Walker Rides to Victory on "Flood of secret corporate cash"

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, fueled by $31 million in right-wing/GOP/business contributions,  beat back a recall challenge Tuesday, defeating Democrat Tom Barrett 53-46. However, Democrats appeared to have taken control of the state Senate, with late results showing former state Sen. John Lehman beating incumbent Sen. Van Wanggaard by less than 1,000 votes. It was unclear early Wednesday if there would be a recount. “We wanted a different outcome,” said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, “but Wisconsin forced the governor to answer for his efforts to divide the state and punish hard-working people.” Noting that the recall “laid the groundwork for a powerful movement to push back against Walker-style anti-working family policies everywhere,” Trumka said that “Wisconsin is a small piece of a broader global movement of people pushing back on the corporate-driven policies that have favored the super-rich at the expense of good jobs, education and the health of our communities” and urged activists to sign a solidarity pledge to commit to building on the momentum working people created in Wisconsin and beyond to protect good jobs, working families and workplace rights. Walker set off the recall fight when he rammed through a law that killed collective bargaining rights for 200,000 state and local government workers. Walker’s law was the spearhead of the nationwide campaign against union power orchestrated by the American Legislative Exchange Council. His law brought mass protests to Madison, the state capitol, as up to 100,000 people jammed the building and camped out on the lawn, for weeks. Democrats and unions gathered 1 million signatures on petitions for recalling Walker and mobilized their ground troops to battle at least $31 million in TV ads that Walker and his outside right-wing/GOP/business allies raised, outspending Barrett by at least 10-1. The GOP also apparently mounted a large well-funded last-minute ground game, too. “Whether it was standing in the snow, sleeping in the Capitol, knocking on doors or simply casting a vote, we admire the heart and soul everyone poured into this effort,” said Trumka. “Adding to this gargantuan challenge of recalling only the third governor in American history was the flood of secret corporate cash distorting our democracy – a dangerous example of a post-Citizens United America,” he added, referring to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 ruling that unleashed unregulated and unaccountable corporate cash into U.S. elections. - includes reporting by PAI