On June 8, Wisconsin’s Government

Accountability Board approved the recall elections for three of

nine Democratic state senators.  The recall approval

follows the senators’ flight to Illinois during the tumultuous

negotiations over Governor Walker’s budget bill.<span style=

“mso-spacerun: yes;”>  Six Republican state senators joined

the fleeing senators. These six were targeted because of their

support for the budget repair bill. 

That bill’s most controversial section imposed

sizeable limitations on collective bargaining for state employees.

Teachers stood to be the most severely affected by these

limitations.  At the time the budget was under

consideration, media members swarmed to the Capitol in Madison,

which had quickly crowded with protesters.  While

media attention has since shifted to other matters, the issue

persists. 

The recall election primaries are set for July

12 for the Republican senators and July 19 for the Democratic

senators.  The race during

which both will run against each other will be held August

16. 

With the dates of the recall elections fast

approaching, Wisconsinites must ask themselves for whom they plan

to vote. I ask the

constituents of my district, as well as those from others, to pause

for a moment and consider the situation from a variety of

viewpoints. 

On one hand, the flight of Senators Dave

Hansen, D-Green Bay, Jim Holperin, D-Conover, and Bob Wirch,

D-Pleasant Prairie, to Illinois was cowardly and

immature.  Instead of facing opposition, gathering

support against the bill from constituents and representing their

districts with strength, integrity and honor, they fled to an

out-of-state water park. Their stunt was reminiscent of the tactics

small children use to evade baths and bedtime.

Since the senators failed to forestall the

passage of the budget they opposed, their retreat was as fruitless

as it was childish.  Because they

were absent during a time of crisis, these senators could

not be the strong leaders their constituents elected them to

be. These senators failed those constituents so thoroughly

that voters might well be inclined to support their

recall.

Of course, disappointed constituents won’t be

the only ones who favor their recall.<span style=

“mso-spacerun: yes;”> Support for it can be expected from

more conservative voters as well, on the basis of their policy

disagreements with incumbents. Though Gov. Walker’s

poll numbers are sagging, there is a chance that a Republican

senator will still be elected. The success of the Marinette Marine

Corporation (though it was an initiative of Herb Kohl rather than

Scott Walker), seems to have proven to many members of the public

that the governor is making good on his promise of jobs and

“opening Wisconsin for business.” 

On the other hand, Sen. Hansen has

consistently voted along Democratic Party lines, and recently voted

against the voter ID bill when most of the other Democrats chose to

abstain. Hansen has represented Green Bay’s constituents well in

the past.  Keeping a strong Democratic presence in the

Senate might be an excellent idea when Wisconsin’s state senate is

already conservative.  We wouldn’t want a homogeneous

Senate now, would we? <span style=

“mso-spacerun: yes;”> Variety is what makes America what it

is — “the melting pot,” as School House Rock would put it.

 The Democrats fled because

they wanted more time to find a way to prevent passage of this

disastrous bill. Was it a poor decision? Of course. But their

hearts were in the right places, and they continue to strongly

oppose the bills put forth by the more conservative members of the

Senate.  

Citizens living in these recall districts

should pay close attention and take time to vote, even amid the

lazy haze of summer.