You may have heard about Politico’s gaffe of the year (at least so far), when a reporter claimed that the Wisconsin state flag, which has the year of the state’s founding, 1848, on it, was actually the flag of the “Wisconsin local 1848″ union. This has now become a rallying cry within the labor movement, particularly as they head into recall elections in Wisconsin that could depose Scott Walker and give the state Senate back to Democrats.

The John Doe investigation swirling around Scott Walker in Wisconsin has begun to become a factor in his recall election. The labor-backed progressive group We Are Wisconsin has called for the resignations of two current Walker staffers, who exhibited some of the same behavior that drew indictments for former aides.

Despite the vulnerabilities of Scott Walker in the upcoming recall election, he also has plenty of advantages. It’s very difficult to recall a governor, it’s only been done twice in American history. Because of the rules governing the recall, Walker can continue to raise unlimited campaign funds until the date is set for the recall. And because the Dems haven’t settled on an opponent, Walker has an early lead over potential Dem rivals.

The John Doe investigation has hung over Scott Walker and his associates for months now. Instead of just worrying whether he will get recalled, Walker has to worry about which of his aides, whether from the Governor’s office or his time as Milwaukee county executive, will get arrested for corruption. Now there are reports of further arrests of former Walker staff in the near future.

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.

Today, activists from around Wisconsin will travel to Madison to deliver petitions for the recall of Governor Scott Walker, his Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch, and as many as four Republican state Senators. Walker has to New York, undoubtedly raising money for what will be a massively expensive and bitter recall election.

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.

Tim Russell, a longtime former aide to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, has been arrested and charged with three counts of theft. This is part of a wide-ranging “John Doe” investigation into improprieties by Walker and staff dating all the way back to his days as Milwaukee County executive and continuing through his gubernatorial tenure.

It’s worth mapping out what will be the biggest stories to chronicle in 2012, what I’ll be looking toward.

Wisconsin may have to add another recall. One of the Republican-appointed judges on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, an elected position that is subject to recall, has been caught in a major scandal, ruling on cases represented by the same law firm that provided him free legal services.