STATE OF PLAY

You may have been reading about the protests in Wisconsin. Essentially, the public employee unions are upset with legislation that would curb their power and benefits. It is, of course, their right to protest against the legislation. It is, however, indefensible for the Democratic members of the legislature to abandon their duties as a ploy to prevent action on the bill. It is indefensible for some of the more radical union members to attempt to intimidate lawmakers and the governor by demonstrating at their homes. I hope that many Americans are watching this and are beginning to understand that the only way to prevent the unabated growth of government is to fight (through peaceful political means) against the people who benefit from that growth.

Peggy Noonan writes about the leadership that is coming from some state governors, as she profiles the courage and commitment of Mitch Daniels of Indiana and Chris Christie of New Jersey. If Scott Walker of Wisconsin holds the line against the unions in his state, we can add him to the list.

One person who does not fit the leadership bill is Barack Obama. As Charles Krauthammer points out, his new budget can aptly be described as a Louis XV budget ("after me, the deluge").

In fact, the story is even worse than simply one of a President who does not have the courage to lead. Barack Obama does not lack courage or conviction, in my estimation. He believes in his left-wing vision of government. He wants to achieve political victory in order to implement that vision. Facing the enormous repudiation at the polls last November, he has decided to fight back. He has sent in a budget that does very little to deal with deficits because he has made the political calculation that the true believers in the GOP will come out with alternatives that make REAL cuts, and may even go after entitlements. He believes that by doing so the GOP will alienate the great mass of independent voters, which will help him win reelection in 2012 and give him a Democratic majority in Congress. I believed that before today, but this article in The Washington Post about the political activities of the President and his people makes me even more certain, as they are now jumping in with both feet regarding the battles in the states over the power and perks of the public employee unions. Winning in 2012 will depend on that power on a state-by-state basis.