The Recall Remodel

Effective today, the balance of power in the Wisconsin State Senate is evenly divided. Just six months ago, Republicans held a 19-14 majority before the summer recall elections trimmed that majority to a razor-thin 17-16 margin.

With Pam Galloway’s sudden and swift resignation, the tally now stands at 16-16. Gov. Scott Walker might still believe that Wisconsin is “open for business,” but it’s probably time add an asterisk to that slogan. As in, "Wisconsin: Open for Business.*"

*Gridlock may ensue. 

Mitt's Blitz

British propaganda poster

For 76 consecutive nights in 1940-41, the German Luftwaffe blitzed London in an effort to shatter England’s wartime resolve. The strategy—had it succeeded—might have compelled the English to choose one of two humiliating options: voluntary surrender or complete and total destruction.  

History, of course, tells of the tactic’s failure. In spite of its perceived advantages, overwhelming force couldn’t supplant the English’s stubborn perseverance. More than seventy years later—and many analogical degrees away—Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s looming advertising blitz inches closer to Wisconsin.

The Right to Not Listen

During the final weeks of the 2008 presidential campaign, conservatives rallied around an inadvertent folk hero named "Joe the Plumber." Never mind that his name isn't Joe. Nor, for that matter, is he a plumber. But he represented the Republican Party's chief concern about the opposition: that big government liberals don't care about average Americans—average Joes.

Fast forward almost four years, and the Democrats have apparently discovered their “Joe the Plumber” in Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke. Vilifying attacks from the right—notably from Rush Limbaugh, who referred to her as a “slut” and a “prostitute”—have typified long-standing beliefs among Democrats and progressives: that Republicans like our government just large enough to intervene in our private lives.