New Video: Scott Walker Called Budget Bill ‘First Step’ Of Anti-Union Strategy

By Alex Seitz-Wald/Think Progress

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) didn’t campaign on union busting, and claimed that his now-infamous bill stripping collective bargaining rights from public sector unions was about fixing the state’s finances, not attacking organized labor. Indeed, it was called the Budget Repair Bill and Walker and his allies said it was a purely fiscal issue.

“You see,” Walker said in a February 11, 2011 speech. “Despite a lot of the rhetoric we’ve heard over the past 11 days, the bill I put forward isn’t aimed at state workers, and it certainly isn’t a battle with unions.”

Labor activists and Democrats, of course, claimed that the legislation’s true purpose was to break unions in the state, in order to help ensure more Republicans would get elected in the future. Now, a video released today by a Wisconsin documentary filmmaker should put any doubt to rest and show that Walker was lying through his teeth the entire time that he claimed his bill had nothing to do with undermining unions.

In the video, shot on January 18, 2011 — just before Walker introduced the Budget Repair Bill and a month before his speech — Walker tells a billionaire campaign contributor that the forthcoming budget bill is the first step in an elaborate strategy to “divide and conquer” unions in the state.

Speaking with Wisconsin billionaire Diane Hendricks, who has since become Walker’s single-largest campaign contributor and the biggest donor in Wisconsin history, Walker says the bill will help make Wisconsin a right-to-work and “completely red” state. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, which first reported the exchange, transcribed the conversation:

“Any chance we’ll ever get to be a completely red state and work on these unions -” [Hendricks asked]

“Oh, yeah,” Walker broke in.

“- and become a right-to-work?” Hendricks continued. “What can we do to help you?”

“Well, we’re going to start in a couple weeks with our budget adjustment bill,” Walker said. “The first step is we’re going to deal with collective bargaining for all public employee unions, because you use divide and conquer.”

Watch the exchange, which is part of a documentary to be released soon:

While it’s by now almost universally understood that Walker’s intentions all along were to deliver a body blow to labor, the video confirms definitively that Walker pushed the legislation under false pretenses and in bad faith. This is, unfortunately, hardly shocking, as even Walker tacitly acknowledges it now, but shows that Walker intentionally deceived the legislature and the public.

Walker also claimed publicly all along that he’s not interested in making Wisconsin a “right-to-work” state, telling the Journal-Sentinel just last month, “Private sector unions are my partnerin economic development.”

Thanks to this bill, Walker is now facing a recall election against former Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (D), who said of the video, “This is another colossal bait and switch that goes directly to his honesty.” “What he claims he is not in favor of publicly, to the person who has made the largest contribution in state history, he says exactly the opposite. You can’t trust him,” Barrett added.

Palm Trees Come To Cleveland: FreedomWorks Uses Discredited Footage In New Ohio Anti-Union Ad

By Judd Legum

FreedomWorks, a right-wing group bankrolling the Tea Party, has a new advertisement it is planning to run in Ohio supporting Gov. John Kasich’s union-busting efforts. The advertisement tries to paint union protesters in Ohio as violent thugs. One problem: the ad uses footage from an old union protest in California.

How do we know? This is the same footage from California, which features palm trees, that was used by Bill O’Reilly just days ago. He used it to argue that the protesters in Wisconsin were violent thugs. Here’s the video evidence produced by TP’s Jeff Spross:

Bill O’Reilly’s stunt inspired Wisconsin protesters to mockingly carry inflatable palm trees in Madison:

The larger point is that these protests have been remarkably peaceful, which forces the right to distort the truth.

UPDATETabitha Hale of FreedomWorks responds via Twitter. She defends the ad, claiming it does not "indicate" that "it was Ohio footage." She makes this claim even though the ad is called "Save Ohio," it is scheduled to air in Ohio, it is defending Ohio Governor John Kasich, discusses Ohio union protesters and flashes the word "Ohio" on the screen five times.

MDP: EFM Bills Anti-Democratic, Take Away Basic Rights of Voters and Workers

by John Tramontana

LANSING – The Michigan Democratic Party today blasted Senate Republicans for passing the Emergency Financial Manager bill package, which will strip voters and workers of their fundamental rights.

The bills grant virtually unlimited power to an unaccountable manager appointed by the Governor’s administration. That manager can arbitrarily eliminate collective bargaining rights, sell public property, take away the power of local governments, school districts, and elected officials, and even abolish local governments and school districts.

“These bills allow the creation of local dictators in Michigan,” Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer said. “Republicans are eliminating the rights of workers and voters and destroying the entire democratic process. They are determined to push through their partisan agenda at any cost.”

“This is just as bad as what’s happening in Wisconsin,” added Brewer. “Republicans should be focused on creating jobs and putting people to work – rather than taking away the basic rights of voters and workers. They should be ashamed and the voters will hold them accountable in 2012 – if not sooner.”

M.C.L Comment: It's time to start up the stuff the Nerd in the locker movement, first up hold the media that pretty much whore themselves out to Snyder accountable, second look into recalls and stay informed the Republicans have one hope to either keep their majority or build on it some more is that people forget the actions of 2011. If not by recall the nerd will lose his majority at the ballot box next year.

Senate Republicans ignore the people and move anti-union and anti-Democratic EFM bills

From Communications Guru/ The Conservative Media

LANSING – Despite thousands of workers packing the Senate gallery on Tuesday morning chanting “kill the bill,” the Senate Republicans ignored them and moved the anti-union and anti-Democratic Emergency Financial Manager (EFM) package of bills to the third reading. The bills can be voted on as early as Wednesday and sent to the Governor for his signature. The EFM package, House Bills 4214-4218, will make it easier for financially troubled municipalities and school districts to be taken over by an emergency financial manager, and the bills give the EFM almost dictatorial like powers. The bills take the power and authority out of the hands of the people legally elected by the voters and places it in the hands of a person appointed by the governor and the Legislature, and it allows the EFM - which is why Republicans have placed the bills on the fast track - to terminate contracts negotiated with labor unions in good faith. Many of the financial challenges municipalities face are due to mandates and budget cuts not of their own creation, but rather those that were imposed on them by decisions made in Lansing. The Governor’s proposed budget cuts will push those barely hanging on over the edge, from financial stress to financial emergency. Senate Democrats put up 17 amendments and two substitutes to the main bill to make it more transparent, but they all were defeated along mostly party lines, with the exception of one. Sen. Tupac Hunter, D-Detroit, introduced an amendment that would not allow the EFM to be paid no more than the Governor, Michigan's highest paid elected official at $177,000 a year. Amendments are voted on via voice vote unless the chair is not sure of the outcome or someone makes a request for a record roll call vote. The Chair, Sen. Make Jansen, R-Gaines Twp., said the Hunter amendment failed despite the obvious loud yes votes. When a record roll call vote was called for, Republicans joined with Democrats and the amendment passed with a vote of 19-18. But about 45 minutes and 12 amendments later, the Senate Republicans moved to reconsider Hunter’s amendment, and it was then disapproved by a vote of 16-21, angering Democrats.

“We have an emergency financial manager in my community that makes $420,000, and this man will make a million dollars before he leaves,” said Sen. Virgil Smith, D-Detroit. “Are you really saying we can pay someone half a million dollars in a community that is financially strapped?”

Senate Democratic Leader Gretchen Whitmer, D-East Lansing, was very angry, and even though the Senate Republicans tried to gavel her down, she made her point about the basic dishonesty of Republicans, saying they have no problem making millionaire EFMs with taxpayer money, but they want to break contracts with first responders negotiated in good faith.

“We were told you were going to open it back up because more people wanted to vote for it not to defeat it,” she said.

M.C.L Comment: It's time to start the stuff the nerd in his locker movement. Starting with his Repugs sidekicks in the state house.

Right-Wing Media Falsely Claim That Americans Do Not Support Unions

From Media Matters

As rallies supportive of Wisconsin's public employees continue around the country, right-wing media have reacted by falsely suggesting that Americans support Wisconsin's Republican Gov. Scott Walker over the state's public employee union members. However, most public opinion polls suggest the opposite: that the majority of Americans stand in support of public workers, and the February 21 Rasmussen poll widely cited by conservatives has been criticized by polling experts as containing questions that "may have biased the responses."

Right-Wing Spin Polling To Claim Public Supports Walker

Rasmussen Poll: "Nearly Half" Of Voters "Side With The Governor" Of Wisconsin. In a poll dated February 21, Rasmussen Reports showed that 48 percent of those polled backed Walker in his methods to eliminate collective bargaining rights for union workers in that state. [Rasmussen Reports, 2/21/11]

WSJ: The Country "Seems To Be Listening And Absorbing [Walker's] Message." A March 1 Wall Street Journal editorial stated:

Notice, too, how fiercely the public unions are willing to fight for collective bargaining power even if it means public job layoffs. Without Mr. Walker's budget reforms, Wisconsin will have to begin laying off thousands of workers as early as today. The unions would rather give up those jobs -- typically for their younger members -- than give up their political negotiating advantages. They know some future Governor or legislature will get those jobs back, as long as they retain their inordinate political clout.

This is the imbalance of political power that Mr. Walker is trying to break up, and he is right to do so. As important, the public in Wisconsin and around the U.S. seems to be listening and absorbing his message. [The Wall Street Journal, 3/1/11]

Fox & Friends Reverses Poll Results, Falsely Claims Lack Of Support For Union Workers. During the February 23 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, host Brian Kilmeade falsely stated that 61 percent of people polled in a USA Today/Gallup poll supported the end of collective bargaining for public unions and showed a graphic to illustrate this point. Later in the broadcast, Kilmeade retracted his mistake, stating that he "had it reversed," blaming himself for the mistake. However, the prepared graphic was also incorrect. [Media Matters, 2/23/11; 2/23/11]

Hannity: "The People Support The Governor." Citing the Rasmussen poll during the February 22 broadcast of his Fox News program, Sean Hannity revealed the results of a show poll on whether his viewers supported Walker or the unions:

HANNITY: That was tremendous. All right, now, we did this poll, it's time to reveal the results of tomorrow's big question tonight. We asked you about Wisconsin's budget woes and we wanted to know who's side you were on, 94 percent side with Governor Walker. The union's got 6 percent of the vote and zero percent of you are still undecided.

We have a very -- there are a lot of equivocation out there. It fits with Rasmussen's poll. The people support the governor. We had this guy on tonight saying no -- they are out of touch. What do you think the unions are missing here in this debate? [Fox News' Hannity, 2/22/11, accessed via Nexis]

O'Reilly Uses Rasmussen Poll To Discredit Gallup Poll. During the February 23 edition of his Fox News program, Bill O'Reilly cited the Rasmussen poll in order to discredit a Gallup poll on the same topic:

O'REILLY: But "The New York Times" continues to spin the Wisconsin situation in favor of the union and other media are doing the same thing. A new Gallup poll out today says that most Americans do not want unions to be destroyed. Dick Morris will react to that in just a few moments. However, a Rasmussen Poll released earlier this week says that most Americans who have an opinion side with Governor Walker in his quest to diminish union power. [Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, 2/23/11, accessed via Nexis]

Hoft Declares NYT/CBS Poll Is "Bogus." In a March 1 post to his blog, Jim Hoft wrote that the New York Times/CBS poll regarding overwhelming union support was "bogus" and "a crock. It was only published to shift support away from Governor Scott Walker." [Gateway Pundit, 3/1/11]

Pollsters Have Criticized Rasmussen's Poll, Claiming It "Biased" Responses

Silver: "Because Of The Problems With Question Design ... Disregard The Rasmussen Reports Poll." Polling expert Nate Silver analyzed the Rasmussen poll and concluded that "[t]he poll, which included people that Rasmussen deemed to be 'likely voters' from across the country, found that 48 percent of respondents agreed more with Mr. Walker in the dispute, while 38 percent agreed more with 'the union for teachers and other state employees.' That question, though, was the fourth one Rasmussen asked in the survey -- and the questions that came before it may have biased the responses." Silver explained:

The issue is clearest with the third question, which asked respondents whether "teachers, firemen and policemen" should be allowed to go on strike. By invoking the prospect of such strikes, which are illegal in many places (especially for the uniformed services) and which many people quite naturally object to, the poll could potentially engender a less sympathetic reaction toward the protesters in Wisconsin. It is widely recognized in the scholarship on the subject, and I have noted before, that earlier questions in a survey can bias the response to later ones by framing an issue in a particular way and by casting one side of the argument in a less favorable light.

The Rasmussen example is more blatant than most. While many teachers have been among the protesters at the State Capitol in Madison, obliging the city to close its schools for days, there have been no reports of reductions in police or fire services, and in fact, uniformed services are specifically exempted from the proposals that the teachers and other public-sector employees are protesting. So bringing in the uniformed services essentially makes No. 3 a talking point posed as a question.

[...]

The second question in the Rasmussen poll found that 36 percent of respondents believe that public-sector employees earn more than private-sector workers in their state, while 21 percent thought public sector workers earned less, and 20 percent thought they earned about the same amount.

In fact, according to an analysis by USA Today, state employees earn about 5 percent less than comparable employees in the private sector, on average, although federal employees receive significantly (20 percent) more.

A poll is not a pop quiz, and the respondents in the survey are not to blame for giving the "wrong" response. Also, the question posed by Rasmussen, which did not consider the type of work performed and asked simply about average salaries in the respondent's home state, was not exactly the same as the one studied by USA Today, which covered the whole country and took account of the the type of work done. Still, to the extent that this misperception about pay levels is widely held and casts public employees in a less favorable light, a survey question that reminds respondents of it could bias responses to later questions.

[...]

Because of the problems with question design, my advice would be simply to disregard the Rasmussen Reports poll, and to view their work with extreme skepticism going forward. [The New York Times, 2/21/11]

Blumenthal: "Rasmussen's Results Raise More Questions Than They Answer." Pollster Mark Blumenthal's analysis of Rasmussen's poll similarly argued that the order in which the questions were asked of respondents could have biased the response. He further argued: "The more typical approach would involve asking a more general version of question one ('how closely have you been following the dispute between the Governor of Wisconsin and the public employee unions in Wisconsin?') and then go immediately to something like question four." [The Huffington Post, 2/21/11]

Other Public Opinion Polls Show Widespread Support For Public Employees

NYT/CBS Poll Shows Overwhelming Support For Union Workers. In the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll, results show that "Americans oppose weakening the bargaining rights of public employee unions by a margin of nearly two to one: 60 percent to 33 percent. While a slim majority of Republicans favored taking away some bargaining rights, they were outnumbered by large majorities of Democrats and independents who said they opposed weakening them." [The New York Times, 2/28/11]

USA Today/Gallup Poll Shows Majority Support For Union Workers. In a USA Today/Gallup Poll from February 22, results show that while Republicans supported limiting the rights of union workers by a 54 percent to 41 percent margin, 79 percent of Democrats and 61 percent of independents polled were against the limitation of union bargaining rights, representing the majority of total persons polled. AsUSA Today reported, overall, "[t]he poll found 61% would oppose a law in their state similar to such a proposal in Wisconsin, compared with 33% who would favor such a law." [USA Today, 2/22/11]

Koch Industries Front Group Americans For Prosperity Launches Ad To Support Walker’s Union Busting

y Lee Fang

As ThinkProgress has reported, the global conglomerate Koch Industries not only helped elect Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI), but is the leading force orchestrating his union-busting campaign. Koch gave Walker over $43,000 in direct donations and its allies aired millions of dollars worth of attack ads against his Democratic opponent. Then, Koch political operatives pressured Walker to crush labor unions as one of his first priorities. Tim Phillips, a formerlobbying partner to Jack Abramoff and current president of Americans for Prosperity, a front financed by David Koch, told the New York Times that Koch operatives “had worked behind the scenes to try to encourage a union showdown.” A Koch-financed front group, the American Legislative Exchange Council, has preppedWisconsin GOP lawmakers with anti-labor legislative ideas.

Today, the Koch group Americans for Prosperity announced that it will air an ad smearing the protesters in Madison and calling on the state to support Walker’s power grab. As we noted on Friday, Koch has demanded that collective bargaining rights be curtailed for both private and public sector unions, a step beyond Walker’s already extreme move. The ad disparages the pro-labor protesters for allegedly bringing in “out of state political protesters.” In fact, the small pro-Walker demonstrationorchestrated by Koch operatives last Saturday included a number of out of state conservative activists, including Herman Cain (from Georgia), Jim Hoft (from Missouri), and Phillips (from Virginia). Watch the ad:

AFP NARRATOR: Democratic legislators don’t even have the guts to show up for their jobs, hiding out in other states. President Obama backs the union bosses and floods the state with out of state political protesters.Governor Walker has the courage to do what’s right for Wisconsin. Stand with Walker.

Watch it:

Last year, at a Koch-organized fundraising meeting in Colorado attended by fellow right-wing billionaires like Steve Schwarzman and Phil Anschutz, attendees discussed strategies for taking down the labor movement. As MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow hasexplained, the right’s national anti-union campaign has little to do with budget deficits. Instead, it is about defunding the progressive movement and weakening Democrats in the longterm.

Moreover, Koch’s political activism on behalf of Walker is also a strategy for increasing its profit margin. Koch Industries has a large set of businesses within Wisconsin, including a network of oil pipelines, paper plants, and coal companies. The Walker administration is signaling a very Koch-friendly approach in targeting environmental regulations and going on record with fierce opposition to clean energy policies.

To take full advantage of such a friendly local government, Koch Industries quietly expanded its lobbying operation in the state. Koch has a new government affairs office in Madison, and according to reporter Judith Davidoff, recently registered seven full time lobbyists to work with the Republican-led government in Wisconsin.

UPDATEYesterday, I joined MSNBC host Cenk Uygur to discuss the role of Koch Industries in Walker's union-busting campaign. Watch it:

Missing WI Dem: Republicans may strip union rights without us

By Sahil Kapur

All 14 Democrats in the Wisconsin Senate staged an exodus from their state Thursday to protest Republican Gov. Scott Walker's budget bill, which strips the collective bargaining rights of public employees.

Part of the purpose was to ensure that Republicans fail to garner the requisite support for the proposal. There are 19 Republicans in the Senate, and passage would require 20 votes because the bill has a fiscal impact.

But one of the missing Democrats, Sen. Jon Erpenbach, told The Associated Press on Monday he's worried that Republicans may attach the provision curtailing unions' bargaining rights to an unrelated, non-budgetary bill on Tuesday.

His fears were expressed after GOP Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said Republicans may call a session Tuesday to consider other legislation.

Walker said Monday he won't back down against critics, as thousands of demonstrators -- including Wisconsin teachers and police -- have in recent days gathered in the capital city of Madison to protest his budget plan.

The 14 Wisconsin Democrats are reportedly residing in Illinois, and have vowed not to return until the provision is removed from the budget.

Democrats need the votes of just three Republican senators to block the measure.

Analysts speculate that Walker's proposal, which seeks to cut spending and trim the state's deficit, is also a dagger aimed at the heart of the Democratic Party, which enjoys strong support from unions.

The outcome of the Wisconsin battle, which has garnered enormous national attention, could have implications on other states considering ways to balance their budgets.