MADISON, Wis. -- President Barack Obama will try to use his visit to a Milwaukee padlock manufacturer to highlight an improving economy and companies that are creating jobs in the U.S. rather than shipping them overseas.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) is meeting Obama at Mitchell International Airport and will accompany him on the visit to Master Lock, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Walker is not expected to make any remarks.
However, the success story of Master Lock--which Obama mentioned in his State of the Union address--hasn't translated across Wisconsin, which has lost private sector jobs in each of the past six months.
Democrats are using that to hammer Republican Gov. Scott Walker, who is being targeted for recall largely because of his proposal that curbed public workers' union rights.
Large protests over that proposal began a year ago Wednesday, the day Obama is visiting.
Walker recently railed against the recall effort at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington. "Lord help us if we fail," he said. "I'm not planning on it, but if we were to fail, I think this sets aside any courageous act in American politics for at least a decade if not a generation."
Master Lock is a good story for Obama. The unionized company has brought back 100 jobs from China.