Bad News for Walker (updated)

Bad News for Walker

Josh Marshall

Do Wisconsin voters support eliminating public sector unions' collective bargaining rights?

That AFL-CIO sponsored poll released this morning suggested that Gov. Walker (R) was definitely on the wrong side of public opinion in the state. But that's a poll sponsored by one of the players in the fight. But now there's a nationwide poll out from USAToday/Gallup that says that 61% of Americans oppose the kind of attacks on public employees unions that Walker is putting. That's nationwide. Frankly, I'm a bit surprised it's that high, though I would have expected it to be in the majority.

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As I said, I don't think this is going well for Walker.

Mitch Daniels Calls On State GOP To Abandon Union-Busting Bill

Evan McMorris-Santoro

Members of the Democratic state House caucus in Indiana have found an unlikely ally in their quest to stop the GOP majority from pushing through a bill that critics say would destroy union organizing in the state. Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) took to the airwaves today to call on members of his party to drop the controversial "right to work" bill that led to Democrats going AWOL.

Daniels' statement, from WISH-TV:


Daniels has said for months that he's in favor of the idea behind the controversial bills, that critics say would make it nearly impossible for unions to organize in Indiana. But he's urged Republicans not to go ahead with their plans because he said their controversial nature would take the legislature off track.

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This is not to say that Daniels is any kind of union fan. On his first day in office in 2005, Daniels did with one pen stroke what Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) is finding it harder and harder to do: end collective bargaining rights for thousands of state workers.

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Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) is now to the right of Florida Governor Rick Scott (R) on the question of allowing public sector workers to unionize.

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