1. No matter why the signs say, this will not be the last election in Wisconsin’s history. Presumably in 2012 the members of the Wisconsin house and senate will be up for election again and the governor in 4 years. If the unions have the people behind them, isn’t it a given that in the next election the republicans will be swept out of office and collective bargaining will be restored? Are the unions fighting so hard because they understand the voters disagree with them?
2. Under Walker’s plan the union would be re-certified each year by a vote of the members. Do the Unions believe that their members who are apparently so well served by the unions that they are turning out to protest in big numbers would choose not to re-certify?
I suspect that the answer to both questions is Yes!
I think they are good questions. I’d love to see good answers to them.
Update: Before I crashed I saw the CBS and PPP polls that are being trumpeted. If these polls were true then:
1. Why were the protests nationwide so sparsely attended?
2. Why is it necessary for the unions to bus in supporters to Wisconsin?
3. Why aren’t the democrats who have fled confidently returning knowing that this vote will only be the prelude to them retaking everything in Wisconsin?
These are good questions too.
Update: Or perhaps like Bill Jacobson they actually crunched the numbers in the PPP poll and found them…interesting.
Update 2: Ed Morrissey does the same for CBS. It’s amazing the poll results you can generate when you over-sample democrats:
Their sample for this poll had a D/R/I split of 36/26/31, an absurd sample for political polling. In December, Rasmussen’s general-population survey put Republicans ahead, 36.0% to 34.7% for Democrats. A recent poll by Gallup shows erosion in Democratic affiliation all through 2010.
Oversample unions:
20% of the poll’s respondents claim to come from union households. However, only 11.9% of American workers belong to a union, according to a report published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics last month and noted by none other than the Times itself.
And public sector employees:
Government employment accounts for 17% of all workers, so a sample consisting of 25% public-sector households for a survey of adults (not registered voters) seems a little off.
The goal is not to report on public opinion it’s to drive it and set the daily media template.
Update 3: didn’t notice the Instalanche until I checked comments, don’t forget to check out our conversation on sex, Last weeks show with Jazz Shaw and Sissy Willis, and some info on car speakers that can crack windshields from my newest advertiser
Update 4: One more question. If the public is behind the Wisconsin lawmakers who left the state, why run away from tea party folks, why not just stay at a single hotel and do news conferences?
Update 5: Texas Ed brings up an important point in comments:
I’ve not read anyone making a very key point: EVERYONE IN THE CAPTIVE MEDIA IS A UNION MEMBER!
I confess I didn’t think of it myself
