You’ve got to chase your dreams. Ahab had Moby Dick, Javert had Valjean, and these tools have a guy whose collective bargaining bill is a fiscal success even according to Milwaukee’s favorite newspaper.

Can we get them to flush a bunch of money down the toilet next year that might otherwise go towards reelecting Barack Obama in a crucial swing state? Yes, we can.

“If we can do all of this against entrenched Republicans on their own turf, imagine our success … when all of Wisconsin can have its voice heard on Gov. Walker’s extreme, divisive agenda,” Wisconsin state party chairman Mike Tate wrote in a memo to reporters Wednesday…

Despite the Democratic losses, Madison-based Democratic pollster Nathan Henry calculates that the party achieved a 7 percent swing in its direction…

“They’ve always said that was the prize and they got too much good information and lists and contacts to just abandon it,” said GOP state Senate operative Andrew Welhouse. “The problem for them is resources — where do they get the money? The national unions won’t be playing anywhere near as hard after dropping all that cash.”

And with President Barack Obama at the top of the ballot, an open U.S. Senate race and several anticipated competitive congressional contests, there will be fewer resources, door-knockers and phone-bankers to go around.

A seven-point swing would make things interesting in a state-wide race, but (a) there’s no earthly way Republicans will be outspent two-to-one next time with Walker himself in the firing line, and (b) as Nate Silver notes, last night’s results depended quite a bit on who the incumbent was, not what his party was. Randy Hopper, who’d been weakened by scandal, lost narrowly. Other Republicans like Robert Cowles, whose district voted similarly to Hopper’s two years ago, cruised in a landslide. Walker’s approval rating was below 40 percent last month, but he has four more months of good press about the effects of the CB bill to penetrate. Let’s see where he is in January. Either way, the left will try to recall him if only to save face after losing last night and against Prosser. But whether it’s an earnest effort to win or just a pro forma attempt to hassle will depend on the rest of the year. I’m not worried, and as a famous eeyore, it’s practically my job to be worried.

Here he is last night chatting with the MacIver Institute about the recall results.