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Sign up with Google Sign up with FacebookQ: Are you following the Winsconsin Gubernatorial recall election?
I have been keeping an eye on the Wisconsin Gubernatorial recall election just to have an idea of the current political mood previous to the November election. All polls including Routers, CNN, etc, claimed it was too close to call a winner. Even polls taken after people voted called it to close to call.
Yet, to my surprise, with 25 % of the vote counted, the Republican Governor has 61 % of the vote, and the Democratic candidate had 39 %. The existing Governor has been re-elected. How can so many polls totally miss the real results ?. Or were the polls biased ?
In my mind I have tried to visualize something similar happening here in China. Could it be possible in the near future ?
Do you consider also the press in China to be the 4th branch of power?
Too bad that idiot got in again. But, the guy running against him is a two time loser already. As for the polls, that's actually illegal for the press to do.
HappyExPat:
Now it is 54 to 45 percent with 83 percent of precincts reporting. Down to 9 %, but still a wide spread, he is a declared winner.
I still feel like Walker's term as governor is essentially over anyway. He lost control of the state legislature for his party last year in another series of recall elections, and alienated those party members that still remain in that legislature by pushing a radical agenda in a fairly moderate area. Further he's looking down the barrel of some serious ethics violations and may yet end up resigning in 6 months or so. As far as Scott Walker is concerned the damage has already been done.
About the polling, as a whole its actually been more accurate than your giving it credit. The RCP average put Walker ahead at 51% to 44%, which is well within the margin of error. Granted there are party affiliated polling institutions, like PPP for the Dems and Rasmussen for the GOP, as well as polls that lean one way or another (a NBC poll might lean Democratic, while a Fox poll will probably lean Republican), but take as a whole they're, again, very accurate. I would also mention that only one poll, from PPP which is a Democratic poll, taken within the last several months projected Barrett with any lead at all.
But that said, I don't think that China has much of a use for polls at present for a handful of fairly obviously, and I hope, at least as long as I am living here, that it won't in the near future.
Yes I have been following it and I think I am going to be sick. Big money won again (outspent 8-1 mostly with out of state money from a few rich dudes.)
Unless Citizens United is overturned then America will become the oligarchy that is Russia and even China to a degree.
I am soooo glad I refused US citizenship from my mother...it will only get worse.
America...of the rich...by the rich...and for the rich...god bless America.
mattsm84:
You know, there is money involved in Canadian politics too, and, like in the US, your conservative party typically takes in more than your liberal party. Now granted a large portion of what gets spend during an election is public money, but the point remains that wealthy individuals in Canada can and do have a great deal to say when it comes to deciding who gets elected and what policies get enacted. Most republics have traditionally leaned towards oligarchy, and Canada and the US are no different.
I am not from Wisconsin, I do not know the fellow, I have no idea if he is good or bad, I am just trying hard to judge radical right hand side politics on one hand, versus electoral response on the other.
And please, do not try to cover the sun with one finger, there was a lot of outside money involved ON BOTH SIDES, labor unions wanted him out, and held no brakes to their political coffers nationwide too.
And on my early working days, all unions did for me was to take my weekly quota out of my paycheck, I was a grocery stock clerk and cashier while at college working almost full time, and management did as they pleased, and the union steward sat with store manager and always agreed with him on everything. So, I am not fun of unions or their usefulness now days.
mattsm84:
What Scott Walker, Michigan governor Rick Snyder, and Ohio governor John Kasich represent is the way that a certain portion of the electorate, in this case the whites without college educations that typically fill out most union memberships--even in Wisconsin's public unions-- have been convinced to vote for seemingly radical policies that are against their economic interests, thus pushing them into the main stream. This has been going on for around 30 years at this point so it isn't very new.
Also you might not be from Wisconsin, but this is a regional problem that even stretches into Canada. A great many people in Ontario work for American companies. If a weak union of the US side of the boarder is unable to negotiate a strong contract with management, the workers on the Canadian side may also see a reduction of benefits. These workers may be forced to rely more heavily on Canadian government institutions as a result.
nevermind:
You think with the middle class dissapearing, wages going down and cost of living going up that unions have no place? Look at the difference between working conditions in China and working conditions back home. The difference is Unions. That's why there's work safety, regulations, disability pay...etc. Because unions fought for them. Now, assholes like Walker are trying to take that away. So yeah, you're damn right unions wanted him out.
if you believe any poll cnn or msnbc put s out you must live on mars they only poll democrates they are so far left its comical .. the democratic states such as california texas are bankrupt wisconsin was so far in dedt when walker took over they were going to be down graded in their credit rating this govnor has turned the state around in 2 years and are now runnng a surplus like other states that are ran by republicans like texas utah running a surplus
Nevermind:
You do bring out a point, but in my mind, a bit erroneous.
Unions in general, had a time and place back in USA, and they did good when management in the 1900's was in general oppressive. But today, at least in USA, I do not see a real need for unions. And in fact, from US LABOR STATISTICS, union membership has declined steadily for the last 70 years.
From the last data available in 2011, there were 14.8 million workers under unions in USA, or 11.8 % of the total reported work force. Of these, 7.6 % belonged to the public sector, and 7.2 % to the private sector.
Jump back now to 1983, first year data was available on this. We find 17.7 workers unionized, or 20.1 % of the work force. Or in 28 years, union membership declined by almost 3 million individuals.
Other sources do claim that in 2011 of the total work force, 6.9 % were union members at the private sector, and 36.2 % at the public sector. Maybe politicians had a lot to do with this.
I am not pro-union, and also I am not anti-union. It is my feelings that they do have a place to be at some times, and also feel that in many occasions union interests are not really the worker's betterment. I have belonged to unions (Teamsters), and in all honestly, they never did a thing for me, all my grievances were royally ignored by the union and management. (if interested in details, I can expand on what my grievances were)
It is my feeling that at this time, there is no real need for labor unions in USA. I also feel that if allowed, there is a real need for them in China, even if China is supposed to be a worker's paradise.