With all of this destruction, how do Scott Walker and Republicans keep getting elected in Wisconsin?

My opinion is that it has been a combination of things. I've lived in Wisconsin for 48 of my fifty years so I feel like I've got a pretty good understanding of the people here.

I think the most obvious reasons are a massive funding advantage... as all know Scott Kevin Walker is the Koch's boy, and he is rewarded handsomely for doing their bidding. As far as the Legislature goes, they have a big money advantage there too (some Koch money, some Bradley foundation, some other).

But it's not only money. The R's won big in the Republican wave of 2010, and gerrymandered the hell out of the state. They even wrote many sitting Dems out of their own districts. Then, we have had (in my opinion) a comically inept State Democratic Party Chair, who believes that we can win by turning out Madison and Milwaukee and ignoring the rest of the state. We have also not exactly had awe-inspiring candidates on our side. I have no big problem with Tom Barret or Mary Burke, but they did nothing to excite the base or swing independents.

Finally, I think the Milwaukee area media is incredibly adept at whipping up the closet racists in the 'burbs into a frenzy about the brown President, and they flock to the polls in droves. I grew up in the Milwaukee suburbs, and there's this prevailing notion there that the City is full of lazy black people who exist for nothing more than to collect welfare and drink malt liquor from 40 ounce bottles on their front porches. Most suburbanites who feel this way are not open about it, but watch their reaction when their daughter asks to go to prom with a black kid. I know, because that black kid was my best friend growing up. Anyway, that's in my opinion where the huge margins Walker gets in Waukesha, Ozaukee, and Washington Counties come from.

With all of this destruction, how does Scott Walker keep getting elected in Wisconsin?

My opinion is that it has been a combination of things. I've lived in Wisconsin for 48 of my fifty years so I feel like I've got a pretty good understanding of the people here.

I think the most obvious reasons are a massive funding advantage... as all know Scott Kevin Walker is the Koch's boy, and he is rewarded handsomely for doing their bidding. As far as the Legislature goes, they have a big money advantage there too (some Koch money, some Bradley foundation, some other).

But it's not only money. The R's won big in the Republican wave of 2010, and gerrymandered the hell out of the state. They even wrote many sitting Dems out of their own districts. Then, we have had (in my opinion) a comically inept State Democratic Party Chair, who believes that we can win by turning out Madison and Milwaukee and ignoring the rest of the state. We have also not exactly had awe-inspiring candidates on our side. I have no big problem with Tom Barret or Mary Burke, but they did nothing to excite the base or swing independents.

Finally, I think the Milwaukee area media is incredibly adept at whipping up the closet racists in the 'burbs into a frenzy about the brown President, and they flock to the polls in droves. I grew up in the Milwaukee suburbs, and there's this prevailing notion there that the City is full of lazy black people who exist for nothing more than to collect welfare and drink malt liquor from 40 ounce bottles on their front porches. Most suburbanites who feel this way are not open about it, but watch their reaction when their daughter asks to go to prom with a black kid. I know, because that black kid was my best friend growing up. Anyway, that's in my opinion where the huge margins Walker gets in Waukesha, Ozaukee, and Washington Counties come from.

(X-post in Politics)

Republicans in the Wisconsin State Legislature have killed tenure and shared governance

This, of course, was done at the behest of college dropout Governor Scott Kevin Walker.

Goodbye, University of Wisconsin. It was a hell of a great run.

Republicans in the Legislature have removed tenure and shared governance from the UW System.

Goodbye and RIP University of Wisconsin. It was a hell of a run.

Walker's fire-bombing of public education in Wisconsin (national perspective from WaPo)

My beloved Milwaukee Brewers have fired manager Ron Roenecke mid-season

and replaced him with Wisconsin native Craig Counsell. This move was made because the Brewers are sucking in almost every way imaginable (although they did take two of three from the Flubs over the weekend).

By this line of reasoning should we not be able to fire Scutt Wonker for his massive suck? We could even do like the Brew Crew and replace him with a Wisconsin native. Maybe...um...Russ Feingold?