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CBS News) Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker retained his seat in the election that sought to recall him from office, defeating his challenger Tom Barrett in this election (as he did in the 2010 governor's race). Walker won with strong support from Republicans, conservatives, Tea Party supporters and a majority of votes from independents. Walker is the first governor in U.S. history to survive a recall election. Gov. Gray Davis of California was recalled in 2003, and in 1921, North Dakota's Governor Lynn Frazier of was ousted due to a recall. The heated recall race began amid the controversy created when...

Frustrated union and Democratic Party leaders from Madison,Wisconsin, to Washington,D.C., while wiping the Badger State recall election bloodbath from their shoes, are bombarding the nation with excuses, mitigating circumstances, and outright denial of their own declining reality. A leading excuse emanating from Democrats everywhere, not least from the Wisconsin Democratic Party which is still stinging from President Barack Obama's refusal to campaign for their man, is that the campaign of the past and future governor, Scott Walker, substantially outraised and outspent his Democrat challenger, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. It is true that Walker received more financial support, including from outside...

America’s Democratic Party lost its enthusiasm for democracy a long time ago. Today’s gubernatorial recall vote in Wisconsin a short time after the most recent general election is just another reminder of how far the party of Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson has strayed from its honorable roots. Founded as a reaction against the elitist ways of the we-know-what’s-best-for-you Federalists of the early Republic, the modern Democratic Party can’t stop telling Americans what to do. Democrats are acutely mindful of Joseph Stalin’s aphorism that “The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything.”...

MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Fearing their own bargaining rights could be stripped away, members of New York’s powerful unions piled onto planes to Wisconsin in an effort to topple GOP Gov. Scott Walker in tomorrow’s recall election. Dozens representing, among others, health-care Local 1199 East, building-service Local 32BJ and Local 726 of the Amalgamated Transit Union, are knocking on doors, making calls and handing out fliers to support Democrat Tom Barrett over Walker. And members from around the country of the Transport Workers Union are badgering voters in the Badger State by cold-calling them using an online phone bank. Many Wisconsin...

Top Wisconsin Democrats are furious with the national party — and the Democratic National Committee in particular — for refusing their request for a major investment in the battle to recall Scott Walker, I’m told. The failure to put up the money Wisconsin Dems need to execute their recall plan comes at a time when the national Republican Party is sinking big money into defending Walker, raising fears that the DNC’s reluctance could help tip the race his way. “We are frustrated by the lack of support from the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Governors Association,” a top Wisconsin...

Dane County Circuit Judge David Flanagan, who granted a temporary injunction against Wisconsin's new voter identification law, signed a petition urging the recall of Gov. Scott Walker. *** His clerk called back to say Flanagan would only answer questions submitted in writing at the courthouse. State Republican Party spokesman Ben Sparks said his party will be filing a complaint with the state Judicial Commission asking it to investigate why Flanagan did not recuse himself. "The very fact that Dane County Judge David Flanagan signed a petition to recall Governor Walker calls today's court proceedings regarding Wisconsin's voter ID law into...

MADISON (WKOW) -- The president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council said her group deviated from its past practice of polling members on election recommendations when it recommended Kathleen Falk in an expected recall election of Governor Walker. But WEAC President Mary Bell told 27 News the campaign timetable in a recall election will be considerably shorter than under normal election circumstances, necessitating the state teachers union's swift action. "It's one of the things that is the hardest about this, because we would like to do this in any or the recall elections," Bell said. "It simply isn't part of...

[Madison, Wisc...] Citizens not affiliated with either the recall organizations or the office holders targeted for recall this spring have found scores of problems with the petitions, but Wisconsin’s elections watchdogs have decided they will not consider any of their evidence. GAB Director and General Counsel Kevin Kennedy said there is no process in place for accepting information from outside groups and individuals. Governor Scott Walker and the four Republican state senators against whom recall petitions were filed last month are the only parties that can contest the validity of signatures, according to Kennedy. The GAB will not investigate or...

She was sending out political messages while at work for Kenosha County and now Republicans are calling for action. A complaint alleges that Mary Jonker of the Kenosha County Child Services Department, sent out emails with her county address asking people to recall Walker. Kenosha County Republican Chairman Matt Augustine has filed a complaint with the state and county, even district attorney's office, saying, "This stuff can't be tolerated, we want open and honest government we want people to do the right things and this is another example of things being done that shouldn't be". Augustine says he discovered that...

I didn't pay much attention to teachers unions until Wisconsin's private unions decided to meddle in public education. But now I wish I'd been paying attention sooner. Some of you may remember that in 2009, several private unions pushed Wisconsin lawmakers to revise a statute that ordered public schools to give students "knowledge of state, national and world history." The AFL-CIO, Teamsters Union, the United Transportation Union and other private unions wanted lawmakers to add "including knowledge of the history of organized labor in America and the collective bargaining process" onto the end of the sentence. They had decided this...

On the evening of November 17th a number of Occupy protesters in Milwaukee gathered on a bridge over I-43 as part of a nationwide effort to draw attention to the Occupy movement’s agenda. The protesters succeeded in shutting down the bridge for several hours during rush hour causing traffic snarls and generating media attention. In a memorable moment, Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn refused to mass arrest the protesters saying, “they can sit and freeze their butts off.” A mass arrest was what protesters wanted... ---Snip-- ...An anonymous individual attending the protest captured on camera some potentially disturbing tactics used...

Here is a youtube video that clearly shows recall workers giving cigs for recall signatures. Note that the signatories are minors in this case. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iWYY8NqAv4&feature=youtu.be

There have been a lot of suggestions on how to sabotage the recall. I received this from a close friend who knows the laws: During the signature collection period, candidates attempting to be recalled can raise unlimited amounts of money. It's a funny little loophole, but it will pay off big in this election. The Governor will be able to take unlimited amounts of money from donors and you better believe there will be individuals willing to fork over hundreds of thousands and a few who will donate over a million dollars. If money is no object, why not? I...