I don't need to tell anyone reading this how bitter a disappointment last year's recall result was. After the disappointment came reflection: we lost because the timing wasn't right, we lost because Tom Barrett was an uninspiring candidate, we lost because of Walker's bottomless pockets, we lost because there was only four weeks for Barrett to campaign directly against Walker, we lost because it was a recall and people don't like recalls.
It certainly would have been nice to have a Presidential turnout of Democratic voters to cast ballots for Governor as well (not that it was actually possible to control the timing that precisely). There's no question that pro-Walker forces' 3:1 spending advantage helped; that Walker's own campaign having a 8:1 advantage over Barrett's helped him present himself directly to camera more than a little frequently. Being in a position to one-sidedly blanket the airwaves for the previous 6 months to tell everyone that the recall provisions enshrined in our state constitution weren't the Wisconsin way of doing things certainly didn't hurt Walker's chances.
Those seem quite qualitative things: they made a difference, but just how big a difference is unclear. Some clarity perhaps on one of these after the fold...
