Although I don't live in Wisconsin, I'm close to it and get far more news and information about it than about the state I live in. I read, with glee, the diaries about Walker's shenanigans, but see very little ever reported about them in the news, so have little hope they'll have a significant impact on the outcome of the election.
Likewise, I read with some level of hope the diaries suggesting that Burke has a shot at beating Walker, but the past elections when I couldn't fathom Walker, Johnson and Reid being elected or that Walker and some of his cronies wouldn't be taken out of office after his initial disgusting actions as governor have made me pretty cynical about the likelihood of him being beaten. Not to mention all the Walker bumper stickers I see on vehicles in this area.
However, today I read an article in the little local paper of a town in Wisconsin and close to me that gives me some genuine hope. This paper could Never be accused of having a liberal bias. Of course, it deals primarily with local issues and I can't say it's horribly conservative. However, it's editorial pages certainly veer in that direction.
But there, on the front page, is a nice long article discussing the differences between Burke and Walker. What I found interesting is that the article is probably 80% devoted to the issue of education and how Walker is pushing for taking money away from public schools and giving it to private ones while Burke supports public education. It even discusses the issue of Walker using this system to benefit his buddies. The headline included a statement that the two are very close in this race, although the article didn't provide any numbers or discuss that issue further.
I don't believe I've ever seen an article criticizing Walker in this paper before. I was stunned - and pleased to read it and hope something similar is being printed in every paper in the state. It's an AP article, so there's a decent chance it'll be picked up here and there. It contains good information that might give people on the fence some real pause and get them to think.
Mary Burke has another two months to get her message out there. She seems to have made good headway so far. It's getting difficult these days to know how to best use the dollars we contribute toward political causes, but I think it's time I show Mary Burke some appreciation for her taking this weasel on and, as it appears, making some headway.