02.19.11 -- 7:44PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (23)

Punching His Ticket

Former Sen. Santorum (R) releases statement of support for Gov. Walker ....

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--Josh Marshall

02.19.11 -- 4:38PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (79)

The Big Tell

In all the swirl and drama of events in Wisconsin and all the competing fiscal accounts, one thing is pretty undeniable: the crux of the fight isn't about reductions in benefits, it's about the future of collective bargaining for public sector employees. Killing collective bargaining rights doesn't do anything to solve the current fiscal crisis. That's why pretty much everyone sees that this is a push to break the unions. There's an active disagreement about whether that's a good thing. But everyone gets that that's what this is about.

But there's another layer of the story that's only gotten cursory attention in the national media. Walker's proposal doesn't apply to all public sector unions in the state. Broadly speaking it targets unions that consistently support Democrats (teachers and other public employees) and exempts those that are often more friendly to Republican candidates (police and firefighters). Walker has been quick to point out that the statewide police and firefighters unions, as opposed to those in Milwaukee, both supported his opponent last year. He claims he makes the exception because the state can't afford any walk-outs from these public safety related employees.

But that doesn't really hold up.

It strains credulity to see this as anything but a political effort to destroy organizations that are critical foot soldiers for Democratic candidates at election time.

--Josh Marshall

02.19.11 -- 2:44PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (12)

SLIDESHOW: Images from Bahrain

Army opens fire in Bahrain as Egypt celebrates.

--Josh Marshall

02.19.11 -- 1:41PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (6)

DARPA Watch

What's up next from DARPA, the Pentagon's advanced research and development agency? Four words: cyber camouflage and robotic hummingbirds.

--Josh Marshall

02.19.11 -- 9:48AM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (87)

Focusing the Issue

The latest out of Wisconsin is that the two big public employee unions say they're willing to accept the givebacks contained in Gov. Walker's budget. Apparently all of them. But they refuse to budge on their collective bargaining rights. They say this has been their position all along.

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--Josh Marshall

02.18.11 -- 6:09PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (111)

Walker Talking

Gov. Walker is on TV now discussing the situation in the state and everything he's talking about is givebacks from the state's public sector unions. But what he doesn't seem to be saying anything about is ending collective bargaining rights. Which is what the fight is actually about. He won't be candid about the entire battle is about. Just not honest.

--Josh Marshall

02.18.11 -- 5:20PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (39)

Walker's First Gambit?

Back a couple months ago, Gov. Walker (R-WI) said he was considering decertifying the state's unions entirely, apparently before he discovered the governor didn't have the power to do that.

--Josh Marshall

02.18.11 -- 5:18PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (16)

Slow Motion Shutdown?

Social Security Administration notifies employees that Republican spending cuts could well lead to furloughs.

--Josh Marshall

02.18.11 -- 4:23PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (56)

Dilemma for Fox News

Bahrain Teachers Union joins protests, calls for national protest day on Sunday.

--Josh Marshall

02.18.11 -- 4:19PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (21)

Must Read

A very good run-down of how Wisconsin's Gov. Walker (R) created the budget crisis which he now claims makes it necessary to end collective bargaining.

--Josh Marshall

02.18.11 -- 3:46PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (150)

Look at the Map

With the battle going on in Wisconsin, we wanted to ask: How many states have collective bargaining with public employees' unions? How many forbid it? Check out our map. It's pretty revealing. Map after the jump.

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--Josh Marshall

02.18.11 -- 2:48PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (15)

SLIDESHOW: Hope He Wasn't Wearing A Cheesehead

Scenes from Madison:

--David Kurtz

02.18.11 -- 2:34PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (8)

TPM Interviews Sen. Sherrod Brown

Sherrod Brown tells TPM he supports unions/Dems in Wisconsin and says Ohio unions should play hardball too.

--Josh Marshall

02.18.11 -- 12:06PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (31)

Apt Snark

Quality snark from TPM Reader MR ...

I can't help but think that the language used by Fox News would be slightly different if the govenor of Wisconsin was a Democratic, and the missing senators were Republicans.

Something more along the line of :

Democratic governor deploys state security services round up opposition politicians.

--Josh Marshall

02.18.11 -- 12:01PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (22)

Packers Take the Field

Seven current and former Green Bay Packers have signed a letter in support of the AFL-CIO in their efforts to derail Gov. Walker's union-busting plan.

--Josh Marshall

02.18.11 -- 10:59AM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (11)

Middle East Wire

Things are quickly falling apart in Bahrain, where Army troops have reportedly opened fire on protestors. We've set up a Middle East Wire to track the breaking developments in the region, including North Africa, where protests and violence are rocking Libya.

--David Kurtz

02.18.11 -- 10:48AM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (42)

Gettin' Freakier

I do believe Mike Huckabee just said on Fox News that public employee unions have an "ungodly" influence on this White House and this president.

--Josh Marshall

02.18.11 -- 9:40AM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (22)

Beck's Manic Monday Thursday

Glenn Beck: Wisconsin unions in cahoots with Muslim Brotherhood, hoping to build one-world communist-islamist world order.

--Josh Marshall

02.18.11 -- 9:31AM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (6)

Par-TAY!

Would-be presidential contender Haley Barbour (R) is sponsoring a "dinner and a date night" in New Hampshire this month, followed by a viewing of a new creationist movie, "The Genesis Code."

--Josh Marshall