Even conservative pollsters can't make Walker's anti-union bill seem popular. Right-leaning "We Ask America" just polled Wisconsin residents last night, and found pretty strong opposition to Walker's plan. I think we really may have momentum behind us.
They asked:
As you may know, Gov. Scott Walker has proposed a plan to limit the pay of government workers and teachers, increase their share of the cost of benefits, and strip some public-employ unions of much of their power. We’d like to know if APPROVE or DISAPPROVE of Gov. Walker’s plan.
And how did all those good Badgers respond?
The results break down like this:
52% disapprove of Walker's plan
43% approve
What's more, almost every sub-group comes out in opposition to the plan. The only one that doesn't is, perhaps not surprisingly, non-union households - but even then, it's close.
I'm wondering if the poll doesn't actually understate opposition, as it shows over 33% of UNION households approving. I can't imagine it's that high. Perhaps most of them were out protesting and not available!
On the flipside, by 56/36, residents seem to disapprove of the refusal of Dem senators to support the quorum.
Still, it's heartening to see that on the underlying issue, Wisconsin seems to be with us - and Walker may have overreached, big time.
It's worth noting that - as far as I know - We Ask America is a relatively new outfit that skews Republican. As you'll see in their writeup, their editorial slant is clearly pro-Republican (e.g. they say senate Dems are "missing in action," and misleadingly portray the bill as an honest attempt by the governor to address a budget shortfall). In the comments, Newsie8200 provides a link that shows an affiliation between them and the Illinois Manufacturers Association.
PS. I've been wondering why Rasmussen hasn't yet come out with a poll making the union cause seem lost. Scotty must be having trouble eliciting his desired result.
