Scott Walker on winning his recall election: “Voters really do want leaders who will stand up and make the tough decisions.” Earlier: Tom Barrett conceded. In a phone call with Barrett, Walker claimed he was willing to work with Barrett to fixing the issues. Surprisingly, the governor sounds like he’s taking a conciliatory tone — offering brats and burgers to members of the legislature.
EDIT: John King: “He’s a national hero to the Republican Party.”
NBC News, Fox News, and CNN have now all officially projected a win in WIsconsin for incumbent Republican Governor Scott Walker. The exit polling from just hours ago suggested an extremely tight race, deadlocked at 50/50, and seemed to point to a protracted night of parsing election returns, but at least for the governor’s office (there are still three GOP state senators facing recall) it appears to be a win for the GOP. Whether this has broader implications nationally is yet unclear — Walker’s recall was incited by his push to strip union rights from public sector employees, and his GOP comrades could view this as a mandate for further state level union-busting, or could see it as a cautionary tale of how close the wunderkind governor came to falling. Suffice to say the win didn’t come cheaply — the Walker campaign outspent the Barrett campaign by a nearly 8-to-1 margin. (Photo by WisPolitics)
“On Saturday, as tens of thousands of Wisconsinites marched in remembrance of the uprising against Walker’s agenda, there was much talk about the upcoming recall election — and that was important.
But it was equally important that the issue focus remained on renewing the state’s collective bargaining law. There was a recognition that the Wisconsin fight has never been, and can never be, about partisan politics alone. Not when basic rights are at stake.
Collective bargaining is a part of Wisconsin history, an example of this state’s ‘forward’ progressive values.
‘I was around in 1959 when Wisconsin became the first state in the United States, the first state in the Union, to adopt a law to permit public employees to collectively bargain,’ explains the senior member of the state Legislature, Senator Fred Risser, D-Madison. ’Back then, Wisconsin was known as a progressive, innovative state.’
Risser’s serious about renewing Wisconsin’s reputation as a progressive, innovative state, And he has joined with a much younger legislator, state Representative Mark Pocan, D-Madison, to propose legislation that would fully restore collective bargaining rights in Wisconsin.“ - John Nichols
Tens of Thousands Rally in Wisconsin for Labor Rights and Democracy
[Photos: Gary Porter/ Journal Sentinel]
Good to see this issue is still as vital on Wisconsinites’ minds as it was a year ago.
Wisconsin Republicans’ quixotic attempt to recall Democratic state senators has gotten off to a bad start: State Sen. David Hansen was easily re-elected in today’s recall election, defeating his opponent by a 2:1 margin. Hansen is the first of nine WI State Senators facing recall attempts (three Democrats, six Republicans).The recalls were first initiated by Democrats hoping to punish Republicans for supporting Scott Walker’s anti-union bill last Spring. Republicans, out of a combination of boredom and petulance, responded by launching their own recall petitions against Democrats who opposed the bill. source
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