A few first thoughts on the State Supreme Court race:
Burnett County Circuit Judge Michael Gableman's defeat of incumbent Justice Louis Butler is an undeniable victory for the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce.
Not a runaway victory, but let's be honest and put aside any spin: the business group engineered the defeat of a sitting Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice for the first time in four decades.
With the successful backing of now-Justice Annette Ziegler last year, the WMC is two-for-two in back-to-back years, flipping the High Court's split to a 4-3 conservative majority.
And turning on the green light for whatever Big Business wants in Wisconsin - - new tax breaks, voided regulations, easier permitting and whatever else these conservative/libertarian business leaders desire.
That victory and its spoils, however, has come with a price.
It was Gableman, not any outside group, that played the race card in its first television ad against Butler, and never apologized for it.
Gableman's campaign and the outside groups like the WMC played Bad Cop/Worse Cop on the airwaves - - and played hardball from start to finish - - reducing Butler to a caricature of the dedicated attorney, judge and Justice he'd been.
It'll take Wisconsin some to recover from such a statewide sliming.
I watched Gableman's victory speech on television Tuesday night and heard him thank the "good people" in the state for voting for him.
That gave me the shivers.
It reminded me of a long ago Madison Mayor, William Dyke, who appealed for votes by that city's "decent people."
Someone needs to tell Gableman that Butler's voters are good people, too.
And that a sitting Supreme Court Justice can't afford to keep separating people out and categorizing them like that.
One more thing:
Gableman says he isn't an activist, but the term is completely situational and relative.
When the WMC and its allies on the right come before the High Court, you better believe they want activism - - on their terms.
And for the left:
Liberals, progressives and the other elements of the traditional Democratic coalition, now having lost Supreme Court races in 2007 and 2008, have no time to waste.
The November election will be here before we know it.
Could it be that the majority of Wisconsin voters just want more conservative judges?
ReplyDeleteWhenever a conservative judge wins, you always say that there must have been voter suppression, or cheating, or voter stupidity.
Could it be that the majority of Wisconsin voters just want more conservative judges?
To t walsh:
ReplyDeleteI never said anything about voter suppression, voter stupidity, or cheating.
In both the Ziegler and Gableman campaigns, I criticized the self-interested motives of the WMC.
And in Gableman's case, his campaign's reprehensible and misleading first TV ad that was not worthy of any campaign for Supreme Court, regardless of philosophy.
How about wanting impartial judges? When did it become good for a judge to be more conservative or more liberal?
ReplyDeleteButler may be legally astute, he may be very personable and refined, he might be a really nice guy... one thing he definitely is (was): A Justice who legislated from the bench...
ReplyDeleteas a result, he had to go... and thank God, he did
To Anonymous:
ReplyDeleteI've said it before and I'll say it again: this legislating-from-the-bench-liberal-activist rhetoric is just that.
Rhetoric.
Every judge interprets the law.
That's part and parcel of judging.
When conservative judges decide in favor of conservative principles, or desires, or goals, you're getting activism, too.
It's not legislating from bench.
It's ruling.
You just use the negative labels elsewhere.
I know...as do you, that "tax breaks" are not granted by SCOWI.
ReplyDeleteBut shorthand is shorthand--it can be misleading.
E.G., the WEAC ad attacking Gableman.
So if you want to be clear, just say so.
Try "software issue" instead of "tax breaks."
How about wanting impartial judges? When did it become good for a judge to be more conservative or more liberal?
ReplyDelete...About the time that DarthDoyle appointed Loophole Louie to the Court in order to get his way on the compacts-dealing with the tribes.
That's when.
To Dad29;
ReplyDeleteYou lose people when you resort to inanities like DarthDoyle and Loophole Louie, but shame on me for trying to help you be more effective.