Watch the Republicans Govern in Wisconsin

The long term political story in Wisconsin is not that of a right-wing state. Wisconsin is not Arizona or Utah or Idaho. The State has a large scandinavian immigrant tradition that has liberal traditions, a tradition that understands the benefits of a state that values domestic services over the extension of military force beyond its borders. The large metropolitan areas have been dependably democratic. The State has produced and elected both Joe McCarthyand Russ Feingold, so the story is mixed. The 2010 State elections produced a Republican governor and republican majorities in both legislative bodies and the result is what we are seeing.

Wisconsin feels like ground zero in the class wars, the assault on democracy that was the predictable result of the Citizens United decision by a partisan, activist Supreme Court. This Supreme Court is the triumph, the legacy of a generation of largely republican presidents. Progressives face a perfect storm today. We have a federal judiciary that is a minefield of partisan operatives who are appointed for life. We face a patchwork of black-box vote counting systems around the country that are demonstrably insecure and subject to hacking. We operate in the shadow of a corporate media and mainstream news system that is at best, largely useless as a check on political power, and at worst, is a mouthpiece and propaganda system for monied interests.

Wisconsin, David Koch is on the line. Do you really want to take that call?