Gov. Scott Walker Walked his Talk. He faced down a militant, union-led effort to drive him from office. Scott Walker never lacked courage. It took steely determination not to buckle in the face of militant unions who "occupied" the stately Wisconsin capitol in Madison when Walker's reforms were first voted on. For two years, leftists have been howling. One of their speakers at a get out the (union) vote rally actually compared Scott Walker's reforms to the 9/11 attacks on our country. And this is the crowd that is forever lecturing us on civility.
Gov. Walker's stand up courage can be contrasted with President Obama's missing in action stance in the Wisconsin recall effort. Badger State labor unionists have been hard pressed to explain to themselves or to their supporters why the president they helped put in office has abandoned them in their hour of need.
They ruefully recall how then Candidate Obama gave a ringing endorsement to public sector employees' collective bargaining agreements. He went even further. In 2007, he said:
"[I]f American workers are being denied their right to organize when I'm in the White House, I will put on a comfortable pair of shoes and I will walk on that picket line with you as president of the United States," he told a crowd in Spartanburg, South Carolina, in November 2007.
Yet when reporters asked White House Press Secretary Jay Carney when the president would visit Wisconsin, the spokesman blandly replied Mr. Obama had "no current plans" to enter the fray. What can have been his hesitation?
This is an incomprehensible blunder. Mr. Obama actually flew over the state twice during the hotly contested recall. Supporters might have looked up to see Air Force One passing serenely overhead. Doubtless the president was on board as he "tweeted" his pallid support for the embattled Democrat, Tom Barrett. We can bet the president was wearing his comfortable pair of shoes as he hit that "send" button.
Compare President Obama with President Reagan. In the summer of 1981, Reagan was still recovering from a bullet in his chest. He nearly died from an assassination attempt.
The union leaders of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers (PATCO) decided to test Mr. Reagan's resolve. They signaled they would lead their workers out on strike if their wage and benefit demands were not met by the federal government.
Ronald Reagan had been elected and re-elected president of the Screen Actors Guild. He proudly told labor audiences he was the only union president ever to run for President of the United States. He won 24 percent of Democrats' votes, many of them labor union members.
But President Reagan also believed that federal law must be upheld. Federal law forbade government workers going out on strike. This was especially urgent in the case of air traffic controllers. Such a strike could cripple the already stricken U.S. economy.
Reagan warned the PATCO strikers to return to their jobs or face dismissal. They called his bluff. He wasn't bluffing. He fired them all.
The world took note. In the Kremlin, the KGB reported "with Reagan, words are deeds." The world is taking note of President Obama now, too. With Obama words are, well, words.
Gov. Scott Walker walked the path Ronald Reagan blazed. Barack Obama's promise to walk the picket lines with union strikers rings hollow this morning. Like so many of his other campaign promises.
Peter Dreier: Big Money Wins in Wisconsin: Walker Spent 88% of the Money to Get 53% of the Vote
Where have you been all my life ! ! ! !
This is a steaming propaganda cowpat that ignores the realities and promotes the party line.
He didn't win, his masters money won!!!
Remember, what is good for the goose, must be good for the gander.
When you have guys like Richard Addleson promising to spend $100 million BY HIMSELF, Rove's PACs, and all the other PACs publicly stating that they will each spend hundreds of millions....Your false equivalence falls short of the political facts.
The wealthy are BUYING their politicians these days, and that is un-American!!!
If Barrett could not pull it off without Obama's endorsement he could not pull it off period.
It is not simply a matter of calculating the odds that Obama would be able to fire up the minority and democratic electorate. One must also consider the odds that it would inflame the republican base there and cause more harm than good.
At the end of the day while my sympathies go out to the people of Wisconsin "they" are responsible for Walker retaining the authority to undermine labor. Not President Obama.
For one thing, if it really looked like Barrett was going to win, President Obama would have been up in WI campaigning mightily for a sure thing to which it would benefit him to appear attached.
For another, there's no proof available anywhere that Obama actually owns a a pair of shoes so comfortable he might chance his tootsies for collective bargaining rights.
are about as useless as a chainsaw in the desert.
I will hold my nose at the stink of having to vote for you Mr. Obama just because of the Supreme Court but I will show you the same support you gave Barrett...since I don't tweet it will amount to NOTHING.
They expect support from President Obama but will not even face down the racism .
Money is having a large effect on Dems too.
The man can't even draft a budget with logical progression that even his own party summarily rejected it out and trashed it before it arrive the floor !
At Walker walking the walk of Plutocracy!