The Wisconsin Recall: Bigger Than Walker
James Poulos ·
June 5, 2012 at 7:05pm
The drama coming out of Wisconsin is just the beginning. Whether Gov. Scott Walker is recalled or not, there are several things we can be pretty sure will happen. I see four:
* Unions will take the political spotlight Wall Street once had;
* The myth that Obama is a brilliant campaigner will be destroyed;
* The fight will be on for Wisconsin II: The Revenge;
* Mitt Romney will be required to weigh in on it all -- in a big way.
That's great news if you want your election-year politics to be more interesting than they currently are. If you're already experiencing election fatigue, however...well, sorry.
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Comments:
Jul '11
Re: The Wisconsin Recall: Bigger Than Walker
By all means let's have this election at least partly about public service unions.
Mitt Romney has a wonderful opportunity follow the Walker win to stand up and say that our nation's fiscal woes are more important than sweetheart political deals which are bankrupting our citizens.
Edited on June 5, 2012 at 8:50pmAug '10
Re: The Wisconsin Recall: Bigger Than Walker
As much as I would like to see it happen, I doubt unions will take the political spotlight away from the economy and the government's response to the financial crisis. Class warfare is classic campaign material; it's easier to vilify faceless corporations and extravagant rich people than the middle class guy who got the higher wages you want through his union.
More importantly, unions are only coming under the spotlight at the state level, not the federal level. Presidential races are largely about the national scale, or issues the federal government will address. Unless the GOP can translate the dangers of public unions from a local problem to a national one, they won't have an effective message to pitch against the Democratic support of a key constituency.
...and I have very little faith in Republican message nimbleness, or that Romney is savvy enough to pivot to a strong attack along this front.
Aug '11
Re: The Wisconsin Recall: Bigger Than Walker
Actually, this particular election is already "Wisconsin V: We're The Sorest Losers Ever!" (with Wisconsin I, II, III, and IV having already occurred, and Democrats losing each time. The first was the original GOP sweep in 2010. II was the first round of recalls. III was the Supreme Court election, and IV was the second round of recalls). There's no reason to think this time they'll finally accept a loss.
Edited on June 5, 2012 at 8:29pmApr '11
Re: The Wisconsin Recall: Bigger Than Walker
I have high hopes for Wisconsin. Sitting here in the "Windy City" I am watching our mayor going up against the teachers union who is threatening to strike because they are only getting a 2% raise, and being asked to do slightly more work for it. I never thought I would be on Rham Emanuel's side, but you know what they say about the lesser of two evils.
I think these public employ union pensions are going to come to the front more and more politically. I think if people in states like IL, NY, and CA can see that Wisconsin was able to curtail these people we might have some hope of it too. Given some brave leadership (which is sorely lacking in these state I know).
Mar '11
Re: The Wisconsin Recall: Bigger Than Walker
And the thing is, Walker's not even "curtailing" benefits. Public employees still get the exact same pension benefit as before. They can still retire at 55. All that is changed is that they now have to pay into the pension system out of their paychecks instead of having the taxpayers pick up the entire tab.
Oct '11
Re: The Wisconsin Recall: Bigger Than Walker
Someone wrote today that these are the death rattles of the old blue coalition. The blue coalition can't survive long term with low population growth, aging society, and low or no economic growth. It will lead to a Europe style crisis if unreformed. I assume Rahm E. understands this to some extent. In WI we have a good example of what not to do. IL raised taxes significantly but it wasn't enough and they are now flailing around trying to figure out what to do next.
Aug '11
Re: The Wisconsin Recall: Bigger Than Walker
I'm nervous. Madison's voter turnout is reportedly 112%.
Oct '10
Re: The Wisconsin Recall: Bigger Than Walker
If Walker wins, will this pressure states like California and Illinois to take on their public sector unions?
Re: The Wisconsin Recall: Bigger Than Walker
It's already happening in San Jose and San Diego:
Imagine.
Jerry Brown is also now taking heat for declining to follow even Rahm Emanuel's lead on these matters.
Re: The Wisconsin Recall: Bigger Than Walker
That'd be Walter Russell Mead, who's a must-read on this.