Next Tuesday, voters in Wisconsin decide whether to recall their governor — Republican Scott Walker. A successful recall petition earlier this year gives them a choice between the incumbent and Democrat Tom Barrett, a former congressman, Wisconsin state legislator, and the current mayor of Milwaukee. Walker is, of course, best known for pushing through a package of public sector reforms eliminating various collective bargaining rules in Wisconsin. In the process he bitterly divided his state and poisoned the well for a vital national conversation about public sector reform by viscerally pitting public sector workers against other citizens. Barrett seems, as evidenced by his political career, likely to be a better and more moderate governor. Despite that, count me among those who disapprove of Walker but who also don’t think he should be recalled.
June 1, 2012
Why the Wisconsin Recall Sets a Bad Precedent
By By Andrew J. Rotherham
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