Three elections to watch

June 7: Wisconsin

The Wisconsin gubernatorial recall election takes place June 7, and it's a tight race. LA Times:

A Marquette University Law School poll released last week showed Walker and his Democratic opponent, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, in a dead heat with only 4% of voters undecided.

The current gov, Republican Scott Walker, is fighting to keep his job while Tom Barrett, Democratic mayor of Milwaukee, is trying to oust him. Walker, if you recall, made national headlines last year when he broke the unions, asking them to pay a portion of their cadillac benefits. Unwilling to help the state balance its books and demonstrate even a modicum of personal responsibility, the unions resorted to every dirty trick imaginable, most of which were glossed over by the socialist press. They staged rallies, with doctors illegally writing notes so they could miss work due to faked illnesses.

The most comical part of the union battle was the Democratic flight. Republicans tried to force a vote on the new union law, so the Dems fled. Can't make 'em vote if you can't find 'em, right? They were eventually discovered hiding in a hotel just across the border in Illinois. The worst aspect of the event was the multitude of death threats against Republicans, something the socialist press completely ignored, despite it being a major story. This prompted a far-left journalist to cry foul, which the press also ignored.

So, the deck is stacked against Walker because the press is far-left, except for the tiny exceptions of Fox News and talk radio. I say "tiny" because the left brings all their guns to bear: CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, NPR / PBS and 85% of all newspapers in the U.S., plus Hollywood / entertainment TV.

Despite the liberal bias and corresponding lopsided coverage, Walker and Barrett are in a dead heat. I wonder how it would look if the press were objective? Here's a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story that shows numbers and charts from numerous polls. The paper endorsed Walker in 2010, but I can't find who they endorse for the recall.

The recall election is only the third in U.S. history. The first was North Dakota, 1921, and the second was California, 2003. California was a zinger, too, with all sorts of idiots running for governor. Gary Coleman ran, as did a porn star. Larry Flynt of Hustler Magazine ran with the slogan, "I'm a smut peddler who cares." Arnold Schwarzenegger won.

Stories about WI's recall election:
NY Times: Recall election tests strategies for November
Politico: In Wisconsin, it's Barrett v. Walker
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Walker, Barrett begin sprint to historic vote

July 1: Mexico

By all accounts the PRI's Enrique Pena Nieto will become Mexico's next president. He has been ahead in the polls throughout, sometimes by 20 points. This will be interesting because the Mexican president has a strong affect on the U.S. The current president, Felipe Calderon, declared war on the drug cartels several years ago, and has been using the military to spearhead the effort -- this affects drug trafficking into the U.S. Unemployment numbers are also high in Mexico, which affects illegal immigration.

Here's an interesting tidbit, from USA Today:

Negative ads are banned under Mexico's constitution, along with announcements over the airwaves on political topics paid for by private individuals or groups. Though some in the USA decry negative political advertising, critics of the ban in Mexico say it puts contenders to the front-runners at a disadvantage and deprives voters of information.

Stories about Mexico's presidential elections:

LA Times: The man to beat in Mexico's presidential race
NY Times: A race recast by YouTube and Twitter
USA Today: Mexico in disarray ahead of elections
USA Today: Mexican election may shift drug war

Nov 6: USA

Among all the interesting races, the one I'm going to follow most closely, after presidential, is the senatorial fight in Indiana. Republican Richard Mourdock just defeated forever incumbent Richard Lugar in the GOP primary. I've been listening to NPR and reading socialist newspapers today -- NY Times, LA Times, etc. -- and have noticed that the far left is excited at Mourdock's victory. They are saying the Democrats believe it will be easier to defeat Mourdock than Lugar come November. I'll stop short of saying the socialist press is giddy, but they are certainly upbeat.

Checking Politico, it seems I'm not the only one who noticed the socialist head buzz. Their story is titled Sorry Democrats, Mourdock a seasoned foe:

Democrats desperately want voters to believe Richard Mourdock is another Sharron Angle.

There’s just one problem: his résumé.

The newly minted GOP Senate nominee from Indiana is one insurgent to whom it’s difficult to affix a label — and his candidacy isn’t likely to keep Republicans leaders anxiously awake at night the way Sen. Harry Reid’s infamous 2010 opponent did.

I'd truly like to see Mourdock win this fall, just to imagine NPR's little socialist faces turning purple.