Not Even Close

In the end, the money prevailed. With the aid of huge amounts of third party "Citizens United" cash and with strong national Republican Party support and cash, Wisconsin governor Scott Walker survived Tuesday's recall election. Republican spent nearly 7 times what Demcrats did with tens of millions coming from out-of-state conservative groups with deep pockets.

And so the Republican governor who gutted public labor union rights, repealed Wisconsin's Equal Pay Act, and turned down Federal stimulus monies for high speed rail was an easy victor. The final vote wasn't even close (53% - 47%).  This happened in spite of the grass roots effort mounted by Wisconsin unions and others to stage the historic recall - with more than 1 million signatures collected for his recall.  (There is one small light in all this: one Republican state senator lost his seat and this should shift control of the Wisconsin Senate to the Democrats.  It's too close too call as of this posting and will probably require a recount.)

With the flood of billionaire and corporate wealth unleashed by Citizens United, the handwriting is on the wall for the November elections.  It's been there since the Tea Party victories in the mid-term elections - the first elections since the democracy-challenged SCOTUS rendered its infamous Citizens United decision.  Combined with the organized voter suppression effort by Republicans in states under their control (including nearly all of the so-called battleground states), this is pointing to an ominous November for Democrats.

Bluntly put: unless the Democrats do a much better job of framing the narrative for the upcoming elections, the short-lived Democratic control of at least a portion of the Federal government is over.

The story is there to be told but it is not getting through.  Just one example: a highway construction bill that would add a couple hundred thousand jobs passed the Senate in March.  Meanwhile the House Republicans have not moved on the bill - probably ensuring that the jobs will not happen in time for the summer construction season if at all.  This means that the economy will not recover as fast as it might.  This in turn adds to the misconception that the Great Recession was Obama's fault and that he hasn't done anything to help it.  Oh yeah - and the population segment that would benefit most from the highway bill - i.e., white males - are the ones most opposed to the Obama Presidency.   Go figure.

The Good, The Bad and the Tragedy

The Good
Today a Wisconsin judge (Dane County District Judge Maryann Sumi) temporarily blocked the anti-labor bill passed by the Wisconsin legislature from going into effect.  The ruling was based on the the hasty conference passing of the bill being in violation of the state's open meeting laws.  The bill can be brought up again by the state senate.  Wisconsin Republicans have indicated that rather than try to repass the law or compromise, they will appeal the ruling.

The Bad
House Republicans voted to end funding of National Public Radio.   Only 7 Republicans voted no, 1 voted present.  All Democrats voted no.  The right-wing has been trying for years to cut funding.  This emergency measure was rushed through after an NPR executive made some comments critical of Tea-Party extremists in an edited sting operation by a right-wing "muck-raker".  The efforts to cut off federal funding for the CPB and NPR are unlikely to move past the House since both the Senate and the Administration are opposed. 

The Tragedy
These battles over domestic spending pale when compared to some ongoing international tragedies.  The earthquake/tsunami/nuclear power plant disaster in Japan continues to worsen.  The devastation is incredible and the loss of life heart-breaking.   Meanwhile, a small crew of technicians remained on at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station trying to prevent a major catastrophe.  These are true, brave heroes and our thoughts and prayers are with them.  (See coverage in the New York Times.)

Long-term the effects will ripple around the world.  The impact of the triple disaster on Japan's economy will affect every indstrialized economy.  The learnings from the power plant disaster need to be analyzed and the risks assessed before moving forward with nuclear energy as an alternate to our primarily carbon-based energy.  The simple truth about nuclear power is that you cannot remove all risk from a complex system.  You can reduce the likelihood and you can reduce the impact should an accident occur.   Whether the remaining risk (the 'residual risk' in risk management terminology) is worth taking is a political and social decision that we all need to be engaged in.

Union Busting

Article 23, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UN General Assembly, 10 December 1948

1. Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
2. Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
3. Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
4. Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.

In Wisconsin first and now spreading to Indiana and Ohio, the right wing assault against public employees' unions is escalating.  Divide and conquer appears to be the strategy - pit private against public workers and some public sectors (police, firemen) against others (teachers, services).


The Wisconsin protests are down to this: the union has agreed to all of the wage and benefit concessions but want to retain their collective bargaining rights.   The Republican governor, Scott Walker, received his biggest campaign contribution ($100,000) from the billionaire Koch brothers.  These fellows are renowned for their funding of right-wing causes - and what could be more American right wing than union-busting. 


Well cops and firemen, who were exempted from the Wisconsin measures (they had supported Walker in his election bid), are standing with the teachers and services unions and the protests have spread to other states.  


Meanwhile the tea party funders are sending in operatives and "anti-protesters" from out of state to counter the demonstrations.   Sort of reminds you of the anti-health-care-reform protests of last year - as one columnist wrote: "Never have so many out of shape white men marched to demand that the government not improve their health care." 


Even after the public unions' complete concession on the wages and benefits side, Walker will not compromise.   So this is more than a budget issue.  It is an outright attack on the rights of workers.  Collective bargaining must be severely weakened or eliminated.   


Let's hope the good guys win.   Here's something I hope you enjoy to keep them going.  Joe Hill video (Paul Robeson).  For the soprano version, here's Joan Baez at Woodstock.