AP is callling the Wisconsin election for Scott Walker, although the results will no doubt tighten up as the night goes on. But this is a wake-up call — for all of us. It’s one of the first clear tests of what happens when you have unlimited corporate money flowing into an election (Walker outspent his opponent about 8-1) and it’s a sign of how bad things can get under Citizens United.
It’s also going to dampen the enthusiasm of labor activists for the Obama re-election. Already, commenters on DailyKos are calling for progressives not to support the Democratic Party this fall — and while that’s common and people mostly get over it, Obama has to start moving now to shore up labor support. We’re all for gay marraige, and that was a strong and much-needed (if also much-delayed) stand, but it’s not going to be enough.
There’s going to have to be a concerted effort to end the demonization of public-sector workers. This election just shows how it’s gotten out of control.