I predicted a 2-4 point loss. The emotional game goes to the challenger in recalls. Further, the unions that are dependent on this election have decades of built in ground game. I was listening to the radio and I heard that they knocked on thousands of doors and called even more. Walker was ahead in the polls, but he was slowing down in the final days.
I had the ill luck of having to drive to Charlotte tonight, so I wasn’t able to watch the election results at all. I tried keeping track on my phone, but that proved to be untenable on the road. So I called family and friends and asked them to keep me up to date via texts.
What a great trip!
Walker took a massive lead early and never really was challenged. Fox called it when 25% of the vote was in, the rest soon followed suit.
Wisconsin has now elected their governor twice. Twice, and he still has another term to run for. Mr. Walker was clear about what he was gonna do when he ran the first time. Then, when in office, he did them. Rather, he TRIED to do them. When faced with a vote that they didn’t like, the Democrats ran from their job, ran from their capital and even ran from their state. All to prevent a vote.
An interesting functional filibuster don’t ya say?
Then, when the democrats tried to take control of the senate by recalling a number of members, they lost. The senate remained in control of the republicans. Finally, after the requisite number of months in office, the democrats tried to recall him. While they were successful in forcing the election, they were unsuccessful in their bid to unseat him.
The people have spoken. Spoken at least three times. They want this governor, they want this senate, they want these reforms and they are tired of the status quo.
The reforms that the legally elected republicans moved into law through a legally sanctioned vote have worked for the state. Budgets have seen significant relief, many have been balanced. School districts have been able to obtain fiscal flexibility while not having to lay off teachers. In short, Walker works.
Finally the people of Wisconsin are not pleased that the recall election even took place. The recall process is meant to force out a governor that has been guilty of some crime or of some ethical lapse. Mr. Walker is guilty of neither. The only thing he did was pass legislation that made the liberals mad.
So they sulked and pouted and wanted a redo.
And the good folks of Wisconsin didn’t appreciate that.
I don’t think so. I think that Wisconsin remains steadily blue. The folks there are liberal at heart but simply found that they need a dose of fiscal reality. The continued spending and taxing of the past finally caught up. They’ve had enough.
As I’m listening to the news now I am hearing that a large number of folks who voted for Walker will continue to support Obama in the upcoming election in November. I think the number is 18%.
That’s big.
Wisconsin will roll blue for the President this fall.
Posted in Elections 2012, Government, Liberty, Politics: National
Tagged Barack Obama, Colle, Scott Walker, Union, Wisconsin
On almost double the volume today Intrade has Walker at 93% and going away …
Maybe the good people of Wisconsin really do understand that what he did has helped the state save money and save jobs. Let’s hope so.
Posted in Elections 2012, Government, Liberty
Tagged Scott Walker, Unions, Wisconsin
Tonight is Wisconsin Eve. The whole nation is watching the freakin’ Cheese Heads to see which way they’ll go. Tomorrow is the recall election of Governor Scott Walker.
We all know the issues, we’ve all listened to the talking heads from both sides and most likely, we’ve all made up our minds. I know I have; it was over before it started. But what interests me is not only who SHOULD win, but who WILL win.
And I think I gotta give the edge to the Democrats.
The unions are going to be out in full force. They’re gonna have every member from Green to Bay out shaking voters from anywhere they can find ’em. Walker’s going away in the polls, but Barrett has the built in “feet on the street.”
I give it to the Unions by 3 points.
Sigh.
Posted in Elections 2012, Liberty, Politics: National
Tagged Governor, Scott Walker, Unions, Wisconsin
We all know the story. The elections of 2008 led to the elections of 2010. And the 2010 elections were of epic proportions. Republicans on the federal and state levels dominated and it ushered a new world order in many governing bodies. Here in North Carolina we see the first republican controlled senate and house for the first time in more that 100 years. And in Wisconsin, we see a republican governor, a republican senate and a republican house.
Some excellent things were about to happen.
To be fair, North Carolina is a local Blue state. We like our state house and senate to be democrats. Our governors? We like them to be democrats too. Locally we bleed a fair shade of blue.
So to say that Bev Purdue won the office in 2008 isn’t a completely accurate picture. It helped her, sure, but it’s hard to say that was the only factor.
What is true is that she is a wildly unpopular governor.
It’s been a while since we checked in on how things are going in Wisconsin since the state passed the law restricting collective bargaining.
Before the reform, many districts’ annual union contracts required them to buy health insurance from WEA Trust, a nonprofit affiliated with the state’s largest teachers’ union. Once the reform limited collective bargaining to wage negotiations, districts could eliminate that requirement from their contracts and start bidding for health care on the open market. When the Appleton School District put its health-insurance contract up for bid, for instance, WEA Trust suddenly lowered its rates and promised to match any competitor’s price. Appleton will save $3 million during the current school year.
That’s a win. Before the law the districts had to negotiate with ONE insurance provider. Now they can shop. The savings? $3 million.
At the outset of the public-union standoff, educators had made dire predictions that Walker’s reforms would force schools to fire teachers. In February, to take one example, Madison School District Superintendent Dan Nerad predicted that 289 teachers in his district would be laid off. Walker insisted that his reforms were actually a job-retention program: by accepting small concessions in health and pension benefits, he argued, school districts would be able to spare hundreds of teachers’ jobs. The argument proved sound. So far, Nerad’s district has laid off no teachers at all, a pattern that has held in many of the state’s other large school districts
Because teachers are now required to contribute to some of their health care and retirement, the districts are able to save jobs. So far 289 in one district alone. A win.
Another example of saved jobs:
The Wauwatosa School District, which faced a $6.5 million shortfall, anticipated slashing 100 jobs—yet the new pension and health contributions saved them all.
Boom goes the dynamite.
Beyond the cost savings, districts are able to implement policies that encourage better educational outcomes:
So it turns out that the Wisconsin Democrats didn’t win as much as they wanted and, more importantly, as much as they needed.. They fell short of taking back control of the Senate. Now, to be fair, a 17-16 majority is razor thin and in truth is probably better for government than a very large majority. For example, who can argue about the damage the the US Senate did to the nation as a result of their super-majority in 2009-2010? No one.
However, what is the impact? The read? What does this mean?
Posted in Government, Politics: National, States Behaving Badly
Tagged Democrats, Republicns, Scott Walker, Unions, Wisconsin
On June 14th, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that the Wisconsin legislature did not, in fact, break any laws when they passed the bill into law that removed a large portion of the collective bargaining rights from public sector unions.
From the Left, the words spewing from the bleachers were ones of destruction the end of education as we know it.
Teachers would have their power taken from them and, without said power, would be left–ahem, powerless in the streets. Schools would crumble and a darkness would be upon the face of the deep. But I wonder, is it possible that something might happen? Is it possible that the passing of this law would allow districts the ability to save their schools? Would communities be able to educate their children with teachers they loved and class sizes they want?
I think so.
Let’s check the tale of the tape:
Posted in Education, Government, Politics: National
Tagged Act 10, Scott Walker, Unions, Wisconsin
Wisconsin.
Unions.
Scott Walker.
“This is a disaster,” said Mark Miller, the Wisconsin Senate Democratic leader, in February after Republican Gov. Scott Walker proposed a budget bill that would curtail the collective bargaining powers of some public employees. Miller predicted catastrophe if the bill were to become law — a charge repeated thousands of times by his fellow Democrats, union officials, and protesters in the streets.
Still think so?
Posted in Education, Liberty, Politics: National
Tagged Scott Walker, Unions, Wisconsin