Is the Recall Scott Walker movement just a big waste of money and effort or an unwitting boost for Governor Scott Walker?

The Cap Times reports that there's a good chance a group called United Wisconsin will begin collecting signatures beginning November 4th, which is the earliest date permitted under state law. They'd then have 60 days to collect enough signatures to yield the 540,000 verified signatures needed to trigger a recall election. Verification is a resource-consuming process, and so is the election that follows (assuming there are enough signature). As a taxpayer, I loathe this expenditure of money and effort by government officials.

An election would follow 6 Tuesdays after verification. As a blogger, I'll be only too happy to follow the campaigns that ensue, but generally, I would think most citizens don't appreciate having to pay attention to the campaigns and drag ourselves to the polls when we already voted Walker to a 4-year term. The normal thing to do is to stick to the choice already made and to judge the success of the governor's policies at the end of his term.

But maybe Walker will have to step up and argue as early as next winter that his policies are doing well, producing good results, and that the alternatives are dismal. If there were no recall and he just wanted to give a bunch of speeches about things like that, most people would pay little attention. But if there is a recall election, these speeches will matter. People will listen. And Walker has money to spend on this campaign. I expect great TV and radio ads blanketing the state in pro-Walker propaganda. Who will criticize him for that? He'll have been challenged and therefore required to self-promote.

Meanwhile, the Recall Walker folks will have to field a candidate. In the Wisconsin recall process, you get an election with an opposing candidate. Who is this person going to be?

Names being floated include former U.S. Rep. Dave Obey of Wausau; state Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca of Kenosha; state Sen. Jon Erpenbach of Middleton; Wisconsin Congressman Ron Kind of La Crosse; and former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk. Former U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold announced previously that he would not be a candidate for any office next year.

How is one of these characters supposed to mount a campaign that can compare to what Scott Walker has had so much time, money, and motivation to prepare? It seems to me that the Recall Walker effort will play right into Scott Walker's hands. But I'm sure the Recall Walker folks aren't going to listen to me. This blog post is probably just a trick to get them to knock it off, right?

Ah, well. What can I say? Please, people of Wisconsin, save us the money and the turmoil and don't sign the Recall Walker petitions. Or... I'll be here to say I told you so when your feeble, underfunded candidate is overwhelmed by brilliant Scott Walker advertising that transforms the man you love to hate into a feisty, scrappy hero.