Personal observations following the Walker win:

[boxman15]

On its impact on unions and workers:

This flat-out sucks. No way around it. Not only will Walker be emboldened by this and double down in Wisconsin, but his recall victory will give confidence to the Republican Party to attack unions like they haven't before, especially in Republican-governed states (like my home state of Michigan ). Already, the Republican Party is claiming this is an indictment against unions "thugs" across the country. A Romney aide just attacked them tonight. Expect that to continue. I am not a member of a union, but my father is and plenty of people around here and around the country are. This is terrible news for them, and by extension, all of us.

On President Obama and November:

This is being overplayed so fucking much. President Obama made a smart decision by not going into Wisconsin and rallying there. It would've become his race then, not Wisconsin's. He would've owned the loss, and the loss would've been bigger most likely had he shown up (Republicans would be extra motivated). This loss had everything to do with Citizens United and unlimited corporate cash, not Obama

As for its impact in November: There will be no impact. Wisconsin will be Obama's state to lose. He'll probably win there by about 7-10 points, I predict. This should serve as a reminder to all Democrats, though, that this will be a very tough fight. The influence of unlimited money in politics has now been proven to be a force to be reckoned with. This will not be easy. However, the idea that Obama will lose because Barrett lost is asinine and has no basis in reality. Exit polls show Obama with a healthy lead in the state and, I hate to say it, but Joe Six-Pack in True Swing State, USA will not remember this come November.

ETA: This should serve as motivation to re-elect the president. He'd prevent a further rightward lurch in the Supreme Court and prevent asinine Republican legislation from passing. At the very least, he'd buy us another 4 years to reverse the country off the path of Citizens United created.

On the efforts of Wisconsin Democrats:

THANK YOU SO MUCH! You all should be extremely proud of all you've done over the past several months. You have served as an inspiration for people all across the country and all throughout the world. We would all be wise to learn from your example in Wisconsin. This was a grassroots effort through and through. I am so proud of the work all of you did, and I know you will keep up the fight heading through November and beyond, at the local, state, and national levels. All Democrats, progressives/liberals, union members, etc. should look toward Wisconsin as an example. They did it right. Those of you trolls/pessimists that blamed this on Wisconsin Democrats are kidding yourselves and should be ashamed.

Just needed to get all that off my chest. It's been a long night.

[physioex]

1. I am going to go get drunk.....

Such a depressing day.

[longship]

2. R&K for a nice, positive post (given the circumstances).

And I agree that WI Dems are awesome.

And I agree with #1, but it's rye whiskey for me.

Thanks for the nice thread.

[pansypoo53219]

3. i see it as money and, well, i think here it is no do-overs and just sick of the whole thing.

and hey, he's gonna get indicted anyways.

[DAngelo136]

8. in re: see it as money and, well, i think here it is no do-overs and just sick of the whole thing.

Don't count on it. Listen, all he won is the last 2 years of his term. We've got 24 months to make up 7% and put up a candidate against his re-election. Starting today. This isn't over-not by a long shot. Quit 'yer bitching and moaning and get to work, we've got an election to win.

I go to this for inspiration:

Nuf' Ced

[JNelson6563]

9. +1

[solara]

4. Excellent post!

Thanks

[Burke36]

5. Personal observations following the Walker win:

[IMG][/IMG]Thanks for sharing.

[Egalitarian Thug]

6. Sipping on a nice bourbon and going through GD, I find this most rare of posts here.

You are perfectly correct, but I have one thing to add and I think it is something we need to constantly remind ourselves of until November and after.

There are a lot of dumb fucking rednecks throughout America.

They are a majority in the red states, and they are a majority in most of the swing states as well. This is the country we live in, plan accordingly.

WI. is a perfect demonstration of this. Citizens United created the opportunity, opened the door if you will, but it was an army of rednecks that enthusiastically walked through it today. And this in Wisconsin, one of the more liberal redneck states.

We said, "No more! This is wrong!" They walked in and shouted in a clear voice, "we would rather burn our own house down than share it with you". They walked right in and voted against civilization itself.

So maybe here's the lesson; We make the mistake of judging others by ourselves, we believe that they are like us but have reached different conclusions on certain issues over which we must debate and reach an accommodation. If this is so, then we are wrong.

[DAngelo136]

7. Personal observations following the Walker win:

To Organized Labor:
Now you know where you stand. As I see it, the only choice we as union members have is to form our own political party. Every industrialized nation has a Labor Party; why not here? The Republicans want to see us gone and the Democrats can't or won't protect us. Until Citizens United and Taft-Hartley are dealt with and eliminated, it's only a matter of time before unions are history. Period.

To the Democratic Party:
You've got your work cut out for you come November. It's not just the White House, it's also the House and Senate as well. Let's face it, these Democrats don't know how to fight much less fight back. There cannot be anymore reasoning with the other side, they only understand one thing: power. The difference is that Democrats try to share it while Republicans believe that only THEY are fit to rule;not govern-rule. Until the DNC realizes that this 'aint no tea party, but an alley fight to the death, they will always lose.

To The White Middle Class:
Pay attention to what's going on. These Republicans will do you a disservice. Their economic policies over the past 30 years have stagnated your wages, increased your tax burden and shipped your job overseas. Now they want your Social Security money for their crooked friends on Wall Street. If you don't believe that, take a look at your 401(k). All the Republicans have offered you is fear; fear of Black people, fear of women, fear of Islam,fear of Mexicans, fear,fear and more fear. While they've got you looking over your shoulder they're robbing you blind. Rush Limbaugh,Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity and Rupert Murdoch are not your friends; they're your exploiters. They're richer than you and don't live in the same zip code as you, and they like that way. Contemplate that the next time you hear them bleating on the boob tube.

To The Black Middle Class:
YOU. ARE. IN. TROUBLE. That's it; plain and simple. Most, if not all of the cuts to government budgets affect YOU. Many of you work in government agencies; the Post Office, Education, Transit, etc. This has been the backbone of the Black Middle class. Every time you hear a Chris Christie, a Mitch Daniels, a Rick Snyder or a Rick Scott speaking about "shrinking government", rest assured they mean YOU. Now I'm going to say something blasphemous here to you: President Obama isn't your friend either. Yeah, I get it, he's the first Black President, but what exactly has he done for you? If a white president had given you the same results, you'd be up in arms, wouldn't you? Where's the Black leadership, huh? Cory Booker campaigned against the Sharpe James' of the world saying that they were crooks pocketing your money. Well, we now know that Cory Booker represents the Bain Capitals' of the world, and those crooks are pocketing your money. You've got decisions to make, and things to do or else get used to being a permanent underclass. Soon.

To The Latino Community:
Everything I said to the Black Middle class applies to you as well. But you have an advantage; your children. By the midpoint of this century, you will be the majority "minority" and that prospect scares the living bejeesus out of those white people. Why? Because for the first time in their history, they're not going to be able to call the shots politically. That's why they're doing everything possible to suppress your voting power or get rid of you altogether. You can't and won't let that happen. This was YOUR country long before it was "their" country. Right now, you've got to make that power known, you have it in you to punish the Jan Brewers of the world and her running dog Joe Arpiao. Organize, agitate, and vote. You know what you have to do.

To #Occupy Wall Street:
You remind me of the words from a song by Kansas:

" I close my eyes, only for a moment and the moment's gone; all my dreams pass before my eyes in curiosity. Dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind".

You captured the imagination and the anger of the 99%, you were the spontaneous, grassroots answer to the Tea Party. Here we are a year later, and...
I don't mean to rush you, but it's got to translate into something or else like the song says, it's dust in the wind. The Arab Spring resulted in change of government in other countries, but as you see in places like Syria and Iran, those governments adjust and put down those uprisings either through force or diffuse them enough so they lose momentum. It's the latter that I'm afraid will affect you the most. Every movement must progress or it dies. You have to figure out where do you go from here and where you're going to. Soon. Or else the moment you captured will be gone.

To President Obama:
You had what it took to get there; do you have what it takes to stay? You underestimated the obstinacy of the Republicans and over estimated your own charm. Only now do you realize that they have played you for a fool and that they can put up a wooden, gaffe prone candidate and still have the possibility of winning. Did you not pay attention when Mitch McConnell said that their aim was to make you "a one term President"? When Paul Ryan dissed you during the budget negotiations, didn't that raise a flag? They may personally like you, sir; but they don't respect you. You have to put the blame on THEM; they screwed up and are doing NOTHING, and that's what you call them: THE DO NOTHING CONGRESS. Fortune is a woman, Mr. President and fortune favors the bold and brave.

The bottom line is that we have a fight on our hands; a tough, long, generational fight. They have money, we have the votes. We have no choice but to fight because the alternative is unacceptable. Right now we have the choice of the ballot or the bullet; the ballot now, because we can still effect changes in our government through democratic means, but it means we all have to do more. The bullet because if we don't and they win, we will either have to use it to change things (a method I don't relish) or use it as a last act for ourselves to end our suffering. The choice is still ours.

Nuf' Ced