I Prefer Obey, but Barrett Is A Better Option than Falk
Photos
I would have loved to see former U.S. Rep. David Obey run against Walker. Let's face it, Obey is not Mr. Personality, but his bite is as good as his bark, and Gov. Scott Walker would have been shredded by Obey in debates, or in the public opinion if Walker wouldn't debate.
Tom Barrett has done a very good job in Milwaukee, and being mayor of Milwaukee might just be harder than being governor, especially with a lockstep Republican majority with a governor who seems to treat the city and Barrett in a mean and vindictive manner.
I think former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk could have been a good candidate, except for the early endorsement of the unions and her seeming acceptance of their agenda.
Right or wrong, I believe that voters will think that Falk is bought and paid for by the unions. Very liberal Democrats may not have a problem with this perception, but it will not play well with moderate Republicans who may think Walker has gone too far, or with independents who may not like the idea of any candidate beholden to any group.
Barrett has shown that he is basically pro-union, but he has also tangled horns with the unions in Milwaukee, when he felt it was called for. He would not be a union enemy, but also not a union patsy.
And this recall election is about much more than just unions. The list of reasons that Walker should be shown the door goes well beyond his union-busting agenda, and is too extensive to replay in this posting.
Thank you Falk for running, but I have to vote for Barrett, as he is a much more viable candidate, who will not be perceived as a one-issue candidate or beholden to the unions or any group, other than the good people of Wisconsin.
CowDung
5:22 pm on Monday, April 2, 2012
I think that it's pretty telling that Barrett came out with his 'let's have a clean campaign' pledge so quickly. He knows that the unions will try to destroy him for daring to challenge their candidate...
David Tatarowicz
1:50 pm on Tuesday, April 3, 2012
@CD --- I agree --- and it goes to show that Unions and Management are on an equal footing --- they both do incredibly stupid things !
TJ Monday
6:00 pm on Monday, April 2, 2012
I am predicting Barrett will have little trouble in the Dem primary. Falk and the unions misread a lot of Walker opposition, it is not all about the unions and getting the State back to square one (pre-Walker) regarding State employees and their benefits. Barrett will get most of the spectrum of voters in the general election except for the reactionary right, Walker's true constituency, and diehard Repubs that would never vote for any Democrat no matter what, of which there are many. Barrett was not that far off from beating Walker last time. Barrett will not be seen now as just a Dem big city replacement for Doyle, but a chance for a fresh, clean start and an end to the overreach and chaos created by Walker and his gang in the Legislature.
James R Hoffa
10:23 pm on Monday, April 2, 2012
"Thank you Falk for running, but I have to vote for Barrett, as he is a much more viable candidate, who will not be perceived as a one-issue candidate or beholden to the unions or any group, other than the good people of Wisconsin."
I just saw Barrett on The Ed Show tonight - he said that one of the first things he'd do as governor is fully restore collective bargaining privileges to public employees. Doesn't really appear to be any different than Falk to Hoffa.
TJ Monday
9:08 pm on Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Wrong Hoffa, there is a difference between Falk and Barrett. Falk will toe the union line more and even initially want to restore the benefits of state employees to pre-Walker. Barrett has determined the great majority of Wisconsinites want the state employees to continue to pay more for their benefits. But Barrett will restore collective bargaining, etc,. and what might come of that, though no intelligent Governor is ever going to let that go too far from what the average private citizen gets in pay and benefits again. It was the Great Recession that suddenly had the laid off, formerly well paid guys at the bar staring at the teacher who could not relate to the pity party. He had to go to work the next day, and retire in a few years in his early 50s, with great benefits. Barrett has caught that resentment in the Wisconsin air.
Luke
11:00 pm on Saturday, April 21, 2012
@ TJ Monday
<<<But Barrett will restore collective bargaining, etc,. and what might come of that, though no intelligent Governor is ever going to let that go too far from what the average private citizen gets in pay and benefits again>>>
You could take what the percentage the average private citizen has to pay towards retirement, cut it in half, and cut it in half a few more times and still be far above what teachers have to contibute.
Barrett will simply go with the unions and cut teacher jobs instead of cutting benefits. Unions nearly always support such actions, because the majority of teachers will keep their jobs, and they will always be able to say that the politicains are the ones who hurt kids. The teachers' union won't favor the kids over their benefits or other teachers.
Jay Sykes
8:04 am on Tuesday, April 3, 2012
@David... With this entire process nearly unprecedented, I'm not sure that we will see any debates;it may just be an advertising blitzkreig.
Bob McBride
8:38 am on Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Yep. Don't expect any of the accoutrements of a legitimate election this time around. You got several reluctant candidates running against a bevy of political opportunists. All bets (and gloves) are off.
SkinnyDude
8:48 am on Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Dems are scraping the bottom of the barrel . Falk would never win. Barret is more viable as a state wide name. But how many times does he have to lose State wide election to figure out the residents reject him as well. Walker beats both these Liberal front runners. That likely means that Wisconsin can keep moving forward. :)
David Tatarowicz
1:54 pm on Tuesday, April 3, 2012
@skinny --- don't forget that Walker dropped out once when it was apparent he was going nowhere -- and he just barely squeaked by Barrett the last time --- hardly a mandate for his regressive policies
SkinnyDude
9:26 pm on Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Yep Mandate will come this go around for Walker as the reforms are working, I mean even Tom Barrett used them to get the Milwaukee budet in order. He said he preferred that to layoffs. Unfortunately , at the state level he would increase taxes . The dems offer no solutions but increase debt , taxes and a weaker economy. No thanks
Mike
9:12 am on Tuesday, April 3, 2012
I am surprised Mark Neumann is not running for governor. He has run for everything else. We could see him parade Mr. Favors (the pig) around for a few months and laugh while it bites him.
Adam Wienieski
9:57 pm on Saturday, April 21, 2012
So how will Barrett balance the budget if he gives back public employees 100 percent taxpayer paid pensions and allows them to negotiate gold plated health care plans that must be purchased through the insurance company owned by the teachers union (WEA) as before Walker's reforms? He's not saying, talk about transparency!
Barrett is either planning to do the same thing he did to city of Milwaukee union employees when their contract expired last year and he arbitrarily made changes to a bevy of negotiable items like overtime pay, sick leave, paid lunches, etc or he's going to raise taxes plus lay off least senior teachers and state workers rather than make them contribute a dime to their pensions and health care.
That might play well in Milwaukee but a majority of voters aren't interested in letting big city liberal morons do to Wisconsin what they've done to our urban areas for 40 years.
Bren
11:46 pm on Saturday, April 21, 2012
"Big city liberal morons." Interesting terminology considering the Great Recession occurred on a Republican president's watch and until Walker took over as Governor, Milwaukee County had a Republican County Executive. Let's keep it real, please!
Bren
11:43 pm on Saturday, April 21, 2012
Obey is a strong advocate for Wisconsin and would be a fine governor. We need someone who cares about our state and our citizens, not a puppet governor who is focused on serving his benefactors and ALEC and creating as much attention for himself as possible on the national stage (in first person plural).
As I have written before, any candidate focused on Wisconsin and not ALEC will comport themselves well as Governor (Republican or Democrat). I voted for Barrett first time around because I believed he had the intellectual heft, acumen, and social skills to be an excellent governor. I did not vote for Walker because after years as CE he still could not turn in a realistic budget, had difficulties working and playing well with others, and made costly mistakes with Milwaukee County taxpayers' money.
I don't think Falk should have signed a pledge; I believe signing a pledge for anything before the real circumstances are understood is a mistake. The new governor's administration will have to analyze the state's actual financial situation and determine what the real facts are. Right now we have a governor touting a balanced budget and no public employee layoffs, while at the same time his administration has reported a significant projected deficit and cash shortfall; and a review of public employee numbers show about 8,000 off the payroll. The new Governor will need to know the real facts in order to move forward.
Tom Barrett
3:25 am on Sunday, April 22, 2012
Is this bad?
http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/148172485.html
Keith Best
3:18 pm on Monday, April 23, 2012
Barrett?
Falk?
Vinehout?
LaFollette?
Seriously?
Hahahahahahahaha
atthec44
3:38 pm on Monday, April 23, 2012
I stopped reading this article when I read the first line of the second paragraph.
“Tom Barrett has done a very good job in Milwaukee”
Greg
3:56 pm on Monday, April 23, 2012
Scott Walker will win, said and done. You may not like my opinion, but it's as good as Tatarowicz's. Who cares if you would have liked Obey to run? What a stupid statement at this point. The recall was about collective bargaining and if Barrett wins the unions lost, plain and simple. The recall is really about union power, anything else is smoke and mirrors. A win by Barrett will be a referendum on collective bargaining, just as Prosser's win was a referendum Gov. Walkers policys.