Is This The Wisconsin Endgame?

Oh, Hells Yes!

I found the pace of change and achievement slow and frustrating during Obama's first two years.  But at least you could point to progressive change that hoped to make things better for the most people.  Health care reform was an important first step forward in a generational project that has been stalled for a hundred years. Financial reform should have gone further, but it was a necessary movement.

But now, with the GOP in charge in some places and the Teatards in charge of the GOP, we are truly faced with a gotterdamerung of the the Stupid.

In Wisconsin, the GOP state senate just passed the collective bargaining bill 18-1 without the necessary quorum, by removing the collective bargaining provisions from the budget bill. That's apt, since it didn't save any money for next year anyway.

But this seems to me to be a very good development for the Democratic party both as a whole and in Wisconsin.

First, it looks fishy.  It looks like what detractors have been saying, "It's a power grab."

Second, it gives the Wisconsin 14 a reason to go home without capitulating.  They can go back and fight and no longer look to be hiding from their job.

Third, this is really, really unpopular.  Super-majority unpopular.  Senators will get recalled in Wisconsin because of this.  And if Walker keeps shoving unpopular measures down the public's throat, he will get recalled, too.

Fourth, Walker has unified Democrats, Progressives and Leftists for the first time since 1/21/09.  And they've brought quite a few Reagan Democrats back into the fold, too.  There is a casus belli that should unify and rally anti-GOP forces around the country.  Because other states will try this, too, now.  Ohio is already trying to do it.

On the one hand, I am sad that yet another state has decided it wants to be Alabama, with shitty schools in order to make sure millionaires don't pay taxes.  But if this is what victory looks like for the GOP, it won't be pretty for them in 2012.

Of course - and I will post on this later - it would help if No Drama Obama decided to raise a little hell or at least point out the distinction between the two sides more forcefully.