Pardon the language. That's a disgusting word, but we're just quoting from a family newspaper, which reported that a distinguished member of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, Justice David Prosser, asked in a debate Monday: "Now, am I the turd ?"
We're not going to touch that answer wirth a 10-foot pole. People will have to judge for themselves. Maybe there will be an online poll by one of the newspapers.
Prosser, who made news over the weekend when it was revealed that he had called the court's chief justice a "total bitch" and vowed to "destroy" her, is upset over comments people are leaving on his opponent's Facebook page. (Who knew he spends time on Facebook?)
Prosser, who's joined at the hip with Scott Walker and is a reliable vote to uphold most anything Walker and the Republican legislature do, is up for reelection on Apr. 5. He was a heavy favorite to coast to victory, but anti-Walker sentiment and and an issue ad campaign exposing his close ties to Walker have him worried -- with good cause.
Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, which bought the court with millions of dollars of lying TV commercials in the last several years, is worried, too. So worried that they have appealed to their members for money to support a negative TV campaign against Prosser's opponent, JoAnne Kloppenburg, in the final two weeks of the campaign.
A letter to WMC members spells out the line of attack:
"Kloppenburg, who has never been a judge, has strong ties to Wisconsin's extreme left, including endorsement by the former national co-chairman of the radical Green Party, Ben Manski.
In fact, Kloppenburg was rejected for appointment to serve as a judge four times. Her former employer, Governor Jim Doyle, turned her down twice to be an appeals court judge, even though she had worked for him for 12 years in the Attorney General's office. And, President Barack Obama turned her down to be a federal judge. Governor Tommy G. Thompson also turned her down for an appeals court seat.
Despite her ties to the left, Obama and Doyle couldn't bring themselves to appoint her to a judgeship.
WMC IMC will mount a statewide TV ad campaign to educate the public about Justice Prosser's common sense approach. And, we will educate the public about Kloppenburg's radical agenda, and how the union bosses want her to stand in the way of reform.
Is any of that garbage relevant to the race? Of course not, but a little guilt by association is a long-standing Wisconsin tradiition since the days of Joe McCarthy, and it's always good to say "union bosses." Maybe they can work "thugs" in, too.
Prosser, by the way, says he is 100% sure the union-busting Walker bill will end up in front of the court he now sits on, and it's 100% sure he'd vote to uphold it.
Want to fight back? People reading this blog don't have as much in their checking accounts as those getting WMC's email, but every little bit helps -- money, volunteer time, educating your friends and family, and getting to the polls on April 5.
Some places to start: