the country’s leading state universities to fuel his presidential ambitions.

The clash of values echoes many that have erupted since Walker took office after the 2010 election. Loud, polarizing debates have punctuated the Walker years. The attention they received has catapulted him into the front ranks of those seeking the GOP presidential nomination. His campaign, expected to formally launch next month, is largely built around his image as a fighter for conservative causes who has won key battles.

In this small city, the University of Wisconsin’s flagship campus, long seen as a liberal bastion, sits less than a mile from the state Capitol, and the lines between the conservative governor and his liberal opponents are sharply drawn.

Professors fume at what they regard as a multi-pronged attack. Walker’s allies say he and the Republican-majority Legislature are carrying out a mandate for reform on behalf of beleaguered taxpayers.

http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-83843821/