There’s a lot of hubbub going on in Wisconsin after the state senate and today, the state assembly, passed a law restricting public union collective bargaining rights. Members on both sides of the aisle in Wisconsin are being attacked with recall petitions, but it appears only those going after GOP members are getting assistance from the White House.
Wisconsin Republicans have evidence that President Obama’s political advisers are supporting efforts to recall eight GOP senators for their role in trying to curb union rights and benefits.
Wisconsin Senate Leader Scott Fitzgerald told Fox News that some of the people filing petitions against members of his caucus have “direct links” to President Obama’s political team in Chicago; and he’s not alone in his beliefs.
“People from Organizing for America have been running the protests in Madison for quite some time now,” he told Fox News. “I think that there’s no question that the President has some involvement.”
Presidential Press Secretary Jay Carney denied there was any involvement from anyone in the White House, but the close ties with Organizing for America make that more than a little hard to swallow. President Obama has been outspoken about what has taken place in Wisconsin, going as far as to say this was an all-out attack on unions. With an election only 20 months away, Obama cannot survive without union support, even at the risk of alienating Independents.
It’s always distasteful when the White House interjects itself into state politics, however it might also be illegal. Don’t be surprised if we see House hearings on the matter sometime this fall or early next year. If Obama knowingly influenced recall efforts in the state of Wisconsin, this will surely be an issue for the 2012 election. If they’ve provided the President plausible deniability, it’s likely we’ll see additional departures from the President’s political team.
None of this is very surprising. President Obama’s political machine in Chicago is a force to be reckoned with. With Rahm Emanual now the Mayor-elect,and several of his past White House cronies back in Chicago organizing his re-election efforts, it would be almost inconceivable to think their hands haven’t been in the pot. Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO President, an almost daily visitor to the White House, and his mob-inciting words to the members of the Wisconsin public unions, gives one the sense that there’s just too much fishiness in the waters to not smell the stink.
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