After defeat.

• Author: Rothschild, Matthew
• Position: Editor's Note - Scott Walker

On the brutal night of June 5 in Wisconsin, I was stuck in a local TV studio watching the results of the unsuccessful recall of Governor Scott Walker, and it felt like someone was kicking me in the teeth over and over again.

After a historic uprising in February and March of 2011, after months and months of organizing, when all is said and done, Walker remains governor of Wisconsin.

Here are some of the reasons why he won.

1. Money.

   Money can't buy you love, but it sure can buy you power. Walker raised seven times as much money as Barrett did. The governor collected six-figure checks from a rogue's gallery of the far right: Bob Perry of Swift Boat infamy gave $500,000, Sheldon Adelson gave $250,000, Richard DeVos gave $250,000, and Foster Friess gave $100,000. On top of that, the Koch brothers poured in millions through their front groups, and the RNC funneled money in, as did other Republican organizations.

2. The DNC and White House went AWOL.

   The rightwing moneymen and the Republican Party understood the importance of the election. By contrast, the Democratic National Committee was stingy, and Barack Obama couldn't find Wisconsin with GPS and a flashlight. Hell, he was in Minneapolis on the Friday before Election Day and didn't even bother to drive across the Mississippi to set foot in Wisconsin.

3. Recall was unpopular.

   In the exit polls, 60 percent of Wisconsin voters said recall should be used only for "misconduct" in office, and not for other reasons. Back in 1910, Fighting Bob La Follette said recall was justified when an elected official is guilty of "misrepresentation and betrayal," which Walker certainly was. Yet many voters were uncomfortable with the idea of canning him--and not enough was done to counter this.

4. A lot of union households went for Walker.

   The most distressing figure in the exit polls was that 38 percent of union households voted for Walker, the guy who had his...