Damn the polls! Full steam ahead!
Posted on 03/07/2011 8:26:42 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Maybe it’s a Midwestern thing. The polls in Wisconsin have consistently shown that voters want an end to the standoff in Madison over the budget-repair bill, and appear to be blaming Governor Scott Walker for the impasse. Almost two-thirds want Walker to negotiate with the Democrats who fled the state and hijacked the legislative process. On the other hand, Wisconsin voters want lower taxes and spending cuts rather than higher taxes and the current level of spending, too:
In the WPRI survey from mid-November, 45% of Wisconsinites viewed Walker favorably and 35% viewed him unfavorably.
Today, about the same share – 43% – view him favorably, but the share of people who view him unfavorably has jumped 18 points to 53%.
The poll also illustrates how feelings about Walker have intensified among both supporters and opponents. Even though Walker’s overall favorability has gone down slightly from 45% to 43%, the percentage of people who strongly support him – who view him “very favorably” – has gone up from 21% to 28%. The percentage of people who strongly oppose him – who view him “very unfavorably” – has more than doubled from 19% to 41%.
Walker has lost significant ground with independents in the state, as Rasmussen also indicated earlier in the week. A 57% majority disapproves of Walker’s performance, and 59% of independents have a negative view of the governor. However, 23% of independents said that the top priority of the state government should be to balance the budget, another 13% said holding the line on taxes and spending, and another 20% said economic improvement should be the highest priority, with only 5.8% saying negotiating/bargaining was the highest priority and 7.9% for protecting collective bargaining “rights.”
It seems that Wisconsin voters (especially independents) want government to focus on the right priorities, but not disagree too much over them. Walker gets the blame for drawing a line in the sand.
That said, the WPRI analysis shows that voters have not been sold on the budget-repair bill’s union reforms, either:
Walker has proposed limiting collective bargaining to wages. Exactly half of the respondents (50 percent) say that public employees are willing to compromise on pensions and benefits but limiting bargaining rights does nothing to balance the state’s budget situation and is really just an attempt to get rid of public employee unions. Forty-three percent say the proposed changes are a necessary reform because they will give local governments greater flexibility to control their budgets over several years.
There is real opposition to Governor Walker’s proposal to restrict the collective bargaining rights of workers, but the intensity depends on how the question is worded. When the issue is framed as limiting bargaining rights to help local governments, 47 percent are in favor and 50 percent are opposed. When the issue is framed as eliminating bargaining rights to ultimately dismantle public employee unions, then the public overwhelmingly disapproves, with 32 in favor and 58 percent opposed.
The problems with the WEA Trust have apparently not gotten as much attention as needed in the last couple of weeks. That may explain this finding as well:
In the most recent poll, almost six out of ten respondents (59 percent) had a somewhat or strongly favorable opinion of public employee unions. Thirty-four percent had a somewhat or strongly unfavorable opinion.
WPRI has the survey’s full crosstabs available. The sample seems a little off, with a D/R/I of 28.1/23.7/29.1, and 19% either confused about the three choices or refusing to answer. The exit polls from the Wisconsin Senate race in 2010 had a D/R/I of 37/36/28, which suggests that both Republicans and Democrats got undersampled, but Republicans significantly more. That wouldn’t be enough to overcome the difference in support for the unions or the demand that Walker negotiate with the fleebaggers to get them back to the state capital. Furthermore, this poll largely agrees with the Rasmussen poll and other surveys taken in Wisconsin.
Walker doesn’t seem inclined to talk while Democrats refuse to engage in the legislature. These kind of poll numbers might push Republicans in the Senate towards a settlement if they continue in this direction.
Update: Charlie Sykes thinks there is more good news in this poll than one might otherwise conclude. Be sure to read his analysis.
It's not just about making sure people make a just wage, but about locking in exorbitant benefits for the foreseeable future, which will continue to bankrupt the citizens of WI. If regular citizens understand that the unions are asking for benefits far above and beyond what the citizens receive from their own employers, the tide might turn against the unions.
The citizens of WI need to understand how the contributions of the public union workers in WI compare to those of other public union workers in other states. When they see that their public union workers are fighting against paying more into their own pension plans and health insurance plans, even when what they're paying now is far below what other public union workers are paying, the citizens of WI might not be so inclined to sympathize with them. I 'm not sure that Gov. Walker, or the Republican Senators, have explained this sufficiently to the citizens of WI.
So right. Walker has to stand strong and he will be revered by
the voters. He has to lower the hammer on the AWOL dems.
Pass Right-to-Work next week while the Wisconsin college students (who made up a lot of the protesters) are on spring break. It’s not fiscal, so you won’t need the Dems.
The polls are irrelevant right now. The legislative elections are not until 2012. Do what’s needed now, and be able to present a decent financial picture in 2012.
the polls did not ask the ONE question that counts...
Would you be willing to pay higher taxes in order for public unions to maintain their current rate of pay and benefits?
Remember that these polls usually over sample Democrats by 3-5%.
Still pimping the RINOs Daniels/Christie and their o so moderate approach? Squishy doesn’t get it, stand up for something. BTW, have you checked out NJ Conservatives IRT Christie?
RE: Would you be willing to pay higher taxes in order for public unions to maintain their current rate of pay and benefits?
Two things :
1)Most of those questioned will answer that with ‘no’ ( but if you would ask if millionaires should be taxed higher, you’d probably get a different answer ).
2) The issue of Wisconsin Teacher unions having to contribute more for their healthcare and pensions is pretty much resolved, I think. The vast majority ( even many members of the union ) already agree to this.
The issue and the sticking point now is COLLECTIVE BARGAINING. That’s the one thing the unions don’t want to give up and it seems a large number of Wisconsin residents sypmathize with them ( whether these sympathizers are in the majority is another matter ).
The more conservative comments don’t make it past the filter. You see the comments they want you to see.
Maybe Wisconsin Freepers should start a letter writing campaign to their local fish-wrappers?
If the Lee enterprises operations that control the SW part of the state receive letters from supporters of any Republican, they _may_ print one and then they print three from liberals, followed by pro-Democrat editorials.
Most of the State media is donk-controlled.
Daniels already got what Scott Walker is still trying to get, and may not get. If Walker wins on collective bargaining, he might still not be at par with Daniels. Isn't that right?
Anyway, Walker, Christie, Daniels, Kasich, etc. They are all good GOP governors in their states. I'm not pimping Christie nationally. Far from it. I'd sign up, warts and all, for another 7 years of Christie as governor. He'll do.
Now celebrity and national politics has the Christie and Palin crowds at odds, and I've gotten sucked into that. And if you step back, maybe old Rodney King was right. Maybe we should all get along.
Anyway, I still think Daniels is the best out there right now.
Not in the case of NJ. Everyone seems to understand, or ought to, that a New Jersey Republican is regional. But Christie is very effective, and he's addressing things a hell of a lot better than Corzine, or the Gay American. So I'm happy with him. And I think he's still young but is really talented. He is potentially an extremely valuable guy, but not if we just all demonize him because he's a northeastern Republican.
I hope Walker and the WI GOP hold strong on this, but wishy-washy “conservatives” like you don’t help the situation one bit.
Lucky for everyone I don't have anything to do with what happens in WI. I'm just a guy in the bleechers, watching the spectacle and commenting on it. I heard some Walker clips on Rush's show today that impressed me, and made me think Walker may win yet. It made me regret my earlier remarks.
Maybe I can resolve to honor all the GOP governors currently serving. I can't think of one off hand that I shouldn't respect.
Christie just got some high post in the Governor's Association or something. And I think there is a 100% chance he is anyone's first pick for VP, except for maybe Sarah Palin. I don't know for sure what he'll say if he's asked. I want him to stay here, not get to big for his (large)britches, and serve two terms for New Jersey. At 50-something, if he doesn't keel over by then, he might be wiser and still just as talented.
Well, you’re there so you’d know better than I would. I hope it turns out good.
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