Tuesday, June 5 is the date for the Wisconsin Recall Election for 2012, with polls showing results that may favor Governor Scott Walker over his opponent, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. Jobs and the economy are at the center of this election, with unions lined up to throw Scott Walker out. Last year, Walker defiantly stood against the public service employee unions and ended the practice of the state collecting dues from union members on behalf of the unions. Some collective bargaining rights were also eliminated in order to dig Wisconsin out of a $3.7 Billion dollar budget deficit. Today, thanks to Scott Walker and Republicans in the state legislature, Wisconsin now has nearly a $1 Billion dollar surplus and a lower unemployment rate than the rest of the nation.
But such responsible leadership does not play well with Liberal Democrats and their allies in the Progressive movement, which was born in the Dairy State. In 1959, Wisconsin became the very first state in America to allow for public employee unions to collectively bargain for pay and benefits. But over the years, as with nearly every other state, such unions have demanded far more than what the average citizens of each state earn.
Add to that how most state pension programs are set up to only keep pace with fulfilling their requirements if their investment portfolios can earn 10-12% per year. A more realistic number would be about half of that. So states like California and Illinois are on the verge of default as there is no real way to honor any union contracts since both the unions, and the Democrat politicians supporting them, lied to the taxpayers of those troubled states. Only draconian cuts and tax increases can make a dent in their budget shortfalls.
The Wisconsin Recall Election tomorrow could result in the death of unions if the polls are right. Governor Scott Walker facing recall against Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett looks like a sure winner. If so, Walker will be the first governor in the last three recall elections to remain in office. Tomorrow′s vote may also prove to be an oracle for this November′s showdown between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney in the Dairy State.
June 4th, 2012 at 9:13 pm
Nice writing, Andy. I’m gonna pretend that this is a prediction thread: Walker gets 56%.
June 4th, 2012 at 11:34 pm
All of the polls ahead of the recall election in California ten years ago showed Gray Davis retaining his governor’s seat by a healthy margin. He lost. What the polls failed to do was measure motivation. Those wanting to recall him were highly enthusiastic to get rid of him, while those who wanted to keep him in office were not highly motivated to go vote. Polls are suppose to capture the enthusiasm gap but they never do fully.
So I’m worried for Walker on Tuesday. Since this is a prediction thread, I say Walker wins with 50.5% and hope that is so, but no surprise if he loses.
June 5th, 2012 at 3:38 am
Thanks, Arriba!
Given that Walker got more votes than all of his potential opponents in the ‘recall primary’ election a month or two ago, I will side with Arriba. Walker wins by a large margin, 55% or more. The win will put Wisconsin in play for November and Romney will have a good chance of winning it.
June 5th, 2012 at 12:19 pm
Ooops !
Motherfcker $4 is human !
June 5th, 2012 at 2:43 pm
Patrick, don’t forget about GOP voter suppression efforts of the last 10 years and the millions of out-of-state entrenched corporate money pouring into the campaign, spent at 2 or 3x Barrett’s level. Thanks to Citizen’s United and disenfranchized minority voters, Walker may very well have the edge he needs.
He’s already totally destroyed unions in WI and brought state workers down to the dismal level of exploitation that other laborers wallow in. If Walker does win, that’s it: WI is fùcked.
June 5th, 2012 at 6:20 pm
I’ve seen unions at work. They’d better rethink why they have lost favor with the regular citizen. That’s wiser than to blindly defend them just because it’s a party-core-principle to do so.
June 5th, 2012 at 6:30 pm
I’ve seen and been with unions supposedly working.
Bunch of jack off. milk the clock, “not my job” premadonnas
June 5th, 2012 at 6:39 pm
By “at work”, I meant “working hard on hardly working”.
June 5th, 2012 at 7:04 pm
Exactly.
They got more reasons to “not” do something than Carters has little pills.
Retail,state is disgusting
Ironworkers bust ass
June 5th, 2012 at 7:14 pm
“Patrick, don’t forget about GOP voter suppression efforts of the last 10 years”
You mean military overseas ballots
” and the millions of out-of-state entrenched corporate money pouring into the campaign,”
George Soros ?
“He’s already totally destroyed unions in WI and brought state workers down to the dismal level of exploitation that other laborers wallow in. If Walker does win, that’s it: WI is fùcked.”
You ass-holes hired him to clean up the mess.
And now you’re shocked fcking senseless that hes actually doing it !
As long as its not your fcking mess, RIGHT ?