The left is desperate to take down Wisconsin governor Scott Walker. As has been pointed out this week, as the Wisconsin legislature voted to make the state a “Right to Work” one, the left-wing political machine bears great responsibility for turning Scott Walker into a national figure.

Had the Democrats not targeted Walker with a recall, that massive fundraiser network, the national profile, the party unity, and his highly developed get-out-the-vote team almost certainly wouldn’t exist. He may have still won re-election, but he would be just another Midwestern Republican governor who enacted reforms and faced push-back, not the conservative folk hero of a party longing for a win. He would most likely resemble Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, a reformer but hardly a man with a cult following. There would still be plenty of new problems with the governor his opposition could cite, instead of leaving him mostly vetted for 2016.

So there is a desperation akin to hysteria on the left to “get” Walker on something. Witness the attempts to “get” him on evolution or on Obama’s spiritual life.

So, while combing over the Wisconsin state budget, Jezebel was certain that they had found a “gotcha.” And they wasted no time in spreading the news, far and wide, that Scott Walker wanted colleges to stop reporting rapes.

pic.twitter.com/IPt6GC5AmG

— Brian Cates (@drawandstrike) February 27, 2015

At which point The Daily Beast decided to join in the fun.

Scott Walker’s proposal to delete the requirement that universities report sexual assault is causing him big trouble: http://t.co/x1P1jlhijh

— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) February 28, 2015

The author of the Daily Beast piece was good and pleased with himself about it, too.
https://twitter.com/frostedweidies/status/571406859669794817
https://twitter.com/frostedweidies/status/571447935965274113
There is just one small problem, as brilliantly illustrated by Brian Cates (who tweets under @drawandstrike)… it’s not true.

As it so happens, this Jezebel writer, Natasha Vargas-Cooper, either didn’t do any research at all on this piece or she deliberately left out the whole story.
There is a pretty damn good reason Scott Walker deleted these reporting requirements.
He did it because – get this! – the University of Wisconsin *asked* him to.

Yes, just a simple Google search would have revealed that The University of Wisconsin had asked Governor Walker to remove the state reporting requirement because…. they already report it to the FEDERAL government.

UW System spokesman Alex Hummel said Friday that the university requested the change because information given to the state is duplicative of data required to be reported to the U.S. Department of Education under federal law. The university also posts the information on its website.

The governor’s plan also calls for cutting out information about sexual assaults from orientation programs for new and existing UW students at all campuses, as well as removing the requirement that any employee who witnesses an assault or is told by a student that they’ve been assaulted report that information to the dean of students.

“Student education and mandatory reporting are important practices also built in, and those practices are going to continue on our campuses,” Hummel said in an email. “We are not lessening our commitment here or at our institutions one iota.”

Walker spokeswoman Laurel Patrick said protecting victims of domestic violence and sexual assault remains a top priority for the governor.

Oops. This is one of those moments where someone got a little too excited and posted without doing their homework. It was just “too good to check.” Some people were willing to admit they’d been suckered.

It looks like I screwed up accusing Walker of trying to downplay campus rape reporting. I am deleting those tweets. http://t.co/go6Tj2lg5A

— Ana Marie Cox (@anamariecox) February 28, 2015

However, the writer of the Jezebel piece, Natasha Vargas-Cooper, was upset that her “scoop” had gotten thoroughly debunked and deflated in less than 24 hours.

Ran an update on the Walker piece. Find another thing to be outraged about sweet, sweet Walkerites.

— Natasha VC (@natashavc) February 28, 2015

This was her update:

UPDATE: After Jezebel ran this item yesterday, a spokesman for the University of Wisconsin came forward—over two weeks after the budget was released—to clarify: the University requested that Gov. Walker delete the requirements because efforts were redundant with their compliance of the Cleary Act. Scott Walker’s camp assures that he’s committed to protecting victims.

And whose fault is it that Vargas-Cooper got her story SO WRONG? Why, Governor Walker’s, of course!

Also, I'm not gonna apologize for reporting what was in the budget. Because that was in the budget. Ask your gov. to apologize for bad optix

— Natasha VC (@natashavc) February 28, 2015

At a time when there is HEAVY scrutiny on state/fed/colleges, a proposal to delete standing regulations, requires more tact.

— Natasha VC (@natashavc) February 28, 2015

Brian Cates earned the last word on this one:

@natashavc So before he did what U/WI asked of him, Walker should've realized how stupid people would misunderstand what was happening? OK.

— Brian Cates (@drawandstrike) February 28, 2015

The left is afraid of Scott Walker. We know this because they are attacking him with everything they can possibly find, and then being defiant when the narrative they try to create blows up in their faces. Even if you are not a Walker fan, you have to pay attention to him. The left has made him a contender.

UPDATE:
Natasha Vargas-Cooper tried another apology run.

We're waiting. MT @natashavc I know I said I wasn't going to say sorry but I hope you won't fault me for changing my mind.

— Jim Treacher (@jtLOL) February 28, 2015

In order to see all of her preserved tweets, you’ll have to click on the above link. Why? Because Vargas-Cooper decided to make her account a “protected” one, and only confirmed followers can now see her tweets.

Why, that move just screams “professional transparent journalist,” doesn’t it?

The Daily Beast has now formally retracted the entire story.

Score another one for Scott Walker.