STORY THIS WEEK: REPUBLICANS SELF-INDUCED LABOR PAINS

The Wisconsin standoff between Republican Governor Scott Walker and the Democratic members of the State Senate has been a high-profile national political debate for the better part of a month - and it shows little sign of abating. The Pew Research Center found that 60% of Americans are familiar with the Wisconsin budget battle (26% have heard "a lot") - an impressive level of national awareness for issues arisen from one state's legislature.

 The issues involved are complex, involving budgets, benefits, and fundamental worker rights and protections. Though this fight is nominally specific to Wisconsin, labor unions across the country are rallying on behalf of their brothers and sisters in the Badger Stage - and Scott Walker has become a cause celebre ' among the national conservative elite. The battle in Wisconsin goes much deeper than one state's budget or a single union's membership. Wisconsin's budget shortfalls aren't unique, and many other states are - or will shortly - facing similar situations. If Scott Walker can successfully push through union-busting provisions under the guise of a budget crisis, states without Wisconsin's strong union presence could follow suit with much less fanfare. It's difficult to overstate the importance of the struggle in Wisconsin not just on public sector unions, but to the broader American middle class.

The American public respects unions and doesn't share the Republicans' knee-jerk antipathy toward American labor. Republican hostility toward labor unions is not a new phenomenon, but the 2010 election results have emboldened the right wing to launch unprecedented attacks against the labor movement. Republican politicians and the conservative think-tank elite appear to believe voters share their inherent distaste for all things labor - but public polling shows that is simply not the case.

February polling from the Pew Research Center shows a net-favorable national opinion toward labor unions (45% Favorable / 42% Unfavorable).  Pew also finds a 3:1 margin believe unions have a positive effect on "working conditions for all Americans" (51% Positive / 17% Negative). Republicans may have convinced themselves voters are as anti-labor as the conservative, cocktail party elite, but these numbers confirm just how out-of-step with Americans the Republican establishment is.

Public Sector unions are just as respected as their private counterparts. According to Pew, public opinion specifically toward "unions that represent people who work for state or local governments" sport an 8-point net-favorable rating (48% Favorable / 40% Unfavorable) - almost identical to opinions of private sector unions (48% Favorable / 37% Unfavorable). And by a six-point margin, voters are more likely to side with public sector unions (44%) than the government (38%) during times of disagreement.

Americans also side with the working men and women of Wisconsin's public-sector unions on the specific issues relating to the state budget debate. Wisconsin's public sector unions have agreed to significant cuts in wages and benefits, as part of a shared sacrifice that will help balance the state budget. However, Scott Walker refuses to take "yes" for an answer, and is instead insisting on stripping these unions of their basic bargaining rights. A recent USA Today poll of 1,000 Americans nationwide shows public opinion is squarely against taking away collective bargaining rights (33% Favor / 61% Oppose), and that Americans actually oppose reducing the budget deficit "by reducing pay or benefits the state provides for government workers" (44% Favor / 53% Oppose).

A New York Times / CBS News poll shows very similar numbers, with 60% opposition to weakening union bargaining rights (33% Support). The NYT/CBS poll also shows majority opposition to cutting the pay and benefits of state workers to reduce budget deficits (37% Favor / 56% Oppose). And very recent Pew data finds more Americans side with the public employee unions (42%) than side with Governor Walker (31%). Wisconsin's public sector unions are already sacrificing more than public opinion would dictate, in the name of compromise, fiscal responsibility, and shared sacrifice.

Rasmussen conducted the only national poll that showed support for the governor's approach (48% Supported Walker / 38% Supported the unions). However,  observers Nate Silver and Mark Blumenthal have criticized the sequencing of the Rasmussen survey for asking controversial ancillary questions that largely ape Walker's rhetoric before asking the more fundamental question probing support for the Governor's approach or that of the unions.

Polling specifically among Wisconsin voters indicates they are more sympathetic to the union position, and the fight is taking a toll on Walker's standing. Greenberg Quinlan polling, on behalf of the AFL-CIO, finds  solid majorities agree with the positions taken by public employees (67% Agree / 24% Disagree), protesters (62% Agree / 31% Disagree), unions (59% Agree / 37% Disagree), and Democrats in the legislature (56% Agree / 39% Disagree). Conversely, a double-digit majority disagree with Scott Walker's position (43% Agree / 53% Disagree).

Greenberg also finds voters oppose the specific elements of the Walker Plan. Roughly half of the likely 2012 Wisconsin electorate opposes "reduced pension benefits for public employees" (41% Favor / 50% Oppose), while even stronger majorities oppose "reduced wages for public employees" (32% Favor / 57% Oppose) and "eliminating collective bargaining for public employees" (31% Favor / 58% Oppose). As seen in the national numbers, Wisconsin state employees are willingly sacrificing wages and benefits - even though public opinion would be on their side if they were not as accommodating.

Obviously the AFL-CIO is not a neutral actor and is actively working alongside Wisconsin's workers to protect collective bargaining rights. However, the polling firm We Ask America primarily works for pro-business entities and also found majority opposition to the Walker plan (43% Support the Walker Plan / 52% Oppose the Walker Plan). Even Pulse Opinion Research, a Rasmussen-aligned automated polling firm, found a solid majority of Wisconsin voters favor of collective bargaining rights for state employees and their unions (56% Yes / 32% No) - while finding voters divided on Walker's bill  (50% Favorable / 50% Unfavorable).

It's telling that a recent PPP poll of Wisconsin voters reveals a good deal of buyers' remorse. In a rematch of the 2010 gubernatorial race, PPP finds Democratic nominee Tom Barrett defeating Scott Walker by a 52-45 margin - almost a mirror image of Walker's 52-46 November victory. It is unclear how the budget standoff will be resolved, but public employees, the unions, and the protesters have public opinion - both in Wisconsin and nationally - on their side.