Wisconsin Recall Realigns Campaign Spending

[appleannie1]

Unions and conservative groups have turned Wisconsin's battle over labor rights into a national, multimillion-dollar war that will reverberate through the presidential and congressional races this fall.

The unions began an effort last year to recall the recently elected GOP governor, Scott Walker, and several state senators after they pushed through legislation restricting the collective-bargaining and organizing powers of workers belonging to government-employee unions.

All told, the two sides spent some $44 million last year for or against the recall efforts there, according to the nonpartisan political-finance watchdog group Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, and that may be a low estimate, said director Mike McCabe. This year, recall spending could reach $60 million, according to people on both sides of the fight.

Interest groups, many from outside the state, now account for six of every seven traceable dollars spent on the recalls.

"Wisconsin is a pawn on a very large chessboard," Mr. McCabe said.

Several union officials called a win in Wisconsin crucial. "This is ground zero," said Bruce Colburn, a Wisconsin native with the Service Employees International Union. He said Republicans want to divide private and public unions to create national "voter resentment of government workers' unions."

Among those trying to help the SEIU unseat the governor are the AFL-CIO and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Even if he survives the vote, likely to take place in May or June, Democrats need to win only one seat to take control of the state Senate.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204571404577255743288370690.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

[Scuba]

1. I got 30,000 Recall Walker volunteers and 1,000,000 signers who don't think they're pawns....

... they think they're what democracy looks like!!!!