Now We Know - Why President Obama Skipped Wisconsin

Last Tuesday, June 5, was the Wisconsin Recall Election. Republican Governor Scott Walker decisively defeated Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett to defeat the recall.

President Obama was AWOL. He was MIA in Wisconsin during the recall election.

Maybe, probably his campaigning in Milwaukee, Madison, Kenosha, Appleton, and Eau Claire would not have made an iota of difference in the final outcome, but his absence betrayed the Labor Movement.

Labor, especially the public sector unions, form the bulwark of the modern Democratic Party. They provide both the fund and ground game for democratic candidates from the school board up to the Presidency.

This premise is not to minimize the importance of African Americans, Hispanics, women, environmentalists, the LGBT community, trial lawyers, the mainstream media, and the academics, all of whom form the broad democratic coalition.

But Labor is the foundation.

President Obama failed to show solidarity with Labor with the most critical election in the recent history of the Labor Movement.

Now we know why. It wasn’t because the Mayor would lose, and the President did not want to be identified with a loser. No, he was too busy.

Earlier today in an interview with WBAY TV of Green Bay Wisconsin, he said he was too busy; he simply didn’t have time to visit Wisconsin. In his words: “The thrust of the matter is that, as president of the United States, I’ve got a lot of responsibilities.”

Here are President Obama’s responsibilities to the people of the United States so far in June.

On Friday June 1 President Obama was excited about spending the night in his Chicago home. Earlier in the day he conducted three fundraisers in Minnesota, raising $1.8 million and then flew to Chicago for three additional fundraisers and $3.5 million. Last time I checked, and I have driven it, Wisconsin lies between Minnesota and Illinois. Stopping off in Milwaukee to campaign for Mayor Barrett, even on the morning of June 2 would have been easy to arrange.

On Monday June 4, the day before the Wisconsin recall, the President was in New York City for three fundraisers raising $3.6 million.

He started June 6, the day after Wisconsin, with fundraisers in San Francisco and then flew Air Force One for two days in Los Angeles. He hobnobbed with Ellen DeGeneres, Cher, Darren Criss, Jane Lynch, Reese Witherspoon, Rob Reiner, and Julia Roberts.

Let’s think about this a minute. He can meet and greet Hollywood celebrities or campaign with Mayor Barrett and the Cheeseheads of Wisconsin. No brainer for the President, who professes to represent the people!

He stopped off in Vegas on the way back from La La Land. Remember Vegas? That’s where the President excoriated bankers in February 2009 for scheduling a meeting in Vegas. A year later on February 2, 2010 in a speech in New Hampshire He said “When time are tough, You don’t go buying a boat when you can barely pay your mortgage. “

Then comes the Vegas line “You don’t blow a bunch of cash on Vegas when you are trying to save for college. You prioritize; you make tough choices.”

But wait, the prior statement is inoperative because The President told us last Friday “The private economy is doing fine.”

Solidarity; the Labor Movement is based on solidarity.