No matter where you stand in Wisconsin's political civil war, you no doubt have run into some of those awkward moments at the water cooler, the company lunchroom, the hair salon, the coffee shop or the corner bar.
You know, that moment when someone even vaguely mentions the state's budget crisis, and you have to quickly make calculated guesses about what that person's political persuasions are and how willing you are to go to the mat to express your viewpoint on the issue.
The budget crisis is one of those issues that is even dividing families. Trust me. I know. I have people in my family who have vested philosophical and professional interests in Gov. Scott Walker's budget repair bill, and I have many family members who are teachers. I even have a nephew who is on the verge of graduating college with a degree in education and a dream to be a math teacher.
No less than the future of the state hangs in the balance. As I said at the heat of the debate over President Barack Obama's campaign to reform the American health care system, history is messy when you're making it, and clarity is often scarce on the road to resolution.
For most, this issue boils down to whom we define as "us" and whom we define as "them."
For Walker and his fellow Republicans, they know whom their "us" is. Their "us" includes fiscal conservatives, social conservatives, businesses and – in their minds – cash-strapped taxpayers who have had to tighten their belts in the Great Recession and need their government to live within its means.
For Walker and his fellow Republicans, the "them" are liberals and the labor unions that support them. The Republicans' "them" includes the protesters in Madison, whom State Sen. Glenn Grothmann (R-West Bend) called "slobs." The Republicans' "them" are teachers who have negotiated great retirement plans and health care benefits. Many Republicans believe unions no longer serve a legitimate purpose, and they believe those 14 Senate Democrats who fled to Illinois are traitors.
The other side also is equally clear about its "us" and its "them." Their "us" includes the teachers who teach our children, the nurses who tend to our wounds and the plow driver who clears our streets. In their eyes, those protesters in Madison are brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and neighbors. Their "us" is the middle class. They believe collective bargaining is a basic human right, and they believe those 14 Democratic State Senators who fled to Illinois are heroes.
For the unions and liberals, the "them" includes the corporate interests so emblemized in that fake David Koch telephone call to Walker. Indeed, seven of the 10 largest outside donors to political campaigns in this country represent conservative corporate interests. (The other three represent – you guessed it – labor unions.)
No matter how the state budget plays out, this much I know: This fight goes into 2012 and beyond.
The most unfortunate aspect is so many people on the left and right ends of the political spectrum have already retreated to their familiar, comfortable, knee-jerk media corners for their information and have no intention whatsoever of considering the other side.
Remember, Wisconsin, on the other side of this, we'll all have to move forward together. Or in other words, "we" will need to become "us" again.
Steve Jagler is executive editor of BizTimes Milwaukee.
Steve Jagler is executive editor of BizTimes in Milwaukee and is past president of the Milwaukee Press Club. BizTimes provides news and operational insight for the owners and managers of privately held companies throughout southeastern Wisconsin.
Steve has won several journalism awards as a reporter, a columnist and an editor. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
When he is not pursuing the news, Steve enjoys spending time with his wife, Kristi, and their two sons, Justin and James. Steve can be reached at steve.jagler@biztimes.com.
