The head of one of the nation’s largest public-sector unions said national Democrats haven’t done enough to support the recall effort against Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.
The Hill reports:
Gerry McEntee, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), said more could and should have been done in the effort to remove Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) from office by the national party. Recalling Walker is of huge importance to labor, who became a conservative hero last year after facing off with unions over public workers’ collective bargaining rights.
"We think that there could have been more responsibility, more work on behalf of the national Democratic Party. I think the Democratic Party in Wisconsin did basically everything that they could and can," McEntee said. "We think they could and should have done more."
Other union leaders are downplaying the importance of the recall election.
"The election is about a vicious mud fight between two candidates," Michael Podhorzer, the political director of the AFL-CIO, told Businessweek. "It is not a verdict on collective bargaining at all."
As previously reported by the Free Beacon, national Democrats are also distancing themselves from the recall effort. Obama campaign spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter recently said the recall has "nothing to do" with the presidential election. President Obama is scheduled to visit Minneapolis on Friday, which is 30 miles from Wisconsin, but he has no plans to visit the nearby Badger State.