Scott Walker Wins Recall Election

[Dave]

I'm sure by now that most anyone that was interested in the happenings across the lake in Wisconsin regarding the recall election of Governor Scott Walker and his Lt Governor know that both he and the Lt Gov won their respective races. Walker won the recall with a slightly larger percentage of the vote then in his initial election a few years back. I wasn't a fan of the recall effort to begin with as I think recall's should be saved for situations where the elected official committed a crime or has just so under performed that he needs to go... a recall election shouldn't he held simply because you didn't like how things turned out the first time around and you want stomp your feet and whine because he was mean to you. At this point in time, Walker hasn't done anything to truly be recalled for and it was a waste of $16 million dollars or whatever the figure was. Maybe in the future, the party that wants to have a recall election should be made to pay for the election if they lose. Anyway, I did like that Walker and his Lt Gov used the new Obama campaign slogan of "Forward" as part of theirs.. I noticed on the front of Walker's lectern while giving his speech after his win was confirmed said "Moving Wisconsin FORWARD". Also thought it was funny that the Lt Gov announced that "This is what democracy looks like" which of course was used repeatedly by the people against Walker.

Republican Governor Scott Walker wins recall election against Democrat Tom Barrett

PEWAUKEE -- Wisconsin voters decided Tuesday to keep their Republican governor, whose contentious but successful battle to end collective-bargaining rights for most state workers resulted in a hard-fought recall campaign.

In heavy voting, Gov. Scott Walker turned back the challenge from Democrat Tom Barrett. Walker had defeated Barrett in the 2010 election.

"Bringing our state together will take some time, but I hope to start right away," Walker said in a victory speech. "It is time to put our differences aside and figure out ways that we can move Wisconsin forward."

• Full election coverage in our web special section
• Relive key moments of the recall election night

Barrett conceded in a telephone call to Walker. "Now we must look to the future," he said. "We are a state that has been deeply divided. And it is up to all of us, their side and our side, to listen to each other and to try to do what's right for everyone in this state."

The race was closely watched nationally for clues about fallout for other elected officials who cut workers' benefits to ease crunched budgets. There also could be implications in the presidential race between President Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney in a state with 10 electoral votes that both would like to win.

Romney issued a statement saying Walker's victory "will echo beyond the borders of Wisconsin."

Walker "has shown that citizens and taxpayers can fight back -- and prevail -- against the runaway government costs imposed by labor bosses," Romney said. "Tonight voters said no to the tired, liberal ideas of yesterday, and yes to fiscal responsibility and a new direction."

Walker's win "suggests that Wisconsin's in play" in the presidential race, said Barry Burden, a University of Wisconsin-Madison political scientist. "This is a state that's competitive."

Other analysts said Walker and the state's Republican Party will be strengthened after winning the rematch with Barrett.

"He's empowered and emboldened" after withstanding the Democrats' efforts to recall him, said Kathleen Dolan, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

"He withstood as much heavy artillery as any governor could," said Brandon Scholz, a Republican lobbyist and strategist based in Madison. Other elected officials, he said, "will take that lesson and apply it in their state" with austerity proposals.

"People are going to realize the presidential race and U.S. Senate race and the Legislature are up for grabs," says Paul Maslin, a Madison-based Democratic pollster.

"I think most people are just happy to have the election over," Walker said after casting his ballot Tuesday morning. "I think most voters of the state want to have all the attack ads off."

In the 2010 gubernatorial election, Walker defeated Barrett, the mayor of Milwaukee, 52(PERCENT)-46(PERCENT). Polls had showed Walker with a narrow lead going into Tuesday's vote.

The polling site at Queen of Apostles Catholic School here saw a steady stream of voters. Bob DeFrehn, 57, said he voted for Barrett and had collected signatures to help qualify the recall for the ballot.

"I can't stand Walker," said DeFrehn, an unemployed former union worker. "If he would have said he planned to end collective bargaining, he would never have gotten elected in the first place."

Dawn Suvegian, 50, a hospital clerk, is a self-described Tea Party member who did volunteer work for the Walker campaign. She called the recall "a waste of money."

"He did exactly what he said he would do and he stuck to his guns," she said.

Radio announcer Glenn Hansen, 59, is a conservative who said he sometimes votes for Democrats but this time voted for Walker. "You can't argue with the record," he said. The governor erased the state's budget deficit, created a surplus and "nobody got fired," Hansen said.

The recall election was the culmination of a bitter battle that began in February 2011, when Walker announced his plan to erase a $137 million budget shortfall in part by requiring state workers to give up collective-bargaining rights and pay more for health insurance and pension benefits.

Recalls of four Republican state senators also were on Tuesday's ballot. The results in those races could shift control of the Senate, which is now divided 16-16.

Walker's proposals triggered massive protests in the state Capitol in Madison and prompted 14 Democratic state senators to leave the state for three weeks in an ultimately failed attempt to prevent passage of Walker's legislation. He signed it into law in March 2011.

Before the vote, the state's sharp divide was evident in the Democratic stronghold of Madison. The house across from the governor's official residence displayed a "We Stand With Scott Walker" sign. The house two doors down: "Tom Barrett for Governor."

"Unfortunately, Wisconsin has become in some ways a microcosm of the partisan wars that have been raging nationally," said Dolan, the political scientist.

Regardless of the election outcome, she said, it will take time for the state to recover from the divisive debate and revive bipartisan spirit in the Legislature. "We really are at a place of sort of paralysis," Dolan said.

The amount of out-of-state money flowing to the campaigns here and the appearances of high-profile supporters of Walker and Barrett were evidence of the race's national overtones. More than $62 million was spent by the candidates and outside groups. Much of the $30 million raised by Walker came from outside the state. Barrett has spent about $4 million; most of his donors live in Wisconsin.

Former president Bill Clinton campaigned with Barrett, and fellow Republican governors Chris Christie of New Jersey and Bobby Jindal of Louisiana appeared with Walker.

No Republican presidential candidate has won Wisconsin since Ronald Reagan in 1984. Obama defeated Republican John McCain here in 2008, 56(PERCENT)-42(PERCENT).

Scholz, the Republican strategist, saw Walker's victory as "a significant blow" weakening the clout of the labor unions that provide campaign cash and infrastructure for Democratic presidential candidates.

Dolan cautioned against reading too many presidential implications into Wisconsin's political fight. "Will Obama's chance of winning Wisconsin be made harder if Walker wins? Sure, maybe a little," she said. "But what's going on here is so episodic and so idiosyncratic."

[Dave]

It is kind of odd that before the election, the opponents of Walker noted how important the race was.. as Rachel Madcow.. err... Maddow (I'm always making that mistake) put it, important all the way from dog catcher to the race for president to this point where it was simply just a state election.. nothing important really. Not real surprised at the change of though, kind of expected.

[AQUAMAN]

Thanks for this thread Dave, was hoping someone was watching besides me, and of course, the rest of the country at large. Liberals were touting this as the most important pre-Presidential election in the country. Of course now that things turned out bad for them, they are wussies and claiming it has no effect on the November elections, two-faced and hypocrits as usual. What this recall did show is that people in a Democratic leaning state for almost 30 years are awake, alive, and not stupid. Congrats to Gov. Walker, keep up the good work, and maybe someday in the future, we will be able to vote for you as President, time will tell.

[Dave]

Just saw it reported within the hour that a group looking to try and have a recall election for our governor Rick Snyder have now changed their mind after seeing what happened in Wisconsin. Recalling Snyder would be a tough task considering he won by a rather large margin... they would have to change minds of a lot more people then the unions/democrats in Wisconsin had to attempt to do.

[AQUAMAN]

When the rats leave the ship of failure, they really run fast don't they? Methinks the table is set for November's landslide of new visions, new budget cuts, and new salvation for our Constitution.

[Dave]

Here we go... from MLive.com, post about 4 hours ago:    

The group looking to recall Gov. Rick Snyder is ending its attempt, saying it fell “well short” of its goal of collecting 200,000 petition signatures by June 1.

Michigan Rising, a Dearborn-based advocacy group, started the effort in April after saying the Snyder has “abused children” and “is bad for Michigan.”

“It has become abundantly clear that Michigan Rising was not going accomplish its goal of recalling Gov. Snyder,” spokesman Bruce Fealk said in a release this morning.

“The results in Wisconsin crystallized how difficult a task it is to recall a sitting governor, even when the unions and the Democratic Party play a significant role in the effort. To quote the words of Sen. Ted Kennedy, ‘The work goes on. The cause endures. The hope still lives and the dream shall never die.’”

Fealk said the group asks volunteers to stop collecting signatures as of today. The group said it would need 800,000 signatures to get a recall question on the November ballot, and it sought 1.2 million signatures to avoid legal challenges.

“The fact that Wisconsin could not oust Governor Walker after 16 months of protests and gathering over 1 million signatures makes it clear how difficult it is to recall a governor and why it has only been successful twice in U.S. history.”

Fealk said the group hopes to stop “the corporate takeover of our beloved state” by creating a progressive think tank to rival conservative groups, develop leaders and support progressive lawmakers.

“We will continue to forge ahead in this battle against the corporate takeover of Michigan,” said Julius Muller, the group’s CEO, in the release.

“While our tactics will change and our processes adapt, our goal to preserve democracy remains. I believe our decision to end this campaign is the right one. It will allow Michigan Rising to explore more viable options and free our network of supporters and volunteers to focus on more feasible opportunities through which we can achieve the victories necessary for democracy to ultimately prevail.”

Jan BenDor, the organization’s election specialist, said in April that the recall was necessary because Michigan residents “cannot afford to wait another two years to get rid of this corporate monster; the recall will chop off its head. Snyder and his cronies are destroying our cherished democratic institutions and democracy itself.”

BenDor wrote that Snyder “has abused the children of Michigan. He cut thousands of children off food aid. He robbed $400 million from the School Aid Fund, and then slashed school payments. This forced children into crowded classes. Then he signed more laws that privatize services, attack teachers and blame unions.”

Pundits have said that recalling Snyder was a long shot, especially after a first effort failed to collect the necessary signatures while Snyder's approval ratings were at their lowest.

Email Dave Murray at [e-mail] and follow him on Twitter @ReporterDMurray or on Facebook.

[masonco]

Yesterday I was thinking about how quickly this election dropped from headlines and thought it interesting the media quickly dropped this hot potato and buried this news.

I've not even seen anything about political ramifications for unions and the Democrats nor anything about why people voted to keep him in. Actually the margin was larger than I expected either way.

[XLFD]

The mainstream media and labor unions have similar agendas and visions, so you're not likely to see MM prolong the news.  In more conservative outlets, this election will be brought up plenty before the year ends, but they are still digesting potential ramifications, and keeping the consequences of the victory fairly muted so as not to be seen as too strident in their victory.