Only one thing is certain about the recall election against Gov. Scott Walker – the stakes are high. Boris Epshteyn of U.S. News & World Report laid out all the national consequences of a Walker victory: It would be indicative of the national stance toward unions, a positive for Republicans in both legislative houses and it also be a moral boost for the Republican presidential candidate. In other words, an outcome at the ballot box favoring Walker will bleed through to other parts of the country.
It is for that reason that “Walker-is-the-root-of-all-evil” arguments are so frustrating. There’s a lot for both sides to lose, and the upcoming campaigns against Walker will require subtlety and cunning, not blunt force, to win over moderate voters.
Before I am accused of sabotage, let me tell you a bit about myself. I’m a fairly liberal lady who grew up and went to high school in Waukesha County. I know, right? For those of you who aren’t familiar, Waukesha County is a place where gay marriage rights and socialized medicine are discussed in hushed tones among small cliques of left-wingers who meet secretly under the cloak of night.
As a former political minority, I know the best way to persuade people who may be hostile to your line of thinking: Don’t sound crazy.
Better yet, sound reasonable. Sensible, even. Speak with measure and clarity. For those that are not so entrenched in their viewpoint that no amount of reason will ever break down their thick-skulled ideologies, an even keel may lower defenses just enough for you to sneak in.
While the 2010 gubernatorial election clearly proved Wisconsin’s red streak had clout, it also revealed some possible soft spots in the GOP armor. According to the New York Times breakdown of the polling results, the victory margins in at least 15 counties were 10 percent or less. Most counties that ended up voting Republican had victory margins between 15 and 20 percent.
Those counties went to Republicans in 2010, but not by a staggering amount (except for a knot of counties in southeastern Wisconsin, including Waukesha, which are a bold red). There is hope, but there is work to be done. A Democratic victory must pull the blue out of the purple.
In the Nov. 16 edition of The Badger Herald, University of Wisconsin professor and Badger Herald adviser Donald Downs said Walker opponents heading up recall efforts had two inherent obstacles to successfully recalling Walker: Moderate voters may be resistant to the idea of a recall at all and even more turned off by the price it’ll cost taxpayers.
Now that Walker has been successfully thrown into another recall election, he’ll have those advantages at the ballot box.
In the politically volatile (and, frankly, exciting) atmosphere currently enveloping Wisconsin, luring the moderate to vote Walker out of office will be similar to coaxing a skittish fawn to eat out of your hand.
That’s why the current rhetoric won’t work beyond those who are already firmly rooted in the blue camp. Galvanizing Badger Democrats was necessary to make a recall election possible, but now it’s time to shift gears to make sure moderates get to the polls and vote Walker out. Don’t mistake anger for passion and don’t mistake volume for communication.
In a Politico.com piece from Jan. 18 by Tim Mak, John Nichols, Cap Times columnist, was quoted in The Nation, saying, “Scott Walker should be afraid, very afraid of the opposition he has unleashed in a state where it is now clear that the people are prepared to defend their rights, and their future.” Afraid? There should be fear in his heart? This isn’t the French Revolution. The commoners are not going to behead Walker in the public square if they prevail, and to suggest otherwise is counterproductive to the movement.
In another example, on the Democratic Party of Wisconsin’s website, a Jan. 18 statement reads: “BUSTED: Scott Walker’s Continued Problem With the Truth.” The crux of the argument was Walker’s administrative and budget choices are going to leave many Wisconsinites without BadgerCare. However, no one would’ve reached that conclusion from the headline. Instead, they would’ve thought it was a blurb on how Walker was a liar. In a persuasive arena, that’s white noise. The statement is a good example from how the emphasis now must go from “WALKER IS A LIAR!” to how many people won’t have access to health care.
Ultimately, the recall can’t center on Walker, but rather Wisconsin. When I go to the polls to cast my vote against Walker, it won’t be because I want some GOP asshat to feel my wrath. It will be because I genuinely believe this is the right move for the Badger State, and hopefully the Democratic campaigns can convince the moderates the same.
Adelaide Blanchard ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in journalism.
