Daily Thought Pad: Walker and America Win… Unions and Team Obama Lose Handily

The results are in…

The Democrats fueled by the unions recalled Republican Scott Walker and his lieutenant governor, not of wrong doing, but for doing what he/they said they would do if elected in 2010.

Scott Walker

Real Clear Politics:

WAUKESHA, Wis. - Sixty million dollars in campaign spending and 15 months of protests later, Wisconsin voters decided Tuesday that Republican Gov. Scott Walker should keep his job after all. With over 60 percent of the precincts reporting, he held a 15-point lead over Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, 57 percent to 42 percent, and was projected to win by the major news networks.

The victory was the culmination of a heated recall election that began in the corridors of the state capitol and then transformed into a national test of the conservative grassroots and the power of organized labor. Walker's win deals a blow to the latter and energizes the former.

The special election turnout reached presidential levels, yet President Obama did not even visit the state as the recall campaign played out. As the race looked more and more like it would go to Governor Walker and many Democrats called for at least a quick Wisconsin stopover to show some support for Mayor Tom Barrett, the best Obama could muster was a tweet on the last night of the campaign.

The Democrat strategists and pundits and the unions will try to minimize the significance of this victory but in reality it was a significant victory for Scott Walker, Wisconsin, the GOP and America. It is also the beginning of the decline of the power of private sector unions’ perhaps unions in general, and a huge disappointment for Team Obama.

Based on some skewed exit polls the outcome of this election was gagged to be tight. Many thought it would be a very late night before the outcome could be called. Instead, as Sarah Palin said, it will be a late night in Chicago at Team Obama headquarters, where they are no doubt much more worried than they will ever admit.

The Blaze:

MADISON — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker beat back a recall challenge Tuesday, winning both the right to finish his term and a voter endorsement of his strategy to curb state spending, which included the explosive measure that eliminated union rights for most public workers.

The rising Republican star becomes the first governor in U.S. history to survive a recall attempt with his defeat of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and the union leaders who rallied for months against his agenda.

In his acceptance speech, Walker focused on growth, healing and working together.

Add tonight’s results to a little help Romney has received this week from Bill Clinton… and the Romney Campaign should be energized.

Wis. County-By-County Election Map Shows How Dominating Walker’s Victory Was

Progressives in WI may indeed have something to cry about. - (Via HuffPo)

Washington Post: Why Walker won the Wisconsin recall election

National Review: What It's Like on the Ground

Forbes: Walker's Victory Spells Doom for Public Sector Unions

Walker: "It Is Time to Put Our Differences Aside"

Marc Thiessen: Vice President Walker?

AFL-CIO: Time to Work Together to Forge a New Path Forward

Protesters: This is the End of Democracy

NewsMax: Governor Scott Walker Wins Wisconsin Recall Fight

WND: Walker Wins, Will Stay in Office

Palin: Wisconsin Results Mean 'Obama's Goose is Cooked'

Priebus: Obama ‘Left Democrats at the Altar in Wisconsin’

Coulter: The Recall Heard Round the World

WND: Media humiliated over election coverage

MSNBC coverage of the election - Sadness, shock, disappointment, anger are all words that could describe the “forward” leaning hosts of MSNBC last night. It was a rough night for liberal hosts. Glenn, Pat and Stu however had a wonderful evening. It was the one time conservatives could watch MSNBC - not for the content, but the comedy.