Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Victory! Good guys win 2 in WI recall

Woo-hoo!!  Teamster-endorsed candidates held on to their seats in Wisconsin recall elections Tuesday. It wasn't even close. Last we heard, Jim Holperin was winning with 54 percent of the vote and Robert Wirch with 57 percent.

We like state Rep. Peter Barca's statement about Wirch's victory:
As my state Senator, Bob Wirch has always fought to stand up for the citizens of the 22nd State District. I know that he will continue to fight for working, middle-class families by using his pragmatic, results-driven leadership style to refocus the state Senate on creating good-paying jobs and restoring our shared Wisconsin values.
Jonathan Steitz ran on a platform of full support for Gov. Walker’s divisive agenda. Steitz’s defeat tonight can only be viewed as a historic rejection of Gov. Walker’s extreme and hyperpartisan agenda by working, middle-class families.
I look forward to continuing to work with Sen. Wirch to bring Wisconsin together again so we can focus on the issues that matter most – good jobs, strong public schools, access to quality health care and a thriving middle class.
In practical terms, this is what last night's victory means: Koch whore Gov. Scott Walker no longer has control of the Legislature.The make-up of the Senate shifts from a 19-14 Republican majority to a 17-16 advantage. But one Republican, Dale Schultz, is a moderate who voted against Walker's Budget Repair bill.  A Republican leader acknowledged as much. Reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, a Republican, acknowledged that a tighter margin in his house could affect the flow of GOP legislation.
"The agenda will probably be items that people could perceive as not being as contentious," Fitzgerald said.
And now, on to recalling Scott Walker.