Wisconsin battle: Gouda Girls

The fight in Wisconsin gets a lot clearer once you look at a map. The key to Republican strength is the support of the "Gouda Girls" (more on that in a bit). First, look at the 2008 election map (above)--it's positively bizarre! All the state's big cities voted Democrat. The rural counties also went Democrat. The university towns went Democrat. So how did Republican Scott Walker get elected? The exburbs. That is, the areas surrounding the major cities went overwhelmingly Republican. Note the ring of red around Milwaukee. And a similar ring of red in the northwest, just outside the twin cities. That's enough red to win. In Wisconsin, it's the wealthier exburbs vs everyone else. I live in one of those red counties (Ozaukee), and it was fascinating to me that immediately after the Republican convention in 2008, the FIRST place John McCain and Sarah Palin visited was Cedarburg, Wisconsin... in red Ozaukee County. And most of the people in the audience were women. But don't call these staunch Republicans "soccer moms." The weather's only conducive to soccer for about 20 minutes a year. Better to call them "Gouda Girls".... that is, cheeseheads who can afford the fancy stuff.