At this moment, I am rather disgusted with the WI recall elections and the RNC.  Not because the Republicans held their majority, but because it even happened.  This is a pitiful showing of just how far the progressive unions have dug into American politics.  Backed with millions of dollars from the unions that feel slighted because they can no longer dip into an employees paycheck for an automatic payment, these thugs sponsor a coup to take back control of the Wisconsin capitol.  No liberal/progressive leaning person is going to convince me that this was actually a grass roots movement by the citizens of the state.  Upset union members utilizing money taken from voters of both parties (Rep and Dem) used an avalanche of cash to try and unseat the duly elected Republicans that removed their hand from the cookie jar.  Can the definition of “Special Interest” be more highlighted than in this example?  What if the Catholic Church tossed in $35 Million dollars to back a recall election of someone like, say – oh yeah, Barack Obama. The Vatican could afford more you know!  What’s the difference?  I fear that the only lesson the unions learned from this defeat is to bring more money to the table during their next bushwhack attempt in another state.  You know its going to happen.

Lets take a look at some of the particulars of this failed coup:

Democrats were angling to win GOP-held seats to capture control of the upper chamber. Before the election, Republicans held a 19-14 majority in the state Senate. With a victory Democrats had hoped to build momentum for a planned effort to recall Governor Walker. Walker, who was elected in November with strong support from tea party activists, can’t be recalled until after he serves a year in office.

Governor Walker set off a firestorm in January when he moved to curtail the collective bargaining rights of most state employees. With majorities in both houses of the Legislature, Walker and his GOP allies voted to limit raises for public employees except police and firefighters to the rate of inflation, bar unions from deducting dues from workers’ paychecks and force them to hold a new certification vote every year.

Republicans retained four of the six state Senate seats that were in jeopardy in Tuesday’s recall elections in Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported. Democrats won two seats but needed three to take control.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus applauded the results of the Tuesday vote.  ”Today, Wisconsin voters rejected the reckless spending of Wisconsin Democrats and the downgrade-inducing policies of their Washington counterparts. They have given their seal of approval to Republicans’ successful efforts to balance the budget and ensure a healthy economy,” Priebus said. Priebus also stated that the RNC is focusing on get-out-the-vote efforts and won’t run television ads.  Conservative groups like Club for Growth and Americans for Prosperity (not the RNC) are spending millions of dollars on ads attacking the Democrats.

A spokeswoman for the RNC said by this weekend the Wisconsin Republican Party will have contacted 500,000 voters in the state. Priebus’ comments came on the same day that We Are Wisconsin, a coalition of national unions and others, announced that it had made 1 million voter contacts since the start of the recall efforts.

Meanwhile:

Two other political action committees, Progressive Change Campaign Committee and Democracy for America, said they spent $100,000 last week on a television ad against Republican Sen. Luther Olsen (R-Ripon). The groups announced Friday they plan to spend another $150,000 to air an ad targeting Republican Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) and to extend the Olsen ad. Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, said they hope to spend $250,000 more by the end.

Total spending on the eight recall campaigns by the candidates and outside groups combined is projected to go as high as $30 million.

The Republican Party won this election recall and the people of Wisconsin once again told the Unions and liberals that they are not welcome. However, lets take a look at the effort put forth by the Republican National Committee.

Reince Priebus the former Chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party and now the National Chairman for the RNC stated his commitment to the struggle was to work on the “get out the vote” efforts and that they would not be running ads on television!  A spokeswoman for the RNC had the audacity to brag about making half a million “contacts” while a Union coalition claimed to make 1 (one) Million contacts!

According to Judson Phillips of Tea Party Nation, in Wisconsin to attend and support rallies:  When Tea Party Express, Tea Party Nation, Patriot Action Network and FreedomWorks went to Wisconsin for the Restoring Common Sense Tour, the State GOP told candidates and campaigns to stay away from the Tea Party.  The day the State of Wisconsin held a primary on Scott Walker, where was Scott Walker?   He was in Florida! As the tour rolled through Wisconsin, we made nine stops.  At over half of the stops, we did not even have the candidate there who we were supporting! Why?  Because the Wisconsin State GOP had told them to stay away. The Tea Party Express tour was, among other things, a fantastic get out the vote effort.  What has the GOP been doing to get out the vote?  In Wisconsin, I saw zero effort by the GOP to get the vote out.Where were the GOP superstars?  Where was Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan?  He was AWOL.  Scott Walker, who received standing ovations from the crowds, was AWOL. Where was Senator Ron Johnson?  Where were any of the Presidential candidates?   Where was the RNC?  The candidates should have broken away from Iowa for at least a day and helped out.  This is a team effort.  It is not all about the individual candidate. The only GOP Congressman to show up at any of these events was Reid Ribble.  He is a great American and a great Republican.   He stepped up where so many others would not.”  http://bit.ly/n9QSTd

Judson Phillips calls it the way it is and not the way some would want to hear it.  But at least he is not afraid to speak the truth and call out anyone or group.  It seems to me that the very movement and people that helped put those Wisconsin politicians in office were abandoned by the State Republican Party.  While the Tea Party made every effort to support these politicians during a recall election that could have brought a downfall to the state of Wisconsin, they did so with the backs of the GOP turned toward them.  It appears to me that Reince Priebus made the decisions not to back the 6 Republicans that could have lost their seats, with RNC money for television ads.  No, he left that up to the Tea Parties and other Republican PAC’s.  So what do you suppose was so important to the RNC Chairman that he would gamble this election on?

Tea Party movement people are not very pleased with this.

“Nuff said”

Brian Gray