If you’re a union member or supporter in Wisconsin, you could look at the election results from earlier this month as half-empty or half-full. Some people have taken the half-full approach.
Wisconsin’s Republican Gov. Scott Walker survived a recall election in early June, and Democrat John Lehman defeated Walker ally Sen. Van Wanggaard, snatching back the Senate from conservatives. Democrats now hold a 17-16 majority.
Despite the fact that some pundits called the election the unions’ Waterloo after Walker’s victory, Senate Democratic Leader Mark Miller had this to say after the results: “By electing a Democratic Senate, the people of Wisconsin have opened the door to responsible dialogue and, if needed, provided a bulwark against continued political extremism and restored checks and balances to the Wisconsin legislature.”
President Barack Obama wasn’t quick to call Wisconsin a referendum on his administration either. In an interview with ABC affiliate WBAY in Green Bay, the president said Wisconsin’s situation was unique to the state.
“You have specific circumstances in Wisconsin,” said Obama. “Keep in mind, it’s pretty unusual when a governor attracts this kind of attention in the middle of his term. And my suspicion is that all across the country, governors who are having to deal with tough budgets have to make tough decisions, but one of the lessons learned is that it’s better to try and make them with people as opposed to against people.”
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka also doesn’t think time has run out on public sector unions. In a statement, Trumka said having Walker recalled in the first place was a victory for people who wanted their voices heard amidst the “flood of secret cash distorting our democracy.”
“We wanted a different outcome, but Wisconsin forced the governor to answer for his efforts to divide the state and punish hard-working people,” said Trumka. “Their resolve has inspired a nation to follow their lead and stand up for the values of hard work, unity and decency that we believe in. We hope Scott Walker heard Wisconsin: Nobody wants divisive policies. It’s time to work together to forge a new path forward.
“The challenge to solve a generation of economic policies and create an economy that celebrates hard work over a partisan agenda gained momentum today,” Trumka concluded.