During the Wisconsin recall debate, moderator Mike Gousha asked Republican Gov. Scott Walker whether he would veto a right-to-work bill — restricting private-sector unions — if it reached his desk from the legislature.
“I’ve said it’s not gonna get there,” Walker said. Gousha asked again, would he veto it?
“I’ve said it’s not gonna get there, you’re asking a hypothetical. And the reason I say that is I saw what happened over the last year and half. And I don’t want to repeat that discussion. I think most people in the state, Democrat and Republican alike, want to move forward.”
Democratic Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett fired back, invoking Walker’s travels all around the country as a “rock star” to the tea party movement.
“One of the Ten Commandments of the far right is you have to be agains unions,” Barrett said. “You have to be in favor of right-to-work, where unions don’t exist. He would have a fall from grace if he said he was going to veto that. He can’t say that, because then he would no longer be the poster boy of the tea party. He can’t say that.”
Barrett also declared: “If that bill hits his desk, he’s signing it. I say it right here in front of Wisconsin,” comparing Walker’s denials to similar past statements from Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels. “The Thursday before the Super Bowl, Mitch Daniels made Indiana a right-to-work state. Mark my words, he’ll sign it.”
