Unions Lose: WI Senate Rs Win Recall Elections, Keep Control

[BDKJMU]

"Republicans hold off Dems in recalls, win enough seats to keep majority in Senate

After tens of millions of dollars spent by outside interest groups, dozens of attack ads and exhaustive get-out-the-vote efforts, Democrats on Tuesday fell short of their goal of taking control of the state Senate and stopping the agenda of Gov. Scott Walker.
Republicans won four of six recall races, meaning the party still holds a narrow 17-16 majority in the Senate — at least until next week, when Sens. Robert Wirch, D-Pleasant Prairie, and Jim Holperin, D-Conover face their own recall elections. A third Democrat, Sen. Dave Hansen, D-Green Bay, easily survived a recall attempt last month.........."

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/ ... 03286.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[BDKJMU]

Gov Walker vindicated:

"So it turns out that the sky isn't going to fall on all local governments in Wisconsin. The numbers now starting to come in show that Gov. Scott Walker's "tools" for local governments apparently will help at least some of them deal with cuts in state aid imposed by the state budget.

That's contrary to the expectation and the rhetoric of critics in the spring, and it's to Walker's credit. It bears out the governor's assessment of his budget-repair bill.........

.................But the news is good for many. The latest example is Milwaukee, where the most recent estimates show the city with a net gain of at least $11 million for its 2012 budget. That will take a slice out of the city's structural deficit, which is created by costs rising faster than revenue, and will reduce cuts that Mayor Tom Barrett and the Common Council must impose.

The city projects it will save at least $25 million a year - the figure could be as high as $36 million in 2012 - from health care benefit and pension changes it didn't have to negotiate with unions because of the changes wrought by the new law that ended most collective bargaining for most public employees.

That certainly will help the city deal with the $14 million in cuts in state aid in the 2011-'13 state budget.

City officials were loath to give Walker any credit............"

http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/127339738.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[dbackjon]

Nice spin.

Democrats kicked TWO Republicans out. Yes, one, short of the goal, but a signaficant outcome none-the-less

[dbackjon]

And I see your article also fails to mention the tens of millions of outside the state money spent on the Republcians.

[dbackjon]

Dems also picked up a normally Republican seat in New Hampshire

[tampa_griz]

Nice spin.

Democrats kicked TWO Republicans out. Yes, one, short of the goal, but a signaficant outcome none-the-less

One of those Republicans barely won his seat in a heavy-Democrat district in 2010. The other Republican defeated is a scandal-plagued weirdo that lives outside his district with his twenty-something mistress. Both were expected to lose. The Democrats didn't "flip" anything. It was a crushing defeat for Progressives and Big Labor. So says the liberal Washington Post.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the ... ml?hpid=z1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thank you Gov. Walker for being the first politician to stand up for the interests of the taxpayer.

[bluehenbillk]

Nice spin.

Democrats kicked TWO Republicans out. Yes, one, short of the goal, but a signaficant outcome none-the-less

Spin? Ha! In what will sure to be a lesser paid attention to vote, two WI Democrats just next week (I don't know why it didn't happen last night) face recall votes of their own, which could widen the gap back.

In the times of needing to stress solutions versus partnership, it made me both chuckle & feel sad watching MSNBC having a pep rally broadcast last night from Madison that was made to look like ESPN College Gameday. The bottom line is WI made some good decisions that other states (i.e. NJ - thank you Gov Christie) have done the same exact thing - told government employees/unions/teachers, etc that they need to contribute more to their pension funds and bebefits.

Seriously, who here doesn't get almost an annual increase in the amount you have to pay for health benefits? How many employees across the country have seen their employers match less or drop a match with their 401(k)'s?? Why should a public employee be any different? If it didn't work through a collective bargaining process, rather than stick it to even more citizens of WI, which is what would've happened, the governor played hardball with the public employees.

Last night, the whole state of WI got to express their opinion & apparently they backed the governor's policies.

[dbackjon]

Outside groups on both sides poured more than $25 million into this fight, in addition to the more than $5 million raised by the candidates themselves. According to the non-partisan Wisconsin Democracy Campaign’s Mike McCabe, Republicans had a slight edge in the money race, but it was “remarkably close.” Unions were the main source of funds for Democrats; limited-government groups such as the Club for Growth and Americans for Prosperity invested heavily on the GOP side.

[tampa_griz]

Outside groups on both sides poured more than $25 million into this fight, in addition to the more than $5 million raised by the candidates themselves. According to the non-partisan Wisconsin Democracy Campaign’s Mike McCabe, Republicans had a slight edge in the money race, but it was “remarkably close.” Unions were the main source of funds for Democrats; limited-government groups such as the Club for Growth and Americans for Prosperity invested heavily on the GOP side.

More from that same article you just quoted:

"If these results stand, its an undeniable defeat for labor and for progressive activists."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the ... ml?hpid=z1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Rob Iola]

Nice spin.

Democrats kicked TWO Republicans out. Yes, one, short of the goal, but a signaficant outcome none-the-less

Jon, the significant outcome is a win-win for ALL people in Wisconsin - more solvent local governments and school systems means enhanced budget flexibility, better services to citizens, and if anything an increase in the public sector workforce. All in return for restructuring the employment contracts to reflect the realities that the private sector faces.

[Skjellyfetti]

Reading BDK... I would have thought Republicans netted a seat or two.

[Rob Iola]

Reading BDK... I would have thought Republicans netted a seat or two.

Essentially they did...

[Pwns]

Reading BDK... I would have thought Republicans netted a seat or two.

When you've got the most powerful special interests in the state (teachers unions) on your side, and your side is more energized than the other side, it isn't all that bad to defend only 4 of the 6 seats.

I realize that the two seats lost are in republican strongholds, but the energy of this election won't be there if there is a gubernatorial recall election next year. When people see that teachers aren't going to be living out of cardboard boxes and that Scott Walker is not going to make bathroom breaks illegal and force everyone to work on weekends, it will be a lot harder to sell the "Walker wants everyone working in chains" nonsense.

This recall election was about striking while the iron was hot, and the donks just couldn't hit as hard as they had hoped.

[Skjellyfetti]

Reading BDK... I would have thought Republicans netted a seat or two.

Essentially they did...

Uhm. They lost two seats. How is that essentially netting a seat or two?

Y'all are fucking hilarious.

[Rob Iola]

Essentially they did...

Uhm. They lost two seats. How is that essentially netting a seat or two?

Y'all are fucking hilarious.

You're living in the past. 17-16 = 1 seat = control of the Wis. Senate

[dbackjon]

Reading BDK... I would have thought Republicans netted a seat or two.

When you've got the most powerful special interests in the state (teachers unions) on your side, and your side is more energized than the other side, it isn't all that bad to defend only 4 of the 6 seats.

I realize that the two seats lost are in republican strongholds, but the energy of this election won't be there if there is a gubernatorial recall election next year. When people see that teachers aren't going to be living out of cardboard boxes and that Scott Walker is not going to make bathroom breaks illegal and force everyone to work on weekends, it will be a lot harder to sell the "Walker wants everyone working in chains" nonsense.

This recall election was about striking while the iron was hot, and the donks just couldn't hit as hard as they had hoped.

Except that the REPUBLICANS OUTSPENT the Democrats...and still LOST TWO SEATS.

[AZGrizFan]

Essentially they did...

Uhm. They lost two seats. How is that essentially netting a seat or two?

Y'all are fucking hilarious.

Says the guy who considered a 35 seat swing to the right in the US House a mandate for Obama's policies.

[AZGrizFan]

When you've got the most powerful special interests in the state (teachers unions) on your side, and your side is more energized than the other side, it isn't all that bad to defend only 4 of the 6 seats.

I realize that the two seats lost are in republican strongholds, but the energy of this election won't be there if there is a gubernatorial recall election next year. When people see that teachers aren't going to be living out of cardboard boxes and that Scott Walker is not going to make bathroom breaks illegal and force everyone to work on weekends, it will be a lot harder to sell the "Walker wants everyone working in chains" nonsense.

This recall election was about striking while the iron was hot, and the donks just couldn't hit as hard as they had hoped.

Except that the REPUBLICANS OUTSPENT the Democrats...and still LOST TWO SEATS.

Right. Two seats they probably should never have had in the first place.

[Skjellyfetti]

Says the guy who considered a 35 seat swing to the right in the US House a mandate for Obama's policies.

You're just making shit up now.

[AZGrizFan]

Says the guy who considered a 35 seat swing to the right in the US House a mandate for Obama's policies.

You're just making shit up now.

I learned from the master: Douche1Bag.

[Rob Iola]

When you've got the most powerful special interests in the state (teachers unions) on your side, and your side is more energized than the other side, it isn't all that bad to defend only 4 of the 6 seats.

I realize that the two seats lost are in republican strongholds, but the energy of this election won't be there if there is a gubernatorial recall election next year. When people see that teachers aren't going to be living out of cardboard boxes and that Scott Walker is not going to make bathroom breaks illegal and force everyone to work on weekends, it will be a lot harder to sell the "Walker wants everyone working in chains" nonsense.

This recall election was about striking while the iron was hot, and the donks just couldn't hit as hard as they had hoped.

Except that the REPUBLICANS OUTSPENT the Democrats...and still LOST TWO SEATS.

You and Jelly are arguing statistics while the only number that counts on the scoreboard is 17 - 16. Walker's policies stand...

[bluehenbillk]

Guys...there are 2 WI Senate Democrats that face recalls of their own next week - this time next week the GOP edge will most likely be greater than it is today, certainly no worse.....

[Bronco]

Yep...next tuesdays recall of the runaway dems will be interesting. One barely won in '08

-----
The Dems spent $32M according to the NY Times.

Obama won in all these six Wisconsin state senate districts in 2008.


Democratic legislators fled across state lines and hid out in motel rooms in order to prevent Gov. Scott Walker from enacting the agenda on which he and newly elected GOP legislators had campaigned. They failed. Walker passed legislation to reform collective bargaining and balanced a $3.6 billion deficit despite the Democrats’ efforts at obstruction.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...

[tampa_griz]

Except that the REPUBLICANS OUTSPENT the Democrats...and still LOST TWO SEATS.

Those are heavy Democrat areas. Republicans usually never have a shot there. And one of Rs that lost has been plagued by a lot of scandals. And he barely lost.

The voters of Wisconsin voted to continue Gov. Walker's policies.

[Bronco]

--
Happy people even in the heavy dem state of Wisconsin are finally waking up...except for this union guy of course