Tornado Alley (PROG)

[StephanieVanbryce]

What an Effing Victory!

by Agnostic For the Church of Ineffable Stupidity..Wed Aug 10, 2011 at 06:04 AM PDT

I don't get it. We have some long faces, some depression, some apparent licking of wounds.

Well, I have one simple, straightforward question for you, just below the squiggly thing:


WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?

From the Church of Ineffable Stupidity:

Heh, my pews are filled today. The stupidity is rank, odoriferous, and pervasive. To restate the burning question more clearly, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?

Do you realize what just happened? Do you realize how far of a climb we completed? Do you understand just how HUGE of an accomplishment the progressives of this country completed last night?

In the face of lies, deceit, $50,000,000 from Koch and other conservative billionaires, in the face of hard rules, huge burdens, large hoops, and many intangibles, this is what we accomplished;

a) We galvanized the PEOPLE, not just in Wisconsin, but across this nation.

People got off their asses, for many a second time (2008 being the first) and for some, the very first time in their lives. Conservative union folks (Yes, I am talking about Police, Fire, EMTs, and even construction workers) realized which side provides butter for their bread, and which side feeds them shit sandwiches. Do you honestly think it was possible, just 8 months ago, to galvanize, organize, and empower a large segment of society, and make them work together?

I had serious doubts. Herding cats is far more simple, even for us who disdain excess felines.

The PEOPLE spoke. They acted. They walked, called, got out the vote, they donated money, and they donated their time and energy. That kind of work is contagious. Not only is is a learning process which comes easier the second time, it also shows other states that: i. it can be done; ii. it takes determination; iii. Success is possible; and, iv. We will do better the next time.

As people chew this result around, as they realize the truth of the matter, that people still have power against corporations, billionaires, and even a media that opposes our every move, they will see that success is possible in other places. This action is contagious, and it will spread.

b) We had a recall ballot passed in 6 districts, each one of them historically as red as Texas.

I don't know if you realize just how hard it was to create this scenario in the first place. Just having a recall in the first place was a huge accomplishment. Getting six of them? I never would have dreamed it to be possible.

This was not a simple success, with one recall, it was a HUGE VICTORY, the largest in American history. WE put the powers that be on notice, that we will not go quietly into the night. No sirree, we are going to stand up and demand that we be counted.

To repeat, to achieve this much, 6 EFFING RECALL BALLOTS, in the most conservative parts of this state, was amazing. Think about that, instead of licking your psychic wounds. And instead of tears of disappointment, how about cheers of joy and celebration?

c) The lies and cheating started early, with fake Democrats running for our slots.

Unless you follow this state closely, (and as a southern neighbor, with relatives who live there, I do) you cannot realize how conservative the rural places of this state are. There are large segments of population who look at Milwaukee and pray for a small tactical nuclear device to blow it off the map. There are folks who see Madison as a collection of dirty, unwashed, smelly, long haired hippies who listen to them evil Beatles rock or roller music. There are farmers who think that work entails 14 hours a day weather permitting, and 12 hours when it is really nasty out. These folks look at liberals as evil. As the enemy. As something to be ignored, or better yet, chased out. This is the state that had a brilliant liberal senator, and forced him out last election. (Russ Feingold, if you forgot) This is the state that gave us McCarthyism, Red Baiting, and caused Hollywood to ban talent simply because they were socialists.

This is also the state that permitted cheats and liars, funded and underwritten by the Kochs and other corporatist monsters, to concoct fake candidates. Why? To force us to waste energy, to waste money, and to waste time. Without those primaries, I suspect we would have taken one, perhaps two more seats. But even with such a road block in front of us, we beat them in the primaries, and we more than held our own in the general recall election.

They wanted us dismayed and disorganized. They wanted us demoralized and depressed. They wanted us to say, "To hell with this" and realize that it was impossible for us to win. They tried. They failed.

d)We lost two districts, we came unbelievably close in two others, and dammit, WE WON TWO CONSERVATIVE SEATS AGAINST ALL ODDS!

Finally, please take a step back, excuse my excessive language, and think for a bit. Against all odds, in a somewhat conservative state, in the most conservative districts, with millions pouring in against us, with the media, the corporations, and the natural reluctance of people to force change for any reason, look at what happened.

WE WON TWO CONSERVATIVE SEATS.
We came bloody close in two others.
And just as importantly, we sent a message to every other GOP state senator. Be wary of what you do, and how you vote. Be afraid of the people, because there will be an election in your future, and we have long memories.

This last point is extremely important and I doubt that anyone has really discussed it so far. Mr. Walker doesn't just have a small majority, plus one rational GOPer to deal with. He has an entire state that no longer supports radical change. He has an organized political enemy that will exert pressure on the remaining republicans. He has lost a decent majority and came close to losing it completely. Do you honestly believe that he will act as he did before? Hardly.

To sum this too long sermon up, we done did good yesterday, and all those hard, cold, wet, hot, humid, icy, depressing, fun, exciting days and weeks leading up to yesterday. WE WON two conservative seats. We showed the nation what hard work can accomplish.

Congratulations to Wisconsin, and to all those who worked so hard to get there!


http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/08/10/1005314/-What-an-Effing-Victory!?detail=hide