@Sean
I agree with what you have said. It becomes bad when it is used to demonize one side over the other as we witnessed in Mahlon's speech or when Democratic US Senators refuse to pass legislation when they have complete control and then blame Republicans for stonewalling.

I don't want Democrats to simply fall in line; however, they do need to wake up and understand the Wisconsin may be more conservative then it has in the past. It is time they start listening to the people.

@Sean -

Hoffa was saying the exact same thing before it became an all out assault by the Dems against the Repubs, and for no better reason other than the fact that they lost the 2010 elections and the Repubs were carrying out the agenda that they had promised to the electorate. The abuses that the left committed against the right during this recall process will not be soon forgotten and the polarization will continue I'm afraid, because those on the left, aren't willing to cede to the mentality of we can agree to disagree and still get along. Instead, the left has turned this into a must win at all costs civil war of sorts, and Mitchell's speech last night, as well as the crowd reactions during all the Dem speeches last night, is just proof of their intention to continuing to engage in such divisive and deplorable tactics until they win or….

More compromise has been going on in Madison under the Walker administration than the Dems want their constituency to believe.

@Mr. Hoffa

Its true that democrats have clearly become more hostile after 2010, but they should not be expected to be quiet and let things take their course. That's the idea behind a democracy. By shutting up and letting the republicans execute their agenda, the majority (the republicans) become too powerful and the minority (the democrats) too quiet. Remember, republics tend to be less efficient because everyone is screaming. Monarchies fail because the minority is too quiet. Our Democratic Republic is a very very good balance between the two. I extremely dislike the democratic outcry that has simply not diminished since 2010, but at the same time I hope to God they don't shut up.

@Mr. Lee -

I fully agree with you, but would argue that there's a proper way to voice your dissatisfaction with something and an over-the-top way, that over time turns into a divisive contempt from your majority opposition, and thus will only act to further divide people until a revolution becomes inevitable. Fortunately, we have the safeguard of regularly schedule elections built into our system to prevent complete oligarch-type rule, not to mention the separation of powers, and principles of checks and balances. Our founders chose this over a representative legislature for a reason. Whether or not the majority approach is more effective or efficient than the representative approach is wholly subjective.

It is my hope that in the aftermath of this election, we will be able to come back together instead of pushing further apart and closer to revolution. Only time will tell, but one thing is clear - it will be up to the recall crowd to decide how they want to proceed and what direction they wish to take.

J.B. -- The last percentages I read were Walker/Barrett 53/46. That's not such a small majority that you gentlemen ought to feel you have a sweeping mandate to change the face of the state.

I'm sure you'd like us to shut up now, and I will. Until a few years down the line when I will be allowed an 'I told you so'.

@Randy
You have the correct percentages, but what you are missing is that this is the 4th election in 2 years that the Democrats have pumped a huge amount of money and effort into. Each election was seen as a reflection on the work that Walker and GOP were doing in Madison. Not unlike a 4 game series in baseball, it has little to do with how close the games are if you sweep the series.

1. Percentage Growth in Non-Farm Private Sector Employees (1995-2005)
a. Right to Work States: 12.9%
b. Non-right to Work States: 6.0%

2. Average Poverty Rate-Adjusted for Cost of Living (2002-2004)
a. Right to Work States: 8.5%
b. Non-right to Work States: 10.1%

3. Percentage Growth in Patents Annually Granted (1995-2005)
a. Right to Work States: 33.0%
b. Non-right to Work States: 11.0%

4. Percentage Growth in Real Personal Income (1995-2005)
a. Right to Work States: 26.0%
b. Non-right to Work States: 19.0%

5. Percentage Growth in Number of People Covered by Employment Based Private Health Insurance (1995-2005):
a. Right to Work States: 8.5%
b. Non-right to Work States: 0.7%

@Bren
The election is over, you can stop reading off the union memos.

Do you have any proof for what you said? If so please provide evidence that Walker is considering making Wisconsin a Right to Work state.

Nope, you're the only one that doesn't understand Bren. 47 minutes after polls closed, Fourth-seven! you're entire platform was crushed.

Walker has said he would not sign right to work legislation. Even though we think and it is proven to be the right thing he said he wouldn't do it. And after watching Walker for the last few years, he does what he says.

You're going to have to try much harder to have anyone take you seriously around here. Fourth-seven minutes is all it took.

@Bren -

How are you doing today? We all missed you last night on the Live Blog board!

In case you missed it - Schmitzy owes Hoffa $50 thanks to Walker's big win last night :-)

Brendan, have you been sleeping for the past 24 hours?
Many of us were worried about you, thinking maybe you did something foolish.
Glad you are still an Independant and able to hold firm to refraining from reading from the union propaganda mailers.
Based on Greg's post; you haven't been reading the right stuff in your outhouse. By the way....you get good internet reception in there?

@Bren -

In a global economy, closed shop vs RTW state policy effects wages in a relatively minor fashion. Federal trade policy represents the bigger picture here and that's something that Walker can't do anything about while merely occupying the Governor's mansion.

Funny how Romney is the one who's talking about getting tough with the unfair global players, such a China, India, etc, while supposedly being of the party that advocates for free and loosely regulated trade. Meanwhile, Obama had nearly four years to get tough on the unfair players, and this was actually one of his 2008 campaign promises, and he's done little to nothing to deliver on such promise. Not the mention the trade laws and treaties that are already on the books that we're not enforcing! And yet, instead of running on this now, Obama instead engages in playing class warfare and partisan politics here at home. That's disappointing to say the least and says a lot about his style of leadership, or lack thereof, doesn't it?

So if you honestly support workers rights and decent wages as you claim to here, then I honestly don't see how you can support Obama in the upcoming Presidential election.

30 seconds Steve- that is all I could stomach of that crap.
I am fairly confident it was actions like those that motivated the true Independants to go to the polls for a reaffirmation of Scott Walker.
I would bet that 75% of those jumping up and down like chimpanzees in the video never went to the polls.

@Craig -

Those jumping in the video couldn't go to the polls because they were all from out-of-state and weren't smart enough to figure out how to cheat.

Never, ever forget.

@Craig

Republican or Democrat, it would be extremely hard to argue that what they were doing was not democracy. They were dissatisfied so they made their voices be heard. Isn't that exactly the point of a democracy?

Sean: What they were doing was being done indecently. People forced their way into the building via a window, people crapped on the floor, shouting as a means to disrupt the process is no different than a temper tantrum.
There is a proper way to do things, this is usually something that is learned with maturity. What you see in the video is mob mentality. Collectively they are as stupid as the dumbest single digit in the group.
It is seeing things like this that pissed me off enough to move farther to the right. I was a Libertarian. Now I am a very conservative Republican, and will likely vote that way for a long, long time.
Those hippies motivated people like me like kicking a beehive!

Sean -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcuqM1LEi5c

The silent majority defines a representative republic (our democracy) as going to the polls. NOT taking over the capitol for months on end, popping on the floors, yelling, banging on drums, disrupting normal business, class tours, entrances, property damage, threatening businesses if they do not put certain signs in their windows, death threats, yelling at political families, protesting at family residences.....

@ Steve and Craig
You're right. Its absolutely disgusting what some of the people have done during the insane protests. Its irresponsible. But the pure form of protesting is a wonderful thing. You can't say that all protesters are irresponsible hippies because of a couple irresponsible people doing stupid things. Think back to civil rights movement. People saw the protesters then as disruptive and irresponsible, but they were simply voicing their opinion the only way they could. The protesters at Madison (and I'm talking about the responsible majority of them) were practicing their Constitutional rights and their own civic duty to voice their opinions. You also forget to remember the people who stood in the cold Wisconsin winter asking for signatures to petition for the recall. THAT is democracy in action. I personally think the recall was uncalled for (no pun intended), but I cannot deny that it was a powerful display of democracy and it makes me proud to be American. This post places the responsibility of unification on the Democrats shoulders, but it sure seems like its not JUST the Democrats who divide. Using words like propaganda, chimpanzees, and hippies certainly does not help to unite. Who in their right minds would want to agree with people like that?

Sean, I have not seen you here before. Remember that some of the people doing name calling on this blog have been here for a long time and have been called everything in the book. Also, protest has it's place. The unions started their tantrum and poor democrat leadership fanned the flames. Protests are raw emotion and emotion cannot win an issue. Facts and reason will prevail, and it did.

Sean: Greg makes a good point. Despite that....
You seem to be an intelligent, respectful person. You may find that those who have different opinions than you will treat you with respect because of that. Lyle Ruble is one of those people who have earned respect from those on the right- well, most of them. There are always a few loonie tunes out there.
You are correct about name calling; I have done my fair share of that. What you haven't witnessed is the endless insults we endured the whole time this recall was in process. Some posters have been harassed at their homes.
I witnessed the peaceful protesters living in the Capital making a mess- that seems disrespectful to me. I protest with my vote, I may even protest with letters. But I do not disrupt the process to hurt everyone who depends on it.
We had the ultimate show of democracy in action- an election. Let's hope we don't have to go through that again anytime soon.

I can't access utube where i am at...but the whole 'cratic agenda reminds me of the ol' Styx song 'The Grand Illusion'...go buy that brand new motor car with the hand out check from the government....

You can't say that. 45% of people in the state dislike the conservative agenda being passed in Madison. Even though they lost, it is clear that progressivism/liberalism is not dying. In fact, its not going anywhere. Telling them to go away would be no different from promoting the tyranny of the majority. Think about it, if Democrats really did shut up, how different would Wisconsin be from a one party nation like Russia during the Bolshevik revolution or North Korea?

@Alfred...Don't be too quick to start carving the tombstone of the left. If you factor out the people who voted against the recall, some estimates put it at 5% to 7%, then the election was a dead heat.

I agree it was a historic event, but not for the same reasons you're claiming. The election showed that Wisconsinites don't like recalls and think they have been abused, the Democrats didn't put up a candidate that brought any excitement to the race and they were outspent.

There are many fights to be engaged in and issues to be worked out. Don't expect the left to vacate the state any time soon; I fear you'll be disappointed.

@Lyle
That may be true now; however, that doesn't take into account those duped by union propaganda. As the economy of Wisconsin takes off in the next 6 months and the 'sky of falling' memos turn out to be false, more people will realize Scott is taking Wisconsin in the right direction. This will not only help Republicans in the 2012 elections, but will undoubtedly win Walker a second term.

Love your humor tonite, Lyle. Great choice of satire : " don't expect the left to vacate the state ". Sure hope you saw the irony of your words in writing them. Good job!

@Lyle -

"If you factor out the people who voted against the recall, some estimates put it at 5% to 7%, then the election was a dead heat."

I never knew you were a DJ, but you must be, as you're pretty good at SPINNING :-)

"the Democrats didn't put up a candidate that brought any excitement to the race and they were outspent"

The only reason they were outspent was because they put up a poor candidate, not that the amount of money would have mattered much in the general, as the messages of both sides have been heard loud and clear across the state since Feb of last year.

So, obviously, this was a win on message, and not reach of message due to contrasting bank accounts.

"There are many fights to be engaged in and issues to be worked out. Don't expect the left to vacate the state any time soon; I fear you'll be disappointed."

I look forward to more fun in the future, as I'm sure you do as well ;-)

@Lyle: If you factor out the people who signed the recall petitions, Barrett got about 10% of the vote. Remove the Tribal mentality of protests, the union propaganda (and money they spent to kick off the recall), and there was no contest.
I know you do not agree with me on Social issues, but certainly you understand kicking the beehive?

Sean, you miss the point. The right wing in America, just like the right wing in 1930's Germany, is not interested in debate. They want to silence and remove the opposition, so as to be free to impose their will without resistance. Why else do you think they are so opposed to making it easier for people to vote, for example?

JB - Right, and if the economy doesn't take off, well that will just be Obama's fault. Of course, while Democrats are "duped" by unions, every Republican is a free-thinking master of logic, totally immune to misinformation doled out by massive info-tainment machines like News Corp. or talk radio! I mean, you NEVER hear right wingers use verbatim talking points directly from Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh when making an argument! (In other words, you probably don't want to use the "misinformed" argument... Something about glass houses...)

Walker got the vote of 17% of Obama supporters. Highly doubtful those voters were in group 3. Given the three different exit polls showing Obama with 7, 8, and 11 point leads over Romney, I'd say group 4 was quiet a bit larger, and group 3 was far from a "vast" majority.

James, Let me know when you want to go do some collecting.

If you send Schmitz's fifty to Romney, I'll send a hundred.(Milwaukee-eze, as in highway a hundred)

Will do Greg.

The time and location will be disclosed here on Patch, that is of course if Schmitzy mans up and honors his wager...

►Keith Schmitz
6:47 am on Thursday, June 7, 2012

What's you address. I'll mail you the check.◄

omgomgomg

http://menomoneefalls.patch.com/articles/how-did-gov-scott-walker-survive-the-recall

We could not be more proud or happy.
Thank you for your thoughts.

Thanks Donald - and you're welcome ;-)

Keep up the good fight!

BOOOOOOM

Walker dropped the BOMB on SS Obama. Call the coast guard Donald

Exit polling from Tuesday's election showed Obama leading Romney by 7, 8, and 11 points (three different polls). Walker got 17% of the vote from Obama supporters. That was not an ideological vote, nor a vote in favor of Walker and his agenda. It was a vote against the legitimacy of the recall.

Three different exit polls showed Obama's lead over Romney at 7, 8, and 11 points. A lot of Walker's votes were from people voting against the legitimacy of the recall, not for Walker. Take it as a cue to go even further to the right, please! Might just get Obama back to the 14 points he won here by last time.

Spin, spin, and more spin.

The real agenda has already been put on display - it's called fiscal responsibility, demanding efficiency from government, returning power to the local level, and limiting the size of government. What part don't you understand exactly? And that's what people voted for - the message!

You honestly want us to believe that people who adamantly stand opposed to Walker's agenda and believe that he represents the worst thing in American politics today went out to the polls and voted for him anyway in some kind of symbolic vote and/or stand against recalls?!?! The koolaid in liberal land must be getting stronger instead of weaker!

You may want to layoff your constant exposure to MSNBC and the Daily Kos - it's having adverse effects on your ability to reason and think for yourself.