Walker delivers on Packers bet; Quinn talks tough
By Jason Stein of the Journal Sentinel
July 18, 2011
Madison - On Monday at least, bipartisanship eluded Gov. Scott Walker, though brats did not.
Keeping up his end of a bet on a Green Bay Packers game, the Republican governor delivered Wisconsin foods to a Kenosha food pantry Monday morning. But noticeably absent was the smack-talking losing party to his wager, Democratic Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, who is now about five months late in paying up.
Walker spokesman Cullen Werwie was careful not to say that Quinn was weaseling out of anything.
"We wanted to fulfill the bet on our end," Werwie said. "Maybe it's an issue that the press can revisit in the future."
Though neglectful of his obligations to his neighbor to the north, Quinn hasn't entirely given up on foreign relations. He was scheduled to fly to Israel on Monday on a weeklong trade and goodwill mission.
Baseball season is not only in full swing, the All-Star Game is over and there's still no payout. But that didn't keep Quinn from talking tough and swearing he'd follow through.
"We'll pay the bet, and this year the Bears will beat the Packers twice and go to the conference championship and win and then hopefully win the Super Bowl," Quinn said.
"We've had enough of these cheeseheads," he added.
Walker bet on the Packers last winter in their National Football Conference championship game, while Quinn backed their opponents, the Chicago Bears, in the friendly wager.
Because the Packers won and so did Walker, Quinn was supposed to work at a food pantry while wearing a Packers jersey. If the Bears had won, Walker would have donned a Bears jersey and done the same at an Illinois food pantry. Wisconsin businesses pledged to donate food to a pantry in whichever state won.
Quinn had been scheduled to pay up on Feb. 21. But after the controversy surrounding Walker's legislation ending collective bargaining, that visit was canceled and Quinn still hasn't made another move to head north across the border.
So Walker took matters into his own hands. He visited Shalom Center, a food pantry in Kenosha, and delivered foods from Wisconsin, which included brats, cherry pies, cranberries and honey.
Walker tweeted news of the visit to supporters but at the last minute decided not to wear his own Packers jersey.
That might have looked like excessive celebration.