Recall primaries serve political purpose for GOP

Delay tactic by Republicans posing as Democrats allow GOP agenda to carry on

Recall primary elections for the Democratic Party are being held today...but in my opinion, they are a total sham.

Don't take this the wrong way...I love democracy. Any opportunity to vote should be taken, should be granted for the people to help determine who they want to legislate on their behalf. And if I lived in a district where such Democratic primaries were taking place, I'd proudly cast my vote today for someone like Sandy Pasch or Jessica King.

The reason for the recalls is evident: Republican legislators are taking our state in a direction not appreciated by their constituents. The reason behind the primary elections for Democrats, however, is what makes today a sham.

Republicans posing as Democrats forced these elections being held today. They are unnecessary and serve just one purpose: to grant Republicans facing the threat of removal more time to carry out their agenda in Madison.

Indeed, Republicans are planning to pass sweeping changes to the state's legislative districts before the general recall elections, changes that could preserve their seats within the state legislature itself come 2012.

If not for the need for these primaries -- again, prompted because Republicans-in-Democrats' clothing forced them to occur -- the general elections would be held today rather than August 9. The Senate could have changed hands, and this egregious redistricting plan could have been prevented, could have been replaced by a compromise plan developed by the Republican-led Assembly and what may have been a Democratic-led Senate.

I encourage everyone to go out today to vote, if you're in a district that has a Democratic recall primary or another important election going on. But aside from the special election in the 48th Assembly district, today's elections will be somewhat bittersweet to me. In the end, these recall primaries serve no purpose except a political one, were only necessary to stall a process Republican legislators wanted to stretch to the fullest extent possible.

That's not democracy; that's dastardly politics, the kind the people of Wisconsin don't appreciate, nor deserve from their leaders.