Wisconsin votes on recall-opponent for Gov. Walker ... 30 minutes to go until poll-closing. MADISON, Wis. (AP) ~ Whichever Democrat emerges from Tuesday's primary election will have a scant four weeks to make the case for why Republican Gov. Scott Walker should be ousted from office just 16 months into his term. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-05-08/wisconsin-recall-election-candidate/54830410/1 Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, one of four Democrats in the running, hoped to get a shot at a rematch with Walker in the closely watched recall on June 5. Barrett lost to Walker by 5 percentage points just 18 months ago, but that was before the newly minted governor and Republican-led Legislature stripped most state workers of collective bargaining rights, spurring the recall effort. That law, and the Democratic maneuvering and large pro-union protests that preceded its passage, made Walker a villain to the American left but a hero to conservatives, who have helped him shatter state fundraising records by collecting $25 million, mostly from out-of-state donors. Walker has embodied the Republican rise to power in 2010 and hopes to avoid becoming just the third governor to be recalled in U.S. history. Carl Schramm, 77, a Whitefish Bay man who works part time for a plumbing and heating contractor, said he voted for Walker on Tuesday. "It should never have come to this crap," he said of the recall election. "It's stupid. It costs a lot of money. He was duly elected." Walker faces token opposition in the GOP primary from Arthur Kohl-Riggs, a Walker opponent running as a Republican. Polls heading into the primary have consistently shown Barrett ahead of the other Democrats, including one last week that showed him 17 points up on his nearest rival, Kathleen Falk. Barrett's emergence as the front-runner was aided by his strong name recognition across the state, having just run against Walker. Walker beat Barrett by about 125,000 votes. Jon Dzurak, a 55-year-old assistant principal in Milwaukee, said he initially was leaning toward Falk but decided to vote for Barrett because he was up in the polls and projected to fare better against Walker. "Whichever one wins is going to get my vote," he said. "I just would like to see Scott Walker defeated. I've never seen a division in our state like this. I'm not talking to some of my friends right now because of it." Keith Symonds, 49, of Madison, said he voted for Barrett because he thought he had the best chance at beating Walker next month. "I though Falk was coming with just a little too much baggage," he said in reference to Falk's widespread union support. Barrett has had a rockier relationship with the unions, which Symonds said he thought would help him appeal to more independent voters. Falk snared key endorsements in the recall race from unions, including the AFL-CIO and the statewide teachers union. Falk promised to veto any budget that doesn't restore the collective bargaining rights Walker took away, while Barrett has refused to make such a promise. Jessica Schafer, a 38-year-old marketing manager who lives in Milwaukee, said she voted for Falk, despite voting for Barrett two years ago. "She is really interested in the environment and protecting the environment and our clean water. Also I think it would be unbelievably great to have a female governor," she said. Some voters crossed party lines to play shenanigans in Wisconsin's open primary. Walt Buschkopf supports Walker but voted for Falk because he believes she would be easier for the governor to beat. Buschkopf, an 80-year-old retired dental equipment salesman from Sun Prairie, also said the recall should be used only when officeholders have committed a crime. "I'm against the general public paying for a recall most of us don't want," he said. Other Democrats on the ballot are Secretary of State Doug La Follette and state Sen. Kathleen Vinehout. They ran low-profile campaigns that failed to gain traction with voters. Gladys Huber is a Republican running as a Democrat. Despite their differences, the Democratic primary was mostly devoid of internal attacks. The candidates instead stayed largely focused on Walker and the policies he enacted over 16 months in office. While the union fight spurred the recall, the campaign has been much broader and focused largely on Wisconsin's economy. Though the state's unemployment rate is at its lowest level since 2008, Wisconsin lost more jobs than any other state between March 2011 and March 2012. Since Walker took office, only 5,900 private sector jobs have been created. Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and three Republican state senators also face recall elections. There is an election in a fourth Senate district where the Republican incumbent targeted for recall resigned rather than run to keep her seat. Turnout in the primary was projected to be 30% to 35% of eligible voters, which would be the highest for a primary in a governor's race since 38.9% in 1952. Timeline ~ The Wisconsin Labor Fight http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/01/16/us/scottwalker_timeline.html?ref=politics
Face it ... even Walker knows he's finished .... March 14, 2012 After months spent decrying public school teachers, nurses and snow plow drivers as the “haves” as justification for his assault on collective bargaining, Scott Walker on Monday night ridiculously suggested that his $144,423 salary isn’t "real money." ~ Speaking at a March 12 forum hosted by right-wing radio host Charlie Sykes, Scott Walker stated that he didn’t want to lose the recall, not because he cares about his job as governor, but because his wife would like him to return to the private sector where he could “make some real money.”
Face it: made up bullcrap is not factual data,the concept of which seems to be a growing problem for the Forum Left....
Barrett lost to Walker by about the same percentage as McCain lost to Obama in 2010. Somehow libs think he's going to win this time around? Comical!
I guess from a technical standpoint...it would have been better titled "Wisconsin Dems votes for it's Gubernatorial candidate" But I think everybody probably knew what she meant. At any rate...all the polls I've seen show every Democratic choice trailing Walker in head to heads...maybe that'll change when the candidate is solidified, but I'm not so confident Walker wll be recalled. The whole country has skin in that game.
Yeah, just look at Denmark! Once the socialists took over it was in ruins...oh wait, no, the quality of life improved drastically and it became the happiest nation on Earth.
*Breaking* Tom Barrett wins Wisconsin recall primary http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...ecall-primary/2012/05/08/gIQAkDHkBU_blog.html Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett has won the Democratic primary to face Gov. Scott Walker (R) in a recall election next month. The recall will be a rematch. Barrett lost to Walker by five points in 2010. Since then, Walker has been under fire from unions for stripping public employees of their collective bargaining rights. “Tonight, I am humbled by and grateful for the support of Wisconsinites across our great state,” Barrett said in a statement. “[W]e are united in knowing that we must work together to end Scott Walker’s ideological civil war.” Barrett was not the preferred candidate of the public employee unions who sparked the recall. That was former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk. But Barrett benefited from higher name recognition and political establishment support. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett
Scott Walker leads Tom Barrett in polls http://scottwalkerwatch.com/2012/05...ely-to-face-walker-in-june-5-recall-election/
Yes, millions of Danes commit suicide from depression on their annual 6 weeks of vacation, several weeks of holidays, lifetime medical and family leaves for illness, birth, etc.
Where are all these collectivist, socialist, commie liberals?....I hear righties saying they're out there, and Obama is one too...but I'm not hearing any liberals actually espouse collectivism, communism, or socialism...... Are you sure these are not just GOP rhetoric?
Walker leads in virtually all polls by huge amounts.... and that's after the Democrat Big Union attack machine did its worst. This is going to be an epic fail by the left at attacking a man that fixed the state fiscally and dragged it back from the ruin the Democrats were trying to force upon the citizens.
I dunno Pea.....sucide rates are higher in northern climates. Sweden, Norway, Finland, Alaska, Seattle, Northern Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin, and so on.....all have higher than normal suicide rates. I'm pretty sure high taxes didn't cause the suicide rates. It's been that way prbably since they were vikings. I visted Sweden and Denmark one time, and the people I met loved thier way of life, and they have a whole different attitude towards their fellow countrymen, rich or poor. The Danes especially would rather spend tax dollars on social programs, than a powerfull military.
I thought that too, till I saw this last night, Buit it's still anyone's game. Walker has lost popularity since he ran against Barrett last time.
