Walker Running

It is looking very good for Scott Walker in Wisconsin. From the WaPo:

All three polls out this week show Walker leading Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (D) by between 5 percent and 9 percent. Perhaps more illustrative, though, are the candidate's personal favorability and approval numbers.

Despite all the attempts by Democrats and organized labor to turn him into the bogeyman, Walker's job approval and favorable rating both remain in positive territory, at right around 50 percent.

Barrett, meanwhile, has no such luxury. The latest Marquette University Law School poll of this race showed his favorable rating at just 37 percent, compared to 45 percent who view him unfavorably.

As of late March, the same pollster showed Barrett, the 2010 Democratic nominee against Walker, was viewed favorably by 34 percent and unfavorably by just 27 percent.

That's a massive shift, with his unfavorable rating jumping 18 points in just seven weeks. It reflects both the difficult primary that he just emerged from (in which labor backed his opponent) and Republicans' sustained early effort to define him.

Stephen Hayes at The Weekly Standard thinks that Walker is riding high because he has been doing a good job.

By virtually every objective measure, Walker has been an extraordinarily successful governor. In just 16 months, the state has erased a $3.6 billion budget deficit, and according to figures released this month by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, it will have a $154.5 million surplus on June 30, 2013. Property taxes, which had risen by more than 40 percent since 1998, are down for the first time in years.

While that may be an essential ingredient in his survival, it is probably not the primary cause. If Walker wins, it will be for two reasons. One is that his coalition turned out to be stronger and larger than the coalition assembled against him. Passions are fierce on both sides. Hayes describes how an argument that began over the recall ended with a woman (anti-Walker) running over her husband (pro-Walker). Unfortunately for Tom Barrett, the driver seems to be in the minority.

The other reason Walker is likely to survive is that there is no convincing reason for the recall election in the first place. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel has weighed in.

We see no reason to remove Walker from office. We recommend him in the June 5 recall election.

Walker's rematch with Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett was prompted by one issue: Walker's tough stance with the state's public-employee unions. It's inconceivable that the recall election would be occurring absent that. And a disagreement over a single policy is simply not enough to justify a vote against the governor.

Well, yes. Eighteen million dollars is a lot to spend on an election that turned out to be a repeat of one held two years ago.

The recall election was a bad mistake. Instead of punishing Walker for his anti-union policies and striking fear into the hearts of Republican governors across the land, as intended, it seems like to stand as endorsement of those policies and proof that a governor can stand up to public unions and live to tell the tale.

It may be a bit worse than that for Democrats. When the DNC decided not to invest heavily in the recall, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee decided to step in. That, however, means less money available for Democratic candidates this November.

Just right now, Scott Walker's courage seems to be paying off.

Comments

[Tim P.]

Walker!!! You go man!!! Take down these Democrat dimwits!!!

[Mike Cooper]

Reasons for a Walker victory, in descending order:
1. His reforms are working. The public has to be thinking, "if it's this good now, how much better will it be in 1 year?"
2. Walker is a better candidate than Barrett (who is better than Falk would have been)
3. There is no overriding reason to recall Walker.
4. Democrats have been "the angry party" since this began. It is wearing thin.
5. Walker has more money. To place this any higher is an insult to Wisconsin voters, who are generally intelligent, educated and thoughtful.

Walker by 8 points.

[Donald Pay]

The recall elections have been a success. They've reigned in Walker, and stopped his rightwing agenda in the Legislature. He's done getting anything passed. The state senate is split, and will likely go to Democrats on June 5. Polls are within the margin of error between Walker and Barrett, and it all depends on turnout. Walker still faces his upcoming perp walk.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinal is a Republican p.r. organ, and is completely spewing the Walker line.

[Jon S.]

"Milwaukee Journal Sentinal is a Republican p.r. organ." Using this thing called "The Internet" I found that in years 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2003 the JS endorsed 75%, 77%, 77%, and 100% Democrats respectively. They endorsed Barack Obama in 2008 and John Kerry in 2004. They endorsed Russ Feingold for Senate in 2010. In 2000 they endorsed no one for president and in 1996 they endorsed Bob Dole. In the 1996 general election they endorsed 19 Republicans and 15 Democrats. In 2004 it was 14 Democrats and 10 Republicans. This to me looks like the record of a Democrat leaning but independent editorial board. My evidence here is not comprehensive, but it seems hard to sustain the argument that the paper is simply a Republican P.R. organ. IT says a lot about Donald's comment that I could have written that for him. Friend, you are becoming extremely predictable.

[Donald Pay]

The Journal was merged with the Republican Sentinal in 1995. Since then the paper has been more and more swinging toward the Sentinel's Republican stance.

[Donald Pay]

From the January 30, 1933, Milwaukee Journal:

"...Today we can look calmly on the accession of Hitler. For one thing, it had become inevitable; the man had to be tried to end his constant threat to every other ministry. For another thing, Hitler is better understood now. His talk often reached the emptiness of mere raving, but he was putting himself on the political map. He needed a following to make him at all important. Now he uses that following, as many another has, to make deals and trades. Hitler attains position as a result of fusion with the Hugenberg Nationalists, the Seldte Steel Helmets, the somewhat hazy Van Papen group. It is a tamed and compromising Adolf Hitler who takes office."

Ah, yes, I'd say the endorsement of Walker is the same as the their endorsement of Hitler. Walker has the same sort of "courage" as Herr Hitler.

[Stan Gibilisco]

Yes, I did hear that should Walker get confirmed on June 5, he will invade the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. People in Menominee have already begun stockpiling toilet paper, just in case.

[lynn]

Comparing Walker to a nazi tyrant, Donald. You really are pathetic and just lost any credibility on this issue.

[Ken Blanchard]

Donald has become a parody of himself.

[Jon S.]

Donald,

Yes, using that obscure instrument known as "Wikipedia" I figured out that the Journal and Sentinel had merged...in 1995. Note ALL my data come from 1996 and after. Just admit it, your accusation that the JS is a "republican PR organ" is not backed up by evidence. You are engaging in confirmation bias. Everything that agrees with your biases is solid gold, and whatever contradicts your biases must be unpolished poop.

[Donald Pay]

Walker's anti-union strategy is very much like Hitler's. Four months after Hitler came to power (and after Milwaukee Journal endorsement of Hitler), he had his thugs occupy union halls and banned union organizing.

Walker waited about as long as Hitler after his Milwaukee Journal Sentinel endorsement to legislatively do away with public unions. Just a couple weeks before he introduced Act 10 he told a Janesville billionaire that his aim was to do away with unions, but he was using a "divide and conquer" strategy.

Walker is either a Hitler disciple, or more likely, Walker has been advancing the fascist agenda of the Koch crowd and other followers of the Rand-Hitler-Koch wet dream. Walker, like Hitler, went after the unions first because he knew they were a powerful societal force that could threaten his future control over government. If he could cripple unions he would have the ability to gradually impose his Hitler-Rand-Koch version of fascism.

Remember, Germany voted in the fascists. In Wisconsin, we are hoping to get rid of one.

[Ken Blanchard]

Donald has become a parody of himself.