When Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker beat back the recall attempt against him by Democrat Tom Barrett on Tuesday, he did it with money raised mostly from outside his own state.
A quick look at the two campaigns reveals two different worlds of political fundraising. On the right, Walker easily out-raised Barrett, pulling in roughly eight times what the Democrat Barrett could muster. Of the $30.5 million Walker's campaign raised, 66 percent was donated by conservative interests outside of Wisconsin. On the left, Barrett couldn't compete in the money race, but of the $3.9 million he raised, 74 percent of it was from Wisconsinites. Barrett had hoped that the get-out-the-vote efforts of unions and the state Democratic party would help him prevail despite his money woes. But as MSNBC's Ed Schultz noted, the results were not surprising "given the money."
Walker was greatly buoyed by the Republican Governors Association and various Tea Party and conservative groups who helped Walker run $12.3 million in ads since November 1. As CNN reported, this was more than twice what Barrett and his union and Democratic allies spent on ads. The record amounts of money from outside sources are a precursor to the general election, which is projected to shatter presidential campaign spending records.
The Wisconsin results, Schultz says, "sends a clear message on what Democrats are going to be up against in November, and what kind of ground game is needed to fight the special interest money."
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OMG - Its the Wisconsin - RE-FALL - Were DOOMED - and the Battle Continues !!!
Who gives a RATTS A$$!...ugtom
RNC Chair Reince Priebus: "I don't think laws can circle around what's right and wrong"
The GOP doesn't make laws based on right and wrong??????
What do they base their law making on..This kind of law making has nothing good in store for the American People.
Neither does Walker.....This proves to me that ignorance voted last night for Walker.
Walker's victory was powered by out-of-state donations. MOST state-wide elections these days are "powered by out-of-state donations" whether they're for state or national office. The point?? BTW, a more honest headline would have been "Walker's recall was powered by out-of-state interests"
I have an extreme distaste for recall elections for anything other than the most dire situations. Just because you disagree with someone the majority of a state's voters put in office, hardly rises to the level of a recall. If you don't like their policies, vote their a$$ out of office the next election cycle.
Imagine all the good the millions of dollars pissed down the drain in this bogus recall campaign could have done if it had been put toward the social issues Democrats claim they care about !!
Did anyone else have MSNBC feed go out from 11PM 06/05 - 3AM 06/06 EST? Did Ed just say "screw it." I can understand if that was the case, but it seems odd.
Last nights victory for Walker was a direct result of our educational system not teaching American History and Government in our schools.
That prevailing ignorance has shown its ugly head in our voting booths as people voted for
SOUND GOOD MEDIA ADVERTISING.
Those who voted for Walker also voted for cheap teachers, nurses, anesthesiologists. truck drivers, electricians..etc..THE CHEAPER THE BETTER.
As went Michigan SO SHALL GO THE WI ECONOMY. And along will come higher utilities you are really going to need that minimum wage job that will be the only jobs available.
Everywhere on the blogs people are bitching about the media..
What was shown by whom whenever for whatever reason should have had no bearing on your decision in the voting booth.
Those who voted for Walker wanted to lower the economy in the state and open the state to the big corporations. Taking income from the middle class will drop the economy in WI by 30%.
Did none of you watch the downfall of Michigan that is now being controlled by Politicians and the citizens have no right to even vote...
The Union Workers are the middle-class..Fireman, Policeman, Nurses, Plumbers, Electricians, truck drivers, labor ,carpenter, etc. They are the ones who buy property and pay property taxes. They are the ones that keep the small business and restaurants open in your town.
Well you just throw them out of middle-class and I personally would simply move to another state or change my profession.
My father has been a plumbing contractor for nearly 50 years in WI and he has never been part of the union.
Which means that your father was lucky enough to have his own business. He did not have to rely on being hired by a company or union contractor.
The year my father went in business for himself, he built the house I grew up in. Everyone told him he was crazy and that he'd never make it on his own, and that he would not only lose the business but our new home. He busted his ass off and was not around for a great deal of my childhood because he was working 10+ hr/day 6 days a week.
Luck means you make a wish and "poof" it materializes. This was not luck, it was drive. That's when I learned that some people have it (drive) and some people don't. This is also why I don't buy into the theory that people don't have a chance to make something of themselves on their own if they have a strong enough desire to sacrifice for their dream.
If you are not willing to sacrifice for your dream, it's just not your dream. There are two choices, get off your ass and do something with your life, or sit around waiting for it to happen. Lucky people make it sitting around waiting. Most don't, then they cry and whine that the "man" is keeping them down.
Do you think one of the brilliant newscasters could bring up the fact that the Democrats won back majority control of the Wisconsin Senate. That, plus the fact that Walker will hopefully be frog-marched out of the capitol, due to the ongoing "John Doe Walker" investigation, will hopefully put a nice damper on all of today's hysteria. Not that Citizens United doesn't need to be overturned. It does. But let's try to present some kind of balanced view of the news, O.K.?
How about reporting on all the news, including the retaking of the Senate majority by the Democrats and the possible imminent frog-marching of Walker out of the capitol building, due to the ongoing "John Doe Walker" investigation?
Whoopie..I just heard about the retaking of the Senate majority by the Democrats.