MORNING EDITION

Emails show Walker negotiating with Dems

So, an open-records request by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel led to the release of emails from Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s office showing that, contrary to his every public statement, he has been negotiating with Democrats and has offered concessions on most of their collective bargaining issues. Says the J-S story by Jason Stein and Patrick Marley: “The e-mails showed ideas and counteroffers — panned Tuesday by state labor leaders and some Democrats — that were made by the Republican governor's aides and two Democrats as they sought some resolution that would allow Democrats to come back to Wisconsin. Senate Democrats have been holed up in Illinois since Feb. 17, when they left the state to block a vote on Walker's budget-repair bill. The e-mails were first released to the Journal Sentinel through an open-records request and then to other news outlets. The Journal Sentinel also first reported Friday on some of the ideas, which would rewrite some of the provisions most criticized by unions but still sharply restrict their bargaining.”

But before anyone gets too excited, Rick Ungar, writing for Forbes magazine’s Policy Page blog, quotes a release from the head of AFSCME saying: “Scott Walker is literally being sued by multiple Wisconsin media outlets for failing to release emails related to the budget repair bill, yet he’s willing to selectively leak emails he believes create the illusion he’s willing to make concessions. Behind the smoke and mirrors, Scott Walker is still hell-bent on stripping all collective bargaining rights from thousands of Wisconsin workers — including child care providers, Quality Home Care Workers,  UW Faculty and Academic Staff. The very few bargaining rights he uses to create the illusion he’s willing to compromise are still drastically limited, and the ability of unions to effectively bargain would still be eliminated entirely.”

The New York Times story, by Monica Davey, says: “By Tuesday, though, any possible deal appeared far from reality, and talks appeared to have ended. Mr. Walker and other Republican leaders, who want the Senate Democrats to return so a vote can occur and other state work can proceed in Madison, accused the Democrats of giving mixed messages about who was leading their talks and of suggesting publicly that no substantive negotiations had been under way in the first place. The Democrats, meanwhile, complained that the Republicans had publicly discussed what they saw as private negotiations, and said they were not returning to Wisconsin, at least for now.”

In the Wall Street Journal, Douglas Belkin and Kris Maher note the recall campaigns against eight Republicans and six Democrats are well-funded by out-of-state groups: “[R]ecall efforts are gaining steam with the help of groups from outside the state. Eight Republican and six Democratic senators have been targeted for recall. Nationwide liberal groups Progressive Change Campaign Committee, based in Washington, and Democracy for America, based in Vermont, have raised more than $500,000 online in the past week. ... In Green Bay, David Vander Leest, a wind-farm developer organizing a recall effort against Democrat Dave Hansen, said a meeting last weekend drew 400 volunteers while 400 protesters lined up outside to demonstrate against the effort.... Ken Goldstein, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, said, "The state is phenomenally polarized. Democrats are lined up in lockstep against the governor, Republicans are lined up in lockstep behind him."

And because all that is going so well next door, Minnesota GOP legislators see a golden opportunity to serve up some of the same right here. Tim Nelson at MPR writes: “Perhaps taking a cue from the political showdown between Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and his state's unions, Minnesota legislators are focusing on the state's 70,000 public school teachers. A series of measures introduced in recent weeks aims to reset the state's longstanding relationship with its public school teachers, and curb teachers' labor and political power. The bills, largely from Republicans, would bar teachers from striking, decertify their unions, eliminate permanent tenure and even end traditional summer vacation."

Tim Pawlenty may be wandering deep in the second tier of candidates among zealous Republicans, but he’s becoming a kind of darling to wise-ass liberals like Jonathan Chait at the New Republic, who says, after eliminating everyone else: “In the end, Pawlenty’s calling card is an ability to appeal to white working-class voters. Pawlenty calls himself a ‘Sam’s Club Republican.’ The phrase has also been used by Ross Douthat and Reihan Salam in urging the party to adopt a more working-class friendly platform. But the coincidence between the two uses of the phrase ends there. Pawlenty does not dissent in any way from the party’s plutocratic platform — his notion of working class appeal lies purely in the realm of personal style. This, too, places Pawlenty squarely in the George W. Bush mold of nominee, a reasonably (though not wildly) talented pol who uses charisma to demonstrate working-class authenticity while reliably toeing the party line.”

Similarly, Lawrence O’Donnell, Keith Olbermann’s replacement on lefty cable nirvana MSNBC, narrows the (stunningly weak) field down to Pawlenty. Here’s video.

Kevin Diaz, on the Strib’s “Hot Dish Politics” notes that Norm Coleman’s new group is drawing flak and demands for an IRS inspection. “The non-profit watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) asked the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Tuesday to investigate whether a group run by former Minnesota U.S. Senator Norm Coleman violated tax laws in the run-up to the midterm elections. CREW claims that Coleman’s American Action Network (AAN) engaged in political campaign activity as its primary purpose, contrary to IRS rules for a 501(c)(4) tax-exempt organization.” “Political activity," like at Rick’s Cafe? Shocking!

Annie Baxter of MPR files a report on the latest workforce cuts at Hutchinson Technology: “The maker of computer hard drive components has already shrunk its payroll by more than half in the past few years. ... the company currently employs roughly 1,100 workers in Minnesota. About 600 of them — those who do manufacturing work — are getting pink slips as a result of the restructuring announced Tuesday. Headquarters and research and development workers will remain in the town of Hutchinson, but their ranks will likely also thin out. ... After already having moved a big chunk of assembly work to Thailand, where labor costs are cheaper, Hutchinson Technology is now sending component manufacturing to Eau Claire, Wis.”