There seems to be a bit of pearl clutching going on around here after the announcement that recall petitions have been filed with the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board against 3 Democratic State Senators. While nothing to smile about in general, please rise from the fainting couches and resume an upright position.
That's better, isn't it?
There are a few things to smirk about:
Republican canvassers needed much more time to gather signatures. There wasn't a lot of momentum on their side.
Republicans used paid canvassers. That's right. Paid. The same kinds of paid shills who canvass to put awful referendums on ballots across the nation. The fact that they couldn't find volunteers for their efforts says a lot either about their "cause" or about Republicans feeling the need to be paid for everything they do. Despite the numbers of signatures gathered, I expect a large number of them to be invalidated.
Republican canvassers resorted to, shall we say, less than innocent tactics to gather their signatures. There are plenty of reports of people being asked to sign a petition "to put (insert name of State Senator here) on the ballot" or other nefarious tactics. That tells me a lot about how little support they got when the true nature of their petition was revealed.
Democratic forces have quickly filed massive recalls against 5 Republican State Senators. Lots more signatures in less time using volunteers. Now that's momentum. And more to come, too.
This is costing the Kochs plenty! Paid canvassers, bussing in Tea Baggers for the Palin (Major Fail) Rally last Saturday, plus the costs to defend 5 GOP Wisconsin State Senators already facing recall, plus the costs of the scary attack ads they'll run should any of their Democratic recalls go to an election, plus, plus, plus. Plus the boycott of Koch products (Dixie products, Northern and Angle Soft toilet paper, Brawny paper towels, Stainmaster carpet to name a few) might be interupting their cash flow a bit.
JoAnne Kloppenburg has not only asked for a full, statewide recount, she has asked for a special investigation into Kathy Nicklaus (infamous for her strage election results reporting in Waukesha County). Remember, Kloppenburg filed for records right after the Waukesha Prosser miracle so she likely knows a whole lot more about what went on than we do.
Scott Walkers Union Busting Bill is still tied up by the courts. It's not going anywhere anytime soon. To move on it at all will require Senate Republicans to forgoe their Legislative Immunity or wait until the end of the Legislative Session.
Sarah Palin and the Republicans got some Wisconsin smackdown this past Saturday. In spite of expensive bussing in of Tea Baggers, they were outnumbered again. Maybe Glenn Beck was right - we do surround them.
So, relax a bit. No, this doesn't mean we stop working, volunteering, following events, or donating. It means we keep active and don't get our panties in a wad over a piece of over-hyped news. Not everything will be a cause for celebration, but let's not get our hair on fire with every piece of news that that looks bad. See the glass as half full, grasshoppers.
Update: Even More to Smile About Edition:: PvtJarHead reminds me about the strong candidates (like this one) already lining up to run against the recalled Republican State Senators and other Wisconsin representatives.
Update: More on Republican Canvassing Shenanigans Editions: By all means, enjoy yourselves when you read this.
Update: Hiccup Edition: h/t Detroit Mark whose diary includes both a transcript and audio of the now infamous booze for signatures scheme as featured on MSNBC by both Cenk and Rachel.