Last week, the drama over Gov. Scott Walker’s budget repair bill reached new lows after a prank phone call was released to the media.

Under the impression he was speaking to billionaire conservative David Koch, Walker divulged telling information regarding his stance toward protesters and Democrats involved in passing the bill.

Walker also showed his partisanship during the prank call, referring to Democratic colleagues such as Senator Tim Cullen (D-Janesville) as “not one of us.”

However, the most revealing portion of the prank call exchange between Walker and Ian Murphy, who runs the Buffalo Beast, a left-leaning blog, was when Walker told of his strategies to bring Democratic senators boycotting the bill back to the state.

Through a legal loophole, the bill can apparently still be passed even if the Democrats are not physically present, just as long as they begin a session. If the 14 Democratic senators return to Madison, the Senate would have a quorum, enabling the bill to be voted on and likely passed.

Walker would seemingly have the bill passed in an underhanded motion, taking his opposition out of the equation and ignoring the voices of those elected by the people. We find even the mere suggestion appalling. Although some would argue the Senate Democrats are acting cowardly by fleeing the state to stall the bill’s passage, we similarly believe Walker’s proposition casts disturbing doubts over his character and perhaps his ability to adequately serve as governor of Wisconsin.

In another concerning exchange, Murphy remarked that Walker should bring a baseball bat to the meeting with Senate Democrats, to which Walker responded with a laugh, stating, “I have one in my office; you’d be happy with that. I have a Slugger with my name on it.”

For obvious reasons, this quote is perturbing. And while Walker was probably humoring Murphy’s comment, it does starkly reveal his unwillingness to collaborate with Democrats, as well as his negative feelings toward them.

Murphy also offered a fake bribe to Walker — a trip to California to “really show (him) a good time,” to which Walker replied, “All right, that would be outstanding.” This further detracts from Walker’s credibility, raising more questions about his ethics.

However, while these words are verbatim from a transcript of the conversation, there is a risk of taking the content out of context. Yes, Walker did say these words, but who knows how he meant them or if he even meant all of them. Certainly, some of the exchanges seem skirting, as if Walker was trying not to offend his supporter while advocating his cause. Interpreting the transcript correctly is difficult, so a certain amount of leeway must be allowed.

And while Murphy’s decision to prank call Walker revealed some dubious ideas, Murphy is not without fault. As operator of a news website, Murphy has an obligation to uphold the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics. Through pretending to be someone else while recording a phone call without Walker’s knowledge, Murphy acted unethically and unprofessionally.

And though Walker spoke candidly, he did so with the impression that he was having a private conversation. But, that doesn’t make the window into his thoughts any less disturbing.

In addition, Walker’s reference to other governors with allegedly similar goals of breaking up unions in states such as Florida and Ohio caused unrest as well. Democrats were already skeptical of Walker’s motives, believing that Republicans have a hidden agenda to reduce unions’ collective bargaining rights and overall power.

During the exchange, an allusion to conspiracy arises, with Murphy stating, “You’re the first domino,” and Walker’s reply of, “Yep. This is our moment.” These exchanges make it seem like Walker’s main goal of the bill is not fiscal; rather, it appears to be an anti-union movement.

Walker claims the things he said during the phone conversation match what he has been saying publicly. We disagree, and we hope that, in this case, Walker’s walk does not back up his talk.