Thursday, August 18, 2011

Winds of change reach from Wisconsin to Ohio.

Well, that didn't take long. You might remember that in my next-to-last post, What's new from Wisconsin, the last line quoted a NY Times editorial about the results of the Wisconsin recalls: "...voters around the country who oppose the widespread efforts to undermine public unions — largely financed by corporate interests — should draw strength from Tuesday’s success, not discouragement."


It took less than 24 hours for the winds of change to reach from Wisconsin to Ohio. In a "hastily-called" news conference, Ohio governor John Kasich offered to modify some of the more draconian provisions of that state's "union-stripping" law, in return for calling off the November statewide vote on that law.


The law was put onto the November ballot by collecting over 900,000 valid signatures, almost four times the required number. It should be noted that current polling shows that Ohio voters will reject that law by a margin of 24 points. Proponents of repeal are turning a deaf ear to the governor's proposal.


If, earlier this year, you suffered through the wave of anti-teacher, anti-union laws as they were passed in several states, you deserve this "feel good" moment. Enjoy this clip from Wednesday's "Rachel Maddow Show." The first 3 minutes are a quick review of what happened in Wisconsin, then it's on to Ohio. 




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