As the evening - and the recall efforts that have held the state's attention for nearly a year and a half - came to a close, various groups offered their opinions on why the results fell so heavily in Scott Walker's favor. And as usual, they fell along party lines.
State Democratic Party Chairman Mike Tate told WisPolitics that despite his party's loss, they had no regrets over the recall effort, and chalked it up in part to funding of each campaign.
“They have millionaires and billionaires that can write checks and take out TV ads,” Tate said. “This should not have even been a contest considering how much they spent.
Rob Zerban, who is running against Republican Congressman Paul Ryan, was a bit more blunt.
“Today we saw the buying of an election by out-of-state interest groups, propping up a corrupt Governor who seeks to only do the bidding of the extreme right-wing," Zerban said in a release.
“While Governor Walker and his Tea Party band may have been successful today, the entire recall process brought together people from every corner of Wisconsin who truly love this state and were willing to stand in the cold of a Wisconsin winter to fight for their state. They were not defeated for lack of will or lack of purpose; Scott Walker won because his network of shady partners flooded our state with lies about the hard-working people of our state.
However, the conservative Americans for Prosperity issued their own statement, citing the policies of the Governor as key in garnering a victory.
“Scott Walker’s name was on the ballot tonight but it was his policies that were decided on. We started our efforts last year to educate the people of Wisconsin on what the budget reforms mean for them. We showed them what is possible when a state turns a $3.6 billion deficit into a $154.5 million surplus, when $1 billion is saved at the state and local levels and when property taxes are reduced for the first time in 12 years," stated Wisconsin State Director Luke Hilgemann.
An official release from the Walker campaign cited the taxpayer's interests as being on the ballot, giving the governor an unprecedented recall victory.
“This is such a tremendous victory for Wisconsin taxpayers,” said Ciara Matthews, Walker campaign communications director. “Today, Wisconsin voters have told the nation they stand with Governor Walker because he stands with them.”
The Wisconsin Obama-Biden campaign also weighed in with their own assessment of the results.
"While tonight’s outcome was not what we had hoped for – no one can dispute the strong message sent to Governor Walker. Hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites from all walks of life took a stand against the politics of division and against the flood of secret and corporate money spent on behalf of Scott Walker, which amounted to a massive spending gap of more than $31 million to $4 million," said Tripp Wellde, state director for the campaign.
"It is a testament to all of those individuals who talked to their friends, neighbors, and colleagues about the stakes in this election of how close this contest was. The power of Wisconsin’s progressive, grassroots tradition was clearly on display throughout the run up to this election and we will continue to work together to ensure a brighter future for Wisconsin’s middle class."
Like cowdung stated, the 28 day residency rule has been in place for at least 20 years. I know that from my first registration. It probably has been there alot longer. As for the the robocalls claiming you don't have to vote if you signed the recall, let's wait to get some solid evidence. And this Wednesday voting rumor is an old joke. Conservatives are smart enough to know that as many people that vote Conservative as Liberal would believe it. Let's really get the fact before you post as "Just the facts".
I don't agree with death threats. Please, people, don't do that.What I intend to do is hunker down, continue to pay my taxes and wait for them to rise. Hoffa, if I had believed for one minute that Walker's policies were going to help the average property taxpayer, I'd have supported him too, and to blazes with the teachers and the people on BadgerCare. But time will tell.
Is there any solid objective proof that this was actually occurring? Or was this just part of the DPW whine and spin machine to gain some last minute free publicity before the polls closed? Damn those liberals - always wanting stuff for free!
We're enjoying our victory - let us have our fun! That will take some time, as there are huge outstanding debt obligations that must be addressed first, such as he's already doing by taking care of our tab with Minnesota and repaying the illegally raided segregated funds. Once our debt is under control, state aid will return, and with a prosperous economy and the freedoms afforded to localities over their budgets via Act 10, there's no reason to think that property taxes shouldn't start to fall even more. But a majority of that is also contingent upon your local government's leadership and their decisions, so just keep that in mind and judge fairly. Maybe after his full term, and you've given him a chance, your opinion will start to change about him. But it will take more than one term for a complete turn around, especially with the stall tactics that we've had to endure by the recall crowd since last February. BTW - You haven't seen Schmitzy with my $50, have you?
Local government has nothing to do with my property tax problems unless you include the school district. As i said, time will tell about the property tax issue. I'd bet you money how things will be in a few years, but unlike 'Schmitzy' I don't have $50 to spare.
What you fail to understand is that I'm almost as big a fiscal conservative as the rest of you. I just didn't agree with the priorities and the unintended consequences of Walker's policies.
Something needs to be done about the school levies, but i don't think the problem is the teachers. You're right, Walker is taking the state in the wrong direction.
Since when is having them pay a small portion of their health benefit and pension costs 'screwing the teachers'? Perhaps if they were being asked to pay the same percentages of those costs as the typical private sector worker does, I would agree. I think that the levels of their contributions are not at all unreasonable, particularly when one considers that everyone else in the working world is having to make sacrifices in their own compensation levels...
"Beginning in 1986, the Department of Revenue (DOR) requires that all property be assessed at or near 100% of the fair market value. The DOR requires that the assessed value of a taxation district must be established within 10% of the full value at least once during the four year period consisting of the current year and the three preceding years."
Have the Koch Bros or Hendricks ever visited the Governor's mansion or executive office within the Capitol since Walker took office? Answer: NO Did the state of Wisconsin write the Koch's, Hendricks, and/or their respective direct interests a check since Walker took office? Answer: NO Did high dollar campaign bundlers visit the White House since Obama took office? Answer: YES Did the US Federal Government write a check to Obama's campaign bundlers and/or their direct interests? Answer: YES And yet, Walker is the sell-out to big money while Obama is the people's champion. Wake up and start THINKING!!!
Answer: YES
If you don't need that $100, send it to your school district. Send them as much as you want, just don't send them my money so they can give it to the likes of WEA Trust.