Countdown to Recall

The voting in Wisconsin begins in less than 24 hours and the tension is getting thick. I was at a family gathering on Sunday and it was noticeable that everyone was making an effort to NOT discuss the recall. The polls seems to indicate that Walker will retain his job and I am glad. But I am also worried. I am very concerned that once he does win re-election then the riots/rallies that took place in Madison 2011 will almost certainly be repeated.

I am not the only person that thinks this is the case. I spent several hours on Saturday talking with a former Obama supporter and Recall petitioner. I say former Obama supporter as he has a serious case of buyer's remorse, saying that in hindsight Obama was not ready for the job. This person agrees that Walker is most likely going to win on Tuesday and that if Walker wins Obama will likely lose in November. While this should be good news, the elephant in the room is what will all those people that are so angry they forced this recall do once they lose?

I think it is not the least bit of a stretch of the imagination to believe many of those that called for the recall will not accept a result other than his ouster. I predict the recall will be recounted (no matter the margin on Tuesday night). If there is any way to get the results into a court, that will happen also. The people that put this recall into motion have staked everything on its success. Once it fails they will have lost all credibility and be left powerless. They cannot allow this to happen and as a result will fight to the last to prevent it.

A prime example of this "bitter end" mentality is the fact that protesters have been inside the Capitol Building every single day since February 2011. Between 10 and 30 people show up every day at lunch time to sing, chant and call for Walker's removal. These numbers swell on the weekends. The Occupy Madison Camp was one of the last ones to be shut down and it was closed only a few weeks ago. The desire to protest is strong and will not be quelled by a defeat at the voting booth.

I hope that I am wrong. I would love to see the people of Wisconsin bury the hatchet and put this behind us on Wednesday morning. Let's all hope that I am wrong.

Note: I intend to write a Fake News post this week. However, as events warrant I will post breaking news from the ground. I am going to be downtown Madison all day on Wednesday so if anything does happen I will let you know as soon as I know.