The Hill News

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) will be recalled unless he compromises with Democrats in the State Legislature over a controversial bill on collective bargaining rights, former Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.) said Monday.

"It is apparent to me that if the governor does not engage in meaningful compromise, he will be recalled," Obey said on MSNBC. "Because when you go after the jugular, and try to put workers out of business, that is when they will mean business in the way they respond."

For more than two weeks now, pro-labor activists have been protesting a bill by Walker that would roll back collective bargaining rights for public employee unions. The protests have sparked national attention, and high-profile Democrats and Republicans have weighed in.

There has been talk in the state about a recall election.

But The Associated Press reported that, according to the Wisconsin Constitution, an elected official must be in office for a year before someone can launch a recall petition against him or her. That means the earliest anyone could start a Walker recall petition would be January 2012. 

Obey said that Walker still has an opportunity to find common ground with state Democrats, including the 14 Wisconsin Senate Democrats who fled the state in protest of the bill.

"The governor still has the possibility of defusing this, but if he doesn't use this opportunity to provide meaningful compromise rather than insisting on abject surrender from the Wisconsin 14, then I think it's pretty clear to me that you'll have stirred up the kind of anger that will be longstanding and I think the governor will end up being one of the principal political victims," Obey said.!

Like many Wisconsin liberals, Obey has been active! in prot esting the bill. Last week Obey complained about the responsiveness of state officials to protesters at the state capitol building in Madison.

(h/t: Greg Sargent)