The Hill reports that the Obama administration is privately “fretting” about Tuesday’s Wisconsin recall vote… as well they should, as it was an unmitigated* disaster. The interesting thing: it was also a predictable disaster. In fact, it was a predicted disaster. Once the primary results came in, it was clear that there wasn’t a chance for the Democrats to topple either Gov. Walker, or Lt. Gov Kleefisch. Which leads to the question: what would have happened if Obama and the national Democratic party had come out and simply admitted it?
The short answer is, of course, that Obama would have been scapegoated for the loss. The unions and progressives would be screaming right now about how they had been stabbed in the back; the media would be lecturing the President about how he did not use his power to save Tom Barrett; and the conservative grassroots would not be taken as seriously as they are being taken, right now. Which is an alternative way of saying that the unions would not be looking impotent; the President would not be looking powerless; and the conservative grassroots would not have a prime recruiting tool.
Sounds a bit different when put that way, huh? Fortunately, the President is a narcissist who loves his own image too much to tolerate damaging it for the sake of mere moral courage, so we dodged a bullet there.
(Via Hot Air Headlines)
Moe Lane
*The likely gain of a state Senate seat by the Democrats is not a mitigation, for two reasons. First, the WI Senate will not meet again before January 2013, by which time it will be likely again under the control of the GOP (thanks to redistricting**). Second, WI Democrats will be on the hook for everything Walker does and they didn’t stop. What’s that? The two reasons are contradictory? Yup! Isn’t politics fun?
**Elections have consequences.
Yup, it’s Fun, with consequences.