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In a race that has become ground zero for liberal anger against Republican Gov. Scott Walker, Democrat JoAnne Kloppenburg has now taken an unlikely, and razor-thin, lead over Republican David Prosser in the battle for Wisconsin state Supreme Court justice.
Updated results from the Associated Press, as of 3:15 pm ET, show Kloppenburg leading by 204 votes, reversing the 585-vote lead Prosser held overnight.
Prosser, the incumbent in the race, was seen as the far-and-away favorite before the budget showdown in Madison unraveled. As NBC's John Yang reported earlier, in the four-candidate February primary, Prosser got 55% of the vote and Kloppenburg, an assistant attorney general, just 25%.
A Kloppenburg win would flip control of the Wisconsin state Supreme Court to the liberals. Conservatives currently hold a 4-3 ideological majority on the court.
This race was one of two held yesterday that were seen as referenda on Walker. Democrats won a race for Walker's old job -- Milwaukee County executive -- in a landslide. Democrat Chris Abele, a political novice, defeated Jeff Stone, a veteran Republican state lawmaker, 61%-39%, in a special election to replace Walker.
Both races saw very high turnout for a non-November election, rivaling the 2008 presidential primaries.
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The media seems to be having trouble with the facts of this story.
What trouble?
It's called voter backlash against Walker and the Teabags. It shouldn't be a surprise, unless you live under the delusion that Teabag ideology represents some overwhelming majority.
Obviously it does not.
Congratulations, you have met the rest of America.
It isn't voter back lash against Walker, it is not having enough votes by the taxpayers of Wisconsin that now will see their neighbors retiring at 55 years old when they will still be working at age 70 paying for it.
The gal Ms. Kloppenburg has never sat on a bench before in her life and the outside Unions put her into the Wisconsin Supreme Court to judge on whether the taxpayers are paying enough to the Unions?
ONLY IN AMERICA.
DelFairchild...of course it's voter backlash against Walker. Prior to his introduction of his union-busting "budget bill" Prosser defeated Kloppenburg in the non-partisan four-way primary, 55% to 25%. The turnabout is all about Walker. And pretty much everyone who voted is a Wisconsin taxpayer.
Further, prior to being APPOINTED to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1998 by then-governor Tommy Thompson, Prosser ALSO had no judicial experience, having served in the State Legislature. He was then elected in 2001 because he ran unopposed.
What else ya got?
This will set teabaggers back on their heels all over the country. It is poetic justice for the middle class whether or not Kloppenburg wins. Walker has been served with fair notice that it is time for him to reexamine his twisted policies or suffer the consequences.
Sad,I hope your state goes bankrupt like California soon will!!!!!
If the good people of Wisconsin decide that they prefer ultra-liberal laws and policies, and are willing to pay extra taxes to support ridiculously skewed pensions for public workers, that is their right - since they are the ones that will have to foot the bill.
I presume that state union workers get to do the recount.
Roy,
1. Maybe the good people of Wisconsin have decided that they want moderation and common sense, rather than ultra-RIGHT ideology. These are Midwesterners. They are pretty reasonable by nature.
2. Instead of running off with the "they cheated!!" mantra, challenge yourself: maybe your beliefs don't square with the real majority? Just because you didn't get your way doesn't necessarily mean that something illicit has occurred. Or aren't you capable of being.... mistaken?
You don't think it's possible that moderate and centrist voters in Wisconsin really ARE pissed off over Walker's agenda, tactics, and lapdogging for the Koch brothers? You might want to reconsider.
I think it's pretty fair to say that the majority of people in this country don't care much for extremes of either stripe. There's nothing "far left" about treating the middle class decently.
Wow ! - Do you really believe that the pension for a teacher is ridiculously skewed? Do you think that once a public servant hits retirement age, its time for life in Club Med?
Certainly there are outliers who are doing very well ( like Superindentents, etc ) , but your basic teacher salary and retirement isn't a great deal. If it was many more people would be flocking to teaching, don't you think?
Just last year, during the Bush tax extension discussuons, Rebublicans were telling us how $150k salaries was not a lot of money. Now we hear that a teacher making $85k including benefits is way too much.
We all have it tough. We need to stop drinking the Koolaid and beating up on each other. Making $40k as a teacher sucks as a salary..period. That means your best car is a Kia - used.
Come on man....
Thank you, Rorschach, Pablo, and a few others. You've given me a little faith that there are some reasonable people out there. I've been almost horrified to hear the factually unsupportable positions of some people, and the downright intransigence of so many more, regardless of the facts. Makes me wonder if we couldn't find a means test to determine whether some people should be allowed to vote. We ask those trying to become citizens to take a test; perhaps we should do the same for those wanting to vote. (By the way, a recent test by Newsweek had some 38% of current citizens failing the citizenship test. Makes you wonder....). It's nice to see some people that actually have thoughtfully considered their positions based on the actual merits of the argument, can present their arguments and opinions based on solid fact rather than conjecture, ignorance and prejudice. Thank you again, and please keep it up. We'll never win over all people to reasonable conduct, human nature being what it is, but I think it's a battle worth fighting.
paybacks are hell.
Historical dialectic in action.
Now we need to see the rest of the WI koch Fascists recalled and in december recall walker better still have him impeached so he can not get a pension ... He doesnt want your average worker to have a pension so why allow him one
On that GREAT news,I will be stopping on my way home to pick up some champagne for us progressives! lol
*pops cork*
Now on to removing Walker from office! You WI residents that are already working on it, give us a shout out here if you need any help, will ya? ;o)
This really is an amazing story. For Wisconsin voters to get out in these numbers to express their rebuke to Walker? Good on them! I'm assuming the party is on at the Dew Drop Inn.
Great News.
Updated results from the Associated Press, as of 3:15 pm ET, show Kloppenburg leading by 204 votes, reversing the 585-vote lead Prosser held overnight.
It's about to get ugly. I hope it won't be like Al Franken's recount.
Me too, Bev.
Me too.
Bev, the senate recount in MN was ugly, but it centered around the absentee ballots mostly. And the control of the U.S. Senate was at stake. The law was changed about absentee ballots and this Nov the recount for Governor went much more smoothly.
thats right celebtate your state into bankruptcy hypocrits
The state will be fine, once Walker is gone.
Amazing what a couple of UNION BUCKS can buy !
The Republicans out spent the Dems by 150%.
as opposed to Koch bucks that you're used to!
As compared to the votes bought by the KOCH BROS
thank god there are union buck to buy the freedom the right to organize the right to negotiate the right to defend each other the right to have the US Constitution upheld for all men
Congratulations Wisconsin! These Republican teabaggers need a lesson--they "woke a sleeping giant..." Strange that the only negative comment posted above regarding the race swinging to the Dem's, is "Lester" who can't spell "that's", "celebrate" or whatever form of "hypocracy" he was trying to indicate. After the spelling is corrected, it still doesn't make any sense. Guess we know who's side "Lester" is on...
Having a union in any organization is the same as a person getting certain cancers. A cancer patient always risks the reocurrence of the disease that will kill him but at best he lives a sickly life. Wisconsin has been sickly for a long time and the taxpayers had the opportunity to cure their sickness by expunging public unions. There is zero constitutional right for unions...they are there only because they usurped power over the populace by co-opting the Democrat Party. Union thugs, and that is what they are, have the dems where they want them and there is no turning back for the dems now. All their future is now openly committed to supporting the unions at the expense of the taxpayers. The bankruptcy of Wisconsin will only be averted if Proesser wins otherwise the state will be another California, bankrupt and begging Washington (that's you and I by the way) to bail their sorry asses out. A pig is a glutton and will not stop eating until the trough is removed. If the taxpayers of Wisconsin believe their union pigs will somehow be chastened by recent events and backoff and be reasonable dream on. Their pig will only get bigger and continue to eat an ever expanding slice of the pie.
You call the hardworking people of Wisconsin (who are definitely not overpaid) pigs. Go down to the Milwaukee street department, see the man that plows the snow and patches the potholes, smell the wonderful aroma of hot tar asphalt, breathe deep, get a good lung full, then call him a pig to his face you whiny little Koch sucker.
T baggers wont quit until everyone is paid minimum wage. T baggers want a race to the bottom.
Bolsheviks - thanks for saying something so totally stupid in the first sentence - saved me the trouble of reading the rest of your post.
U-N-I-O-N !!!
Just wait till next year....
Hats off to Wisconsin, the Democratic voters of Wisconsin should inspire democratic voters across the nation. Get off your butts and work hard to protect what powerful adversaries want to take from your families, the middle class has picked up the tab long enough. You want to balance the budget, then collect some taxes and cut defense. You want to cut waste and welfare, cancel the corporate welfare that has went on long enough. it would be very simple you get a tax break when you create an American job. Not we give you tax breaks and that will somehow creates jobs. Create a job in America get a tax break, if not, pay up, we are not going to spend tax money providing free military protection for American companies so they can export American jobs to pay slave wages in foreign countries. If you operate that way then we should tax your pants off when you bring those products back in the US. What do you think, close the corporate loopholes or have your children taught by the lowest bidder, how should we close the revenue gap?
You are SO right. Way back when Nixon wanted to "open" China and they were telling us all those lies about how we'd have that huge new market for American goods, I was sure it was bunk. (How many American-made products do we sell in China?) What they wanted was that huge, cheap and, I'd bet, largely unregulated labor pool and those huge loans to the federal government.
You hit it right on the head forrest, The koch brothers are people who need to have what the do to America brought top light for all to see so we all can see what a piece of crap these two brother really are. The republicans finnaly exposed thmselves for what the really are greedy, back stabbing foreign interest loving losers. They sold us all out to foreign investment and now they want to put us all in the same position as foreign labor working for ten dollars a month just so the rich can get richer ---mainly themselves. The republicans thought they were going to destroy the back bone of America(the unions) what they have accomplished is to bring back to life the sword of America. When the 2012 elactions are over i hope the not a republican who has to run is left in office. Maybe then we can get this country going again and bring back our manufacting base to the United States. All of those companies who export our jobs over seas shoulf pay a price in taxes and tarriffs on there imports when they try to ship them back home for sale here in the U.S. These companies do not to help the people here and as far as im concerned they are traitors to this country --are you listening Koch brothers
I never thought i would see this again in my lifetime. Is the 60s coming out of retirement and the liberals and unions are talking ( no shouting) for their rights and the rights of all Americans to have the right to live and breath free air. Not the corporate smog we have had to digest for the last 40 years. Go Wis
A win by 204 votes is hardly a majority,you cant honestly say that a overwhelming majority voted against the governors stance on priviledged workers,I would say most wisconsin taxpayers support the good wprk of the governor!!!!
cant agree more Forrest ... corporate welfare needs cut before grandmas pension check
Why is it that the most conservative states: i.e. Wyoming, Texas, North and South Dakota, have some of the lowest unemployment and are not in danger of going bankrupt? I can tell you why, NO MANDATORY UNIONS. All of you people can whine and complain but look at the examples. The most liberal states i.e: California. New York, Illinois are broke. Coincidence I think not.
New Flash! TEXAS is struggling with $27 BILLION deficit right now. Get your facts straight !!
Texas has serious budget trouble and is looking at cutting thousands of teachers across the state. Just passed a bare-bones austerity budget. Just five months ago, "Gov" Perry of Texas was campaigning on his masterful financial stewardship of Texas - no budget woes at all. I'll draw my conclusion from the obvious: Republican Gov Rick Perry of Texas is a bald-faced liar. But I live in TX, so I knew that a long time ago, anyway...
May I also ask why it is that conservative states receive more federal funds than they pay in?
North Dakota has oil income and agriculture. They also get a HUGE bang for their buck from the Federal Government. If you want to point the finger at who is getting way too much from the Feds, North Dakota is who you point it at. The joke in North Dakota? Everyone has 2-3 jobs to make ends meet. Why? It is a low pay state. That enough information for you?
I'm from Wyoming. They call us the Saudi Arabia of coal. We have the world's largest deposits of both coal and soda ash, as well as vast amounts of oil, uranium, and natural gas. We tax the s h i t out of all of them. Until this last election we had a democratic governor for the previous 8 years, who was extremely popular.
If you really want to throw out some facts, why do all of these so called "right to work states" have the highest number of people without health insurance? Why do they have the highest occupational fatality rates? Also, while you're correct of those states because of a boom in domestic oil production, why do the other 18 right to work for less states have the highest poverty rates?
If you don't know anything about unions, and you obviously don't, you shouldn't try bashing them.
Thanks for clarifying the facts for Fiveptbill and the rest of us. Keep the facts coming...
you are wrong about Texas. We are facing a huge deficit and hundreds of thousands of jobs are at risk, Mostly teachers.
I would also like to make a comment on the "right to worK" law. From my own experience, this law protects the corporations and businesses. The worker has no protection other than the EEOC and good luck getting them to take your case.
facts and conservatives are like oil and water or like Palin and intelligence or like Bachman and normal.
There really is a God. Prosser never held a judgeship either prior to his Supreme Court "Rule". We can thank the Right for their negative ads and "shoving" it in our Liberal faces. Hats off to us, the real Wisconsin worker.
Law enforcement in Wisconsin has gotten interesting lately. A kid pulling a scarf off the head of another kid is considered a "hate crime", but a Kindergarten Teacher sending death threats to 15 Republican lawmakers is not even worthy of a charge.
trying to change the topic eh! try again.
What kind of buttheads could make a kindergarten teacher issue a death threat? - Scott Walker & his Merry Men who rob from the poor to give to the rich.
Lets face it Mother Theresa would tell these guys to go screw themselves.
I'm happy for Kloppenburg. Get a good laugh and read the links attached.
http://anastasia-1782128.newsvine.com/_news/2011/04/06/6420816-voter-fraud-alleged-in-wisconsin-election
At least the Wingnuts do not have ACORN to blame. Let's see what other excuses we'll hear soon.
I just the link, I LMAO, boy they really hustle when they want to, figures it would be Fox news.
Great Post AnaBanana
Love your name too
Love it! Leave it to Fox. Voter fraud, oh do they mean prosser supporters??
Oh Ana thank you so very much..
The Circuit judge to hear the recount appeal will be appointed by the CJofSC WI whom Prosser called a Bit*h and added that he would destroy her... Oh my.. did this guy ever make a Homer Simpson.. Doh!!
New Flash! TEXAS is struggling with $27 BILLION deficit right now. Get your facts straight !!
Fiveptbill: You left out the non-union, right to work states of North Carolina 9.7, and South Carolina at 10.2 unemployment compared to Illinois at 8.9, and New York at 8.2... If you want to make a point please put out all the facts not just the ones you want people to see so it looks like you made a point!!! You must be a political wannabe with that kind rhetoric!!!
tea baggers are their own worst enemies. They fight for policies that actually hurt them the most. They are the stooges of the rich. That's right save the millionaires. We have seen where that has got us. Ceo's making millions off our backs. jobs shipped out because making a small profit and keeping a business viable is not good enough. Millions out of work and the scum who bankrupt our country are counting on the mindless rage of the tea party idiots to push forward their attack on the middle class. keep up the good work you @#*#@.
Tea Party is EVERYONES enemy, Dems and Repubs. it is like a train out of control.
But they sure are funny, they don't like dems for govenment control but that is the agenda they push,
weird
Well said Dando. We can take back our government with Term Limits. Look at all the news conferences devoted to this one topic and the only thing I heard or saw was "will this get me re-elected next cycle". Walker may find out soon that what he has done does have consequences.
It seems the teabaggers have finally showed their behinds. Their real agenda is being exposed for what it really is...a power grab by the super rich at the expense of the average American. Hopefully more Americans will awaken to to the reality of the tea party. As long as greedy people like the Koch brothers have the resources to sway elections with vast amounts of cash this country will continue to wage a battle between the super rich and the average American trying to keep their heads above water. We have the most productive work force on the planet, but it's increasingly not the workers who benefit from their efforts. Americans are becoming enslaved to the wealthy. We're borrowing money from the Chinese so we can give tax breaks to the rich. If that plan created jobs why have we been struggling with such high unemployment? Crazy. If Scott Walker and his ilk keep up their attacks on the hard working people of this country there will be a backlash against the GOP that will be felt accross the country. They'll be lucky to have a majority in the city council of Bugtussle let alone the congress of the United States. Keep it up Mr. Walker...you're doing the Dems a huge favor!
The Koch brothers are Domestic Terrorists !!
Plain and simple.
Wisconsin workers...you make us proud. I am not a union member, Democrat or Republican. In fact, as a recovering Republican and now Political Independent; I simply call them as I see them. The Tea Party has to face a simple fact: their party is about to end. There is a new day dawning and middle class families will be the last ones standing. While the war is far from over, the first steps have been taken of many to follow. By the way, the middle class is the real Tea Party. In historical context, it is we who are under economic attack just like the early colonialists. They are the British. Like times of old, the little guys will prevail. Well done, Wisconsin!
Thank you voters of Wisconsin!! I love you all even those that voted Republican as you have shown that Walker can not get away with it. Now we need help desperately in Florida. Our stay at homes helped elect a man that knows how to do two things, plead the fifth over and over and destroy, no not destroy condemn people to death. He makes Arizona's foolish Governor seem a docile imbecile. Anyone who says this vote is not a referendum on Walker didn't get the latest email from the Koch boys. It is and that is that!
Ray, Thanks, but its not over yet, but we will keep on fighting, as should you and all the other states that are in the same boat. We are united, and no one can break that. Their is a movement in this country and the Repubs, teabaggers better watch out because we will be coming after them and anyone else who gets in the way. We will take back America for the working class!!
Thanks Badgers! I knew you could see through the Koch Brothers smoke screen: you let them know Wisconsin is not for sale! Now let's see the Koch Brothers taxed on their $22.5 Billion each!
Thanks Badgers! I knew you could see through the Koch Brothers smoke screen: you let them know Wisconsin is not for sale! Now let's see the Koch Brothers taxed on their $22.5 Billion each!
I feel pity for the people of Wisconsin. More importantly, sorrow for their wallets.
No matter who wins in the end the people of Wisconsin have lost. Elections for judges are suppose to be non-partisan and should be ran as such. Here is a case where the sitting Supreme Court Judge will probably lose because the race became political and not about the person themselves. The unions pumped millions of dollars into a campaign only for their own political survival. Here they brought a judge who will vote their way, sure doesn't say much about our judicial independence. How dare a judge, regardless of political affiliation, state the way they will vote if seated on the Supreme Court of a state. However, the election does prove what many have always said "the majority of elections are won by those who have the most money spent on their campaigns. It is really a sad day when judges are elected based not on the knowledge of the laws but on politics of favors to those who spend the most. BTW, Process, if he looses, will still be the Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice until August this year. The bill that the unions want thrown out will be in the Supreme Court before he leaves.
I think the results show that the people of Wisconsin have WON. You seem to be missing the point of having elections. BTW, I think the Democrats were outspent by Repub/teabaggers.
Adriadna, No, the people of Wisconsin have lost. As I mentioned it should be about one's judicial make up and not on a political issue which is supported by one side or the another. Judges are suppose to be non-partisan and this election was no where close to being non-partisan. This is a case where a judicial position became a political battle. We now have a judge, if Kloppenburg wins, that is beholden to the left wing zealots and public labor unions, it is another case of not voting for the best qualified judicial candidate.
And what would have been different if Prosser had won?
adriadna, At least Prosser had a judicial record which one could view and make a decision on. In electing a Supreme Court Judge, or any judge, it should be based on their judicial views and not on political promises.
Those idiots decided to go the Walker way I only hope Scott Fitzgerald gets his as well and no doubt when January comes there will be a going away party for Scott Walker. What's up with these Scotts not leaving out the real Felon Rick Scott who wants to take away Medicare and Medicaid after stealing hundreds of millions from those programs. Now he wants the government assistance programs to take drug tests and pay for it themselves through his companies, don't they ever stop!!
Hoorah! Let's just pretend this is business as usual. The federal government went another 1,600 billion deeper into debt this year. The states are all in serious trouble with unsustainable debt that came from the union candidates' raid on state treasuries. We have new multi trillion dollar programs and thousands upon thousands of new pages of new regulation on businesses that will not invest in growth for at least another decade, and more debt placed on our children than we ever had in our history that will double within Obama's presidency. But we showed those hateful teabaggers that we will continue on the same path. We really showed them.
Have you been trickled on yet???
If I had a business in Wisconsin I would definitely be thinking about leaving right about now. The problem is that it probably makes most sense to become a multinational in our fundamentally transforming America.