Governor Scott Walker and the Koch brothers have managed to rally Democrats and Independents in Wisconsin like virtually no other person in recent history. Their attempts to destroy the middle class and vilify public employees woke people up across the nation, sparking 9 recall elections of state politicians - 6 of which are Republicans. The state GOP is scared to death, unsurprisingly trying all kinds of hackery to muddy the waters. If Tuesday's result is a foreshadowing of the future, Walker and his fellow Wisconsin Republicans are in for a summer of pain:

One down, eight to go. The summer of recalls had its first definitive outcome Tuesday night when Sen. Dave Hansen, D-Green Bay, handily defeated Republican David VanderLeest with 66 percent of the vote.

But the margin of victory and the turnout by voters were a first-round demonstration of the Democratic Party’s ground game going into August, when six Republicans and two more Democrats face recall elections with control of state government hanging in the balance. If Democrats can net three seats, they will win back the Senate and provide a check to Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s virtually unchallenged agenda. Republicans are fighting to guarantee control of the state through 2012.

Granted, Hansen was expected to win, but the high Democratic turnout is wonderful to see. I applaud the people of Wisconsin for getting out and making a real difference in their state. Let's hope they serve as an inspiration to people in other states who are infested with Tea Party pols to get out and vote them out of office!