Tom Barrett
AFSCME Wisconsin appears to be getting some pushback from members over the email it sent out opposing Democratic gubernatorial candidate and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. A statement posted to the website of
Council 24 is addressed to "Dear AFSCME Member, Family Member, Friends & Supporters of AFSCME" and opens:
Thank you for sharing your concerns about AFSCME's decision to make public our disappointment with Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett's record. We understand you feel we should speak no ill of any Democratic contender. We all agree that the most important goal is defeating Scott Walker in the recall election.
This doesn't mean the union is changing its mind about supporting former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk over Barrett; the statement goes on to make the case for Falk and against Barrett, albeit in relatively measured language and with an acknowledgement that "we used poor judgment in directing our members' attention to an Internet video that went over the top to make its point."
Another Wisconsin AFSCME council, Council 11, has posted a statement that, while undated, was clearly posted after the email that drew objections was sent out. This much longer statement doesn't explicitly refer to pushback, but seeks to provide "important context for what is a very complex matter as we choose our candidate to replace Scott Walker," asking reader to remember how it felt watching Gov. Scott Walker's assault on collective bargaining passed to "imagine if, on that fateful night, you had been played an audio clip of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett ... appearing just two days earlier on Charlie Sykes’ radio program" and "mapping out a plan for how Republicans could—and should—do exactly what they’d just done."
Neither AFSCME branch is ceding the right to make the case against Barrett, but it seems they've decided to change the tone—which is the important thing. Primaries are great, but Wisconsin can't afford to have this one, on its compressed timetable and with such huge stakes, get ugly.
The biggest thing is what Council 24 noted in its statement: "We all agree that the most important goal is defeating Scott Walker in the recall election." Please, contribute $5 to the Democratic Party of Wisconsin to help make that happen.