State Rep. Jeff Stone isn't the only candidate scrambling to try to put some daylight between himself and Gov. Scott Walker. Stone started running for Milwaukee County executive as Walker's best friend, but now acts like he never heard of him. He complained when his opponent, Chris Abele, aired a TV spot linking him to Walker.


Now comes Justice David Prosser, trying on April 5 to keep his seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Back in December, on the heels of Walker's election as governr, Prosser's campaign manager said:


“Our campaign efforts will include building an organization that will return Justice Prosser to the bench, protecting the conservative judicial majority and acting as a common sense compliment (sic) to both the new administration and legislature.”

A complement to the Walker administration and the new GOP majority in the legislature? So much for checks and balances and judicial independence.


After Prosser's opponent, Joanne Kloppenburg, criticized him for that, Mike Nichols, a right-wing think tank thinker who moonlights as a Journal Sentinel columnist (!) came to the rescue:


Prosser, for his part, has said he wouldn't personally have used the word "complement" and describes himself as being in the middle of the court.

Prosser says he never saw the press release, wouldn't say that, etc etc ad nauseum.


When his manager was asked about the quote, however, he said:


Obviously, his [Prosser's] personal ideology more closely mirrors that of the incoming administration and Legislature, but his impartial approach to applying the law won't deviate."

Right. Why bring it up then, except to send a signal to Walker supporters and Republicans that he's a vote they can count on.


Want to know more? Want to do something?


You could start here.