Bloodied, But Not Bowed

Before I start, I want to make sure that I want to commend Illusory Tenant and Jay Bullock on their good work on the Butler/Gableman race. They worked damn hard and did a lot to get the truth out there.

I also want to thank my brothers in arms, the Brawler and Sir Zachary the Blue Knight and the Lady Gretchen for trying to show the poor choice Walker was. A special shout out for Ma Brawler, who was right all along--Walker is a weasel.

I know a lot of you, my dear people, are upset, angry and disappointed at the losses suffered to the dishonest campaigns of Walker and Gableman. That is a normal reaction. I fear too, that I felt despair. Not for me, but for all the good people that will suffer from these choices.

But, with the thanks of a good friend, I realized that this was but a minor skirmish in the grand scheme of things. It truly does make our quest more difficult, and much more labor intensive, but it comes nowhere near being impossible. We must simply carry on, and keep striving to bring justice, peace and liberty back to the country and to the world. One step at a time, good people, one step at a time.

Let the right caw like a bunch of carrion-eating crows. We are not dead, not even defeated. Tuesday was just a set back. Something that happens to people every day. There are still many good justices on the Supreme Court. There are many fine legislators in the state government. The County Board is still relatively intact. I had overheard that one supervisor just sighed, and said that it just means that have to keep working to prevent further damage to the County.

I agree. We just have to keep them honest (they hate that) and try to prevent any and all harm that they would otherwise try to wreak upon us. And upon those that depend on us.

I will leave off with a quote from a wise man, a good man. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:

"I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. That is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant."

Who could argue with that?

Now, let's pick up the pieces and get ready. November's chill winds are already coming.

A Follow Up To The Previous Post

First read Xoff's post, then you'll understand.

Wagner's wishful thinking rewrites history

Republican radio talker Jeff Wagner, Charlie Sykes's little brother, tries to use Tuesday's election to bludgeon every liberal he doesn't like, starting with Jim Doyle, who once whupped Wagner's butt in a race for attorney general. Says Wagner:

Interestingly, it appears that in the wake of yesterday's electoral flameouts, Doyle is hitting the road to campaign for Obama in North Carolina. Hillary Clinton can only hope that Doyle will bring the same reverse Midas touch to the Obama campaign that he brought to so many campaigns in Wisconsin yesterday.

How soon they forget. It seems like just six weeks ago that Doyle was stumping Wisconsin for Obama, who trounced Clinton in the Feb. 19 primary. (What? Oh, it was just six weeks ago.)

Then there's this:

Another big loser last night was the liberal attack group, The Greater Wisconsin Committee ... This is now the third consecutive statewide race that candidates opposed by The Greater Wisconsin Committee (and the special interest groups that provide it's [sic] financing) have won.

They say that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and being surprised that the results aren't different. How many more elections will the backers of The Greater Wisconsin Committee have to lose before they realize that their slimeball tactics simply aren't working?

Let's get the disclaimer out of the way: I'm a former consultant to GWC, but retired a year ago and now serve as a member of its board.

Wagner must be referring to last year's Supreme Court race, when the ethically challenged Annette Ziegler won, and, I guess, to Kathleen Falk's loss in the AG's race in 2006 to J.B. Van Hollen.

GWC did a little other work in 2006, too, which Wagner seems to have forgotten. Except for some spending done by its political action committee, GWC does not advocate for or against candidates, but publicizes the records and positions of public officials on issues.

In 2006, GWC was involved in issue advertising involving Gov. Jim Doyle and Rep. Mark Green, and in four State Senate districts. My recollection is that Doyle was reelected handily and that Democrats won all four of those Senate seats, defeating Republican incumbents in three of them and taking control of the State Senate. Perhaps Wagner has a different recollection, but he could always check the Blue Book.

A bad night for the Buchers

Working in tandem, Paul Bucher and Jessica McBride put on a full-court press for Appeals Court candidate Bill Gleisner, a trial lawyer posing as a conservative, whom the Bucher-McBrides seemed to favor mostly because he was running against Lisa Neubauer, who was appointed by Jim Doyle.

May we have the envelope, please?

Results: Neubauer won all 12 counties in the judicial district, and 63 per cent of the vote. Mike Gableman, the conservative's choice for Supreme Court, also won every county and got 62 per cent.

Milwaukee County is not part of the district, but all of the suburban counties are.

Despite saturation rotation of a commercial featuring a Bucher endorsement of Gleisner on right-wing talk radio, and two straight weeks of pro-Gleisner Waukesha Freeman columns by McBride, the dynamic duo couldn't even sell Gleisner in Waukesha County, their home base.

Neubauer won Waukesha County with 54 per cent of the vote while Gableman was carrying the county 2 to 1.

So when everyone's making their "winners and losers" lists, let's not forget this power couple.

Explanation for Two Ambitious Men

I didn't have to wait long. Even Xoff was put off by the juxtapositioning of the pictures of Scott Walker and Adolph Hitler. Unsettling, huh?

Of course I was not really comparing the two. For as much as I dislike Scott Walker's politics, I suspect down deep he is a decent person, loves his family, etc. But the reaction was interesting. Nothing was said. I merely stated that both men were ambitious. What is not true about that statement?

And yet, the contrast of the two pictures elicited in a very short time visceral reactions. Tell me that the Gableman campaign did not know exactly what they were doing when they juxtaposed a picture of Justice Butler next to that of a sex offender who also happened to be the same race as Butler?

Apologies to anyone offended. However, apologies from every single conservative blogger, lawmakers and quasi-journalists who ignored the real fact that race did play a role in that ad should be forthcoming as well.

Even for Sykes, Gableman's an embarrassment

Even Charlie Sykes, who has no shame, is embarrassed -- not by the kind of campaign that WMC and Mike Gableman ran -- but by the candidate. (UPDATE: Someone has pointed out that these are not Sykes's words, but from someone he describes as "a savvy listener," so he presumably agrees):

Shame on conservatives from letting 2006 hangover result in putting up such a completely lame slate of candidates. Gleisner-Neubauer, (and even Gableman) were embarrassing choices to have on the ballot, and were the result of Republicans moping around buying into the "death of the party" woe is me message the MSM has been spinning

Embarrassing indeed. The beneficiary of WMC'S slimy largesse is someone who wouldn't make a pimple on Louis Butler's rear end.

Last year, you could make the argument -- ideology and ethics aside -- that Annette Ziegler and Linda Clifford were relatively well-matched in terms of intellect, experience and ability to serve.

No one can say that about Gableman and Butler.

That's the real tragedy. Not money in politics, or the influence of third-party groups, or even the misleading or outright false campaign against Butler.

The people elected a lightweight for a 10-year term. He'll probably be there for 30.

Think Sykes was too embarrassed to vote for him? He certainly wasn't too embarrassed to shill for him.

Two Ambitious Men

Cross-posted at The Other Side of My Mouth.
More later .... And ... UPDATED -- See above. Experiment successful.

Off To A Fast Start

Other Side only geared up his old blogsite last night, and he is already coming out swinging.

Gotta love that in a guy.

Well, That's Disappointing

It's tough to lose to a liar when you've seen the lies for what they are.

It's tough to admit that Charlie and WMC are now right, even if it's just in this one way. Wisconsin is a worse place to live today. The Constitution means a little less today. The Corporatists have, for the second race in a row, placed the lesser qualified candidate on the bench.

For the second year in a row we will be treated to the spectacle of a Supreme Court Justice being disciplined for unethical actions. And, for the second year in a row, we'll get to listen to the apologists saying that his transgressions "aren't that bad."

In a race between judges it often comes down to name recognition. After 8 weeks of being told that "Gableman is a snake" and "Gableman is a liar" and "Gabelman is without honor" and "Gableman wouldn't understand the law if you gave him crib notes" and "Gableman kinda cruised over the tough prosecutions," the only name that voters remembered was, well you get the idea.

Congratulations, WMC. You have won the ability to run roughshod over the people of the state of Wisconsin. Congratulations, Justice Gableman. Try to learn just a little something from your betters on the Court before you do anything too stupid.

Welcome Back, Old Friend

It is with the greatest of pleasure to announce the return of The Other Side of My Mouth, aka The Prince of Progressives, to the blogosphere.

I, for one, am certainly looking forward to him joining the fray in the fight against evil.

It's been too long, my friend.

Is Paul Bucher trying to buy the election?

Specifically, the Brookfield municipal judge race, where Richard Steinberg is seeking another term (running, we assume, as being tough on overtime parkers -- if they have parking meters in Brookfield.) Or is he just trying to buy influence?

Neither, judging from this report::

Steinberg's contributors include numerous attorneys, including William Schmus ($200), Roger Pyzyk ($150), Steven Osgood ($100), Gerald Boyle ($50), Linda de la Mora ($25), Tim Kay ($25) and former Waukesha County District Attorney Paul Bucher ($25); real estate developers Alec Karter ($200), Ingrid Regal ($200) and Kathy McCartan ($50); and banker Michael Doyle ($250).

Twenty-five bucks? How quickly ex-candidates forget how little that means -- unless, of course, it's from someone of limited means. Unless the Bucher-McBride family has fallen on hard times, or he has no clients, it probably amounts to what he charges for six minutes of work.

Don't Blame Me. He Started It

If Only I Could Say It So Well

I've already cast my ballot for Louis Butler.

I wish that I could have made the case for getting off your duff and voting half so well as iT has.

Louis Butler is one of the smartest and best judges in Wisconsin.
Having recently plowed through dozens of Butler's written opinions, there is no
doubt about that. And he's not just one of the smartest and best judges in
Wisconsin, I'd argue he's one of the smartest and best in the country.

Mike Gableman is ... well, unfortunately, Mike
Gableman. Gableman's entire campaign has been premised on
falsehoods and personal attacks intended to tear down the personal and
professional integrity of a good man. It's clear he could only fail
spectacularly on that account. And it's equally clear that that's the best he
could come up with.What is certain is that Mike Gableman has definitely earned
one thing. He has earned your best efforts to get to the polls tomorrow,
Tuesday, April 1.

And the reason why Gableman has earned those efforts is not so much so
you can vote against Gableman, although that certainly is a major consideration,
given the contemptible conduct of his political campaign.The main reason that
the effort should be made is to vote for Louis Butler for the Wisconsin Supreme
Court, so he can return and continue the public service he has been performing
for the last 15 years, which is as a judge that plays it straight down the
middle, meting justice where it is warranted and required by law, and not in
response to any third-party monied interests or out-of-state concerns that are
shamelessly trying to outright buy our courts.

The choice could not possibly be more obvious, or simple.

Royal Edict

Even if thou is not wise enough to recognize sagacious advice when it is offered, thou should, nay, thou must go out and VOTE!




The King has spoken. So shall it be.

A Good Catholic Would've Known Better

McIlheran put up three posts yesterday.

In one, he promotes the weasel Scott Walker. His only reason is that Walker is trying to shuffle off the debt and resulting tax hikes until he can make his getaway.

In the second, he says he was turning off lights in his house Saturday night, but not to be ecologically friendly, but to save money. Funny how he is continuously griping about taxes, but won't touch the gouge by the energy companies.

In his third post, he criticizes people that want to help the elderly with the upcoming change over to HDTV. His problem, it costs money.

All three of his posts focus on money, and all three he laments every penny that leaves his pocket.

Even Ebenezer Scrooge finally realized that greed is one of the seven deadly sins, why won't self-proclaimed Catholic McIlheran?