“[M]aybe they tried to get too much and as a result it failed,” he told the Journal Sentinel.

Cain added that he believed public employees had the right to collective bargaining but not “collective hijacking.”

“… If [public-employee unions] have gotten so much for so many years and it’s going to bankrupt the state,” he told the newspaper’s editorial board.  “I don’t think that’s good. It appears that in some instances, they really don’t care.”

Wisconsin passed its own collective-bargaining reform law, drawing tens of thousands of protesters to the state’s Capitol and sparking a movement to recall Governor Scott Walker and several state legislators.  Unlike Ohio’s law, however, Wisconsin’s excluded public safety unions, such as firefighters and police, from the measures; Ohio’s law, spearheaded by Governor John Kasich, did not.

Cain told the Journal Sentinel Ohio lawmakers “may have tried to get too much in one bill.”

Cain, formerly the CEO of Godfather’s Pizza, Inc., also fielded questions about President Obama’s handling of the Libyan civil war; he said he would have handled it differently at the planning level, but didn’t provide details of how.

Members of the Chicago Teachers Union and Stand Up! Chicago performed a “mic check” at the beginning of Walker’s remarks that continued for several minutes, despite attempts by others at the breakfast to stifle the statements.

It’s an outrage and a shame that we sit here at this fancy breakfast to listen to someone who has wreaked havoc on the lives of working families. Governor Walker has vilified unions and insulted the 99 percent who depend on living wages and adequate benefits to support their families while on the payroll of the right-wing billionaire Koch brothers.

It is not so different from our own state where corporations and bought-off politicians clamor to find ways to grant a $100 million tax break to the Mercantile Exchange, one of the most profitable companies in the state, while social services are being slashed, while workers’ pensions are being threatened and homelessness, poverty and joblessness continue to rise. The CME has already taken $15 million of our TIF dollars. That’s our tax money that would have gone to help students in the Chicago Public Schools.

It is ironic that we give Governor Walker free rein to say what he wants while the Mayor has ordered the arrest of over 300 people in Occupy Chicago who have simply tried to express their rights to freedom of assembly. The bottom line is that Governor Walker is out of touch with America, and working people will not honor anyone seeking to undermine our lives for the benefit of the 1 percent.

Demonstrators then repeatedly chanted, “Union busting is disgusting” and “we are the 99 percent.”

Watch:

Only last week, roughly 100 Iowans gathered outside of a West Des Moines hotel to demonstrate against Walker, who was delivering a private message at an event sponsored by The Heritage Foundation. Both Walker and Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad have maintained that they are not anti-worker and that they are trying to protect the middle class.

The law, if passed, would repeal a one-year-old law that requires schools that teach sexual-health courses to teach both abstinence and contraception. Abstinence-only education was banned while Democrats controlled both state chambers, but in 2010, House and Senate control flipped to the Republicans.

Under Senate Bill 237, schools would be required to teach abstinence is the preferred choice for unmarried students and would have to discuss the socioeconomic benefits of marriage. The bill would allow schools to teach about birth control, but it is not a recommended topic of discussion. The Senate also adopted an amendment preventing schools from discriminating against students based on their race, gender, sexual orientation or if they have disabilities or are already sexually active.

From the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel:

Its chief sponsor, Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin), said her proposal would give school districts more of a say in writing their curricula.

“This is about small government at its best,” she said. “This is about local control.”

But Democrats said changing the law could lead to spikes in sexually transmitted diseases and teen pregnancies.

“What’s before us is whether we want children to learn sex education … from our schools or from a Google search,” said Sen. Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee).

Democrats noted Milwaukee’s teen birthrate dropped after the city and the United Way of Greater Milwaukee launched a 2008 program that teaches young people about both abstinence and contraception. The city’s birthrate dropped from 52 per 1,000 teens in 2006 to 35.7 per 1,000 in 2010.

But Sen. Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) argued the drop in the city’s teen birthrate was because Milwaukee Public Schools had put more of an emphasis on abstinence.

A federal sex-education bill introduced to Congress on Wednesday, would prohibit federal funding to all programs that enforce abstinence-only instruction without offering students “age-appropriate” information about “life-saving” prevention methods. State schools only offering abstinence-only education would thus be ineligible for federal sex-education dollars.

The survey by the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute mirrors results six months ago. Fifty-six percent of those surveyed strongly or somewhat disapproved of Walker, while 42 percent somewhat or strongly approved.

The poll also found Wisconsin residents had grown less pessimistic about the economy in the last six months.

“There is a rising sense of optimism, and tempers that were flaring in March are subsiding a bit,” said University of Chicago Professor Will Howell, who directed the poll, in a statement. ”Interestingly, this is has not redounded to the benefit of the governor.”

Howell said Walker could benefit if the recall effort came to be about the economy or recall elections rather than his performance in office.

And in the battleground state of Wisconsin, the poll found high support for Pres. Barack Obama, 54-42, with Obama beating all Republican challengers by at least 10 percent.

The IDP’s statement came as Walker visited West Des Moines on Wednesday for a fundraising dinner benefiting the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think-tank located in Washington, D.C. Branstad attended the event.

Walker gained national attention earlier this year when he pushed a bill stripping some collective bargaining rights for public workers and requiring them to pay more for health insurance, among other things.

IDP Chairwoman Sue Dvorksy said Walker “brings a familiar anti-worker agenda that is nearly identical to that of Governor Terry Branstad.”

“While Scott Walker’s attack on working men and women in his state drew national attention, Governor Branstad and Iowa Republicans were pushing their own anti-worker bill. If passed, it would have ended decades of important protections for workers across the state,” Dvorsky said. “Throughout his career, Governor Branstad has failed to support working men and women across this state, just as Scott Walker is doing in his.”

But Branstad called the IDP’s statements “an unfair and inappropriate characterization,” and said both he and Walker are trying to deal with tough state budgets.

“He, like me and a lot of other governors, inherited a real financial mess and is making tough decisions to try to get his state on the right track, and I think the people of Wisconsin can make their judgment on their governor,” Branstad said. “And I feel confident to stand for the people of Iowa and point out what we’re doing in the state of Iowa to bring more business and jobs and to increase opportunities for workers in this state.”

Democrats in Wisconsin have undertaken an effort to recall Walker. In an e-mail to supporters on Wednesday, former U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisconsin) said Walker “has torn our state apart.” Feingold is founder of Progressives United, a 501(c)4 organization.

“Since taking office in January, Scott Walker has attacked the rights of Wisconsin workers, passed an undemocratic voter ID bill, and done the bidding of the Koch brothers and his deep-pocketed corporate backers at every turn,” Feingold wrote.

Feingold asked for donations to help recall Walker, saying he’s “governed so extremely and so recklessly, going right at the throat of working people when our families are suffering, that we have no choice.”

“Enough is enough. The people of Wisconsin can’t afford four full years of Scott Walker as our governor — and it’s time for us to recall him,” he said.

About 100 people gathered outside the Sheraton Hotel where Walker was speaking to express their displeasure with him, Branstad, and what they see as a nationwide attack on workers’ rights.

The Heritage Foundation event was closed to the media, but a video is expected to be available online on Thursday.

Wisconsin Republicans are moving to strengthen their position as a likely recall of Gov. Scott Walker by Democrats nears.

Walker’s chief of staff resigned Friday to head up Walker’s recall campaign, according to the Associated Press.

Keith Gilkes, who presided over Walker’s attempts to change the collective bargaining rights of state workers, will be replaced by Walker Deputy Chief of Staff Eric Schutt.

It’s not the only step being taken by Republicans in the run-up to the expected recall attempt, which could start as soon as 95 days from now.

On Wednesday, Republicans in the Wisconsin legislature announced that they’re seeking to give Walker authority over the procedures for recall elections, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. The move could threaten policies put in place by the state’s Government Accountability Board, like online distribution of recall petitions and the ability of students to use their college IDs to vote.

Wisconsin State Sen. Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee) told the Associated Press that the change would give the ”governor control of the chicken coop, so to say.”

Walker opponents would need to collect 540,000 signatures in 60 days to spark the recall election.

Thompson told Milwaukee’s WTMJ that he was running for Senate “because the country is in terrible shape.”

Thompson has taken heat from conservative groups like the Club for Growth, who say Thompson isn’t conservative enough.

“The truth of the matter is I was the original conservative,” Thompson said on the radio show. “I was the one who carried the state of Wisconsin four times, when Republicans and Republicanism was the not de rigueur of the state, and we were able to change the state of Wisconsin, not to a red state, but a purple state.”

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel points out that Thompson himself admitted his moderation in an earlier interview.

“I’m not as conservative as I once was. … You grow on your job. … It’s much better to use pragmatic common sense than be so rigidly tied to one ideology you can’t see the forest for the trees.”

The only other candidate to enter the race has been Tammy Baldwin, who currently serves the state as a congresswoman. Other Republicans are expected to throw their hats in the ring.

In an email message sent to supporters Tuesday morning, Baldwin cited Wall Street reform, economic justice for the middle class and withdrawal from Afghanistan as issues on which her campaign will focus.

“I’ve decided to run for the U.S. Senate because I believe Wisconsin families need a senator who will work hard to deliver results for the middle class — a leader with the courage to do what’s right, no matter how tough the odds or how powerful the special interests we have to fight,” she wrote.

“I can’t wait to take my fight to the Senate: a fight to grow our economy, protect seniors, force Wall Street to clean up its act, and bring our troops home from Afghanistan. And I can’t wait to see you on the trail as we bring our campaign to every corner of Wisconsin.”

Baldwin is the first openly gay woman in the U.S. House. And, if she wins the 2012 race for U.S. Senate, she will become the first openly gay person to serve in that chamber.

“I know that, in this campaign, we’ll be up against some powerful special interests. But I’ve beaten the odds before. All my life, the naysayers have told me that I can’t win because I’m a progressive … because I’m a woman … even because I’m a lesbian. And I’ve proven them wrong because I’ve had rock-solid supporters like you standing with me,” she said.

On the GOP side, several individuals have been rumored as potential candidates — including former Gov. and 2008 presidential candidate Tommy Thompson. Former Wisconsin Rep. Mark Neumann, however, is the only person to make it official.

Former U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, who was rumored to be considering a run, recently announced that he would not seek any elected office in 2012.

Baldwin’s candidacy has already drawn support from EMILY’s List president Shephanie Schriock, who labeled Baldwin in a prepared statement as a “dedicated and hardworking leader.”

“In office she has tirelessly advocated for affordable access to women’s health care and equal rights for all Americans. Tammy has earned a strong economic record in the House — standing for jobs and small business against corporate lobbying interests and unfair trade deals. She has consistently spoken out against the GOP war on women and we need her strong voice in the Senate. We’re thrilled she’s thrown her hat in the ring and are excited that this race is starting,” Schriock said.

Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, also put out a statement, saying, “Tammy Baldwin’s candidacy for the U.S. Senate is monumental for both the state of Wisconsin and the country’s LGBT community. Tammy has proven herself as an effective legislator over the course of her 13 years in Congress and this campaign will be a top priority for the Human Rights Campaign.”

Baldwin’s introductory message is embedded below:

Taylor, who is scheduled to provide the keynote address at the Polk County Democrats’ 11th annual Women’s Event Tuesday event, told The Iowa Independent by phone that “this is really a moment in America’s history where we have to determine whether or not we believe in her values and her democracy.”

Lena Taylor

First elected to the Wisconsin Assembly in 2003, Taylor was one of the state’s “Fab 14″ lawmakers who left the state in hopes of preventing Gov. Scott Walker from passing a “Budget Repair Bill” that eliminated many collective bargaining rights of public employees.

She says her focus has always been fighting for the middle class and the working poor.

“Democracy in the workplace is called collective bargaining,” Taylor said.

Although federal law dating back to 1935 protects the right of private employees to engage in collective bargaining, there are no such protections for public sector employees who choose to unionize. Although Walker had argued that his bill would leave collective bargaining in Wisconsin “fully intact,” the statement was given PolitiFact’s strongest rebuke of “pants on fire.”

Although the Wisconsin bill carved out exceptions for firefighters, police and state troopers, all other public sector unions saw at least a partial reduction of their rights to collectively bargain. Rights for about 5,000 home health care workers and 2,800 employees of the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics, including nurses, were completely repealed, and 30,000 University of Wisconsin System faculty and academic staff had their rights to organize and bargain completely rolled back from an earlier (Democratic) state decision that allowed it.

Due to mostly conservative, but a few liberal, shadowy influence groups chiming in on subsequent recall elections, no one really knows how many millions have been spent in Wisconsin in an effort to either preserve or repeal Walker’s bill. Currently, Democrats remain one vote shy in the Wisconsin Senate.

When Taylor takes the microphone in Des Moines Tuesday night, attendees will no doubt hear much more about the ongoing Wisconsin labor battles, but the Democrat will also be speaking on something far more personal in nature. Although she is the 1,000th senator for Wisconsin, she is only the 20th woman and fifth African American to serve. In fact, she is only the second African American woman senator in state history.

Similar numbers are at work in Iowa, where women hold a slim majority of the state’s overall population but far less than half of state elected offices. When county and local elected offices are combined, it’s been estimated that women serve in less than 15 percent of all elected positions. At the national level, Iowa joins Mississippi as the only states to have never elected a woman to the U.S. Senate or House or as governor.

Taylor muses that her own state isn’t likely far ahead of Mississippi and Iowa when it comes to gender equality for elected offices, noting that the state has only had a few women who have served at the national or statewide level.

“Women play an important role in politics,” Taylor said.

Because most government positions traditionally dominated by males — firefighters and police, for example — were held exempt by Walker and Wisconsin Republicans, the caps and limits placed on collective bargaining in the state will strike more directly upon professions that are traditionally dominated by females, such as teachers and nurses. A recent report indicated that two-thirds of all Wisconsin families in poverty are led by women and, across-the-board in the Wisconsin, women are more likely than men to be poor. For those reasons, the limits on collective bargaining are expected to further negatively impact one of the state’s already vulnerable demographics.

Analysis of Walker’s executive budget, introduced on March 31, by the Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health in partnership with students from the University of Wisconsin Madison’s La Follette School of Public Affairs found that of the proposed $4.2 billion in proposed cuts, $1.7 billion, or 40 percent, are direct cuts to programs that serve Wisconsin women and girls. When programs that predominantly serve women are included, more than 50 percent of the proposed cuts would negatively impact women’s services ranging from health care to legal services for victims of sexual assault, job training to child care and education services.

“We need to engage and we need to be active because we are the mothers of the young people who are coming behind us, and we weren’t always part of the ‘we the people’ in America,” she said.

The annual women’s event in Des Moines is being hosted by Roxanne Conlin, one of several Iowa women who have made unsuccessful bids for federal office.

Russ Feingold

“This was a difficult decision, as I thoroughly enjoyed my tenure in the State Senate and the U.S. Senate, and I know that progressives are eager to reverse some of the outrageous policies being pursued by corporate interests at both the state and federal levels. I am also well aware that I have a very strong standing in polls should I choose to run again for the U.S. Senate or in a recall election for governor. After 28 continuous years as an elected official, however, I have found the past eight months to be an opportunity to look at things from a different perspective,” wrote Feingold.

The Wisconsinite lost his reelection bid during the 2010 elections, and announced in February that he had formed a grassroots PAC, Progressives United, which is primarily intended to push back against the U.S. Supreme Court decision Citizens United v. FEC.

He has also been teaching law at Marquette University Law School — something he told supporters “was a joy” — and has penned a book that is slated for publishing next February. It traces how the U.S. has “too often lost our way as a nation in responding to the 9/11 attacks and related issues,” and he plans to speak throughout the nation on the topic in 2012.

“The one thing many of us did not anticipate at the outset of this year was the extreme assault on the working families of Wisconsin in particular and the nation as a whole,” he wrote. “I was happy with some of the results of this year’s Wisconsin state senate recall elections, and I was glad to be able to play a small role in supporting all of the Democratic candidates.”

In 2012, he says he’ll work for the reelection of President Barack Obama, but following the actions of Gov. Scott Walker, he says he also understands that “retaking the state governments from these corporate-backed operatives” must be a priority.

“The entire political climate is more infected by the domination of very wealthy individual and corporate interests than perhaps at any time in our nation’s history. That is why I founded Progressives United, an organization devoted not only to overturning the Citizens United decision but to challenging those involved in the political process who, for short-term political gain, are willing to seek and accept unlimited corporate contributions. This practice should be strongly opposed regardless of party and regardless of whether I otherwise support these candidates,” he said.

“In many ways, this is the overriding political struggle of our time. It is more important than whether or when one person runs for office again. That is why, at this time, I am devoting my primary political energy to this cause and this organization.”