Ross Douthat does a nice balanced job explaining the recall failure in Wisconsin and the Push-me Pull-you of American politics.

Elsewhere there is some gloating and much whining.

Get a load of this guy:



Democracy didn't die. And neither did progressivism. Public employee unions went all-in in an hysterical fit of pique. They picked the wrong battle at the wrong time and lost big time. They'll continue to battle private-sector taxpayers in other states for years to come. But the writing is on the wall. The lavish benefits and early retirements are becoming a thing of the past.

UPDATE: from the WSJ:

And it's worth recalling how brutally they (the public-sector unions) fought. They occupied the state capital for weeks. They harassed GOP lawmakers and their families, tried to recall state Senators and defeat a conservative Supreme Court judge, while Democratic lawmakers abdicated their legislative duty by fleeing the state. They lost in the end because Mr. Walker and Republicans rode out the storm, passed their reforms, and are now able to show Wisconsin voters the beneficial results.