It would seem that the New York Times has decided that this is indeed a time of shared sacrifice; and the New York Times has further decided to volunteer public sector union employees in Wisconsin to be the ones… ‘sharing.’  This article is fairly astounding: not because it is inaccurate in making a sharp distinction between public and private sector union employees, mostly to the former’s disadvantage.  And it’s not because the article makes it clear that suffering private sector union workers will not actually benefit from their public sector counterparts being able to keep their inflated privileges and perks.  Everybody sensible knew that already.

No, the article is astounding because it’s on today’s front page of the NYT, apparently.  This is pretty much an indication that public sector unions are now free to be thrown under the bus by the rest of the Democratic party. This is, of course, a regrettable necessity: but the needs of the larger party are at stake, and public sector unions are currently unpopular*.  In fact – and this is kind of shocking – public sector unions are even kind of unpopular among a certain type of liberal/progressive; the ones who actually takes all that nonsense about class warfare and struggle seriously.  Turns out some of those people were quietly unhappy that government employees got to get lumped in with real unions, and are now taking the time to actually articulate their objections on… on… on principle.

Who knew?

It’s going to be a fun week, particularly when public sector unions discover that their backup is fading into the background.  I expect the usual response: a lot of shrieking, a good deal of apocalyptic rhetoric… and then the people who run the public sector unions will then chivvy their people back into line and following the Democratic party establishment’s.  After all, what else can they do?  Vote Republican?

Moe Lane (crosspost)

H/T: Real Clear Politics.

*This will be the point where various individuals will start using both hands again in order to post links to the damage control poll that Ed Morrissey has already eviscerated.