All Eyes on Wisconsin

Tomorrow marks a pivotal day in Wisconsin politics---the recall election of the sitting governor.  Scott Walker, the Republican governor, who after his 2010 win, pushed for fiscal reform for his state's budget and ended the collective bargaining rights for public employees.  (Wisconsin is one of the few states where public employees are unionized).

Jeffrey Phelps/AP Photo

Labor unions and Democrats immediately cried foul and successfully collected the needed one million signatures to initiate a recall.  They have aggressively tried to make the case that Walker abused his power and that his efforts to remove collective bargaining rights would have a devastating impact on Wisconsin's economy.

Both conservatives and liberals have seen the importance of this recall election.  Millions and millions of dollars have been poured into the state--$63.5 million.  Big name endorsements on both sides have tried to influence the vote including former President Bill Clinton and Democratic National Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schulz.

Labor unions and high profile liberals have argued that with Walker in power, the sky is falling.

Their efforts have yet to convince the masses.  Walker is currently leading his rival, Milwaukee Mayor, Tom Barrett and by many accounts, Walker has the clear advantage tomorrow.

Things began to really crumble last week when the Associated Press reported that Wisconsin's economy is actually doing pretty well.  The AP verified that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics confirmed that 23,608 jobs were added in Wisconsin in 2011.

I guess the sky isn't falling when collective bargaining rights have been stripped.

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The outcome of this election will have national repercussions.  It goes without saying that White House will be closely watching the outcome of this recall election.

Why?

Because it just might be a referendum on the president himself.

Barry Burden, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison told ABC News that it is a referendum on the president's policies because, "It is a statement about what role we think the public sector ought to play."

Burden went on to say, "There are fundamental differences between the two parties here and they mimic the debate in Washington. Republicans want to reduce the size of government and they view the public sector as a hindrance to job growth, while Democrats want to use the public sector to spur job growth, promote fairness and serve as a safety net.  We can't do both.  Wisconsin is a swing state and it represents a lot of the diversity we find in the country in general, so for that reason, I think the recall here is a symbol of a larger argument going on."

The presidential election is shaping up to be a deadlock between President Obama and Mitt Romney.  The race is becoming increasingly bitter and most polling analysts have the race being decided between just a handful of states.

Obama's road to 270 electoral votes is tight and although there are number of scenarios where Obama could reach that magic number, every single scenario includes a Wisconsin win for the president.

A loss tomorrow for the Democrats, undoubtedly puts Wisconsin in play for Mitt Romney.

A loss for the Democrats will be a reflection that 1) Big Labor's influence is waning, 2) Big name Democrat endorsements are not as influential as once thought and 3) Voters can now see that fiscal sobriety has its advantages.

Today, those on the left are trying to spin their way out of this embarrassing loss by complaining that they were simply outspent 7 to 1.  Outspent?  This is what they think it came down to?  That is insulting to the voters in Wisconsin.

It is petty and sophomoric to ignore that this recall election was a true battle of ideology.  Big government vs. fiscal constraint.   To cry foul over political advertising dollars spent is insinuating that the outcome is simply a reflection of which side was able to "trick" voters the best.  This is insulting.

The voters in Wisconsin aren't stupid.

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Tomorrow's outcome is pivotal.  While Democrats are now trying to act like they didn't really care about this recall election, Conservatives are going to see that in spite of high-profile Democratic endorsements and loud Big Union protests, conservative principles and ideology prevailed.

A Walker win tomorrow in Wisconsin is without question, a huge boost for Mitt Romney---and the president knows it.

So as Mitt Romney and the president anxiously await tomorrow's returns, they know that it just might be a predictor of what's to come...and things are starting to appear shiny red.

Go Mitt.