Wrestlin' in Wisconsin

According to the running tally kept at ActBlue.com, more than 20,000 individuals have given $500,000 to the State Senate Democratic Committee, which supports the campaigns of Democratic candidates for the state Senate. That's far more than the fund collected all of last year.

that sounds like an argument that the dems are in trouble from the GOP recall effort....and that their supporters are taking it seriously. I am guessing however that you think this information has some other meaning..

The money in any case is rolling into Wisconsin from all over the country and if you wish to think that is a sign of weakness be my guest.

As a purely political matter, setting aside the rights and wrongs, what Walker has done at the outset of his governorship is high risk/high reward for his party. This analysis doesn't even consider the broader battle for public opinion. It deals mainly with the short- and long-term impacts on the union vote, which plays a major role in Wisconsin politics.

Walker has altered that dynamic. He has changed the electoral calculus in Wisconsin. The first concrete verdict on his political wisdom will come with the success or failure of any recall fights that are launched this year or next. The second will come with the legislative elections of 2012. The third will come - barring the improbable event of a gubernatorial recall - with his 2014 re-election campaign.

Who ever wrote that piece is missing a whole lotsa environment

I see where today the state ethics board approved use of campaign money to pay for life on the run...so now it makes sense..

and recalls almost never work...if either Dems or GOP do get recalled it will be big news.

and recalls almost never work

Rasmussen Poll: Majority of Wisconsinites Side With Unions On Collective Bargaining
Jon Terbush | March 3, 2011, 12:09PM

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has caught a lot of flak for his proposal to strip public employee unions of most of their collective bargaining rights. He can add to that a new poll of likely Wisconsin voters from Rasmussen -- a pollster much maligned for its typically Republican-skewing results -- which finds public opinion firmly against him on the issue.

A majority of those polled said they sided with the public employee unions rather than Gov. Walker in the showdown that has deadlocked the state government for more than two weeks. And while a plurality favor a plan to make state employees pay more toward their benefit plans -- something the unions have already agreed to do -- a majority oppose the most contentious proposal put forward by Walker: the elimination of most collective bargaining rights for state employee unions.

Just as damning for Walker, a majority also said they sided with the AWOL Senate Democrats, who fled the state to deny the senate the quorum necessary to advance the budget repair bill.

Despite Walker's efforts to paint Senate Democrats as being in dereliction of duty for fleeing the state to stall the budget bill, 52% of respondents in the poll said they were more supportive of the Democrats than Walker, compared to 44% who were more supportive of Walker.

As to the question of collective bargaining rights, 56% said they were on the unions' side in the debate, while 41% said they sided with Walker. Further, 52% said they oppose Walker's proposal to cut collective bargaining rights for state unions, compared to 39% who said they support that proposal.

Walker has insisted that rolling back collective bargaining rights is a necessary step toward producing a balanced budget. While state unions have already agreed to make concessions on the amount of money they pay toward benefits, Walker has refused to back down on collective bargaining, even as protesters continue to flood the state capitol.

Another key detail -- the poll shows younger voters being generally more supportive of unions and collective bargaining rights than those in older demographics. That's a reversal of what is often assumed to be the case -- younger voters tilting liberal on social issues, while older voters lean liberal on the labor issues.

For example, 63% of respondents aged 18-39 opposed weakening collective bargaining rights, while 46% of respondents in both the 40-64 year-old and 65+ demographics said the same.

That could be a bad omen for the GOP in future elections, especially if they continue to take aim at organized labor -- there are similar labor battles heating up in Ohio, Tennessee, Indiana, and elsewhere.

The Rasmussen poll was conducted March 2 among 800 likely voters in Wisconsin. It has a margin of error of 4.0%.

MADISON, WI – Governor Scott Walker launched a blatant attack on women's health – revealing his anti-birth control agenda – in his budget bill released last night. The Governor's budget calls for elimination of Title V, the only state funded family planning health care program, which ensures access to critical health care services for uninsured Wisconsinites including cervical, breast, and prostate cancer screening, well women exams, sexually transmitted disease screening and treatment, and access to contraception. The Governor's budget also calls for the repeal of Wisconsin's Contraceptive Equity law which guarantees coverage of prescription contraceptives by insurance plans covering other prescription drugs. Repealing contraceptive equity allows discrimination against women in insurance coverage.

“Governor Walker is using his budget to launch an all out assault on reproductive health care and access to birth control,” said Lisa Subeck, NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin Executive Director. “By allowing insurers to discriminate against women and by eliminating critical reproductive health services, Walker completely fails the women and families of Wisconsin.”

Eliminating the state's only family planning program puts over 50 health centers located throughout Wisconsin at risk of closing and denies women throughout the state basic health care. In many parts of the state, these health centers are the only provider in the area. For tens of thousands of women, family planning health centers provide the only place to turn for annual exams, pap smears and breast exams. The budget also removes uninsured men from the BadgerCare family planning program eliminating their access to family planning, cancer screenings, and STD screening and treatment. Further, Walker claims the elimination of family planning services is a cost-saving measure. However, a 2008 Guttmacher Institute study demonstrates that every $1 spent on birth control through the Medicaid program saves taxpayers $4.02.

“At a time when more Wisconsinites than ever are uninsured due to unemployment or underemployment, Governor Walker should be working to increase access to health care, not take it away,” said Subeck. “He is allowing his ideological anti-birth control agenda to stand in the way of basic health care access for tens of thousands of hardworking Wisconsinites.”

Additionally, Governor Walker enables the unfair treatment of women in insurance coverage by allowing policies to exclude coverage for prescription birth control even when other prescriptions are covered. Under Walker's plan, insurance companies could choose to cover Viagra but not prescription birth control. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 98% of women utilize contraception at some point during their lives, yet Walker chooses to limit its access.

“Governor Walker began chipping away the rights of hardworking Wisconsinites with his recent attacks on labor,” said Subeck. “Now he continues his ideological political crusade with this latest assault on health care access for the women and families of our state.”

Walker keeps claiming that destroying the unions will balance the budget. How stupid are people, anywhos? The people of WI who continue to support Walker are clueless.

Reduced the county workforce by more than 20%
Lowered the county debt by 10%
Introduced 8 consecutive budgets without an increase to the property tax levy from the previous year.
Improved the county's bond rating
Milwaukee County Parks won the prestigious 2009 National Gold Medal for Excellence in the Park and Recreation Management Program
Eliminated the waiting list for long-term care for older adults through the Family Care program.
Milwaukee County's Mitchell International Airport received the Transportation Safety Administration's Partnership Award.
Invested over $199 million in renovations and improvements to General Mitchell International Airport without increasing the property tax levy
Airport improvements helped attract nearly 1,000 jobs from Southwest, Air Tran and Republic airlines.
Implemented a pension obligation plan to save Milwaukee County taxpayers $ 237 million

Anyone who now claims that they did not know that he was going to aggressively go after workforce numbers and pay has not paid attention. This guy has a rep for being a straight shooter, and for being a guy who aims high.