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President Obama visits Wisconsin today, as part of his tour of recent public appearances to promote his economic plans. And none other than Governor Scott Walker, a national conservative star, is scheduled to meet Obama at the Milwaukee airport, and also attend the President’s remarks at the factory of a local company, Master Lock.
Obama name-dropped Master Lock in his State of the Union address in January, as an example of jobs coming back to America — and unionized jobs, at that.
Obama declared:
We can’t bring every job back that’s left our shore. But right now, it’s getting more expensive to do business in places like China. Meanwhile, America is more productive. A few weeks ago, the CEO of Master Lock told me that it now makes business sense for him to bring jobs back home. (Applause.) Today, for the first time in 15 years, Master Lock’s unionized plant in Milwaukee is running at full capacity.
Meanwhile, Walker is the target of a recall election this year, after a signature campaign mounted by the state Democratic Party and organized labor, in a backlash against his anti-public employee union legislation and other parts of the state budget.
Second only to the presidential campaign, it will likely be the biggest and most expensive race in the country.
And just this past weekend, Walker delivered a headline speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington — and appealed to conservative activists there by specifically casting the recall as a national race, against liberal groups:
They understand that this recall election is about much more than who is the Governor of Wisconsin. In fact, it is even bigger than what it means for the elections in November of 2012.
This election is ultimately about courage. When we prevail, it will send a powerful message - not only in Madison but in Springfield and St. Paul; Columbus and Austin; and in state houses all across America. Most of all, it will send a message in the halls of Congress.
So will the political swords be laid down, at least for the duration of the presidential visit? Not on your life.
TPM asked state Democratic Party spokesman Graeme Zielinski for comment on Obama’s visit, and Walker’s scheduled attendance.
“Scott Walker has been busy bragging about how President Obama is ‘terrified’ of Walker’s illusory success in Wisconsin,” said Zielinski. “That’s nonsense. In fact, what Walker has done is unite progressives and Democrats behind not just Walker’s recall, but behind the President’s fight for the middle class.
“And, with all the time Walker has spent out-of-state shaking down sleazy corporate cash, we are frankly a little surprised to see has some time to spend in Wisconsin.”
