A wake-up call for Dems, labor, and the left

[cjs118]

23. I hope it is overwrought nonsense, but although recall was not typical, there is reason for concern

Last edited Wed Jun 6, 2012, 04:26 PM - Edit history (1)

I agree with the perspective that this was not a typical election and that we can't extrapolate everything from it, but I also agree with what is apparently the opposing view that Citizen's United played a significant role, and that this could be an indicator of more problems to come. I don't see these ideas as mutually exclusive.

I supported the recall, so this isn't about finger pointing, but in hindsight I think it was a mistake. Since the voters were so opposed to the idea of the recall itself under these circumstances, I think the end result could be that it will discredit its supporters (especially unions) and continue to energize conservatives. Yet from what I remember, a year ago the landscape looked far more favorable for a recall - and I really doubt they would have pushed for one if that wasn't the case. So what changed?

The massive amount of money spent seemed to have a significant impact. And if I take an honest look at the people I meet and at my own reactions to things, it is easy to see why. If you watch MSNBC for more than an hour you will probably see a commercial from an oil company which is clearly trying to convince liberals that oil companies aren't so evil. And I can easily recognize what it is and how deceptive it is, but the commercials are so well done that they still have an impact. For me this results in some uncomfortable cognitive conflicts which make me end up using my DVR more often, but I can definitely see how people who are less informed and/or opinionated could be swayed by that. The commercials are a type of psychological assault - the marketing folks have specialized in understanding emotions well enough to manipulate them. They are very good at what they do.

And the commercials also do something else significant - they further convince conservatives that they are right and that they should be afraid, and that ends up being a huge motivation. From what I've heard, Republican turnout was immense, and for the most part dwarfed Democratic turnout, which was also high. Given that this recall was started by Democrats, that seems rather odd and disturbing. If you a listen for a moment to the recall supporters, you see how energized and supportive they are, and also how vitriolic they are - all of that anger and hatred and fear directed toward unions and Democrats. We might console ourselves by acknowledging that they are acting against their own interests, but does it really matter? I see how far off the deep end as the conservatives have gone, as often as they have lied and twisted the truth, and there are still hordes of people behind them spouting their nonsense. And that's largely a result of having a huge microphone. And it is pretty much impossible to have a serious discussion when corporate assholes are screaming into the mic.

So yes, we shouldn't try to extrapolate out everything from Wisconsin. I don't think that it tells us much about the Presidential election. I still think it is likely that Obama will win, and I don't think Wisconsin is a referendum on him (although I now understand why he stayed away). But if Obama wins, it'll be because he was still able to play the big money game, and because Romney is such a terrible opponent. The large amounts of money keeps Republicans competitive regardless of how crazy they get, and it helps to normalize that insanity within the public discourse and promotes the "both sides do it" mentality. This could very well mean that, at the very best, if nothing changes we are looking at a future of divided and dysfunctional government.

I know I'm personally in a rather depressed mood generally, so I might be taking a rather negative perspective. At other times I might be more optimistic, but honestly I think there is plenty of justifiable gloominess that can be seen in the WI recall, and we run a great risk of ignoring the problems if we just see the recall as special circumstances and nothing more. And I'm concerned that we would disregard concerns about CU and money in politics as "nonsense" and "exaggerated". I honestly hope that they are, I honestly hope that I am wrong, but I fear that I am not. I'm sorry for the lengthy rant. And yes, I agree we should move on, but I also think there are lessons to learn here.