Rasmussen poll shows Walker winning standoff with unions, Dems
posted at 11:36 am on February 21, 2011 by Ed Morrissey
Rasmussen polled likely voters across the nation to determine whether public-sector unions have persuaded the country that Scott Walker is the love child of Hosni Mubarak and Adolf Hitler, or whether voters have sided with Walker’s attempt to break union dominance in state government. So far, it looks as though the unions have lost the public-relations battle:
A sizable number of voters are following new Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s showdown with unionized public employees in his state, and nearly half side with the governor.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 48% of Likely U.S. Voters agree more with the Republican governor in his dispute with union workers. Thirty-eight percent (38%) agree more with the unionized public employees, while 14% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.) …
Thirty-eight percent (38%) of voters think teachers, firemen and policemen should be allowed to go on strike, but 49% disagree and believe they should not have that right. Thirteen percent (13%) are not sure.
There’s strong partisan disagreement on both questions and a wide gap between the Political Class and Mainstream voters.
Thirty-six percent (36%) of all voters say that in their state the average public employee earns more than the average private sector worker. Twenty-one percent (21%) say the government employee earns less, while 20% think their pay is about the same. Twenty-three percent (23%) are not sure.
As of Friday and Saturday, two-thirds of likely voters nationwide have followed the controversy in Wisconsin. Men were more likely to follow it (79%) than women (58%), while younger voters were the only age demographic to not have a majority following it closely (47%). Only that age demographic was more likely to agree with the unions than Governor Scott Walker (36/52), while every other age demographic had a plurality or majority siding with the governor.
No one will be shocked to find Democrats opposed to Walker’s plan, 21/68, although the opposition seems a little weak, under the circumstances. Also, no one will be surprised to see almost the mirror image among Republicans, 68/15. Independents across the nation give a strong endorsement to Walker, 56/31. Among income demographics, only those earning under $20K per year support the unions (30/54), while Walker gains a plurality or majority in every other income demographic, including a 62/27 among the $60-75K demo. Interestingly, unions only barely edge Walker among government employees, 44/46.
Nationally, then, the unions are losing the battle. It would be interesting to see a Wisconsin-only poll at this point, and I suspect one or more pollsters may already be assessing that at the moment.
Blowback
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Shows just how out of touch with reality Obama really is.
Skandia Recluse on February 21, 2011 at 11:39 AM
Wow!
Weight of Glory on February 21, 2011 at 11:41 AM
Breaking: 48% of country is pro-Hitler.
/
hoosiermama on February 21, 2011 at 11:41 AM
Thats impressive considering the media is doing everything they can to help the unions.
brewcrew67 on February 21, 2011 at 11:42 AM
Spin away lsm…..
cmsinaz on February 21, 2011 at 11:42 AM
Can Wisconsin republicans just write a bill making the state a right-to-work state? That wouldn’t require 20 senators, but it might get the democrats back in the senate.
Weight of Glory on February 21, 2011 at 11:42 AM
Agree Ed…let’s see a WI only poll
cmsinaz on February 21, 2011 at 11:43 AM
Yes, with immediate replacement an option for their employers. Any union “tactics” mean mandatory jail for the union Bosses – massive mandatory fines. Don’t like that?It’s for the children!!!!
signed by: a ex-union teacher.
Don L on February 21, 2011 at 11:44 AM
All taught and indoctrinated by unionized teachers, no doubt.
Knucklehead on February 21, 2011 at 11:45 AM
If people had the real information on this it would be much higher. The MSM has done nothing but side with the poor “workers.” They’ve made it sound like they were taking away their retirement and their health care.Good job media wh..res…
sandee on February 21, 2011 at 11:45 AM
The pressure on Walker by THE SQUISHY GOP will intensify this week.
The longer this drags on…….someone will be blinking.
My bet?…….the GOP
PappyD61 on February 21, 2011 at 11:48 AM
I suggest that you need to see what the public relations campaign is on TV to get a clue on the WI angle this weekend.
Teachers Union- Calling members to get back to work…Offering consessions.
WI GOV- I won’t back down and be intimidated.
Those actions alone tells you who is winning the battle locally in WI. I don’t need a poll to tell me that!
Rndguy on February 21, 2011 at 11:49 AM
Get the Newsbusters story of Mika B. being so proud of the peaceful worker’s organized and civil protest and denying any “hate”, then being shown the signs (“Signs, What signs? Oh THOSE signs!”) Like a lot of commentators there said, it is AMAZING that video footage was run on MSNBC. Maddow and Shutzy have got to be livid.
Marcus on February 21, 2011 at 11:49 AM
Well, yes. All you have to know is that O’Pu$$y is running away from his past actions supporting the strikes, to know that Marxist trash is on the losing end of this one.
MNHawk on February 21, 2011 at 11:49 AM
The normally higher union support in Wisconsin is probably in the toilet from all the parents having to take care of their kids while this illegal strike is ongoing (and an illegal strike is what it is).
michaelo on February 21, 2011 at 11:49 AM
BLM: “Welp, looks like these idiot tax payers are still uninformed. Get out there and inform them that they are wrong again!”
forest on February 21, 2011 at 11:50 AM
Imagine what those numbers would look like if the factual basis of the strike was being reported.
Vashta.Nerada on February 21, 2011 at 11:50 AM
Walker gave an interview last month in where this question was asked. He didn’t seem eager to pursue right-to-work legislation because the trade unions have been generally willing to give concessions, realizing the economic conditions their companies face. His fight is with public unions.
WisRich on February 21, 2011 at 11:51 AM
The police union has come out in support of the teachers. All politics being local, that counts for a lot more than some national rasmussen poll.
ernesto on February 21, 2011 at 11:52 AM
Saw that linky Marcus
180 degree turnaround
cmsinaz on February 21, 2011 at 11:52 AM
The thuggish union behavior is in full view. This, right after all the sermonizing about inflammatory rhetoric isn’t helping them.
cartooner on February 21, 2011 at 11:52 AM
O/T: Pssssssstttttt….Boss Emeritus is having open registration today…in case ya’ll were interested or didn’t know. Yippee! Finally!
sicoit on February 21, 2011 at 11:54 AM
My husband and I are for Walker. I called my family in WI and asked what they thought of it and all of them are in favor of Walker. Even the ones who belong to unions.
Brat4life on February 21, 2011 at 11:54 AM
If Walker is acceptably “Adolf” to the left for pushing his bill through without any Democratic input, then why is equivalencing Obama to “Adolf” on the matter of healthcare unacceptable.
I think the public employee unions of Wisconsin have immunized those of us conservatives who do this comparison.
Now, enquiring minds ask, what does the “H” of Barack H. Obama stand for?
unclesmrgol on February 21, 2011 at 11:54 AM
Not all Policemen are against Walker. I have family in the Police force and they are for Walker and Yes they live in WI.
Brat4life on February 21, 2011 at 11:55 AM
Thanks.
Weight of Glory on February 21, 2011 at 11:56 AM
The pressure on Walker by THE SQUISHY GOP will intensify this week.
The longer this drags on…….someone will be blinking.
My bet?…….the GOP
PappyD61 on February 21, 2011 at 11:48 AM
Make’s my stomach turn to agree with you.
heshtesh on February 21, 2011 at 11:56 AM
Figures.
The group paying the lest bit of attention to the matter – and having the lest of knowledge about it – sides with the Democrats.
A shocking correlation.
Good Lt on February 21, 2011 at 11:57 AM
Plus more of the people are willing to make spending cuts and think their politicians are spineless… the Elites think politicians are more willing than the public… which means that this is a very bad time to be part of the political Elite establishment as the people are turning on it.
Yes the disconnect between the Elites and the public is huge. Luckily it is easier to get a new Elite class than a new public.
ajacksonian on February 21, 2011 at 11:58 AM
Is that sound I hear in the distance a bus cranking up? Trumka better get ready to be tossed and treaded by the dear leaders’ vehicle of choice.
Kissmygrits on February 21, 2011 at 11:59 AM
So, if the good folks in WI win and the teachers have to give up some concessions will the police union do the same? They support the teachers because then know that they might be next. Don’t be so foolish ernie.
VegasRick on February 21, 2011 at 12:00 PM
Like we needed a Rasmussen poll to figure that out.
pugwriter on February 21, 2011 at 12:00 PM
I didn’t say they all were, but the police union can in many ways act as the police “voice”. It can now be more easily spun that opposition to Walker is support for cops, which is the local version of “support our troops!!”.
ernesto on February 21, 2011 at 12:01 PM
I’ve made no comment as to why they did what they did. All I’m saying is that it changes the dynamics on the ground in a way a national show of support does not.
ernesto on February 21, 2011 at 12:02 PM
Well then I suppose it’s time to park a few hundred union jacksniffers on the front lawns of the pollsters until they give better results.
Bishop on February 21, 2011 at 12:02 PM
Meaning, without the police support, teh union thugs can continue to harass and threaten (and potentially worse) those who support this. Typical liberal tactic.
Of course the police union supports other unions and is against any public union losing power. they know that it will eventually lead to dimuninition of its power. I’m sure the only calculation in leaving police out of the current bill was that there would be protesting, violence, threats of violence etc and they would need the police to do their job.
The police realize that once this is in place for every other public sector union, in a few years the police will be added in.
Thus, the police unions are not going to back this bill.
that said, who cares? Unless you support the idea of threats, harassment and violence as the proper way to engage in politics. then, the police being against it is very important.
Monkeytoe on February 21, 2011 at 12:02 PM
Were you gasping for air as you wrote that?
Aviator on February 21, 2011 at 12:03 PM
That poll was already taken — last November.
stefanite on February 21, 2011 at 12:05 PM
Not necessarily. It’s the union’s leadership talking, not the rank-and-file. A national show of support means that what started in Wisconsin could ripple to other closed-shop state.
gryphon202 on February 21, 2011 at 12:05 PM
Define “support”.
Chuck Schick on February 21, 2011 at 12:06 PM
Of course! When I was a public employee I realized soon enough that the unions existed for one reason: to funnel tax money back to the Dems. 85% of our “dues” went to Dem PACs.
Most employees know this system is not sustainable and want to do the right thing, and have the freedom to choose where their campaign donations go.
PattyJ on February 21, 2011 at 12:07 PM
Wow, you would need quite a bit of pretzel like logic to get there. The police union is against something that is not relevant to teh police union, therefore, if you support it, then you hate the police.
That sounds like typical leftist thinking.
Of course, left out in all of the opposition by leftists is why gov’t employees deserve better pay and benefits (including retirement benefits) than anyone else receives. Or why it should be next to impossible to fire a gov’t employee.
The only reason lefists oppose this quite reasonable bill is b/c they know without the public unions they lose a ton of money for campaigns and a ton of muscle and bodies for their “grass roots” protests, etc. What is the left going to do without its SEIU shock troops?
Monkeytoe on February 21, 2011 at 12:07 PM
These are the same low-information voters that helped install the fraud in the WH.
No shock there.
RedNewEnglander on February 21, 2011 at 12:07 PM
gRasping for
airstraws.VegasRick on February 21, 2011 at 12:07 PM
PPP will get right on that…
steebo77 on February 21, 2011 at 12:09 PM
Polls are only legitimate when they support my position.
rjl1999 on February 21, 2011 at 12:09 PM
That too.
Aviator on February 21, 2011 at 12:09 PM
“It counts more” means nothing.
The majority of WI taxpayers back Scott as does the law.
But what does a liberal NYC dolt know about Wisconsin????
Odie1941 on February 21, 2011 at 12:10 PM
If there isn’t enough political will to reduce pay levels of public employees to be on part with their private sector counterparts, we could freeze their salaries until private sector pay catches up. It shouldn’t take long with the inflation that’s ahead.
FloatingRock on February 21, 2011 at 12:10 PM
HAHAHA. Wow.
Chuck Schick on February 21, 2011 at 12:11 PM
on partcorrection: on par
FloatingRock on February 21, 2011 at 12:11 PM
OT……….The Republican’s may have a defector.
Republican Turncoats May Sabotage Governor Walker’s Budget Cut Plans …Updated With Contact Info …Update: WI GOP Senators to Stand With Walker
Please follow the link to contact the possible defectors.
Knucklehead on February 21, 2011 at 12:12 PM
The trolls have been quite amusing. A cross between a deer in the headlights and a non swimmer adrift with a leaking life preserver.
Aviator on February 21, 2011 at 12:12 PM
Just heard an absolutely brilliant idea from caller on Milwaukee talk radio to get the Dem’s back to Madison. So beautiful in its simplicity, it’s brilliant!
Just stop direct deposit. Cut a manual paycheck that they have to come and pick up. In addition, require that Senators have to sign time cards for their staff in order for them to get paid.
WisRich on February 21, 2011 at 12:15 PM
about time, thanks for that.
As for this poll, I am surprised one bit, people are waking up.
Daemonocracy on February 21, 2011 at 12:15 PM
I totally disagree with what you are saying. Like I said I have lots of family up there and they have a much better clue of what’s going on up there then you.
Brat4life on February 21, 2011 at 12:16 PM
That is good, I was thinking of freezing their payments but this is even better as it’s even more simple.
Daemonocracy on February 21, 2011 at 12:16 PM
I wish Governor Walker would simply issue an edict…all state employees be at their work places at the appropriate time for their shift no later than Wednesday morning.
If not present for any reasons at all their employment is terminated…permanently.
These are the jobs Americans won’t do? Not hardly. There are a lot of qualified Americans all across the Nation who’d flock to Wisconsin in a heartbeat if there was a well-paying job waiting for them.
Worked for PATCO. People, millions of them, said the entire Nation would bust apart at the seams when Reagan took his stand against public service employees trying to blackmail/extort the Nation into kowtowing to their demands.
C’mon, Governor, let’s get this thing going…you’ve got a lot of support across the country and a lot more going for you in Wisconsin than the media is letting on.
Pass the bill…fire the lot of them…start with a fresh clean slate of employees who want to be there and actually do their assigned jobs.
coldwarrior on February 21, 2011 at 12:18 PM
So, this poll tells me one thing. The majority of young people and poor people are either stupid or willfully choose to be ignorant of the facts (which in my opinion still makes them stupid).
ButterflyDragon on February 21, 2011 at 12:20 PM
I cannot imagine there are no poll numbers out there for WI residents only. I suspect that the numbers look very bad for the public unions, which is why they haven’t been published and Obama is distancing himself from his comments last week.
Look at what’s happening. Walker is standing firm. The unions caved on the money issue, which makes the workers look even more ridiculous, as they are risking 5000-6000 jobs or more if the union bosses via their Democrat reps refuse to negotiate the collective bargaining aspect, WHICH they will still have for wage only negotiations.
Walker would not be publicly refusing to budge if he didn’t have his GOP members in line.
piglet on February 21, 2011 at 12:21 PM
I live in Ohio, which is already a right-to-work state… and we still have (teacher/public employee) unions demonstrating against SB5 even though our deficit is $8 BILLION compared to Wisconsin’s $3.6 billion!
No, right-to-work is not far enough. It doesn’t effect public employees.
dominigan on February 21, 2011 at 12:21 PM
That is brilliant. Clearly, that is a privately employed citizen.
piglet on February 21, 2011 at 12:25 PM
I think the poll numbers are going to be about the same if their pay is reduced or the protesting PEU’s are fired.
And the more we push the more the unions will get in Americas face and the worse they will look. That means that backing down favors the Democrats while pushing forward should benefit us along with the entire country, (and event he world).
FloatingRock on February 21, 2011 at 12:26 PM
Hey ernesto,
Glad to see you’ve crawled out of your hole. So, please answer my question from the Allen West thread. Please name one person who was wiretapped because they went to an anti-war rally. Just one.
G M on February 21, 2011 at 12:27 PM
Where is the National Enquirer on those Democrats on the lamb? Surely, they know how to ferret out location and who is footing the bill. They were masterful in the Edwards/love child debacle.
piglet on February 21, 2011 at 12:28 PM
Agree. Live in Ohio as well.
Around here the sentiment is that if the local teachers head down to Columbus to rally there will be a long long period of every bond issue and levy that has anything to do with education being voted down…with glee.
Teachers in this area make over three times more than the average wage earner, and Administrative staff makes over four times as much. Why should the citizens be forced to pay enormous wages and benefits to their employees (public service workers, to include teachers) when they cannot afford to pay themselves a comprable wage?
Sure, allow the public service employees the “right” to collective bargaining but…but…make darn sure that every such agreement is given to the citizens of each state to vote upon in its entirety before any such agreement is enacted.
They work for us. We do not work for them. Where is our say in how much they are paid and how wonderful the benefits they recieve should be?
Right now, thanks to the unions and timid politicians over the decades, the employers (US) have no say at all in how our employees are paid.
It has got to stop.
coldwarrior on February 21, 2011 at 12:31 PM
Fresh out of public schools, eh?
maynila on February 21, 2011 at 12:39 PM
I’m hoping that we’ll see the same thing here in NY. Gov. Cuomo is sounding positively conservative on school budgets and public employee pensions and benefits. It has ignited quite a conversation among the closet conservatives, and has completely cowed into silence the typically loud, liberal college crowd.
Interesting times.
piglet on February 21, 2011 at 12:39 PM
Too bad it’s already been decided by the ‘poll’ they conducted back in November.
BigWyo on February 21, 2011 at 12:42 PM
…and probably a huge portion of the tax base…/
BigWyo on February 21, 2011 at 12:44 PM
Does this mean the public has caught on that a group of people paying to elect the people that they will “negotiate” their pay and benefits is probably not in the public’s best interest? Or did they get a clue when it was decided in D.C. that the taxpayers will fund all pension shortfalls, private or public.
Cindy Munford on February 21, 2011 at 12:49 PM
Didn’t they all endorse Walker last year when he was running? Sounds like they’re all pretty stupid to me…
Del Dolemonte on February 21, 2011 at 12:57 PM
Yeah, you’re right-after all, ernie has told us in the past that none of us are qualified to comment on the Ground Zero Mosque unless we actually live in NYC.
Del Dolemonte on February 21, 2011 at 1:01 PM
Well it’s good to know that a fairly elected Governor, legislature, can retain some popularity only 4 months after his election.
The unions want to end capitalism and democracy.
This can’t be allowed to happen.
It is time to curb back the power of unions before all our prosperity is gone for good.
Wisconsin citzens know who they voted for. They know the labels of dictator are a lie. I don’t see how the unions win this. Unless they really think everyone is stupid.
I sincerely hope Obama continues to overplay his hand, and show his true totalitarian tendencies.
Even when Obama was first in office and we were in shock over his earliest policies we didn’t doubt he was elected and we had to endure it. That’s what happens when you lose elections.
petunia on February 21, 2011 at 1:12 PM
Ernesto that sounds like you think the police are going to start shooting political opponents! You are calling for a coup!
Rather than “poll” last November, it was a “referendum”. An ELECTION! You know democracy!
These hire a mob protesters are trying to overturn the will of the people! This is the most undemocratic thing I have ever seen in this country.
If they were protesting the vote of the legislature… that would be democratic and have bearing on the next election maybe… but that’s not what they are doing! They have stopped the vote, they have stopped the will of the people!!!!!
This is mob rule, for the past week, Wisconsin has been ruled by a mob made up of a minority imposing it’s will on the majority who voted for exactly this.
This is the most undemocratic thing I have ever ever witnessed and never thought to witness in America! This is a disgrace.
I think the longer it lasts and the more people learn the more damage they do to the popularity of the unions and the Democratic Party.
The Democrats can never be trusted with power anywhere in America. And the majority of Americans are seeing why played out in Wisconsin right now. They only care for power and wealth.
I only hope we have discovered the lengths they are willing to go for power in time to save the country from them.
petunia on February 21, 2011 at 1:24 PM
Normally I would bet the ranch on that, but I’m not running to my bookie this time. Paradigm shift?
SKYFOX on February 21, 2011 at 1:39 PM
Headlines: “Gaddafi Flees Libya!” ” Democrat weasel lawmakers flee WI in order to shut down the government!”
Marco on February 21, 2011 at 2:02 PM
The last thing public unions want to have is a national discussion on this issue. As people start to focus the inheritedly undemocratic nature of public unions, the unions will lose influence.
Why do I say undemocratic? Here in the Madison, there’s no school again today. Who decided that? It wasn’t the school board members who are elected by the people and represented their wishes. Or by the school superintendent who is appointed by elected representatives.
No, it was decided by John Matthews and his band of teachers. Anyone who lives in the Madison area knows that John Matthews is the REAL head of the Madison school district. And that means school policy – even if our schools are open or not – is decided by an unelected union head.
Because in collective bargaining, union heads and elected representative negotiate as equals, it means that public union members have more power than their non-union citizen neighbors. In determining public policy, public unions act as a de facto fourth branch of the government: and one that is not answerable to the wishes of the voting public.
That’s what public unions don’t want people to think about.
PackerBronco on February 21, 2011 at 2:14 PM
This is all about them. They’ll wake up when it’s too late.
Schadenfreude on February 21, 2011 at 3:16 PM
Losing the battle for public opinion. Good to see it.
http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-spokane/public-sector-unions-losing-battle-of-public-opinion-over-wisconsin-protests
jdawg on February 21, 2011 at 4:11 PM
I was once a non union gov’t employee. The union fought every promotion I received up until I made it past them into management ranks. Guess whose side I am on.
Oleta on February 21, 2011 at 5:07 PM
Thank you. This is the first time I’ve seen his name mentioned. This is the person responsible for this mess, the head of the union. This is the person sending others to do his dirty work while keeping his name out of the media and his hands clean.
Alinsky this jerk.
runawayyyy on February 22, 2011 at 2:53 PM