Recall election ordered for Wis. Gov. Scott Walker

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Embattled first-term Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker will face a recall this spring after an election was ordered Friday following the collection of more than 900,000 signatures in the wake of his push against union bargaining rights.

The Government Accountability Board voted 5-0 to order the recall, a move that has been expected for weeks given the large number of signatures gathered between November and January. It took 540,208 signatures to trigger a recall.

Assuming a Democratic primary is necessary, it will be in just 39 days on May 8. The actual recall vote then will be June 5, just 67 days away. Three Democrats already have announced they are running and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, whom Walker defeated in 2010, has said he would announce his intentions before Tuesday. A spokesman for Barrett did not return messages seeking comment Friday.

Walker, who has repeatedly stood by all the collective bargaining changes he championed, said Thursday that he looked forward to making his argument for keeping his job during the recall campaign.

"It gives us a great opportunity to tell our story, to tell that we're turning things around, how we're heading in the right direction, how we're moving Wisconsin forward," Walker said after a news conference in Milwaukee. "But we've got a lot more to do."

That's exactly the right attitude and the right approach.

I like Walker. He got busy and showed voters the American alternative to socialism!

Of course, the opposition doesn't like what he's doing and throws a tantrum with this recall.

And, the recall gives him the opportunity to remind voters that common sense works every time it's tried. The bet is whether or not Wisconsin voters know that and agree with Walker.

I predict a landslide. I think I'll send his campaign a contribution.

3/27/2012 9:20:00 AM
New report: State jobs numbers up; unemployment steady
Jobless rate remains at 6.9 percent; state gains 8,300 jobs

Richard Moore
Investigative Reporter

A stream of economic good news came Wisconsin’s way last week - including a Federal Reserve forecast of strong economic growth in the coming months - and the state got good news at week’s end, too, with unemployment remaining at its lowest level since 2008 and job creation continuing to tick upward.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor’s preliminary data for February, Wisconsin’s unemployment rate stayed at 6.9 percent, while the Badger state added an estimated 8,300 jobs

“Wisconsin’s preliminary February unemployment rate remains below 7 percent, the lowest it’s been since December of 2008, and well below the national rate,” Department of Workforce Development secretary Reggie Newson said. “In addition, the preliminary monthly estimates indicate continued job growth overall.”

The unemployment rate - measuring those without jobs who are actively looking for work - held at the same rate as in January, but that’s well below the 7.6 percent rate of February 2011.

It’s also far lower than the national unemployment rate of 8.3 percent. That number also was the same as the national rate in January but down from 9 percent a year ago.

The state’s unemployment rate is also lower than that of other Midwestern states, including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.

The federal numbers indicated that more people are working and fewer are unemployed. The BLS estimated that 12,800 more people are employed compared to a year ago in the state, while 24,200 fewer are unemployed.

The BLS data, which is based on a monthly survey of employers, reflected a gain of 4,000 private-sector jobs in February, including 2,500 in education and health services; 2,100 in construction; and 1,400 in professional and business services.

Compared to January, total nonfarm employment increased 8,300, including a 4,300 jump in government jobs. However, compared to a year earlier, in February 2011, government employment has decreased by 17,400.

Political reaction

Republicans said the numbers reflect Gov. Scott Walker’s leadership.

“With today’s jobs report showing Wisconsin created 8,300 jobs, and the state unemployment rate holding at 6.9 percent in February, it’s clear that Wisconsin’s economy only continues to improve under Governor Walker’s leadership,” said Ben Sparks, Republican Party of Wisconsin communications director. “These numbers come as no surprise, as yesterday’s report from the Philadelphia Reserve Bank predicted that Wisconsin’s economy will grow 1.95 percent over the next six months, the best forecast for the state since 2003.”

Sparks said the numbers corroborate what Walker is touting: His pro-growth policies are working.

“After three straight years of job loss under the failed liberal policies of the previous administration, culminating in 150,000 lost jobs and a 9.1 percent unemployment rate, Gov. Walker has turned Wisconsin around from the Democrats’ era of job loss,” he said.