First of all, I'm rooting like hell for a victory in Wisconsin...

[kentuck]

But, if Democrats were to lose the election, it would not necessarily be a bad thing.

People will say that it is the end of the unions in this country. They could not get out the Democratic vote in one of the most progressive states in the nation traditionally. They might say that the Democratic Party is now in the minority and cannot win the big elections?

But, although it would hurt on the surface, if we look deeper, it could be a blessing in disguise. However, we know those are not words anyone wants to hear if they lose an election. We should repeat, we hope we win tonight.

But, if it doesn't happen, it is not the end of the world. What good could possibly come from a defeat in Wisconsin?

First of all, Democrats might recognize that they cannot skip any elections. They can no longer take any election for granted. If they don't vote, we are the minority Party.

Second of all, union members will finally recognize that they are shrinking at a rapid rate. It's only a matter of time until they disappear unless they change the course of history. They are going to have to work harder at organizing and educating the workers of this country about all the good that unions have done for this country.

No doubt, Republicans would celebrate like they just captured the world and Scott Walker will be a folk hero to them, along the lines of Ronald Reagan. It will be a short-lived celebration. Democrats will finally unite and unions will be more important than they have been in many years. We should try and keep this election in perspective...

[HooptieWagon]

1. Win or lose...

WisDems will have learned a tremendous amount about the ground game. Their knowledge will benefit Dems all around the country in future elections. And, the GOP was.forced to spend a lot of money trying to keep Walker in office. That cant hurt.

[julian09]

3. Ground game is already a Dem strength as is spending money for repugs.

The people of Wisconsin will speak; do they want low wage jobs, fewer benefits while the 1% get ALL THE BENEFITS OF OUR SKILL AND LABOR. Don't forget a house is just a load of lumber, pipes and wires etc before carpenters, plumbers and electricians make it a house. The CEO who can't bang a nail straight gets 90% of profit. Same with cars and most manufactured goods, the restaurant owner who can't boil water, pushing the chef. The airline CEO the railroad CEO who rely on others skill for success need to give a fair wage. The money shouldn't disproportionately go to the top one percent. Give the worker a fair wage and the tax base and revenue will be increased for funding state and local govts , and deficit reduction. .

[HooptieWagon]

4. It may be a strength in Wis, but not here in Fl.

FDP is pretty dysfunctional. Theyre mostly corporate Dems more concerned with keeping their spot at the corporate feed trough than with electiing other Dems. We could.sure use some of Wisconsins people power knowledge down here.

[CTyankee]

2. I disagree. I think it would be an out and out disaster for us to lose, altho

I don't think it will have much influence on the presidential election.

And I also think the Democrats in WI already KNOW they can't skip elections. Just seeing and living thru what Scott Walker has done since his election has energized them in this recall effort. A defeat could be horribly demoralizing at this point...

[TheKentuckian]

5. I lean toward awful because of the conditions on the ground.

If they win with this kind of turnout then it would demonstrate a substantial improvement in their ground game and would show something I hope not to see out of Wisconsin electorate.

[DonCoquixote]

6. I hear you Kentuck, but ponder this:

The problem is that the right wing media (and I include CNN and some parts of MSNBC in that) will take a crumb and make it into a loaf. They will omit all the out of state money Walker used, and instead, make it out like this was a big time mandate against Obama and anything not center right. The GOP wanted to make this the slam on Obama. Despite the fact I wish he showed up, we know why they were all but begging him to step into the trap; they want to set Scott Walker up as a dragon-slayer, so that GOP Governors will be emboldened.

Grover Norquist himself said that he does not need a president to do much more than sign whatever they put on his desk; why do you think they weed out smart GOP types. A victorious Scott Walker could, in the long run, be as bad as a Romney presidency. Even the GOP will not really want to carry water for Mitt, as they could easily primary him, to the cheers of the right wing. But a Scott Walker will be the embodiment of the GOP dream, a bunch of Local governors taking the wheel, breaking the unity of the states, yet kowtowing to Koch and the other Billionaires.

I do see your point, especially as sadly, many democrats, especially the left, have fallen for the GOP siren song of "what does voting matter? Stay Home..." A common saying around here is that "If voting actually changed anything, they would not let you do it." Well, I offer this retort: "If voting does not matter, why do the misers spend billions to control elections?" However, as much as I would like to think people got that point after 2000, and 2004, and 2010, I realize that people can indeed be fooled. At this stage of the game, any gambling is like Russian Roulette, as frankly, we need to actually cement a period of Democratic dominance just to slide the center away from the far right.

I would like to be proven wrong, but I would LOVE a victory, one where the GOP talking heads have to pull excuse from their...a..er hat.

[kentuck]

7. I would prefer a victory...

and I agree with all you said above.

But, I think the Democratic Party will be more united if we lose. The unions also will be more committed. I don't think a loss would be as bad as it would seem at the moment.

In a strange sort of way, I think it might strengthen the Democratic Party?