The Wisconsin Fight

[Geee]

American Spectator:

Even those who barely follow politics couldn't avoid seeing Wisconsin constantly in the news last year. It started with Governor Scott Walker's much-needed Budget Repair Bill, which curbed bargaining rights for many public-sector employees. A state Supreme Court race (considered a referendum on Walker's bill) and state Senate recall elections followed. But despite tens of millions of dollars and hours of drum beating (literally-by protesters), the public sector unions failed on all three counts to gain the upper hand in Wisconsin.

But give them credit for trying yet again in 2012, as it appears an actual recall of Gov. Walker will take place. The implications of that election reach far beyond Madison: If Walker loses, it will have a chilling effect on much-needed reform. Either other responsible governors and state legislatures will address the massive burden of public-sector salaries and pensions, or they won't. Wisconsin continues to be ground zero in the battle between the right and the left over the proper role and size of government.

Tim Dake, leader of the Wisconsin Tea Party group Grandsons of Liberty, is well acquainted with the excitement. His introduction to the Tea Party movement was actually somewhat humorous: "My wife and I attended the 2009 Tax Day protest in Madison, Wisconsin, fully expecting to get arrested—that was the first event in which we got involved. We attended a few more around Wisconsin after that but were surprised that none took place in Milwaukee," Tim told me. "We decided that as the state's largest city, Milwaukee needed to host an event, so in late July we got four people together and began planning for a Constitution Day rally. We drew between 10 and 15 thousand people to the lakefront in what is still the state's largest rally." But afterward, Tim realized that Wisconsin needed more than just sign-waving. "We were looking to create change and not just protest. That change means legislative and electoral change." So he helped organize a conference of likeminded groups that created a legislative agenda—a wish list that eventually grew to about three dozen items.

And then the drama hit. "We knew that the union fight would be messy. In anticipation of their dis-pleasure with Walker's agenda, we secured the permit for April's Tax Day in the week following the No-vember 2010 election. So we saw the reaction coming, but not the timing, with the union protests in February and March of 2011," Tim said. "As a group, Wisconsin Grandsons of Liberty worked with the other groups (and American Majority) statewide on the 'I Stand With Walker' rally." But that was just the start of the Tea Party's efforts. Within days, Tea Party leaders began collecting signatures to recall three Democratic state senators who abdicated their responsibilities and fled the state in hopes of denying Republicans a quorum. And it just kept going. "We set up a PAC to raise funds for the recalls of the Democrats. We ran radio and television ads for not just the recalls but also for GOTV [get out the vote] for the April elections. We worked on the recount for Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser," Tim said.

[Geee]

I mentioned after posting one of these articles a couple of month ago, that many background things were happening here besides the recount. Since the fire has gone down a bit because the reforms are actually working and people are seeing it, they are changing there tactics. The Dems and the unions know this. The new strategy of dragging the gutters for anything they can find was leaked this week. They are working on a "John Doe" investigation to try to find some kind of charges to release right before the recall election. These people will not be denied.

[logicnreason]

I am a citizen of WI - currently.

 

I voted for our Governor, Scott Walker in his initial victory.

 

I will - this June - vote again for our current Governor, Scott Walker.

 

And if the national union money continues to flood into WI, and yet another recall is successfully mounted, I will return to the polls and vote - yet again - for Governor Scott Walker.

 

It's that simple.