The atmosphere is settling a little now, two weeks past the recall vote. Make no mistake, however. The grassroots organizers are determined to keep our state on a progressive path, despite the results at the polls. I share with you thoughts and observations (For what its worth) from family and friends and coworkers (and Daisy’s reactions, of course):

The Journal Company endorsed Walker and they own WTMJ, an NBC affiliate—

• NBC was 1^st to come out with calling the race in favor of Walker.
• WTMJ was extremely invested in their coverage at the Walker site. They spent most of their live time there with multiple crews and cameras while Barrett coverage was one crew that was on the air a little.  If Walker had lost, then WTMJ would have covered that angle, not the Barrett win. Hmmm…
• Do I sense a bias in the Milwaukee media? The J-S editorial panel endorsed Walker, despite their news reporters’ investigations into the governor’s illegal activities. The right hand at the JS doesn’t seem to know what the left is doing. Their credibility took a hit, that’s for certain.

Did the number of votes not for Walker (Barrett and Trevoli sp? combined) at least equal the number of people that signed the recall petition? No; this was a grave disappointment. There were rumors of phone calls claiming incorrectly “If you signed, you don’t have to vote.” I hope no one believed it. 

If it is less then you have to ask what happened…Were there people who signed the petition that didn’t vote?  See above; there were voter suppression efforts that may have knocked off a few votes. Were there people who signed the original petition that voted for Walker in the end? Unfortunately, yes. Our canvassers spoke to people who had felt coerced into signing petitions at their workplaces or in their neighborhoods. They even talked to a few women who said they “had to” vote the way their husbands did. WTH?!? 

Will there be legal wrangling regarding the vote suppression campaigns and the media contacts with voters standing in line? I hope there will be an investigation, if only to stop any interference from happening in future elections.

Is Wisconsin now a regressive state? Action in Madison certainly doesn’t look progressive. Frightening thought. There’s more truth in that quick statement than I care to admit. 

The Walker win must at least be telling the national parties that Wisconsin is no longer a lock for the Democrats and that the state is up for grabs.  Will we see an endless parade of Obama and Romney visits to our state between now and November? Sure. Wisconsin is known on the national scene as a “purple” state: neither fully blue nor fully red. Exit polls imply that many who voted for Walker plan to support Obama in November. Now if Rep. Paul Ryan gets the nod to be Romney’s running mate, Wisconsin citizens might as well turn off their TVs and unplug their phones. 

And why does Spell Check recognize “Romney” as a valid word? (My computer doesn’t flag it as a misspelling like it does with other proper names.) Now that’s just plain scary.