Eric Kleefeld March 10, 2011, 11:15 AM

Former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), who was defeated in the same 2010 Republican wave that swept Scott Walker into the governor’s mansion, has released a statement lambasting Wednesday night’s surprise maneuver to pass Walker’s anti-public employee union bill. And while Feingold does not directly address the big subject on a lot of people’s minds — the vows by state Democrats to recall Republican state senators this year and Walker himself next year — he certainly does allude to the voters hitting back eventually.

“Last night will be remembered as a black mark on the history of Wisconsin government. The actions by 18 Republican state senators leave no doubt that Governor Walker’s attack on Wisconsin workers has nothing to do with the budget and everything to do with advancing a national corporate agenda. Sadly, these actions further drive divisions within our state and threaten the future economic recovery of Wisconsin. Proponents of this plan should remember: Wisconsin’s citizens will hold their elected officials accountable.”

As Greg Sargent notes: “The question right now for labor and Dems in Wisconsin will be whether they can maintain momentum in their recall drives, even as the national media loses interest in the story. In that regard, enlisting figures like Feingold in the recall push will be key.”

For anybody who has actually been to the Capitol protests, it’s been hard to walk around without seeing homemade “Feingold For Governor 2012” signs and similar messages As such, any commentary from Feingold on this issue is significant, given the strong support that remains for him among Wisconsin’s grassroots Dems. So let’s see how things shake out as this controversy continues to unfold.

Recall, Russ Feingold, Scott Walker, Wisconsin , Wisconsin Protests, Wisconsin State Legislature