Appearing at a rally in Milwaukee Friday morning for Mayor Tom Barrett, former President Bill Clinton said the nation has looked at Wisconsin for 100 years as a place where people came together to work out their problems, but now they see this state as America’s battleground where people who want to work together are facing those who want to “divide and conquer.”
Clinton says the nation will be watching next week and a loss for Barrett will be felt in many other states. He says a Walker win will show those who support his agenda and poured money into the race that they can “break every union in America” and stop worrying about the middle class.
Clinton says he normally opposes recalls, but believes they are sometimes necessary to avoid a disastrous course. He told the crowd that cooperation works and “constant conflict is a dead bang loser, and you need to get rid of it.”
During an appearance in the Appleton area Friday morning, Governor Walker questioned why Clinton came to the Badger State to help Barrett’s campaign instead of President Obama. Walker pointed out that Obama is in Minnesota today, and it’s “very telling that the President of the United States is in the Midwest” and minutes away from Wisconsin, but chose not to come here.
AUDIO: Governor Walker (:21)
Barrett and Walker face each other in the June 5th recall election.
AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (1:09)
WHBY’s Mike Kemmeter contributed to this report.