"...we cannot afford to lose that leg of our stool..."

[babylonsister]

http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2012/6/6/9570/39436


Thoughts on Wisconsin

by BooMan
Wed Jun 6th, 2012 at 09:57:00 AM EST


There's a danger that people will learn the wrong lessons from last night's election returns in Wisconsin. While exit polls are imperfect, they were fairly clear last night. Among the people who voted, Obama was preferred to Romney by a healthy 52%-43%. When you consider that the profile of the electorate was at a middle point (both in terms of turnout and ideology) between the 2008 and 2010 electorates, it's pretty clear that Wisconsin in not a swing state in the fall.

While it was a disappointing night for the Democrats and progressives, it was a split decision. The state Senate race in Racine appears to have gone to John Lehman, the Democratic challenger, and that flips control of the upper chamber to the Democrats. It's true that the state Senate is in recess for the rest of the year and that redistricting makes it likely that the Republicans will win back their majority in November, but the governor can always call for a special session. Now he has no reason to do that, since he won't be able to ram his agenda through the legislature for at least the remainder of the year. It may feel like a hollow victory, but clawing back control of the Senate took a sustained effort that involved seven elections over the last two years.

I mention these things to help offset the palpable feeling of panic many progressives are feeling this morning. I'd be dishonest if I didn't admit to feeling a little jumpy this morning, too. Labor took a big hit last night and we cannot afford to lose that leg of our stool or we're finished as a party and a country. Labor took a hit because we only won enough power to stall Walker's radicalism, but not enough to undo it. And union membership in Wisconsin is in free-fall do to the damage Walker has already done.

The Citizens United ruling remains the most dangerous and corrupting problem we face politically in this country, and we're going to have to keep working until that ruling is overturned. Everything else is window dressing at this point.