Recall Elections

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

The Republicans retained the State Senate in Wisconsin yesterday:

Democrats won two state Senate seats in Tuesday's historic recall elections, but failed to capture a third seat that would have given them control of the chamber.

By keeping a majority in the Senate, Republicans retained their monopoly on state government because they also hold the Assembly and governor's office. Tuesday's elections narrowed their majority - at least for now - from 19-14 to a razor-thin 17-16.

Consider me very surprised, as I assumed we'd see at least 3-4 switch over. Of the losses, one was from a Republican in Democratic territory, and the other was immersed in a number of scandals.

What does this say about Walker and the Republicans in Wisconsin? About the local impact of the changes in how the public sector deals with unions? Heck, about the popularity of the arguments put forth about the unions at all?

There are two recall elections for next week for Democratic incumbents, as well. I haven't seen polling for them yet.

Comments

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

It probably says more about Wisconsin's Democrats than it does about Walker. I mean I remember how Harry Reid's defeat was an inevitability as sure as the retreat of snow before summer Sun and then they nominated in Angle one of the most obtuse politicians in recent years.

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

"The people" in one state elected Michele Bachmann. How heavily do you weigh "the will of the people"?

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

I think it's a testament to the Republican Party qualifying as an organized political party.

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

Not yet. They can't initiate that until November, I believe, and this doesn't make such an attempt look good.

[kylinrouge.livejournal.com]

By 69-28, voters support raising taxes on people with annual incomes of more than $250,000.
By 62-32 they support eliminating subsidies to oil and gas companies.
By 84-14 they oppose cuts in Medicare or Social Security.
By 50-46, they support cutting defense spending.
By 73-23 they oppose cutting Medicaid and entitlements.
By 65-27 percent, they think the debt deal treated the elderly unfairly.
By 63-29, they think it treated the poor unfairly.
By 61-30, they think it treated the middle class unfairly.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/08/08/119959/poll-americans-see-debt-deal-as.html

As long as Americans are willing to bend to their corporate masters instead of making their voices heard, we're going to continue along the same path of supply-side destruction. Progressive thought is actually shared by the majority, but our politicians only listen to the corporate entities that funded them, not their constituents.

The fact that people continue supporting these despots means there's deception and a misinformation campaign on a grand scale in this country.

Peace.

[kylinrouge.livejournal.com]

More white noise, surprising.

[ironhawke.livejournal.com]

I'd agree with Kylinrouge on the ignorance part. Most (and I will gladly stand by that statement) people are completely ignorant of the broader picture, and inconsequential things like "facts." Thus, the people that a person votes for is more often a result of:

Party Affiliation
Media Endorsements
Advertising!
Single Issue Voting
etc

I think it's obvious that the people in TP (and other political comms) tend to be the outliers, we actively research political issues rather than regurgitate sound bites.

The reason that voting changes in scope each year (in general) is not that people are less ignorant, but that the people voting are coming out in larger numbers for (XYZ) candidate. The silent masses can often disagree with the vote results, but couldn't be bothered to show up at the polls.

(The aforementioned was directed at ALL parties, not simply one or the other. IMO the reason that 2008 was such a slaughterhouse for example wasn't that the tide of American opinion had necessarily changed drastically - the 2010 elections proved that - but that the Republican base was so beaten down that they stayed home.)

[rasilio.livejournal.com]

And what does your poll really show?

That more than 60% of the people surveyed have absolutely no fucking clue what was actually in the debt limit agreement since it did not contain any actual cuts directly it could not in and of itself have been fair or unfair to anyone.

Further it shows that more than 80% of the people are absolutely clueless about the numbers driving the national debt because cuts to Medicare and Social Security are unavoidable. It might somehow be magically possible to cut them in terms of cost without cutting benefit levels, most likely by restricting eligibility through means testing or some similar mechanism but cuts to those programs from a spending perspective are unavoidable and the sooner we actually make those cuts the less drastic they would be.

[ironhawke.livejournal.com]

most likely by restricting eligibility through means testing or some similar mechanism

If only. Someone who is making over 100k a year has absolutely no need to be collecting a $600/mo check from the government. Although I know that the cut-off level would represent a fairly small number (maybe 10-20% of the general population) but the savings could be a fairly significant number en masse.

[geezer-also.livejournal.com]

Polls are not elections.

[xforge.livejournal.com]

I just can't believe all those people are willing to stand out in the cold pretty much all winter long and then when it finally comes time to put your money where your bluish frost-covered mouth is, they all sit home watching Jersey Shore reruns or something. What the fuck, seriously.

[kylinrouge.livejournal.com]

Gerrymandering. What can you do?

[xforge.livejournal.com]

Sweep every capitol building in the entire US with a squad of flamethrowers?

[kylinrouge.livejournal.com]

Also, fuck gerrymandering. Makes local elections into a joke.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mky11UJb9AY

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

I think it says the usual: people hate representatives except for their representatives.

[xforge.livejournal.com]

I kinda hate mine too, she's an Israel-fellating business-as-usual mannequin-crat.

[soliloquy76.livejournal.com]

Unless you live in Wisconsin, I'm not sure why anyone gives a crap about this. But I suppose I'll throw my two cents in:

"What does this say about Walker and the Republicans in Wisconsin?"

Without knowing anything about Wisconsin politics, I'd say there was a bit of buyers remorse since the incumbents lost 33% of their vote.

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

Without knowing anything about Wisconsin politics, I'd say there was a bit of buyers remorse since the incumbents lost 33% of their vote.

You mean 33% of the 6 incumbents the Democrats chose/were able to target, though. And at least one of them lost arguably on issues unrelated to the Walker plans.

[kylinrouge.livejournal.com]

http://www.megrobertson.com/post/8708219865/dylan-ratigan-mad-as-hell-his-epic-network-moment

This guy is much angrier than I am but he's absolutely right.

[msmichelle.livejournal.com]

I'm from Wisconsin, live in Madison, and can tell you that I think the 13 senators who shirked their duties and fled the state should be up for recall but that is a moot point.
The Wisconsin populace is smarter than the talking heads, some of whom had no affliation with unions or teachers, up at the capitol square. We are at risk for losing good businesses not only to overseas competition, but also to domestic havens for business culture. Case in point, why should Kohls stay in Menomonee Falls, WI when they can relocated to Little Rock, get a free building and considerably lower taxes.
I'd say the voters read between the rhetoric and kudos to them. I'm glad that Alberta Darling, for example, did not lose her job. Power to the people!

[sandwichwarrior.livejournal.com]

Stop breaking the narrative, freedom is slavery, war is peace, and everyone knows that you're all just doops of the vast corporate conspiracy to keep the honest hard-working unions in the gutter where they belong.

;)

There, feel better?