“The GOP victory in Wisconsin’s gubernatorial recall election was an ‘absolute disaster for President Obama’ and represents a clear sign of Republican momentum heading into the fall presidential election campaign, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus argues in a memo set for release Wednesday,” Alexander Burns reports for Politico.
“In the memo — shared early with POLITICO — Priebus writes that the struggle in Wisconsin allowed Republicans to prime a first-rate operation in the state for the November election. And the results added up to a vote of confidence in the GOP’s 2012 message on spending restraint and the size of government,” Burns reports. “‘Less than four years after Obama won Wisconsin, Democrats lost in an election of their own making. That’s because the GOP excelled at our ground game, now giving us a significant advantage for the presidential race,’ Priebus argues. ‘Working with the Wisconsin GOP, the RNC ran joint voter contact Victory operations and opened 26 statewide offices. Since January, our volunteers made over 4 million voter contacts, more than the GOP did in the entire 2008 campaign and substantially more than Democrats and their union allies in this election… In the process, more than 3,400 Wisconsin volunteers have signed up to help the party. And the data collected by door-to-door volunteers for Governor Walker was all promptly added to the RNC’s data center, thanks to the use of iPads, iPhones, and iPods.'”
Read more, including Priebus’ full memo, in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews readers too numerous to mention individually for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Obama uses his Apple iPad to watch NBA basketball games (with video) – March 5, 2012
Obama got presidential iPad 2 from Steve Jobs ahead of public launch – October 3, 2011
U.S. President Obama confirmed Apple iPad owner (with photo) – April 25, 2011
Confirmed: Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter is an Apple iPod and iPad user – December 14, 2010
Former U.S. President George W. Bush’s favorite iPad app – October 28, 2010
Obama: With iPods and iPads, information becomes a distraction; imposes new pressures on democracy – May 9, 2010
I like how I can always count on MDN to post a headline about Apple tech and I just have to wade through ten paragraphs of RNC PR until I get to the last sentence which hardly goes into the significance of iDevices. Way to bury the lead!
Wait, an absolute disaster? Was I just high when I read the headline that the Dems won control of the Wisconsin Senate?
yes cause out of 5 people being recalled… 4 won.
1 person *may* have lost.. the Dem is claiming victory, nothing is official yet.
“Four Republican senators faced recall votes Tuesday. At least three held on to their seats, but former Sen. John Lehman, a Democrat, declared victory in ousting incumbent Sen. Van Wanggaard. The vote was extremely close, and results have not been certified,”
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/06/06/democrats-appear-to-take-wisconsin-senate-after-recall/
http://twitchy.com/2012/06/06/kill-scott-walker-angry-libs-flood-twitter-with-death-threats-after-wisconsin-recall-defeat/
Liberals – the party of “acceptance”, unless you don’t agree with them…..
I am an extreme liberal and I live in Wisconsin. I accept the loss in the gubernatorial recall. What I don’t accept is the idea that this privatization of government will provide any more than the enrichment of a few people. This happened in the 1920s until the electorate got fed up with the idea that limited government works in stimulating economies finally waking up in 1932.
tbone, a raging liberal, never would have guessed. sad though.
Gotta love Michelle Malkin 🙂
Twitchy is great. and the App will be universal soon!
(For the uninformed… Twitchy is MM’s creation)
oh and one more thing…
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-recall-to-decide-wisconsin-senate-control-too-close-to-call-20120606,0,3606389.story
“However, the legislature isn’t scheduled to meet between now and the November elections, when Republicans will get a crack at regaining control of the Senate.”
which means control of the senate is worth NOTHING…. it doesn’t matter who controls it. there is NO session scheduled, if you know anything about State politics.. they are NOT in session year round like in DC. State house/senate are part time jobs really.
I live in Wisconsin and you are incorrect about sessions at the state house. Elected state officials have full time jobs here. And, the Senate will be in fall session. Committee work continues year round. BTW, that happens regardless of which political idiots you choose to support.
http://legis.wisconsin.gov/Pages/session.aspx
really?….. point out the fall session for me..
You can’t create a NEW bill to send to the governor’s desk from now until june 13th..
they are NOT in session full time like national offices.
you are technically current they are not “Part time” jobs.. but they are NOT FULL TIME in session.
If they did, it’s simple to get rid of. Have the WI House Republicans pass legislation Dems don’t like causing the Democrats to “pick up their ball and go home” and skedaddle to a neighboring state to hide and shirk their responsibilities, like they did the last time.
The Dems (probably) winning the WI Senate by one seat is not as significant as you think. The legislature is not expected to meet again before the November election. In the upcoming election, Republicans are expected to pick up two seats in the Senate as a result of the WI’s recent redistricting, which Republicans controlled.
You lie. There are just two paragraphs in MDN’s entire excerpt.
Hey Glenn you freaking commie,
MDN’s takes and posts are spectacular as usual. Unlike you.
“freaking commie”?
Way to live in the 1950s, dude.
The progressive movement in the US has NOTHING to do with communism. We all believe in private property and individual liberty. We just don’t want to live in the 2nd Gilded Age of the New Robber Barrons.
Because Walker was running against Obama in his recall election and not the same individual from his 2008 campaign, right? Sent from my iDevice.
hint, Obama won Wis by 14 points in 2008… now the dems lose handily to Walker.
When a state shifts Blue->Red or Red->Blue in such a short time like this, it’s generally a bad thing for the party in power if it’s a national election year.
Which is a very very good thing for the rest of the country. Hopefully if the Republicans win we won’t get wasteful huge debt spending from conservatives in name only and blow up the debt even more.
I don’t mind tax increases as much as some conservatives, but liberal democrats do not pair them with any sense of fiscal responsibility. If you want to raise more money from the rich, at least spend within your means. Currently we have a liberal democratic party which has no problem mortgaging the future of our children and ruin their prosperity.
The morality of the democratic party is zero.
Yeah, fiscal responsibility like two unfunded wars, right? At the same time of massive tax cuts for the wealthy?
I mean, you WERE against the war in Iraq, right?
It’s amazing how people can ignore wasteful spending as long as the Commander in Chief has an (R) after his name.
Bah. Local politics vs national politics. Completely different beasts. Money spent in Wisconsin by right wing billionaires saves the day over issues. And of course, you are forgetting that the Dems went 4-5 on the recall. All it shows is that Winconsinites are just as easily swayed by Citizen’s United cash dumps.
The money spent by Walker in relation to Bennett seems to be the excuse the liberals are using to explain the smack-down they received yesterday. I voted for Walker and have yet to receive payment for doing so.
Do you want to know the major reason for my decision to cast my vote the way I did? My property tax bill was lower this year for the first time in many, many years. Will you try to tell me now that Walker used campaign contributions to pay State expenses, lowering my tax bill, and “buying” my vote as a result? Don’t think so.
Tie election really doesn’t translate to Obama’s chances in Wisconsin, although Walker won by a larger margin than he did previously.
In before the name calling etc.
@Glenn.. the story is from POLITICO, hardly a RNC PR site… and THEY only mention the iOS devices sparingly. MDN does not write the stories… only report them.
It’s the end result that counts, irrespective of the tools used. (And it wouldn’t surprise me if the recall principals weren’t *also* using iPhones and iPads.) But it does confirm that Apple’s “consumer” platforms are ready for anything.
“But it does confirm that Apple’s “consumer” platforms are ready for anything.”
THIS is the story… Some people don’t get it and are trying to inject the political angle.
Hijacked?
Hardly…
I am glad that Apple’s idevices were so helpful in this all important election!
Who cares that MDN only reports them? The important fact here is that our prez may have a bit of competition this fall. That’s important. Time for a change. Give someone else a chance. The country can’t take four more years of such a negative leader. We need somebody with the ability to lead and compromise not try to force a socialist agenda down Americans throats!
Here, Here, except for the compromise part.
political commentary is effectively annoying to the roughly 50% who are on the other side. It has no place on a tech board and cheapens the final product
Agreed. But really it’s hardly a tech board. Most posts are by childish fanboys who rail at any sign of honest opinion or criticism of Apple. That doesn’t seem to be the case on Apple Insider. Just my honest observation.
Why are you here then?
To try to find articles regarding Apple. Fanboy.
way to go GOP
He should be crediting the Koch brothers and all the $$$ from outside groups. 2/3 of Walker’s campaign $$$ came from groups outside of the state. The Citizens United ruling is allowing democracy to be bought.
And all of the money against comes from the government workers unions. So what’s your point?
The real point is the amount of money spent by
Koch, et al vs. unions.
My point? Democracy is for sale to the highest bidder. The Citizen’s United ruling will promote plutocracy and destroy the middle class. Wake up!
Public worker unions are bought by government money which is hardly from “the citizens of the state”. That’s far more corrupt and just as “outside” as your so-called “outside” money.
At least that money came from legitimate enterprise, not socialist union corruption.
Or, taxpayers with little say.
Amen.
First of all Barrett’s money didnt come from just the public unions. All unions here had a stake in this. As did a lot of other people.
Secondly, it shows how a state can be influenced by big outside money. Walker’s outside interest outspent the opposition by at least 5-1. What do the Koch brothers have to with WI other than setting the stage for union busting and the other parts of their agenda throughout the rest of the country? That’s the point.
WI republicans didn’t take back the state. It was never their’s to begin with. The Koch bros and other concerns did.
Public worker union money is no way “inside” it’s directly from the government and is not a reflection of the common will. It’s pure corruption.
If your election is largely funded by public worker union money you have zero room to discuss the relative merits of the funding of your opposition.
First, spending money to campaign is not buying the election. The people of Wisconsin had to decide whether they made the right choice in electing Governor Walker.
Lower property taxes, lower unemployment than the national average, lowered spending and fiscal responsibility say that they made the correct choice.
If you want to talk about buying an election, you need to look at when the Gore campaign was paying the homeless in cigarettes, and bussing them to the polling places if they would vote democrat. THAT is buying votes
And the Democrats had huge amounts of outside money and people come into Wisconsin as well. Don’t chastise the other side while ignoring that your side did the exact same thing.
Barret’s 26% of outside $$$ vs. Walker’s 66% of outside $$. Get a clue.
plus 1.
“I only stabbed him one time.”
-Brutus
Those left wing pinkos must all be toting Android fail devices which is indicative of the failed socialist pinko policies of tax and spend.
Your money is not better off with the government.
I agree. Let’s cut defense first.
Agreed.
Defense spending is already much lower than it has been over the past 20 years, and compared to other government programs, it really isn’t much of the overall federal budget. Although I agree that the government wastes far too much money.
hmmm. Yet the largest government medical program is the VA. Followed by Medicare.
The vets and elderly/indigent get half assed care while our elected government get the gold package for life. Seems fair. Especially with how much gridlock, name calling and year round campaigning they do.
Not sure where you get you “facts”, but US military spending has DOUBLED since 2001.
The U.S. spent an astounding $698 billion on the military last year, an 81% increase over the last decade.
U.S. spending on the military last year far exceeded any other country. We spent six times more than China — the second largest spender. Overall, the world expended $1.6 trillion on the military, with the United States accounting for the lion’s share.
But don’t let facts get in the way of your BS… ChickenHawk
quoting Think progress i see….
oh wait, they also explain how that “81%” increase… is from 3.1% to 4.8% of the GDP.
care to enlighten us on that 95% that you exclude?…
and care to tell us how much of that 95% you exclude pays for Social programs that are not needed? (or covered by the constitution, as the Defense is..)
or the double dip programs that should be cut?
nah, it deters from your BS.
What an idiotic idea.
Let’s cut off all of the free loaders first Kissy.
Where’s Dr. Pill?
Brilliant! How about we start with the oil companies and the banks then?
BLN, are those the ones with the big 4½” screens that you like so much?
I’m just happy that no matter who wins the presidential election, we’ll get to keep ObaRomneyCare.
nope. Romney said he would repeal it. He lost me vote.
Gained mine. Obamacare will bankrupt this country and put private health insurance out of business, making tens of thousands of people unemployed.
the Supremes are most likely going to revoke it. Obama kinda already hinted that he may already know the inside vote at a fund raiser last week.
Romney already stated he’d repeal it if the Supremes don’t, he’d be tossed out in 4 years as well if he didn’t.
Obamacare approval is already in the toilet… and only parts have been implemented.
http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2011/04/13/obamacare_approval_hits_new_low;_obama_underwater_inpennsylvania
35% and that was 2 months ago.. it’s constantly on the decline. (it’s never risen)
oh and your cutting the defense budget first comment… Maybe you should read the Constitution sometime. Providing a Military is in it, providing healthcare… not in it.
I loved the Supremes. Especially that Diana
ross perot guy.
CluelessKissy,
Can’t piece together one rational thought, ever.
Many of us here in Wisconsin don’t have a problem with spending restraint or bouncing the budget, we have a problem with taking money from the poor to give to the rich. Belt-tightening across the board would’ve been fine. But our governor seems to only want there to be belt-tightening at the bottom of the spectrum. A sad day here.
Glad to hear your for balancing the budget. In your words the “bottom of the spectrum” gets hurt. Indeed. A portion of the Wisconsin workforce makes a good salary with above average private sector medical and retirement benefits. And now they are brought down to earth and have to contribute and compete like the rest of the “bottom spectrum” taxpayers. About time. Let the national “CHANGE” begin …
Absolute rubbish. Please provide any proof whatsoever that he took money from the poor and gave it to the rich. Complete nonsense talking point.
Let me guess, he is also starving minority children, hurting women disproportionally and of course causing the elderly to choose between medicine and food.
Did I miss any other BS Democrat scare tactic talking points?
Obama is still projected to win the election if it was held today. That is all that matters.
More evidence that Darwin was wrong, people don’t evolve… they devolve.
Let’s not get cocky. We all have to make sure that happens- but most of all- we’ve got to make sure money gets taken out of politics. Otherwise, we’re not a democracy. Voter suppression and political positions being bought is not democracy. George Carlin saw through this eons ago. The Koch Brothers and Big Business are the masters of us all- and those who don’t know this have already been brainwashed or are unenlightened. I hope we’re not already screwed.
OK, Civics 101.
The US is not a democracy, it’s a Representative Republic.
There is no voter suppression, quite the contrary. It appears that dead people and non-citizens are able to vote.
Political positions are not being bought. People are voting. Just because you lost doesn’t mean the world is all crazy, it means that the people liked what they got last time and reaffirmed it.
Ballmer’s left nut is out of control. I ought know.
The RNC can blow me.
The Koch Brothers will surely own this country and its very soul, if people don’t wise up and get off their asses very, very soon.
In fact, it may already be too late. This should either be a wakeup call or a Day of Mourning.
And the other side could say the same thing about George Soros…. that doesn’t make it true.
People still have to vote for the people they feel are best to represent them.
You are a doosh.
1- Wisconsin is a special case state and has more than it’s share of outliers over it’s political history.
2- The Democrats ran the same loser a second time. He had no firm proposals as to what to do if he were to be elected.
3- The bulk of Democratic money came from individuals within Wisconsin- the bulk of Walker money came from outside the state. The Rethugs carpet bombed Wisconsin with advertising day and night.
The whole thing was a train wreck from from front to back. The interesting thing is this: exit polling showed that the same Wisconsin electorate who retained Walker et al. also support Obama for reelection.
The only part that was a train wreck was that we had to do this stupid recall at all. What a waste of time, energy and money.
iPods and iPhone made the difference? Really? I thought it was outspending the democrats by about an 8-1 margin, with the vast majority of GOP money coming from out of state interests. By contrast, only a quarter of the recall money for the Democrats came from out of state.
It’s sad that money (and misleading ads) can still buy an election in some states