He goes after them right at the beginning, then circles back around at about 5:00. Frankly, I wish he’d have been harder on them. There would have been some risk in that, as an angry response would signal to some that the runaway tactic has him worried, but I’ll bet there are enough voters out there who are aghast at the sight of Democrats literally running away from their budget problems that a little righteous indignation would have been welcome. As it is, he took the cool-calm-composed “leader in command” route. Always a safe play, although not one that’s channeling the base’s passion on this.

Two clips here, one of Walker and the other of another Republican who once had to hang tough with unions. Compare and contrast. Oh, by the way, have I mentioned that Obama’s online DNC operation is helping to coordinate the protests in Wisconsin? In case you were unclear on how high the stakes are here and what this means for other states eyeing “corrective measures” for their own budgets, that should bring it into focus. A quote from John Boehner: “I’m disappointed that instead of providing similar leadership from the White House, the president has chosen to attack leaders such as Gov. Walker, who are listening to the people and confronting problems that have been neglected for years at the expense of jobs and economic growth. I urge the president to order the DNC to suspend these tactics.”

Update: Via Big Government, an encounter in Rockford. The guy says he’s leaving to go do his job in Wisconsin. Does that mean they’re coming home?