Wisconsin Recalls Update

Despite the placement of “Protest Democrats” on the ballot, the true Democrats won the primary elections in all six Wisconsin recall districts. Republicans encouraged some of their own to run in the Democratic primaries in an obvious attempt to confuse voters, exhaust Democratic resources, and buy recall candidates more campaign time. Fortunately, the plan did not work, and now, the true Democrats are in a position to go head-to-head with GOP recall candidates.

Difficulties for Democrats still lie ahead. To protect themselves in the approaching general elections as well as the 2012 cycle, Republicans redrew districts to benefit their own political goals, a process that divided communities and failed to represent the diversity of the state. Gerrymandering itself is illegal, and beyond that, Wisconsin law specifically dictates that the state legislature cannot draw district lines until after local governments draw country board districts. This deters gerrymandering by allowing communities to define their own borders before any political lines are imposed. However, Republicans completely ignored this law, and now, they want to pass new legislation that would justify this bad behavior while the party still controls the state government. It is obvious that the Wisconsin GOP will stop at nothing to win, even if it means redefining the law to suit its own interests.

After the protest candidates and the last-minute redistricting, Democrats have a right to be riled up, but there is much more at stake than victory against a group of Republicans unwilling to play fair. We must remember the reasoning behind the recall elections, especially the restrictions on collective bargaining rights of public employees imposed by Wisconsin Republicans. This is not only a government employees issue; it’s a worker’s rights issue. The people of Wisconsin have spoken. They have collected over 15,000 signatures in each district, and they have demanded these recalls! Now is the time to stand up for labor. Democrats must win the three seats necessary for a majority that will vote down Walker’s anti-union law, and in the process, they can show Republicans that unfair tactics get candidates nowhere.