Just how epic of a fail was the inability of the Democrats to win back the Wisconsin statehouse last night? Well, to quote a certain less-than-bright member of the same party, it's a really big f*cking deal:
An energized Democratic base was supposed to turn out yesterday. It was supposed to pry away from Republicans their total control of Wisconsin's state legislature. Republicans had gone after the state's public employee unions, and this was supposed to be an overreach that would cost them dearly in yesterday's recall elections. If Democrats could pick up three of the six seats under recall, they could win back the state Senate and block Gov. Scott Walker's agenda.
And then...it just didn't work out the way the unions had hoped.
In the end, the union-backed Democrats picked up only two state Senate seats in Wisconsin last night, at a staggering cost in time, effort, and of course money. One of the seats was solidly Democratic, held by a Republican due to an apparent fluke of nature. The other was held by an alleged adulterer who had moved outside his district to live with his young mistress, and whose wife was supporting his recall.
As for the other four Republican incumbents the unions tried to recall, they didn't end up coming very close. And remember -- these weren't just any Republican incumbents. These were the ones that the unions judged most vulnerable, which is why they collected petition signatures against them.
Yeah, and that nasty sound you just heard was Barack Obama dropping a Cleveland Steamer into his drawers, or perhaps it was the music of Chris Christie's balls doubling in size. Bottom line is that if the Democrats cannot defeat economically conservative Republicans in a hastily-called election in which union support groups helped them wildly outspend the competition in a once solidly blue state, they are going to have trouble winning anywhere in 2012. Well, except California.
And yet the Wisconsin Democrats still refuse to bend to the will of those pesky voters:
Instead of graciously accepting defeat, Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Mike Tate accused Republicans of “tampering with the results of a consequential election” and said that a “dark cloud hangs over these important results.” He promised an investigation and declared, “We will not stop, we will not rest . . . until we recall Scott Walker.”
Really? So let's get to the second part of the title of this post:
Yeah, and that nasty sound you just heard was Barack Obama dropping a Cleveland Steamer into his drawers, or perhaps it was the music of Chris Christie's balls doubling in size. Bottom line is that if the Democrats cannot defeat economically conservative Republicans in a hastily-called election in which union support groups helped them wildly outspend the competition in a once solidly blue state, they are going to have trouble winning anywhere in 2012. Well, except California.
And yet the Wisconsin Democrats still refuse to bend to the will of those pesky voters:
Instead of graciously accepting defeat, Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Mike Tate accused Republicans of “tampering with the results of a consequential election” and said that a “dark cloud hangs over these important results.” He promised an investigation and declared, “We will not stop, we will not rest . . . until we recall Scott Walker.”
Really? So let's get to the second part of the title of this post:
Refusing to submit to the will of the people, fleeing the state in order to force a government shutdown, having your minions occupy the statehouse, intimidate lawmakers, block the streets, and threaten the lives of the opposition = "This is how democracy works!"
Winning an election by promising to bring back fiscal sanity, then going to Washington and honoring your word to your constituents by refusing to vote in favor of tax hikes and spending increases = "Tea Party Terrorism!"
Let's see how well this line of logic plays out in 2012....