Gov. Scott Walker (R., Wis.) says tomorrow’s recall elections will be a “key test” for his administration, which has championed fiscal reform since taking office earlier this year. “I think this is one of those defining moments in Wisconsin’s history and our nation’s history,” he says.
“People say across Wisconsin and around the country that they want elected leaders to worry more about the next generation than they do about the next election,” Walker said this morning in an interview with talk-radio host Charlie Sykes. “This will be the test as to whether or not people are willing to stay with those people when they make that courageous vote.”
For better or worse, Walker emphasized that Tuesday will have national implications. “It’s pretty clear,” he said. “They’re saying, don’t cross us, don’t go out and dare to do the things in Washington, don’t dare to do the things in the other statehouses.” Labor activists, he said, want to “punish” conservatives who “stand up” and make tough decisions.
“Is this state going to go forward or backward?” Walker asked. “We have a real choice: Do we want to go the path of Illinois? Do we want to go the path of the federal government? Or, do we want to continue to go forward? But you can’t do that unless people like Alberta Darling are reelected; people like Randy Hopper and Luther Olsen and others down the line aren’t reelected.”
On the ground, things are heating up. Below are a couple snapshots from over the weekend: