Wisconsin Recall Election’s Teachable Moment

Sometimes the hype is not worth the cost and nothing showed it more than the coverage of this Wisconsin recall election.  Many envisioned too much and placed to high a cost on the results.  What it ended up being was another reason why temperance must be weighted with enthusiasm.  While I was as much as excited about the possibility of Wisconsin voters taking back their state from outside forces manipulating those in power, I was always a little reserved about what the outcome would mean.  There is a lesson here and it is quite simple.

The lesson is simply put by a backer of Sen. Alberta Darling, whom I believe could have been easily swayed to vote for her opponent, Democratic state Rep. Sandy Pasch and increased her victory by even more.  This one voter could have also reached others just like him and maybe even swayed them to help remove any of the other incumbents in the Wisconsin legislature.  According to Scott Bauer of the Associated Press in his article titled Wis. GOP holds off Democrats in recall elections, he quotes a Mr. “John Gill, 45, of Menomonee Falls, who voted for Darling and questioned the opposition's anti-GOP rhetoric, which went far beyond collective bargaining.  "This was all supposed to be about the workers' rights, so to speak. But that has not been brought up one time. It's all been misleading, the attack ads, things like that," Gill said. "The one reason they started this recall, they didn't bring up once."

What does his statement say and what was the lesson?  Had the point remained nothing but worker’s rights in print, on air and in the media, many more like Mr. Gill may have come over to the side of right but instead of sticking with one message, those who jumped in began to try and make other points which did not resonate as well.  Think about it, the defense of worker’s rights brought out more than just Democrats, it brought out Republicans and Independents as well.  It was the fire that kept the heat on these races and could have spelled the end to big money donors just waltzing into a state, throwing money around and getting their way.  Because so many had to put their own spin on this recall, they twisted it into something else and drove away those who may have otherwise stepped up to take back their party.

A golden opportunity for unity of all parties and the re-confirmation about the needs of the many before the needs of a few was missed.  It appears that when we have an opportunity to do something really great, we step on our own tongues.  Maybe that is why Obama disappoints so many is because he sticks with one message and does not hop around from toad stool to toad stool trying to own every one that fits.  Just a thought but maybe those of us who really do care about pulling this nation together should first pick a message and stick with it all the way through.  Just a thought, I could be wrong.