klopp

Kloppenburg won the supreme court election by a scant 209 votes. There will be a recount, so it is not quite official. This is a really big deal because a sitting supreme court justice is very difficult to unseat. Prosser proclaimed his support for Walker early on, he then spent a lot of time denying that early support and pleading his impartiality. I was very concerned about his opinion that judges need not recuse themselves form cases involving their campaign contributors.

Kloppenburg is qualified, she is capable, but most importantly she is not Prosser, and has never expressed her commitment to his agenda (or against it). I see her as the only hope for a balanced court. I do not expect her to outlaw all of Walker's laws, but I do expect her to act in accordance with the law. Unfortunately our GOP lawmakers have been subverting court orders, and then claiming "Judicial activism" when the court does not uphold their shady ways.

This election is a sort of referendum on the Walker agenda. Walker claims in this statement, that the state is divided between the big cities Madison and Milwaukee (where he used to live) and the rest of the state where the "true citizens" live. I hear this from conservatives all the time; the whole 'us and them' mentality. I also believe that in this case it does not apply. Plenty of rural conservative places voted Kloppenburg (janesville), while Lacrosse voted Prosser.

I think that a lot of people voted for Prosser who will also recall Walker. I do not think that the reverse is true.