IBD Poll: Public Favors Limiting Collective Bargaining

By 45%-42%, voters back Republican efforts to balance state budgets by limiting collective bargaining rights for government unions, according to the latest IBD/TIPP poll. That stance is backed by Republicans, 80%-8%, and by independents, 46%-36%. Even 14% of Democrats say limit collective bargaining.

That’s a switch from last month when an IBD/TIPP poll asked whether voters favored Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker or the state public employee unions in that state’s showdown over bargaining rights. That poll found the public supported the unions, 49%-43%. Democrats backed the unions, 83%-11%, while independents backed them, 47%-42%. Republicans backed Walker, 82%-11%.

The main difference is the independents’ reaction, suggesting that some have rethought their earlier backing of the unions. Perhaps the budget fight in Congress swayed some to the argument that deficits need to be reined in. Or maybe the independents are just fickle. Either way, the public does seem to be open to budget cutting arguments.

In today’s IBD we report that the most recent polling shows the White House losing ground with moderates since last fall’s election. A major part of that decline is anxiety about the federal debt and the administration’s sluggish response to the issue.

The poll found that, by 47%-26%, voters gave Obama failing grades for his handling of the budget. That suggests that liberal groups should rethink their knee-jerk opposition to budget cuts: It is putting them out of step with the broader public.

For example, after Walker signed a state law limiting collective bargaining rights, Big Labor and its liberal allies warned that that and similar actions by other governors had roused a major backlash.

The first wave of the backlash was supposed to be the state Supreme Court race. But for all the media hype and massive funding by labor and other outside groups, environmental lawyer JoAnne Kloppenburg has apparently failed to unseat incumbent David Prosser.

Maybe the public really does want to see budgets trimmed.