Buy the people, for the people.
“The Wisconsin Recall Aftermath: Scott Walker steps right up into the pockets of those who got him there” – Charles P. Pierce (Esquire)
I want to get this out of the way first. The Wisconsin recall is the third recall of a sitting governor in the history of the United States, and Scott Walker is the first person to survive one. As CPP notes, this was equally about Scott Walker’s policies as it was the recall process itself.
Scott Walker beat the same guy in 2012 he beat in 2010, by almost the same margin.
The irony, of course, is that despite surviving the recall the ongoing John Doe investigation into improper activities in Scott Walker’s previous position may find it’s way to the governor’s office sooner, rather than later, and all those people that said that recalls should only be used in the case of actual criminality may get their wish.
There will be people that will try and paint this as a referendum on Obama, or unions, or really anything other than what it is. They are wrong, and anyone that tries to do so should be automatically ignored.
There is, however, something to take out of this election. Scott Walker outspent Tom Barrett by an almost eight to one margin, fueled almost entirely by out of state money. It’s true that you can’t throw money at a problem indefinitely and expect the same level of returns, but I think we as a country are about to find out exactly what that level of diminishing returns is. We’re about to be inundated with campaign ads at every level. If you don’t have a DVR and watch TV, might I suggest getting one and not watching live TV? It’s about to get bad out there.
However, not all is lost: Wisconsin Democrats regained the Senate in an almost-entirely symbolic victory.
“Harry Reid accuses Eric Cantor of economic sabotage” – Sahil Kapur (TPM)
I’m interested to see what happens with this line of attack. It’s absolutely true, but it violates about ten of the unwritten rules of Washington, that somehow apply only to Democrats.
“One rural doctor decides to close shop: ‘It’s just not sustainable'” – Sarah Kiff (Wonkblog)
I work for a major healthcare system. Our projections suggest that over the next ten years, 20% of all hospitals and clinics will close, primarily in rural areas. The reason for this is that spiking heathcare costs, diminished tax bases, and a high reliance on Medicare/Medicaid will make it economically unfeasible to operate a practice.
There is more than a little irony that these areas overwhelmingly vote Republican, as they disproportionately benefit from government services and urban largess than the primarily Democratic cities do.
“The big-lie coup d’etat” – Robert Reich (Al-Jazeera)
This article is why I write this blog (almost) every day. It’s because getting a straight answer out of the traditional media is impossible. Cable TV news networks are wildly off base. Everything is spun until it’s unrecognizable. If I open one pair of eyes, if I change one mind, if I get one person to ask a question they wouldn’t have asked otherwise, I will have succeeded, and it is all worth it.
A group of ultra-wealthy individuals has bought and paid for large portions of the political system for the purpose of solidifying an American Aristocracy of themselves and their heirs. These would-be kings want Americans to be fat, dumb, and too concerned with crap that doesn’t matter to see what’s going on until it’s too late.
As Mr. Reich notes, this is a coup d’etat. It’s the rollback of sixty years of progressive benefits that made this country the wealthiest and most powerful on Earth, for the benefit of a privileged few.
“More young Americans out of high school are also out of work” – Catherine Rampell (New York Times)
Once upon a time, a man could drop out of high school, work in a factory, and make a decent wage with decent benefits, enough to send his kids to college to get a better education than he did.
Today, even with a college education, you can’t do that.
“Jonah Goldberg on US 2012: Youth of the nation too stupid to vote” – John Stoehr (Al-Jazeera)
Youth of the nation: Jonah Goldberg too stupid to live.
Seriously, it’s a wonderment that the man remembers to breathe or put on pants.
