FYI I really wish more were interested in WI

[Kathianne]

I am.

[jimnyc]

Results should be very soon, but all stories thus far are pointing to an identical makeup from 2 years ago and exit polls showing a similar result and 5pt advantage for Walker.

[fj1200]

I didn't even know it was today.

Doesn't mean I wasn't interested though.

[gabosaurus]

I am fascinated why so many outside of Wisconsin are/were interested in a recall election.
Then again, with today's 24-hour news cycles, pretty much everything is news.

[Kathianne]

I am fascinated why so many outside of Wisconsin are/were interested in a recall election.
Then again, with today's 24-hour news cycles, pretty much everything is news.

I haven't had television for 2 years now, it's not the 'news cycle.'

Perhaps it's because WI is a neighbor state that I've spent lots of time in. I think though in the main it's the whole attempt to undo our electoral system through recalls. I'm so glad it failed.

[Thunderknuckles]

I am fascinated why so many outside of Wisconsin are/were interested in a recall election.
Then again, with today's 24-hour news cycles, pretty much everything is news.
The interest was due to the fact that what is happening in WI is very similar to what is happening to states across the union with deficits, public unions, etc.
Walker made some tough choices that were very unpopular with many. He held strong through a siege on the capitol and a call for his removal from office. But something unexpected happened in between the initial call for his removal and the vote: his tough choices began to work and WI went from suffering from large deficit spending to a surplus. While the rest of the nation continues to suffer from unemployment rates of 8+ percent, even into the teens in some states, WI is about 6.5% now. The people began to see the light.

We all keep hearing that some tough choices need to be made to solve the fiscal problems our nation is facing but no one has the balls to make the tough call for fear of losing their jobs. Walker not only had the balls but he made the call, suffered the consequences, and was vindicated. The man has my respect.

Many political pundits believe what happened in WI is a precursor to what will happen in the Presidential election. They may be right.

P.S. This is also why Obama was nowhere to be seen in WI during this time.

[Tyr-Ziu Saxnot]

The interest was due to the fact that what is happening in WI is very similar to what is happening to states across the union with deficits, public unions, etc.
Walker made some tough choices that were very unpopular with many. He held strong through a siege on the capitol and a call for his removal from office. But something unexpected happened in between the initial call for his removal and the vote: his tough choices began to work and WI went from suffering from large deficit spending to a surplus. While the rest of the nation continues to suffer from unemployment rates of 8+ percent, even into the teens in some states, WI is about 6.5% now. The people began to see the light.

We all keep hearing that some tough choices need to be made to solve the fiscal problems our nation is facing but no one has the balls to make the tough call for fear of losing their jobs. Walker not only had the balls but he made the call, suffered the consequences, and was vindicated. The man has my respect.

Many political pundits believe what happened in WI is a precursor to what will happen in the Presidential election. They may be right.

P.S. This is also why Obama was nowhere to be seen in WI during this time.

You can bet that obama and crew are even more afraid because of what happened with Walker winning. It points to people waking up to the truth and absolutely nothing could be worse for that lying SOS. For his image is based on lies upon lies and his actions are defended by lies upon lies.-Tyr

[gabosaurus]

Thanks for the excellent and informative answers. Though I didn't see the Wisconsin recall election as a threat to the electoral system as a whole. If an elected official misbehaves in office, the only recourse for voters is a recall. In which case the people get to decide.

[Thunderknuckles]

Thanks for the excellent and informative answers. Though I didn't see the Wisconsin recall election as a threat to the electoral system as a whole. If an elected official misbehaves in office, the only recourse for voters is a recall. In which case the people get to decide.
There have only been 3 Governor recalls in history of which Walker is the only one to have survived which is telling in and of itself.
So, I agree with you in that this does not present a threat to our electoral system. I also agree that it is vital that we as voters retain this power. Being from California I had my own experience in recalling Gray Davis. BTW Gabby, where did you fall on that one?

[Kathianne]

A recall for a total incompetent like Davis or a corrupt governor like Blago? Sure. Walker was put up for recall because a segment of the electorate didn't like what he was doing. That's what elections are for. We do not have a parliamentary system.

[Little-Acorn]

If an elected official misbehaves in office, the only recourse for voters is a recall.

But that wasn't the reason the Democrats tried to recall Scott Walker yesterday.

Recalls are usually done when a politician promises one thing during his campaign and then does something else once elected (see Barack Obama and FDR); or whose job performance abjectly fails to achieve what he promised due to his own bad judgment or other such incompetence (see Jimmy Carter and Gray Davis).

Yesterday's failed recall attempt by the Democrats, was done simply because the Wisconsin governor promised during his campaign to cut spending, reduce the state's deficit, and curtail the public-sector unions; and then when a majority of Wisconsin voters approved of his plan and put him in office, he did exactly what he had promised. Wisconsin's small minority of leftist fanatics didn't like the promises, didn't like the results (which matched the promises), and so threw a temper tantrum and tried to go against the majority, and reverse the outcome of the original election. They failed the recall attempt just as they had failed to keep Walker out of office in the first place, and for identical reasons: What they wanted was the opposite of what the majority wanted, both times. Even the issues were identical.

Recalls are usually for politicians who lie or fail. God knows we have enough of those. But here we had a recall attempt of a politician who kept his promises and succeeded. And apparently it was BECAUSE he kept his promises and succeeded!

Sounds to me like the wrong people got recalled.