Scott Walker and his Plutocrats were Running Like Rabbits

I don’t necessarily believe this, but it’s a counterpoint to the steady drumbeat of “Democrats are doomed,” “the final nail in the coffin for Big Labor,” yada yada.

Last November, when Ohio voters overturned Governor John Kasich’s union-castrating law — similar to Scott Walker’s power grab — direct-mail has-been Richard Viguerie wrote a column titled “In Ohio, Union Bosses Were Rabbits Running For Their Lives.”  He wrote:

“Every day, there are millions of races between foxes and rabbits.  Sometimes a fox will win, otherwise there would be no foxes, but most of the time the rabbit wins because, while the fox is running for his dinner, the rabbit is running for his life.  So it was in the vote on Ohio’s ballot Issue 2, to keep or reject the new state law restricting collective bargaining rights for more than 300,000 unionized public employees.”

“While the mainstream media has presented the vote on Issue 2 as a key test of electoral strength in the coming presidential election, the 4 to 1 spending differential shows the Ohio vote was really a desperate race for life on the part of the public sector unions…”

“The union rabbits, with money and manpower brought in from across the nation, have won this race, but taxpayers will regroup and continue the chase in all 50 states next year.”

Substitute Ohio’s vote on Issue 2 with Scott Walker’s recall victory, and change the “4 to 1 spending differential” to “7 to 1” — the ratio by which Walker’s owners outspent the Democrats — and Richard Viguerie’s column makes just as much sense.

Personally I didn’t think last year’s Ohio vote was a grand omen for future national elections, and I don’t think the June 5th vote in Wisconsin was either.

Oh, and there’s one tiny item from Tuesday’s Wisconsin vote that’s been totally lost in all the swooning over Scott Walker.  State Senator John Lehman (D) defeated Republican Van Wanggaard, thereby giving Democrats control of the Wisconsin senate.

Just thought it might be worth a mention.

Rightwing Radio Host Condemns John Kasich’s Union-Busting Law

On November 8th Ohio voters will get a chance to overturn Governor John Kasich’s Cripple-Labor-Unions law.  Opinion polls show the union-busting law to be unpopular and likely to be voted down.

And now, of all people, rightwing radio host Bill Cunningham has blasted John Kasich for refusing to meet with labor unions before he pushed for his anti-worker law, Senate Bill 5.  Bill Cunningham said:

“From my perspective, those affected by governmental decisions need to have a place at the bargaining table to determine the outcome of what’s being discussed.  The best Americans I know are cops, firefighters, and teachers. They’re reasonable and they’re good people.”

And then he went on to urge Ohio voters to vote No on the anti-worker law (Issue 2.)

I’d never heard of Bill Cunningham before, but whatever his views are on other issues, he’s got this one dialed.