Posted on 04/05/2011 7:01:04 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Never mind President Obama's announcement that he is running for president in 2012, or the mad scramble to avoid a government shutdown on Friday, or even House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's ambitious new plan to privatize Medicare, gut Medicaid, and keep in place tax cuts for the rich. Politically speaking, a good case can be made that a state Supreme Court election in Wisconsin on Tuesday will be the most important news development of the week -- or month, or year (at least so far).
David Prosser, an incumbent conservative characterized by his critics as a close ally of Republican Gov. Scott Walker, is running for reelection against a longtime environmental litigator, Joanne Kloppenburg. The practical importance of this election is obvious: The state Supreme Court will decide the legality of the Walker agenda -- including, but not limited to, his law stripping public sector workers of their collective bargaining rights. A Kloppenburg victory would shift the majority of the court from solidly conservative to potentially liberal (there is one justice who is considered a swing vote).
But whether or not a change in the composition of the court would actually change how the justices might rule on politically controversial legislation only captures a small portion of the drama inherent in this election. The symbolic importance is far more important. The entire politically wired world will be watching this election for a hint as to where the nation is headed.
...In terms of morale and momentum, "the stakes could not be higher." The new post-midterm election Republican agenda is set for its first test at the ballot box. The total number of votes cast may be small, but the impact could be huge. Whoever wins will receive a jolt of energy, and potentially influence the national conversation. ..
(Excerpt) Read more at salon.com ...
Obama has relaunched his brand for another 4 years to "stimulate" union health care, retirement and employment with our tax dollars.
Our votes don't count when judicial activism trumps the will of the people.
The greatest irony and discouragement will be if Prosser loses but with a significantly lower turnout (as is probable for this type of election) than last November’s election which gave the Republicans their majority.
We've been living with that in California for years. (I've considered as a protest mailing my ballot to the California supreme court to cast my votes on the propositions in a way they will approve of so I don't waste my time voting.)
But however today's election works out in Wisconsin (a breathtakingly clear attempt by the left to usurp the legislative process), the numbers don't change. The economic reality is that costs/entitlements/etc. are too high and cannot be sustained. What the unions want -- above all else including jobs, safety, democracy ... everything -- is the preservation of the union which they see as threatened by the legislation legally passed by the peoples' representatives in Wisconsin.
Does anyone know of any polling or tea party opinions on this race? I am very interested to see if the producers turn out to meet the leeches.
Exactly and if the margins are close, the fraud will put the Left over the top.
The rippling effects will be international.
Prosser wins: push back on assault on liberty advances.
Kloppenburg wins: push back falters, emboldens Left.
They want power bought with our money.
If you live in Wisconsin, get out and vote for PROSSER, and remind your friends, co-workers and relatives to do so. If you live outside of Wisconsin but have friends and relatives here call them and encourage them to vote for PROSSER. Very important!
It will come down to who votes.
“First off, if you live in Wisconsin and haven’t yet voted to re-elect State Supreme Court Justice David Prosser, stop reading this and go vote. Secondly, if you know anyone in Wisconsin and haven’t yet called and urged them to vote for Prosser, stop reading this and go do so now. Put simply, this race is going to come down to who gets their base out and if we lose this one, we’ve not only lost hope for any kind of real reform in Wisconsin, we’ve also given Barack Obama an easier path to re-election in 2012.
Those of you under the misguided notion, that even in the event of a Prosser loss, his 4-to-3 tie-breaking swing vote in favor of judicial restraint will remain on the court long enough to validate Governor Walker’s Budget Repair Bill, had better think again. The Madison judge, Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi, who has pulled every judicial activist trick in the book to block Walker’s bill on an absurd technicality, has no doubt intentionally decided to run out the clock in the hopes liberal activist Joanne Kloppenburg succeeds in unseating Prosser. Sumi’s delayed her next ruling for nearly two months. This allows her to hold on to the case until the end of May or the beginning of June. Prosser’s term would end July 31, which make it very possible the State’s highest court won’t rule until long afterwards.
See how that works?
This isn’t an accident or coincidence. It’s by design. Delaying the enactment of a law over a technicality regarding an Open Meetings rule no serious person thinks was violated, is one thing. Throwing a wrench in the gears in order to slow down the process in the hopes a more favorable appeals court judge will win an election, is something else. The will of the people is being overturned by the worst kind of judicial overreach my former home state has seen in a long time — which brings me to the bigger picture.
This entire battle is about one thing and, believe it or not, it has nothing to do with “collective bargaining“. The unions don’t care about collective bargaining as much as they care about the money and power that comes in the form of union dues. Right now, if you’re a Wisconsin public employee, union membership is mandatory and the dues you pay — that average around $800 a year — are automatically garnished from your paycheck and funneled directly to the union. Walker’s bill puts an end to both of those obnoxious practices.
Though the bill’s dishonest opponents and their media minions have framed the debate around the concept of ”workers’ rights,” one right Walker gives public workers is the right to NOT join the union. Furthermore, instead of the state collecting dues from those who choose to join, the union will now have to collect dues all on their own. This racket – and that’s exactly what it is — that forces workers into the union, is not only the well spring of union power in Wisconsin, it is also a central source of political power for Democrats, including Obama, in a must-win swing state. Millions of dollars in dues help to pay for the union machine’s crucial get-out-the-vote activities and their massive campaign ad blitzes.
The numbers that terrify Democrats and unions come from states where laws similar to Walker’s have passed that put an end to both compulsory public union membership and the automatic garnishment of dues:..................”
Every vote will count.
If it is close, voting fraud will take the election for the Left.
I wonder how many union thugs will be out intimidating little old ladies. But I don’t wonder how many Holder would prosecute...NONE!
If the unions win this I hope Walker immediately starts laying people off.
Can’t speak for other districts, but no intimidation has ever been tolerated at the polling place I work at.
This is not a national election and it should not be viewed as such. We cannot and should not allow this vote to become a referendum on anything. The only impact it will have will be in Wisconsin, only Wisconsin. The fact that the left is trying to make this national and the coincidence of Obama announcing his reelection campaign within a few days of this seems to be a big coincidence (maybe). Seems to me the “fix” might be in or Obama would not have risked being attached to this in any way. Looks like he is planning to ride this victory into his campaign only because he knows the turnout. The unions must have assured him of manufacturing one of their last minute victories. I’m sure there are bags and bags of “found” ballots ready for counting. Just watch.
We call that FrankenFraud here next door. The Governor's race was supposedly lost while we overwhelmingly recaptured the House and Senate, and the GOP candidate, Tom Emmer, was almost universally respected, whereas no one could think of Druggie Dayton that way...
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