Conservatives still buying into myth of what happened in WI

By Greg Sargent, Published: August 25

Ever since the Wisconsin standoff began, the conservative narrative about it has been built on a clear and demonstrable falsehood: That the voters of Wisconsin endorsed Scott Walker’s controversial proposals, and that Dems fighting them were subverting the people’s will. The reason conservatives continue repeating this lie even after the outcome is simple: To ensure that other GOP governors don’t go all weak-kneed as they eye similar proposals themselves.

In fact, what actually happened is that voters never had a chance to pass judgment on the radical aspects of Walker’s agenda at all before he enacted it. This is a matter of simple, demonstrable fact. Walker never campaigned on any explicit promise to roll back public employee bargaining rights — indeed, this is precisely what triggered the outpouring of protest in the first place.

Walker himself subsequently admitted under persistent questioning that he had never explicitly campaigned on a promise to roll back bargaining rights. And once Walker did spring his surprise union-busting proposal on Wisconsin, the state’s residents resoundingly rejected it in poll after poll. That labor and Dems were able to gather the signatures necessary to stage an unprecedent amount of recall elections is itself testament to public rejection of Walker’s plan.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/conservatives-cant-stop-falsifying-what-happened-in-wisconsin/2011/03/03/gIQANyOkdJ_blog.html

Yep... The GOP lost two state senators... (The Dems needed three, but all is not lost...)

Then the GOP tried to recall two Dems....and lost both elections...

Now, Walker is up for recall in January... I hope he didn't spend too much on new drapes for the Governor's mansion...

Considering that the Democrats failed to regain control of the Senate, and in fact many of the Republican Senators won their recall elections by larger margins than they were originally elected with, the regressive story of an outraged electorate is likely more of a myth than the one fish has blessed us with. I'm sure the public sector union employees were angered at the loss of their conflict of interest arrangement, but I'm not nearly as convinced that the taxpayers themselves are, especially given that the school districts have indeed been financially helped by the removal of some of the provisions put into place when the public unions engaged in conflict of interest collective bargaining with the very officials they had bankrolled in the election.

Time will tell, but I'm betting that Wisconsin voters choose their own self interest over that of the public sector unions and the public sector union employees come January - just as they did in the recall elections that failed to return a majority control of the Wisconsin state Senate to the Democrats.

Interesting, since polling suggests that 61% of those who voted for Walker now have "buyer's remorse" and have said they wouldn't for him again if they had it to do over. He's dead-man-walking....

But you did get to use "regressive" in a sentence....

The Pres need Wis. in '12. I do not think they will want to spent the $ to attempt a recall.

Scawy aint it the dems maybe on the way out so they will make up sh%t to seem like they ain't scared.

NPR thinks the recall election against the Wisconsin governor will be unsuccessful, but I imagine unions all across the nation are going to raid their bank accounts to help fund it.

LJ, how much can they count on you for to defeat Walker?

Walker was the best thing that could happen to the Labor movement. We all will eventually get a bigger piece of the pie because of this sellout POS

He woke up the ignorant to the fact that not only do Republicans not represent them in any way, that they are in a war against us, our wages, our healthcare, our quality of life

SS109 wrote: NPR thinks the recall election against the Wisconsin governor will be unsuccessful, but I imagine unions all across the nation are going to raid their bank accounts to help fund it.

LJ, how much can they count on you for to defeat Walker?

When it gets closer to January, I'll send them a couple of hundred...$$$

LadyJazzer wrote:

SS109 wrote: NPR thinks the recall election against the Wisconsin governor will be unsuccessful, but I imagine unions all across the nation are going to raid their bank accounts to help fund it.

LJ, how much can they count on you for to defeat Walker?

When it gets closer to January, I'll send them a couple of hundred...$$$

Would be better used to feed a poor family for a couple weeks imo.