With Rhythm & Booms and the Fourth of July behind us, we are launched into hardcore summer. We can see hardly anything but picnic baskets and golf carts stretching out toward Labor Day. Oh, and a few recall elections are in our vision too.
Last week I wrote about the quilting of the Capitol grounds for the first of the Wednesday Concerts on the Square. 'Twas not long ago that the Capitol Square was blanketed with protesters railing against Gov. Scott Walker's budget bombshell. And soon we will begin experiencing the aftermath of all that demonstrated discontent - the recalls.
Our cover story this week, "Recall Them All!," sets the summer recall scene for you. It's by contributor Jack Craver, who watches Wisconsin politics from his regular venue as the political blogger "The Sconz" on TheDailyPage.com. In the sidebar, he thumbnails each race. Recounting how rare such recall actions are, Craver informs us that we are on the cusp of some truly historic activity. There are nine contested seats that will require more trips to the polls than that. And there are four dates that will feature recall-related elections in various parts of the state.
(We're facing an extraordinary election in Madison also, but not recall-related. There's the race in the 48th Assembly District on Madison's east side to fill the seat vacated by Dane County Executive Joe Parisi when he replaced the retiring Kathleen Falk.)
So get set as the recall drama plays out in four episodes - July 12 and 19, Aug. 9 and 16. Then we'll know just how pissed off Wisconsin voters are over the Walker imbroglio and just how energized the previously somnolent Democratic Party has become.
