Organizers in Wisconsin collected over one MILLION signatures to recall Scott Walker, doubling what was necessary. They did this in under two months. This approaches the number of votes Walker received in the 2010 election, and it’s a much higher bar to find people and have them sign their name than it is to get them to show up at a defined polling place.

The progressive movement is undergoing a transformation where they no longer see engagement with candidates as the best or only strategy to advance goals. Those not hopelessly alienated by the entire political process prefer outsider strategies that force political pressure from the bottom up, rather than relying on the promises of those politicians to carry the day. That’s the new reality, and the public option fight was such a catalyzing event, that I don’t see it changing anytime soon.

Next Tuesday, Wisconsin organizers attempting to recall Governor Scott Walker, Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch and four Republican state Senators will turn in their petitions, and they expect to have well above the number of signatures required to trigger recall elections in all those races.

The effort to recall Wisconsin’s Gov. Scott Walker recall is statewide, which brings in a lot of low-hanging fruit for signatures: the liberal bastion of Madison, for example, or the Democratic-rich city of Milwaukee. So it’s not really a surprise that Democrats are able to gather a hefty amount of recall signatures in a short amount of time. But early results are impressive.

Tomorrow, six recall elections against Republican state Senators will finally happen in Wisconsin, the biggest result so far of a six-month uprising in the state against conservative policies and an assault on worker’s rights. If Standard and Poor’s wasn’t trying to force cuts to entitlements it would be the biggest story in America, and in a way, it still should be. This recall process, and the protests and activism that came before it, carry the seeds of a new progressive/youth/labor alliance that could be a catalyst to not only next year’s elections, but a re-imagining of the Democratic Party.

You wouldn’t know it from watching the news, but over the past several days thousands of dedicated activists gathered for a conference in Washington, protested throughout the city, took over several places of business in the process, and even secured a meeting with the President of the United States.

MADISON, WI (FDL) – On a cold, snowy day in Madison, men and women from across the state have descended on the state Capitol. Inside is still packed, but outside, the stage on State Street has already drawn tens of thousands. A variety of music acts – including a union-friendly version of Eminem – have played for the audiences. Local news puts the number at at least 35,000 already – and the main march has been called for 3:00, two hours from now.

The best political organizers in America who aren’t getting Koch money happen to be Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and Lady Gaga.

This chart showing US home vacancies tells you everything you need to know about the near-term future of the economy. The United States has twice as many vacant homes as the entire housing stock of Canada. The US has ten times more people than Canada, too, but that doesn’t exactly help us think about the problem.

When the Senate came out with its underwhelming energy bill, which they then proceeded to fail to pass, I described it as a crossroads moment for the environmental movement. They would either accept what the Senate Democratic leadership handed them, or try to force some changes.

It’s worth a shot to pressure members of Congress on the issue. And Senators are the correct target. The House at least got a carbon cap through already.