The Democrats in Wisconsin are following through with their vow to (publicly at least)  make the recall campaign about issues other than the contentious collective bargaining issue that fueled the petition drive that forced the impromptu election. This move has made many here upset and exploded onto the pages of the DailyKos today.

As Mike Flynn reported here earlier today, the State Party has cancelled their pending Unity Rally. We have more reaction from the MacIver News Service:

[Madison, Wisc…] With a comfortable lead in the polls heading into Tuesday’s Democratic Primary election in the gubernatorial recall, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett has reportedly decided not to participate in a special “Unity” rally planned for Wednesday night.

The move has left some union activists crying foul and a Republican spokesperson hopeful it is a sign of disunity among the coalition of liberal special interest groups who oppose Governor Scott Walker.

The DPW announced the cancellation on their Facebook page.

“The time for celebrating is when we beat Scott Walker on June 5th,” read the DPW post. “So instead of uniting in celebration at the Capitol now, we need to unite in action all across the state. Please help us defeat Scott Walker by clicking the link below and signing up for a volunteer shift.”

Former Fitchburg Mayor Jay Allen, a supporter of Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, also took to Facebook to explain why the rally was actually cancelled.

“The Democratic Party of Wisconsin has pulled out of the event because Mr. Barrett has decided not to participate,” Allen wrote.

A diary on the liberal website DailyKos panned the move. The piece, titled ‘WTF – Democratic Party of Wisconsin Cancels post primary Unity Rally” was penned by a contributor whose pseudonym is Giles Goat Boy.

“I’ve read plenty of ass-covering propaganda in my time, but who exactly does Mike Tate, the chairman of the DPW, think he’s talking to?,” the diary read. “Hasn’t he noticed that this new alliance of Wisconsin freedom fighters has spent the past 15 months fine-tuning their bull$^!t detectors? Tell the truth, Mike Tate.”

Wisconsin Republicans also chimed in.

“Why would Tom Barrett not attend a ‘unity rally?'” asked Republican Party of Wisconsin Communications Director Ben Sparks. “Democrats in Wisconsin are clearly having trouble rallying behind a single candidate, and this does not bode well for a Democrat base that has shown lackluster excitement, at best, for their liberal slate of candidates.” Read more>>