Previous posts here and here. As I noted yesterday, the election for Wisconsin Supreme Court justice in WI was going to be a clear indicator of the political forces roiling through the electorate. All the lefty spin doctors were out claiming a win by the liberal, union-backed Kloppenburg would scare the pants off the GOP elected leaders.

Well, that won’t happen. In the state that basically birthed the union movement we see a 50-50 result with no clear winner (though Kloppenburg has some key districts still out). After a massive GOTV effort by the left and right, the ramparts of the union stronghold are breached and battered. It is not the snapshot of this election that matters, but the trend it is clearly a part of.

Unions continue their downward path in terms of power and support while the centrist, libertarian ‘tea party’ movement has shown its mobilization strength is on par with the best political operations out there. Note this is not a social conservative force, but a fiscal, limited government movement.

Bottom line: WI government unions will still lose the cash cow that was the government forcibly collecting their dues from members. Now the unions will have to ask their members for donations – a clout killer if their ever was one. If this catches hold nationally, the left will be politically crippled. They will need to ask for support (the horror!).

Bottom line: WI government union workers will still need to pay into their individual pension and health plans (so sad …). This was the first concession unions made to try and save their cash cow. No going back. And this is now spreading across the nation to red and blue states alike.

Bottom line: GOP leaders across the nation know the voters will fight for them. Watch those recall elections next. My bet is the GOP senators who voted their convictions and promises will be supported, the flee-baggers who tried to destroy our hard-fought democratic processes will be shown the door. We can disagree, but we have to work to get along. Running out of state and holding your breathe until you get your way is not impressive, nor brave. It is bald petulance. Having loud and obnoxious sit-ins while threatening people executing our democracy is petulance (at the juvenile delinquent level). Making up lies and exaggerations in simpleton attack ads rises to back-stabbing petulance.

That is the wrap on Canary Tuesday in Wisconsin. The Libertarian Tea Party crowd has seen they can make a difference, and the unions have finally met their equal. No amount of pathetic spin from the left will change this dynamic. The libertarians are serious, respectful and determined. The left has no counter force.

It is April 2011, and the wave that hit November 2010 is still out there, full of energy and focus. The Democrats pretending otherwise are just walking over the political cliff.

A lesson for them this week, before they get any dumb ideas about shutting down the government over $6 billion in useless spending. With Ryan’s $6 trillion dollar budget out there, that pathetic $6 billion (which would be 6 cents to 60 dollars) looks again like petulance. See a trend here Dems?

Update: Ed Morrissey has his usual insightful comments posted up at Hot Air

Tags: Election, Kloppenburg, Posser, Unions, Walker, Wisconsin