A stunning blow to pro union people and Democrats in Wisconsin. The Dems gave it their all but the people of Wisconsin spoke with their votes that they didn’t care about the whiners and complainers, didn’t care about union thuggery, didn’t care about a vocal minority who protested and occupied the Wisconsin State House or the gutless Dems who ran out of town rather than vote. They voted for someone who made tough choices and wanted some sanity wrt state pensions, medical benefits and collective bargaining.
This is a huge loss to union leaders and Democrats. I’m ecstatic about these results.
It was interesting to hear 36-38% of Union households voted for Walker. Maybe this is another case of union leaders being out of step with the union rank and file, nothing unusual there.
Is this only a Wisconsin phenomenon… I don’t think so.
In San Diego and San Jose, voters overwhelmingly approved ballot initiatives designed to help balance ailing municipal budgets by cutting retirement benefits for city workers.
Around 70 percent of San Jose voters favored the pension measure, while 66 percent of San Diego residents supported a similar measure.
I hope our leaders in DC realize that we need this type of leadership in our capital. People who make very tough decisions even when people complain loudly. We will never fix our country’s fiscal problems without some sacrificing and there will be plenty of blowback (police details in MA…). But true leaders fight for what is right even if they get threatened or screamed at. Thank you Gov Walker for doing the right thing, maybe not perfectly, but you did it and the voters backed you.
This does not play well for Democrats, including Pres Obama.
Wow?
This means that 64-62% of Union households voted against Walker (for those that voted). If the union leaders have taken a position in which 64-62% agree with them, the logical conclusion is that they are in step with the union rank and file. Another instance of Schrodinger’s Cat, in this case the cat is dead, as soon as you open the box and look inside. In other words, “swing and a miss”.
They didn’t, actually. Wisconsin Dems did, but national Dems, including the president, stayed far away. In contrast, national GOP poured a ton of resources into this. Hence the enormous imbalance. Don’t know how much of the vote that accounts for, but it sure ain’t nothin’.
This was a BIG state election. If national Dems did not participate then that was for a reason (unknown to me… maybe they knew it was a failed endeavor…). But we do not evaluate every state election based on how much the national party got involved. The people of Wisconsin made their voices heard and it was “We want Gov Walker (with his controls over Collective Bargaining, reforms to pension and healthcare costs, reduction of government, balancing of the State budget…) to be our governor”.
Why do you think Obama was so silent on the recall?
that national Dems stayed away because they didn’t want to be closely associated with what might still have been a losing effort even if they had gotten involved. It was a calculation that hung the WI Dems out to dry and pretty much guaranteed a loss. Politics is a rough business.
I just received this email from Team Obama:
Ballsy, no? Stay away from the recall, pretty much guaranteeing (or, at least, making it more likely) that it will fail, and then use it as a call to arms to raise money for the president. Like I said, a rough business.
Obama bought the votes in Indiana, Virginia, Ohio and North Carolina in 2008?
Did Obama buy the Presidential election in 2008?
Very manipulative of the Obama’s people to use it for raising money. Smart. But I believe this win will empower Republicans and energize the base. So many people were happy with the Wisconsin results. Personally, I wish I could have donated just to savor watching the Ed Show and Rachel crying about the “demise of America”, boo hoo hoo. When is ED going to pick a winner? Missed Chris Mathews, bet he was spitting all over himself trying to understand the landslide.
When will the “people in Wisconsin” are so stupid calls?
The same reason was offered as to why the Massachusetts 2010 special election would be unrelated to how November 2010 would go.
I’m sure we can think of examples going the other way from 2005 and 2006.
I’m also sure that we can find counter examples, such as the solid GOP HoR seat near Albany NY that went to a Democrat because the local GOP went tea party wacky.
This is surely NOT good news for Democrats. As for how bad an omen it really is, who knows? All will believe what their optimism requires.
The people are fed up with this crap from the State government. Even WTKK Jim Braude was complaining vociferously today about some MA pension abuses. We are all tired of it. Get with it BMG.
I’m sure there’s no official definition, but I usually think it requires at least a 10 point spread. Part of the issue is that there was a sizable proportion simply oppose recalls on principle. This is a position with which I am normally sympathetic, but in this case Walker is under a corruption cloud, so I do go along with recall if it is essentially impeachment by popular vote. There is also the money issue; Walker and allies outspent Barrett and allies by 7-1 with 2/3 of Walker money coming from out of state compared to 1/4 for Barrett. The Senate did go Democratic so at least there will be a slow down of his proposals, and if you think we’re just going to give up and say the people spoke so we must be wrong, think again. Finally, I don’t want to hear another word about tough decisions and sacrafice unless it is the top of the economic ladder making said sacrafice. As long as we keep coddling the wealthy don’t anyone dare ask the working and middle classes to sacrafice!
I keep hearing about “shared sacrifices” but I also then hear about more taxes from the wealthy “only”. I’m sorry that you’re tired of hearing about tough decisions but that is exactly what we need and nobody will push for them on either side. Raising taxes on the people already carrying the majority of our tax burden would be a tough decision. Making the 50% of Americans who pay ZERO income taxes would be a tough decision. Doing neither is easy and that’s what we have now.
Everybody with an idea insists on spending x dollars or y% on their priorities and having the electorate back them up. The people do not know what they are doing most of the time, which is why I oppose direct democracy. The legislature has the resources to determine what is best for the state. The ballot is often nothing more than a non-violent temper tantrum. A legislature has the chance to examine all the consequences and make legislation better, whereas the people are only given the opportunity to vote on something up or down without amendment or other options. For example, when they are presented with the question of cutting pensions anyone who wants to save money will say sure, this is the option we have so lets use it. By contrast the legislature can send it to committee and study whether there are other better ways to balance the budget.
and as a result they don’t cut taxes on the wealthy, they don’t do anything to hurt special interest groups, they don’t do anything to unions and in the case oof MA, they won’t curtail things like paid Police details costing us hundreds of millions as the only state in the country which doesn’t use flagmen (p[lease don’t try to say we now have them since Gov Patrick’s reform was/is a total joke). Sometimes the people have to speak directly and I support initiative petitions 100%.
First of all many working people who do not pay federal income taxes pay other taxes.
Second, and I was shocked to learn this recently, this includes every single American of every age, so of course children aren’t paying.
Third, I pulled down 13K last year and still managed to owe do if even I’m paying the bar is pretty low.
Fourth, anybody who whines about people who don’t pay better have a plan to put those people to work so they are able to pay, and no, coddling the so-called job creators, who don’t create jobs partly because they sit on their wealth and partly that it is demand (ie stimulus) that truly creates jobs, doesn’t cut it.
Fifth, learn some history. Most of us are just asking for a return to Clinton-era rates of 39% rather than 35%, so yes I stand by my comments about sacrafice. Sacrafice should come from those who can afford it, see Buffet Rule, which if not by the name I’ve seen footage of Reagan being sympathetic with. The top rate was much higher during the post WWII boom, and for that matter the first income tax was intended to apply to only the top tier.
I don’t care if you make $10k a year, pay something, pay $100 (1%). Everyone should have some skin in the game so you’ll care. If you have nothing in the game then why should you care about government waste, pension abuses, healthcare cost overruns, tax rates…
…but we (and that includes me) don’t know everything we need to to make informed choices. I also take exception to your implication that unions are special interests. Those who work for a living, even if not union members themselves, are the rank and file of the population and are exactly for whom the government should be working. Government should be defending those who do not have the natural power the monied interests do. Would that more people would be organized so that we can all get the benefits union members get. Rather than tearing unions down the rest of us should be built up.
I (and others I think) believe that MA Dems survived the 2010 election because the special earlier in the year was a wake up call. Maybe having Walker win this one will similarly serve as a wake up call for Dems nationally this November.
1 Tb salt
1 1/4 lb taro
1 baking potato (1/2 lb)
1 orange-fleshed sweet potato (3/4 lb)
Butter
Heavy cream
Salt
Pepper
Bring a large pot of water to boil.
Peel the taro (under running water). Cut into 1/2 inch slices. Add to boiling water. Boil gently for 10-15 minutes
Cut the baking potato into 4 thick slices. Add it to the pot.
Peel and cut the sweet potato into similar slices. Add it to the pot.
Boil for an additional 25 minutes.
Drain.
Mash together with butter, cream, salt, and pepper to taste.
I think it has meaning, although I’m not sure what exactly the meaning is.
There was a lot of energy in the recall process with out of state support coming in for both sides. One undeniable fact is the hopes of many to unseat Walker failed miserably.
Walker will go on with additional initiatives based on his win, even with a Democratic Senate. Hopefully none of the political participants will flee the state if they have disagreements in the future.
I always assume that those who don’t want to discuss any particular issue do so implicitly with their silence. But I guess you wanted to be more explicit with your lovely taro recipe.
Be very careful peeling taro. It is toxic raw and can hurt if not done under water.
from … a certain presumptive candidate’s Pow Wow Chow How-To thingee?
Happy days.
The source is a different Elizabeth: Elizabeth Schneider, Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini. I highly recommend it for getting more vegetables in your diet.
unless you looked at the polling over the past few months which had Walker on average ahead by 7 points.
I think you have a nutty union thing going on in your head, you should look into it. Odd those same people who “stunned” everyone that gave the Democrats back the Senate.
I hope they work together to continue with their reforms, budgets and decreasing their unemployment rates.
and then it’s elections, so they won’t really be working together. If Republicans held, Walker has the ability to call a special session to ram more thinks through before the election. But the people have spoken, keep Walker but work with Democrats for policy.
n/t
Very interesting tuber.
The public unions in Wisconsin agreed to almost all of Gov. Walker’s demands for financial concessions yet he moved to strip the unions of collective bargaining rights anyway. That’s the part I disn’t find reasonable. There is a difference between dealing with union abuses and wishing to destroy unions. I’d say there were way more abuses on Wall Street the past few years than there were among unions in Wisconsin. Is your solution to fix the abuses or destroy Wall Street? (or, I suppose, the Republican option to pretend those abuses never happened, thus ensuring a flood of easy money/campaign contributions).
Yes, your understanding is correct about what unions conceded to Gov. Walker, and you are spot on about Wall Street abuses.
JohnD I completely disagree about everyone paying. Even $100 will be missed by those making only 10K. The first 150% of poverty level should be exempt from federal income taxation IMO, which has the benefit of being stimulative because most of it will be spent. There have been years that I’ve gotten refunds but I still cared about our government being efficiently run and paid for, but I’d still rather be wealthy with the tax burden to match than making so little that I get a refund.
I’ll stick with leeks.