Wisconsin

[Frodo]

here's my take: what's happening to Wisconsin is similar to what has happened to Virginia (and the rest of hinterland America) in the least few decades, when it went from from being a swing state throughout the 1950s and early to mid-1960s, to being a solidly Republican state, i.e. the growth and development of the outer suburbs of major cities, and the growing cultural alienation of rural Americans from the Democratic Party in the wake of the tumultuous Sixties.  Wisconsin -and much of the upper midwest- is simply a lagging indicator of this political shift that began nearly forty years ago. 

to put it all in context, as the Democratic Party becomes more heavily dependant on corporate donations, as well as donations from the wealthy, and therefore kowtows their votes to win corporate favor -especially in light of the implosion of labor unions in the early to mid 1980s that robbed the Democratic Party of their primary source of funding- they become more and more a party of the well-to-do, who tend to be economically conservative and socially liberal, who tend to live in major cities, especially along the coasts.  this in turn lends credence to charges by Republican partisans that the Democratic Party has become a party of the 'limousine liberals' and 'latte liberals', though not entirely given that the poorest of Americans still vote Democratic, even in the Deep South. 
as the Democratic Party puts less and less emphasis on economics, so do working class Americans put less emphasis on economic matters when they vote.  this is why social hot-button issues like abortion, gay marriage, gun control, etc., are given such prominence, and is what has given the Republican Party its majority, and why it is making inroads into such traditionally economically liberal states like Wisconsin.  it's a vicious cycle, really.

i hope this answers your question, MDD.