Wis. State Senators Targeted For Recall Elections
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The controversy over a budget measure in Wisconsin continues with protests entering their fourth week. Meanwhile, Democratic senators remain in Illinois to delay a vote on the bill. The stalemate has resulted in another political drama: About half of the state's senators are targeted for recall elections based on their positions on the bill.
RENEE MONTAGNE, Host:
The political stalemate in Wisconsin has taken a new twist. No, there's no sign of a breakthrough between the Republican governor and Democratic state senators. But Wisconsin voters are taking action. They've launched efforts to recall lawmakers from both parties. Here's Ann-Elise Henzl of member station WUWM.
ANN: While there's been a lot of talk about resolving this standoff, progress can only be measured in baby steps. Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller, yesterday, wrote to Republican Governor Scott Walker and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald. He urged them to meet with the fourteen Democrats who've been camped out in Illinois. Walker responded, saying meetings have been underway and accusing Miller of preventing the Democrats' return.
SCOTT WALKER: People talk about negotiate - we've been doing it for days. The problem is we have a handful of senators who are interested in doing this but we have Senator Miller who, time and time again, allows his caucus to stand in the way of progress coming forward.
HENZL: Crowd: Union busting.
HENZL: Otis says Governor Walker wants more than just money from government workers.
LEE OTIS: The bill is not right. I mean, he asks for money, they said they'd give him the money and he wanted more.
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HENZL: Inside the restaurant, a different group was meeting in the banquet hall. They were signing petitions, to force Democratic Senator Bob Wirch into a recall election. Sixty-two-year-old Patricia Salerno of Kenosha favors Walker's budget repair proposal and says she's upset by Wirch's flight from the state.
PATRICIA SALERNO: I'm one of his constituents. He's supposed to be my voice.
HENZL: Greg Smith is collecting recall petitions against Republican Alberta Darling, who represents Milwaukee's northern suburbs. Smith says his frustration with his senator goes beyond the budget repair bill.
GREG SMITH: Cutting money from education and social programs is just going to exacerbate the issue of poverty in our community. And I would say, what would appease me is supporting the people who need the most support.
HENZL: As you might expect, it's Democrats trying to unseat Republicans, and Republicans trying to return the favor. And in an unusual twist, outside groups are helping organize and fund these recall efforts. Gary Moncrief is a political science professor at Boise State University who studies state legislatures.
GARY MONCRIEF: There are dozens, if not hundreds, of threats at recall every year, but most of the time they kind of peter out.
HENZL: UW-Milwaukee governmental affairs Professor Mordecai Lee says meanwhile, it appears lawmakers are in a freefall.
MORDECAI LEE: This seems like two people who are sort of skydiving and they're falling to the earth, and they're fighting each other over this one parachute, and we on the earth are looking up and we're agog at this, because somebody is going to get hurt.
HENZL: For NPR News, I'm Ann-Elise Henzl in Milwaukee.
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