Democrat survives recall attempt in Wisconsin

Wisconsin Republicans’ quixotic attempt to recall Democratic state senators has gotten off to a bad start: State Sen. David Hansen was easily re-elected in today’s recall election, defeating his opponent by a 2:1 margin. Hansen is the first of nine WI State Senators facing recall attempts (three Democrats, six Republicans).The recalls were first initiated by Democrats hoping to punish Republicans for supporting Scott Walker’s anti-union bill last Spring. Republicans, out of a combination of boredom and petulance, responded by launching their own recall petitions against Democrats who opposed the bill. source

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plan Democrats in Wisconsin are pushing hard to recall Governor Scott Walker for the draconian anti-union bill he pushed through the legislature this past Spring.
problem The recall election could fall on the same day as the GOP presidential primary, ensuring a large Republican turnout and possibly carrying Walker to safety. source

The Details: Stick with us here. In order to recall Walker, Democrats need to gather around 540,000 signatures (that number being 25% of the total votes cast for Governor last year); once this process starts, they’ll have sixty days to hit that target. If and when they do, state election officials will likely schedule the recall on the same day as the next major statewide election. The question is: When should Democratic operatives start gathering signatures?

on the one hand…This fall, recall elections against several state senators (of both parties) will have wrapped up. Some Democrats want to ride that momentum directly into the signature-gathering process, ensuring that they’re able to collect enough. The thing is, if they do it within that timeframe, the recall will most likely fall on the same day as the GOP presidential primary.
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on the other hand…Democrats could also wait longer to gather signatures, timing it so that the recall falls the same day Obama faces re-election. This would result in a much higher voter turnout for Democrats. However, Walker’s anti-union antics may have faded from the public consciousness by then, jeopardizing the Democrats’ ability to get enough signatures.

» The kicker: State Republicans, who would prefer the first scenario, are said to be considering launching a fake “Recall Walker” signature-gathering campaign in the fall, in order to force an early recall. Seriously, guys—who ever said politics was boring?

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three number of GOP State Senators in Wisconsin who will face a recall election, thanks to Democratic organizing efforts
three number of seats that have to change hands in order for Democrats to gain control of the Wisconsin State Senate source

» Total Recall: Democratic efforts to flip control of the Wisconsin State Senate just reached an important milestone, as organizers have now collected enough signatures to force three Republican senators into recall elections. If Democrats win all three elections, they’ll be rewarded with control of the Wisconsin State Senate. This is, of course, pending validation of the collected signatures; in all three cases, Democratic organizers submitted around 150% of the required number of signatures, so it’s unlikely that the petitions will be invalidated on those grounds. If Democrats are successful in recalling even one Wisconsin Republican, it’ll be an enormous victory for the pro-union movement, which launched the recall campaign last month in response to Governor Scott Walker’s union-busting “budget-repair” bill.

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who Meet Brian Deschane, a 27 year-old from Wisconsin with no college degree, little political experience, and two drunk-driving convictions.
what Deschane earns $81,000 a year working a plum job for controversial Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, overseeing various regulatory and environmental matters.
why Deschane’s father is a lobbyist for the Wisconsin Builder’s Association, which gave over $120,000 to Walker’s election campaign. source

» After just two months on the job, Deschane received a raise of 25%, or $16,500 a year. This wasn’t too long ago; it was around the time Walker said that Wisconsin was “broke,” and has “been broke for years.” If that’s what it’s like to be broke, we don’t wanna be rich!

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plan Some protesters in Wisconsin marched to the house of GOP State Sen. Randy Hopper, a Walker ally who will likely face a recall, to confront him about his anti-union policies.
surprise! Upon arrival, Hopper’s wife informed them that the Senator had left her for and was now living with his 25 year-old mistress. Perhaps unsurprisingly, she also supports his recall. source

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$500k raised in one week by progressive groups to support recall of Wisconsin Republicans
six the size of the ad buy, in digits, on the part of progressive groups to air pro-recall ads
59% of respondents in a robocall said they’d support recalling the senators source

» Turns out that recall campaign wasn’t just an empty threat. As we wrote last week, two leading progressive groups, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and Democracy for America (PCCC/DFA), have teamed up recall in recall efforts against several GOP state senators in Wisconsin. The idea is to recall at least three of them, which would flip control of the chamber to the Democrats and prevent Republican Governor Scott Walker’s union-busting bill from passing. The effort is getting help from the state Democratic party, which is providing “ground forces” to supplement the PCCC/DFA’s behind-the-scenes efforts. A total of eight GOP Senators are eligible for recall at this time; the campaign is targeting three who won by slim margins.

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21 Jul 2011 00:31