Milwaukee

In the final televised debate before the June 5 Wisconsin gubernatorial recall election, Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett called Governor Scott Walker a “rock star to the far right” and “Pontius Pilate” who used a “dead baby” in a TV ad for political gain.

As Barrett redoubled his efforts to portray Walker as a corrupt and demagogic egomaniac, Walker soberly explained how his budget reforms–the very issue that led to massive protests last spring and the recall election this summer–brought about lower taxes, a balanced budget, better schools, and job growth. Walker said his reforms were “fundamentally about fairness” and had shifted power from “special interests” to taxpayers. Barrett disputed Walker’s claims, arguing that college tuition and K-12 class sizes had increased. Walker responded by noting that districts where his reforms have not yet taken effect largely account for the jump in class sizes.