The Government Accountability Board in Wisconsin voted unanimously to recall Governor Scott Walker following the submission of a petition with 900,000 signatures. (Only 540,208 signatures were required.)
Walker was targeted for recall after he pushed through a law last year that effectively ended collective bargaining rights for most state workers. It also forced the workers to contribute more to their pension and health care costs, which amounted to a cut in pay.
Walker told reporters he would be willing to mobilize the National Guard in order to address potential repercussions from unions.
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Links to books and other items on this page and elsewhere on Greg Ladens' blog may send you to Amazon, where I am a registered affiliate. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, which helps to fund this site.
Sorry for the nitpick, but he’s not recalled yet. They just certified enough signatures to call for the election.
I thought we were being given an early April 1st present. March 30th: so close and yet so far. :'(
I’m pretty sure that right now, we have only turned in the signatures but have a bit yet to go before he is recalled. I live in Wisconsin, and signed one of those petitions, so I get the emails with the updates for it. I’ll let you know when it all goes down.
I think the issue here may be in our understanding of the word “recalled.” Perhaps I am using it wrong. The petition was for a “recall election” and that has been approved. Thus, the recall.
“On Friday the Government Accountability Board voted 5-0 to order the recall”
Recall does not mean tossed out of office. It means you have a new special election. Dictionary says “a) The procedure by which a public official may be removed from office by popular vote. b) The right to employ this procedure.” I take that to mean “a recall election” which has now been approved. The people have recalled the governor. I’m thinking the term is a little like “impeached” (Bill Clinton was in fact impeached) or “court martial” (which is a trial, which may lead to someone found innocent).
Perhaps I should say “will be recalled”? For now I’m sticking with “he is recalled” until I hear a ruling from some higher authority.
Semantics aside, that’s damn good news.
Greg, the way you’re using “recall” certainly works for “impeach” so I’ll give you that. I’m not convinced it works that way for recall. It’s good news in any case.
The Koch brothers are doing their diligent best to disrupt/derail the process by pouring money in to assist Walker. Recent polls have shown him ahead in the process. I have to hope enough Wisconsinites have come to their senses to vote to recall him. Even if he is not recalled, I have to think at least one of the 3 GOP in the senate being recalled will be kicked out, thus a Democratic majority. It would severely handicap his ability to run roughshod through the state.
Blah blah blah Republican, blah blah blah Democrat! Isn’t anyone else tired of hearing this? This is a nation for the people by the people., so lets put the PEOPLE back in power this November. Vote independent.
I’m one of the union workers who’s been damaged by Walker’s legislation.
Oh, wait, that’s right, I’m not a union member any more. My union was primarily made up of young adults, many of them international students or having small children, or both. We didn’t get pensions or many other of the touted benefits that we were supposed to be living fat off of. The union existed to help us protect our working conditions and our access to health care.
We were penalized by Walker’s move as though we were wealthy. My union exists in theory, but given our young, transitory, vulnerable membership, we couldn’t afford to re-certify every year. We don’t have the money or time; we traditionally spent what money or time we had bargaining with the state. Now, the union is still nominally in existence, but has no legal standing to deal with the state. Our current contract is being honored as a courtesy, but once it runs out, the state is free to decrease or even cancel our wages.
We’re just students, after all – the TAA, UW-Madison’s former grad student union. Depending on the department, we often do the majority of the teaching or grading for classes in a very good institution. And most of us do very good jobs. But we no longer have the right to ask the state to help us with health insurance or child care for the few years that we exist as state employees. Because we’re evil, filthy, union thugs. With no pensions.
I’m happy to hear about the certification. I hope that he is defeated in the upcoming special election.
I myself to vote third party but if anything, people like Scott Walker have demonstrated that Republicans and Democrats are not always blandly equivalent.
I’d prefer to see quite a few viable parties, but I’m not sure what sort of strategy would get us that outcome.
@8: Where did Greg Laden mention anything about Republicans or Democrats in his post?
@smrnda, #11:
Random(N-2), 2012!
He’ll be defeated. The amount of (rightly) active, vednomous, vitriol against him will bring many of the people out who don’t usually bother to vote. Republicans tend to come out in full regardless. They can’t add to their numbers.