Scott Walker may have wasted political capital by sparing Wisconsin’s police and fire fighters
02/22/2011
..... In Wisconsin, the state police, several police locals, and a firefighters union (just a fraction of the states more than 300 public safety union organizations) endorsed Walker in the gubernatorial race. That he’s sparing them now, when so many of his gubernatorial peers have confronted the cost of essential personnel, has both his critics and allies wondering if he’s rewarding allies and punishing his foes.
“Tellingly, some workers — namely, those who tend to be Republican-leaning — are exempted from the ban; it’s as if Mr. Walker were flaunting the political nature of his actions,” wrote the New York Times’ Paul Krugman.
Libertarian blogger and Troy University professor Stephen L. Taylor wrote that it is “not an unreasonable supposition” that Walker is rewarding the firemen and policemen who helped him during his campaign for governor. “I would go beyond that and not ask why Walker is doing what Walker is doing,” Taylor added, “but rather ask why we have not seen (or, at least, I have not seen) his ideological allies calling for him to include police, firefighters and state troopers in the bill?”
But it’s not as simple as Krugman makes it out to be. “Politically, police and fire unions are not Republican bastions; they split their allegiances between the parties,” Barro said. “Because they are a swing constituency, Republican politicians have more incentive to try to make nice with them than with other public employee unions. … I can understand why [Walker] would make a strategic choice to exclude them — politicians pick their battles all the time with an eye toward coalition building — but I do think it’s unfortunate.”
If Walker were hoping to gain politically by sparing police and firemen, his plan has likely backfired. Last week, Tracy Fuller, director of the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Association, denounced Walker’s decision to abolish collective bargaining privileges for public employees.
“I specifically regret the endorsement of the Wisconsin Trooper’s Association for Gov. Scott Walker. I regret the governor’s decision to ‘endorse’ the troopers and inspectors of the Wisconsin State Patrol,” Fuller wrote. “I regret being the recipient of any of the perceived benefits provided by the governor’s anointing. I think everyone’s job and career is just as significant as the others.” .....
http://dailycaller.com/2011/02/22/w...-by-sparing-wisconsins-policemen-and-firemen/
