What Obama Should Learn From Wisconsin
Defending Democratic principles is a must
Having suffered a bad beating last November, the Wisconsin Democrats and their allies have succeeded in building a strong movement that fights back explicitly against the right-wing policies of Gov. Scott Walker's Republican Party.
On Aug. 9, they won two out of six recall campaigns mounted against GOP state senators, which was widely interpreted as a defeat or, at best, a draw. But on Tuesday, they won both recall efforts against Democrats (to go with a victory in a July recall election), giving them an overall series victory, and cutting deeply into perceived support for the Walker agenda.
To hear the Republicans and their supporters crowing, you wouldn't know they had held onto control of the state Senate by only a single vote. So it is clear that the governor himself remains vulnerable to recall—which must be why he now sounds more like a bipartisan, reasonable, constructive Republican, the very scarce kind that President Obama has pursued so long and so fruitlessly.
On the day after his party forfeited two state Senate seats—matching the total number of elected officials recalled in Wisconsin's entire history—Walker told reporters that he realized voters "want us to do more working together" and that he would henceforth focus on "jobs" (with no mention of his previous union-busting initiatives).
Surely he is also concerned with his own plummeting poll numbers, which show a profound sense of buyer's remorse among Wisconsin independent voters, as well as the continued determination of the state's progressives and unions to remove him from power. And if the results of the recall elections of the past two weeks have encouraged him to reconsider the confrontational attitude he displayed during his first six months in office, so much the better.
Democrats Will Push Back
But what do the Wisconsin results mean to President Obama, whose dream of a "post-partisan" era in Washington has been so bitterly dashed by the rise of the tea party? In a battleground state that could go either way next year—and that went sharply rightward last year—the progressive Democratic mobilization over the past six months has been nothing short of remarkable.
Consider that Wisconsin has only seen 20 or so recall elections over the past century, and that of those elections only two have previously resulted in the recall of an incumbent. Consider that incumbents generally have a powerful advantage in any election, especially an off-year recall. Consider further that only a few months ago, the Republicans used their majority to pass a highly restrictive voter ID bill that will likely suppress the vote of Democratic-leaning constituencies, including low-income families, elderly Medicare and Social Security beneficiaries, ethnic minorities and students. Parts of that law were rolled out during the recalls, causing confusion at the polls.
And finally consider the lukewarm attitude of the Obama White House toward the Wisconsin struggle, despite the president's past vow to "walk the picket line" in defense of workers' rights. Although the Obama political operation was reported to be lending help to the Democratic recall effort, there wasn't much visible support from the president or his surrogates.
Perhaps it would have been inappropriate for the president to involve himself directly in a campaign against state officials. But whether he ought to have spoken out or not, there are still two profound lessons for him in this outcome.
The first lesson is that bipartisanship seems to be encouraged among Republicans these days only when they suspect that voters may be sick of their extremism. Just as Walker is now worried about his future, so is Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who has suddenly realized that he prefers cooperation to confrontation over collective bargaining—evidently because he fears the results of a potential repeal referendum on the issue in November.
The second lesson is that there is only one way to instill such fear among Republicans, in Wisconsin or Washington: by demonstrating the will to push back, as hard as necessary, on behalf of the principles Democrats have always promised to uphold.
That is what the Republicans do with great consistency on behalf of their own ideology, however extreme or unpopular. That is what inspired the Democrats who have fought them to a standstill in Wisconsin. And that is what could still save Obama's presidency.
© 2011 Creators.com
Wausau has been hit had by the depression.(As I prefer to call it). How dare you call people that are unemplyed or underemployed.. COWARDS. I would live off your money and smile all the way to the bank. Manning up..you need to get off your blanken high horse and join the REAL WORLD. You are one selfish person. Republicans should go further accord to you. Take it to the top and lets call it communism and you be the leader.
When I see watermelons going unpicked in the Georgia farm fields because someone in Wisconsin would rather collect an umemployment check - to me that is being a coward. When the unemployed are sitting home collecting checks instead of going to the Home Depot parking lot holding a sign describing the kind of construction work they will do, that is being a coward. When North Dakota can't find enough people to work in gas exploration because someone in Wisconsin won't go out and do the work, they are being a coward. Selfish is someone who is living off of other peoples money when they could be working for it - someplace, somewhere, somehow. Jobs are always and everywhere if you are willing to make an effort. Look on Craigslist and brave people are willing to do the most disgusting and immoral things for money, but you have to admire their gumption and willingness to work.
Did you pick any melons? Maybe they had a fungus. i should give it a try at Home Depot ..... I might get to be a CEO that is raping our country financially or better yet a Republican. Not backing down. You don't live in the real world and I'm very glad I don't work for you. I work with the elderly poor that are sick...I enjoy my job. I have purchased new blankets from Kolh's, food, shampoo etc. David it makes me feel good. I don't have a heart of granite.
I'm glad you have chose work rather than the hammock class. Glad you are helping the sick and elderly. They need it. But not those who choose not to work should not be given charity.
I was raised to share, be decent, kind, and help the poor too. I think we just have a different definition of who poor is. I dont include people who have not given 150% to better themselves. If you have gone out and worked 18 hours a day, everyday, and you are still having trouble getting minimal nutrition and a roof over your head, I'm happy to help.
Wow.. what a person 18 hours each day. I'm sure that's picking melons and not sitting behind a desk. Kudo's to you!! Sorry I don't work 18 hours each day. At one time I was able. But.....I pay my own way......Selfish, greed, and no personal time make for a boring person.
You pay your own way, then your good. I don't care if the 18 hours is picking melons or pushing a mouse around, work is work. As long as you are manning up, being brave, and going out to work, thats what counts.
Beware, study the issue of "Net Neutrality", else-wise we will end up as nothing more than jacked in pod people in "The Matrix", fed all our info by the master controller, unable to vote for anyone who was not presented to us, both sides picked by corporate; to shop for only what we are allowed to know even exists, that item that carries a sufficient profit margin, (fair trade is dead.)
You know the old saw "He who has the gold makes the rules", a most appropriate summation of capitalism! "One dollar, one vote" as opposed to "One person, one vote". Normal "all are equal" democracy is an abomination in the world of the capitalist Republican...
"--- Where your core competency is... Competency!"