Republican Gov. Scott Walker and Democratic Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett are debating in the Wisconsin recall.
In their opening statements, and in response to the first question — in which the moderator asked why the recall is happening — the candidates stated the rationales of their campaigns.
Walker said: “Two years ago I ran for governor because Wisconsin faced both an economic and a fiscal crisis. At the time we had lost more than 100,000 jobs, and the state faced more than a $3 billion budget deficit, and we knew we had to take action.” He said that he had successfully balanced the budget without tax increases or layoffs, and enacted structural reforms — referring to his restrictions on public employee unions and collective bargaining — to move the state forward. “We’ve turned things around.”
Barrett said: “He made a decision that he would try to divide this state. And he made statements when he was talking to key donors, that he was going to ‘drop the bomb,’ and he was going to ‘divide and conquer’ — divide and conquer this state.”
Barrett added: “Scott Walker started this political civil war. I will end this civil war. And that’s something the citizens of this state want.”
