Wisconsin risk paid off

[babylonsister]

http://www.denverpost.com/littwin/ci_17586864

Littwin: Wisconsin risk paid off
By Mike Littwin
Denver Post Columnist
Posted: 03/13/2011 01:00:00 AM MST

snip//

They won because when they lost, people actually cared that they lost. It was, as they say in the sports world, a moral victory. And for Republicans, this was, as they say on Greek battlefields, a Pyrrhic victory.

In any case it was strange and different and entirely unexpected, even by the unions.

Every poll I saw showed people in Wisconsin and, for that matter, people across America taking the unions' side — and by significant margins. What must worry Republicans is that the big gain for unions comes from so-called Reagan Democrats, from Obama's bitter clingers. If Republicans are to win back the White House in 2012, they have to win the Midwestern industrial states, like, yes, Wisconsin. They can't do it without these voters.

snip//

Now, it's clear that union power — which is now mostly found in support of Democratic candidates — has returned, at least for a time. But for how long?

We'll have some idea if the Wisconsin Democrats, with strong union support, actually go through with their threats to recall Republican state senators. And in Democrats' fevered dreams, a Scott Walker recall election would kick off the 2012 campaign season.

Wisconsin Democrats took a huge risk — and it seems to have paid off. This can't be lost on Washington Democrats, who are regularly losing the daily media battle on the real budget crisis.

If you see Democrats suddenly growing bold, maybe even taking a large risk on entitlement reform, you'll know that what happened in Wisconsin really mattered. Now that would be really strange.

[Buzz Clik]

1. It will be a victory for the Dems if they treat if as much more than a moral victory.

The voters of Wisconsin ushered in with open eyes (and tired butts) the perfect storm that created that disaster. We are headed toward the 2012 elections as a fractured, hysterical, and silly electorate. If the Dems continue to spend their energy finding anything and everything to complain about Obama and the other elected Democrats, then we will be facing a Wisconsin-like disaster on a national scale.

The conservatives never thought Bush 43 was conservative enough. Are we ready for a more conservative version of him running this country? I am not, and my energies will be spent avoiding it.

[Armstead]

7. That's a broken record

The Democratic Party (as an institution) and its conservative "centrist" Beltway leadership -- and their apologists -- have been ignoring their base for years -- decades.

And that abandonment of core liberal/progressive principles with Corporate "Centrism" has been half of the reason this country is gong down the tubes (except for the mega corporations and oligarchs).

And as part of that continuing pattern, the "centrists" and their apologists try to ignore and insult and marginalize the liberal/progressive base -- which results in pushing the true "center" further to the right. And the chickens keep coming home to roost.

Instead of this insistence on lock-step adherence to the "you have to support us because we're not quite as bad as the Republicans" mantra it would be much more useful to actually listen to the people who were actually pointing out how the Democrats could have been making a positive difference and avoided disaster over the years.

[Buzz Clik]

11. "centrists" "apologists" "corporatists" Save the bullshit for idiots.

We are in a crisis, not a philosophical debate.

If you want to stick to rigid notions of pure liberalism, there will be a serious price to pay.

Your angst is appreciated but destructive. We will be moving on and leaving a lot of you behind.

[Armstead]

13. I'd settle for half-liberalism

You forget how many compromises "purists" have made over the years.

I just wonder what you plan to "move on' to. Sound more like you plan on going around in the same old circle that has allowed the GOP to gain so much power and cause such wreckage.

[Buzz Clik]

14. Liberals are great at losing elections and protesting the political decisions of their opposition...

... as the liberals sit on the sidelines watching the other side govern.

Losing and whining isn't my style. I'm going for the win with the best Democrats we can put forward. Do as you like.

[Homer12]

2. Yes, but now we have to fight Voter Supression in WI

How will they do this?

They already crippled the Public Unions monetary support of the democratic party, but now they will do this:

- End Same day registration to make it harder for the lederly and students

- Voter ID

- Forced poverty through Budget cuts, ending tax rebates to renters, the minorities, and the poor

- Electronic Voting

- Massive add spending to rile up their base

etc.....

The Rightwing Gov.s of the midwest now have no other choice then to have their rubber stamp legislators pass dictorial bills to supress voting.

And they will.

The fight is going to get tougher.

Never give up! Fight back!

[babylonsister]

3. You are of course right, but eyes have been opened. I think

everyone will be on their toes, waiting for efforts like this to appear and to combat them. They've made enemies who are now aware; that can't be a good thing for them.

[Kurmudgeon]

4. IF the US continues to reward the GOP for their malfeasance, they only have themselves to blame.

I truly hope this opened some eyes, but I've heard oh so many Republican loyalists defending His Royal Majesty The Governor and cursing the teachers.

[hollowdweller]

5. I don't consider it a win at all.

I'm happy that all the people are motivated but they lost.

I mean there's still a lot of people motivated but the protestors lost.

Now if they would have gone out on strike when the senate passed the bill before the house and governor signed the bill they might have had a real win.

HOWEVER I agree that people across the world are tired of it. That's due to the rich taking over and making everbody accept austerity, not Wisconsin.

[michaz]

8. Sometimes you have to loose a few battles to win the war! I do believe

that is what is going to happen here.

[msongs]

6. are you refering to the washington democrats who are republican appeasers waving the white flag? nt

[starroute]

9. There's one huge, gaping hole in the GOP strategy

It's that the struggle isn't simply about raw power -- they also have to show results.

They're gambling on a belief that an application of extreme free market ideology can revitalize the Rust Belt. That they can actually create prosperity by crushing the unions, privatizing everything in sight, and sucking up to the corporate overlords. And that when they've proven the validity of their methods, they'll have a long-term lock on those states and thus on presidential elections and control of Congress.

On the other hand, if they fail miserably, if they seem to be turning Wisconsin into Mississippi for no visible gain, or even if they show some modest economic gains for the top 10% but at the cost of grave damage to a majority of voters, they'll have blown their chances for the next generation or more.

That's what it ultimately comes down to. This isn't about sentiment or union outrage. It's a "by their fruits ye shall know them" situation.

That doesn't mean the protesters should give up the pressure -- the likelihood of continuing unrest itself is one of those fruits, and fighting now is going to be key to succeeding later. But it does mean that this is only the opening gambit in what is going to be a very long game.

[Overseas]

10. Low Income Heating Assistance Program or Corporate Tax Cuts to Ship to Offshore Tax Havens?

Real shared sacrifice with modest tax increases on those whose income soared by hundreds of percent during the past decades, or slashing union rights and assistance to the poor and middle class just to increase the misery among potential Democratic constituencies?

Corporate lobbyists are shameless about crushing their opposition, and can use the cruel bottom line that they are obligated to increase quarterly profits for their shareholders, whether that destroys the lives of millions of US citizens or not.

But instead of my Democratic legislators showing foresight and strengthening campaign finance reform, they allowed judicial activists from the Federalist Society to be appointed to our Supreme Court. And those activists gave multinational corporations even more power over the US government.

We have some noble politicians who fight for the long-term health of our country, but it has become harder to resist the billion dollar corporations when they can now secretly spend millions to crush you.

I'd like to see a law passed that any corporation that does business with the USA must pay US taxes. But the giants that pay zero in the USA have millions to spend to crush the politicians that would dare back such a measure.

I can only hope that the hundreds of thousands who have showed up in freezing cities across America will be enough to "Make Me Do It." To make Democrats more democratic again.

[Myrina]

12. Sigh, but the new season of 'Dancing with the Stars' starts tomorrow ...

... so let's see how interested and agitated people outside of WI remain ....