Michael Barone‘s latest column explores the impact of the Wisconsin recall election on public attitudes about unions.
Even before the results came in, we knew one thing, and that is that the Democrats and the public-employee unions had already lost the battle of ideas over the issue that sparked the recall, Walker’s legislation to restrict the bargaining powers of public-employee unions.
That’s supported by a Marquette University poll showing 75 percent of Wisconsin voters favoring increases in public employees’ contributions for health care and pensions. The poll also showed 55 percent in favor of limiting collective bargaining for public employees and only 41 percent opposed.
But the strongest evidence is that Barrett and the Democrats avoided the issue. They had tried to make the election about anything else, such as an investigation of staffers who worked for Walker when he was Milwaukee county executive.
A defeat in a state where public-employee-union bargaining was authorized in 1959 has national implications.
