I attended the Wisconsin post-mortem session this morning, which featured four people who had worked on the ground there. I came away with a mixed picture of what caused Tuesday’s loss. Let’s start with the ads. Walker aired 24,000 TV ads versus Barrett’s 9,000. That moved Walker’s approval/disapproval from 41/59 to 52/48. “Walker owned the …
Election 2012
I ain’t mad at cha
This is the third Netroots Nation that I’ve attended. The first two (2007 and 2008) were happy and hopeful, this one seems sad. There is a palpable sense that the middle-class is being destroyed in no small part by unelected judges and central bankers, and that it isn’t clear what we can do about it, …
Friday Morning Open Thread: Legacies
(Ballard Street via GoComics.com) __ Matt Taibbi, it seems, achieved the first and possibly last successful Thunderclap, reports The Verge: Yesterday at noon Rolling Stone writer Matt Taibi sent the inaugural Thunderclap, when he and 1,921 other people Tweeted simultaneously at a pair of U.S. senators. Taibi used an app, Thunderclap, built by a small …
The modern health care industry in the US
I’d like to bring this debate back to reality a little: Jenky said the Catholic Church is under attack by the U.S. government….Thundered the prelate, “Hitler and Stalin, at their better moments, would just barely tolerate some churches remaining open, but would not tolerate any competition with the state in education, social services, and health …
The modern health care industry in the USPost + Comments (79)
Fire Walker Chronicles: Epilogue
Mistermix covered some of this earlier on the Wisconsin recall, but I wanted to expand on it. The good news: Turnout in Wisconsin was massive yesterday. The bad news: the election wasn’t about Scott Walker at all, but whether or not recalls over policy were even appropriate…and Wisconsin said “no”. Republican Gov. Scott Walker has …
You Come at the King, You Best Not Miss
Here’s a high bar: Sixty percent of Wisconsin voters said in CBS News exit polls that recall elections are only appropriate for official misconduct. Twenty-seven percent said they think they are suitable for any reason, while 10 percent think they are never appropriate. Exit polling showed tepid majority support for public unions (51%), with equally …
Well, That’s Over
The night is still young, but everyone is declaring Walker the winner. Results are still coming in, but it looks like Walker will crush Barrett with a larger percentage victory than in 2010 (although with far fewer votes). Big takeaway- being outspent 7-1 overcomes any Democratic GOTV, and if Barrett runs in the gubernatorial election …