Final two Wisconsin recall elections today

[Riot]

Final two Wisconsin recalls tonight.

The Republicans could only get recall elections against 3 eligible Democrats, and 1 has already won and retained his seat.

Democrats picked off two Republicans at the last Republican recall election (all 6 GOP eligible had to undergo recall election), while the GOP retained 4 of 6 seats up for election at that time.

This lowered the GOP majority to a razor thin 17 versus 16 Dems, with 1 GOP voting against Walker's budget and union busting, and quite willing to work across the aisle with Dems.

So Walker has effectively been neutralized. The left at this time plans to go forward with calling for Walker's recall when he is eligible in January, timing his election to be in the fall of 2012 on the Presidential ticket. Some want to have a Walker recall election before that. Signatures have already been collected, but not submitted as he is not yet eligible for recall.

In SD-12, Democratic state Sen. Jim Holperin (incumbent) faces tea party activist Kim Simac. This has always been the most Republican district currently held by a Dem, so is considered most vunerable to Dem loss and returning to Republican. But Public Policy Polling over the weekend showed Holperin leading Simac by a surprising 55-41 margin. Other polls have shown a closer race.

In SD-22, Democratic state Sen. Bob Wirch is trying to hold off attorney Jonathan Steitz. PPP showed Wirch up 55-42

Polls close at 8pm.

[Clip-Clop]

Originally Posted by Riot

Final two Wisconsin recalls tonight.

The Republicans could only get recall elections against 3 eligible Democrats, and 1 has already won and retained his seat.

Democrats picked off two Republicans at the last Republican recall election (all 6 GOP eligible had to undergo recall election), while the GOP retained 4 of 6 seats up for election at that time.

This lowered the GOP majority to a razor thin 17 versus 16 Dems, with 1 GOP voting against Walker's budget and union busting, and quite willing to work across the aisle with Dems.

So Walker has effectively been neutralized. The left at this time plans to go forward with calling for Walker's recall when he is eligible in January, timing his election to be in the fall of 2012 on the Presidential ticket. Some want to have a Walker recall election before that. Signatures have already been collected, but not submitted as he is not yet eligible for recall.

In SD-12, Democratic state Sen. Jim Holperin (incumbent) faces tea party activist Kim Simac. This has always been the most Republican district currently held by a Dem, so is considered most vunerable to Dem loss and returning to Republican. But Public Policy Polling over the weekend showed Holperin leading Simac by a surprising 55-41 margin. Other polls have shown a closer race.

In SD-22, Democratic state Sen. Bob Wirch is trying to hold off attorney Jonathan Steitz. PPP showed Wirch up 55-42

Polls close at 8pm.

This is the thanks they get for trying to stand up to the biggest racket ever.

[Riot]

Originally Posted by Clip-Clop

This is the thanks they get for trying to stand up to the biggest racket ever.

"Biggest racket ever". Interesting characterization.

Call Walker to put out your house fire. Or respond to a robbery in progress. Good luck with that.

Fire departments are rated by insurance companies. The training of the department, water sources (fire hydrants, city water pressure, etc), the equipment they own, the number of fire stations, their EMS capability (paramedic vs EMT, etc) - it varies markedly.

You only have 4-6 minutes to live. Hope an Advanced Live Support ambulance with appropriate-trained personnel can get to you by that time.

I always lived in, and worked in, the highest-rated fire and EMS systems. When I moved to Kentucky, I found out I would be paying alot more in insurance, as I don't have that quality here.

And realizing that if I were to have a heart attack and stop breathing, and am very likely to die rather than live due to the half-assed poorly-funded EMS where I live, compared to other areas, is sobering.

It's like school districts - it varies by location and the funding they have. And with taking away the funding, the protection of the public is getting worse and worse. Buyer beware. Oh, and your homeowners and health insurance will go up, too. Insurance companies are not stupid. They know when you are more likely to die, and when your house is likely to burn to the ground.

Governments are welcome to cut funding to all sorts of things, if their citizens want. The trouble is, those "things" are not simply budget line-items, but are living, breathing citizens 99% of the time.

A child in a classroom with 31-32 children, versus the child in a classroom with 26-28 children. Big difference.

[wiphan]

Originally Posted by Riot

"Biggest racket ever". Interesting characterization.

Call Walker to put out your house fire. Or respond to a robbery in progress. Good luck with that.

Fire departments are rated by insurance companies. The training of the department, water sources (fire hydrants, city water pressure, etc), the equipment they own, the number of fire stations, their EMS capability (paramedic vs EMT, etc) - it varies markedly.

You only have 4-6 minutes to live. Hope an Advanced Live Support ambulance with appropriate-trained personnel can get to you by that time.

I always lived in, and worked in, the highest-rated fire and EMS systems. When I moved to Kentucky, I found out I would be paying alot more in insurance, as I don't have that quality here.

And realizing that if I were to have a heart attack and stop breathing, and am very likely to die rather than live due to the half-assed poorly-funded EMS where I live, compared to other areas, is sobering.

It's like school districts - it varies by location and the funding they have. And with taking away the funding, the protection of the public is getting worse and worse. Buyer beware. Oh, and your homeowners and health insurance will go up, too. Insurance companies are not stupid. They know when you are more likely to die, and when your house is likely to burn to the ground.

Governments are welcome to cut funding to all sorts of things, if their citizens want. The trouble is, those "things" are not simply budget line-items, but are living, breathing citizens 99% of the time.

A child in a classroom with 31-32 children, versus the child in a classroom with 26-28 children. Big difference.

You have outdone yourself with the above post. BRAVO

[Riot]

Originally Posted by wiphan

You have outdone yourself with the above post. BRAVO

Some of us realize that "spending cuts" are real people. To others, it's just a screeching political demagoguery. So it goes.

[Danzig]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44155855/ns/us_news/


Wisconsin Democrats sought Tuesday to hold the ground they gained in last week's recall elections by fending off Republican attempts to oust two senators who fled the state in opposition to Gov. Scott Walker's proposal curbing public employee collective bargaining rights.

Based on unofficial early returns, one of the Democrats was losing to his Republican challenger while the other Democratic incumbent was ahead.

Democrats needed to win at least three of six recalls last week targeting Republicans, but they only captured two. That means the best they can manage from Tuesday's elections is to keep the ground they gained, which left the Senate in Republican control by a narrow 17-16 margin.

A third Democrat, Sen. Dave Hansen of Green Bay, survived a recall election last month.

A pair of Republican wins Tuesday would leave the Senate in the same partisan split as it was before the recalls.

[Riot]

Early returns were from outlying Republican precincts. Both Dems up well now, should win. Not definitive yet, but all the remaining precincts out tend to go "Dem". Holperin (D incumbent) currently 54%, Wirch (D incumbent) currently 56%

AP results here: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/files/e...CTION=POLITICS

** AP calls Wirch (D- incumbent) winner.

Holperin still ahead 54% - 46%.

[Riot]

Final result tonight: both Dems win, hold their seats.

At the start of this, the Republicans held a 19 seat majority over the Dems 14 seats.

After the introduction of Walker's union-busting bill, unhappiness among the electorate lead to nine districts obtained enough signatures for recalls:

The Republicans obtained 3 of 6 eligible Democratic recalls
All three Democratic members retained their seats. None were recalled.

The Democrats obtained 6 of 6 eligible Republican recalls
Republicans lost 2 seats to Democrats, and held 4 seats.
Two Republicans were successfully recalled.

Final result at the end: Republicans lost 2 seats, now have a 17 seat bare majority. Democrats gained 2 seats, now have a 16 seat minority.

The public has spoken: they turned the legislature more Democratic, just months after seating new members. There is one Republican that voted against Walker's union-busting bill, and has no objection to working across the aisle with Democrats when he sees fit.

This swing vote is pretty much now the most important vote in the legislature, as this person does not predictably vote Republican.

[Clip-Clop]

The teachers UNION is the "biggest racket ever", not the teachers themselves. The only paid job I can think of that performance has absolutely zero effect on pay or promotion. Good teachers HATE the union.

[nebrady]

After all the recall stuff, the republicans are still in control! You sound like the democratic speaker in wisconsin, they gained 2 seats big deal in the long run the republicans have majority. So in the end spend more money on useless elections. Lets just hope the protesters leave the state. Its over go to some other state and protest. Face it walker and republicans were voted in by the public and are doing what they campaigned on! Lets not forget it was the democratic cowards who left the state not the republicans.

[wiphan]

Congrats on the win by the dems last night. Would have thought wirch could have been taken out, but too many questions involving the republican he faced. Now the dems can focus on trying to recall governor Walker.