ON WISCONSIN – AT 8:04 A.M. ET:  After an effort that dwarfed the Normandy invasion, the Democrats failed to win control of the Wisconsin legislature in yesterday's recall election.  There is pain, there is agony, on the left, but Obamacare health providers and spiritual advisers stand ready.  From the Wisconsin State Journal:

After tens of millions of dollars spent by outside interest groups, dozens of attack ads and exhaustive get-out-the-vote efforts, Democrats on Tuesday fell short of their goal of taking control of the state Senate and stopping the agenda of Gov. Scott Walker.

Republicans won four of six recall races, meaning the party still holds a narrow 17-16 majority in the Senate — at least until next week, when Sens. Robert Wirch, D-Pleasant Prairie, and Jim Holperin, D-Conover face their own recall elections. A third Democrat, Sen. Dave Hansen, D-Green Bay, easily survived a recall attempt last month.

Sens. Robert Cowles, R-Green Bay, Sheila Harsdorf, R-River Falls, Luther Olsen, R-Ripon, and Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, successfully defended their seats Tuesday.

Challengers state Rep. Jennifer Shilling, D-La Crosse, and Jessica King unseated incumbent state Sens. Dan Kapanke, R-La Crosse, and Randy Hopper, R-Fond du Lac.

Going into Tuesday, Republicans controlled the body 19-14, so Democrats needed to win at least three seats and hold onto two more next week to take over.

"The revolution has not occurred," said UW-Milwaukee political science professor Mordecai Lee, a former Democratic lawmaker. "The proletariat did not take over the streets."

Huh?  You mean people still talk that way?  The proletariat?  Have they sighted Lenin coming in on a train? 

This is good news because of the enormous effort, backed, as the story points out, by well-financed outside groups, to reverse control of the Wisconsin Senate. 

Maybe, just maybe, with the right presidential candidate Wisconsin can be flipped into our column next year. 

August 10, 2011