If it seems like today’s national political discourse either bubbles up through Wisconsin or emanates directly from Wisconsin lately, that’s only because it does.
Wisconsin’s state budget turmoil is somewhat of a microcosm of the nation’s great deficit debate.
For better or worse, depending upon your perspective, Wisconsin has been on the nation’s front page since the moment Gov. Scott Walker took office in January.
Wisconsin became the nation’s political Petri dish when Walker answered the Republican National Committee’s request for a governor to stand up once and for all to eliminate collective bargaining for public employees, thereby also eliminating two labor unions as key sources of funding and organization for Democrats.
Of course, that prompted the now famous “Wisconsin 14” Senators to flee to Illinois, where they became national celebrities on cable news channels.
Walker’s demands also prompted hundreds of thousands of people to protest at the Capitol in Madison, drawing additional daily national media coverage.
Ultimately, the outcome could hinge upon which side controls the majority in the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and the conservatives appear to have that with the dramatic re-election of Justice David Prosser. Of course, that outcome is now being challenged in a recount.
Meanwhile in Washington, D.C., U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), chairman of the House Budget Committee, rolled out his “Path to Prosperity.” Ryan’s plan would balance the federal budget by “transforming” Medicare, turning Medicaid into a voucher program and cutting Social Security, while dropping the income tax rate for the wealthiest of Americans from 35 to 25 percent.
Ryan’s proposal stands in stark contradiction to President Barack Obama’s plan, which would take a “scalpel” to the “Big Three” social plans, while raising the taxes on the wealthiest Americans.
The contrast between the Ryan plan and Obama plan will drive the national political debate well into the November 2012 presidential election.
Over the past century, Wisconsin seems to jump up and become the focal point of the national political prism every 25 years or so.
The first time came early in the 20th century, when Robert La Follette Sr. served as a Wisconsin governor, Congressman and senator, leading the Progressive Movement that ultimately helped to create the very social safety net programs that Walker and Ryan are attempting to dismantle today.
The second time Wisconsin absorbed the national spotlight came with U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy (R-Wis.) and his crusade against communism in the 1950s.
Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson put Wisconsin on the national front page a generation later when he reformed the Welfare system in the 1990s.
Milwaukee historian John Gurda said, "Wisconsin has been a much-watched laboratory of democracy for most of its history, but rarely with predictable results. Our state was the birthplace of the direct primary, worker’s compensation and public-sector collective bargaining, but also of welfare reform and school choice. Each of those issues generated a great deal of heat, but none were nearly as divisive as the current rumpus in Madison."
Which brings us to today. Hold on tight. With no signs of compromise, diplomacy or statesmanship from either side in sight, it’s going to be a bumpy, turbulent, loud and divisive ride.
And you think it’s nasty now? Wait until the GOP state legislators start to push through their pet social agenda items through committee: conceal-and-carry, voter I.D., tighter illegal immigrant enforcement, abortion restrictions and restrictions on stem cell research. That moment is just around the corner.
Steve Jagler is executive editor of BizTimes Milwaukee.
