Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker

So, for those who haven't heard yet, here's the deal. Wisconsin's new Republican governor, Scott Walker, has recently come under heavy criticism for what are being called new harsh anti-union rules. It's so bad that a number of Wisconsin liberals and progressives  ^*

are thinking about trying to recall Walker.

Now, I've looked a bit into Wisconsin recall law, and I think potentially the biggest obstacle here is that no recall petitions can be filed until the target has served in office for at least a year. Petitions can be circulated no earlier than 60 days before that date. Thus, unless Walker continues to be very unpopular, there's a good chance that by the time people can actually circulate the petitions, they won't be able to get the 25% of last election's voters needed to call a recall election.

So, with that in mind, and based on what you know about the issue, what do you think about the chances? Will they get an election, and if so, can they force him out?

Not enough data to make a call. If he continues to try to gut the unions, and if he appears to be making progress on it, then I'd say there's a better than 50% chance that it will get to the petition stage. But whether it would succeed? That's going to depend on how badly he steps on the toes of the non-union (and anti-union) people — and Wisconsin has a fair number of them — lots of tourist/service industry people, lots of agricultural people, and lots of small businesses (and I mean truly small businesses — 10 employees or fewer-style small).

...if you don’t love you’re dead, and if you do, they’ll kill you for it.

Certainly hope so.

Don't know if it'll happen, though.

I spread my wings and I learn how to fly....

Hmmm, difficult position. Usually Im pro-union, but sadly, the unions have become increasingly unyeldy and corrupt over the last few years.

Mad: I think that's a fair assessment. Probably something to keep in mind is that, although the Madison protests are fairly well-attended, Madison is also one of the most liberal parts of the state, and there's a good chance sympathies aren't nearly as strong elsewhere. EDIT: And now apparently he wants to spin off UW-Madison from the rest of the University of Wisconsin system, so he's stepping on their toes now too.

edited 16th Feb '11 9:24:45 PM by Linhasxoc

It's probably not likely, but there's every reason to attempt it anyway. Your best bet is probably just to scare him into backing down, and hanging a recall election over his head is a great start.

I lived near Madison for 13 years. Note, I said, near, not in — I was close enough to commute to work there everyday for 9 of those 13 years, and the folks in the town I lived in tended to regard Madison as "70 square miles completely surrounded by reality". Madisonians tend to be very easy to rile up and very difficult to keep interested for long — describing them as crusaders with the attention span of an ADD gnat wouldn't be too far off, in my experience. Keeping them pissed off enough to work for a recall for 10 months is going to take real effort.

Milwaukee is a whole other ballgame. They're tenacious.

edited 16th Feb '11 10:50:43 PM by Madrugada

...if you don’t love you’re dead, and if you do, they’ll kill you for it.

That's a good plan. He pissed off a lot of people. Any politician with a working brain knows that's not a good thing to do.

And, if this is any indicator, he's likely to piss people off again.

As good as the intentions of unions are, they do need to be taken down a peg. Such as the ludicrous salaries union leaders pull down. That shit doesn't need to be happening.

Then again, what else has he been doing to warrant such vitriol?

Threatening to call in the National Guard?

Wait, he's what? And on who?

Share it so that people can get into this conversation, 'cause we're not the only ones who think like this.

Here.

HOLY SHIT IS ANYONE ELSE FOLLOWING THIS? I know Rachel Maddow has been.

edited 17th Feb '11 4:10:18 PM by RadicalTaoist

Share it so that people can get into this conversation, 'cause we're not the only ones who think like this.

It sounds to me like the Wisconsin senate Democrats are in Canada so the national guard can't haul them back to vote.

Hmm. That sounds to me like they are doing their job, the only way they can, considering that their job is to represent their constituents.

...if you don’t love you’re dead, and if you do, they’ll kill you for it.

So they can't vote on it if all the Democrats are out of the legislature?

Share it so that people can get into this conversation, 'cause we're not the only ones who think like this.

Nope, State law requires that both parties be represented during the vote. As long as all the Dems stay gone, the vote can't happen. If even one goes back, it steamrolls through.

...if you don’t love you’re dead, and if you do, they’ll kill you for it.

So the protest leaders tell the Dem sens "Okay, we have 3-4 Republicans who see the writing on the wall" and this thing is beat. I like the thought of that.

Share it so that people can get into this conversation, 'cause we're not the only ones who think like this.

Mark von Lewis: You're upset about the salaries of union leaders?

edited 17th Feb '11 5:28:33 PM by jewelleddragon

Go on, tell us about how he earned that horde, and how we should be grateful for his work.

edited 17th Feb '11 5:44:55 PM by EnglishIvy

Just heard over the airwaves the senatores have been discovered in Illinois. I don't know if that means they can be told to go back or not.

Wasn't this the same thing that the Texas congress pulled earlier?

Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's Play

I think they tried that as a protest against gerrymandering.

That's what I heard.

Apparently, a Tea Party group was organizing a protest at the Wisconsin senate Democrat's "hideout", so the lawmakers left before they got there.

They're saying they won't be back until the issue is taken off the table.

What happens if weeks go by and they can't pass anything?

edited 17th Feb '11 6:25:46 PM by FrodoGoofballCoTV

Wisconsin grinds to a halt, and the governor takes even more heat.

...if you don’t love you’re dead, and if you do, they’ll kill you for it.