The Unbearable Emptiness of the American Left

It looks as though Governor Walker in Wisconsin has lost the State Supreme Court election.

On Wednesday, nearly 20 hours after the polls closed, Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg claimed victory over Justice David Prosser after an unofficial tally showed her holding the thinnest of leads. According to an unofficial tally by The Associated Press, she was up 204 votes out of nearly 1.5 million cast - a margin of 1/100th of a percent.

There will be a recount, but Republicans almost never win recounts.

The Supreme Court race became a proxy for the war between Gov. Walker and the Republicans in the state legislature on the one hand and the Democrats and Unions on the other.

This looks to me like a big moral victory for the Anti-Walker people, though it is easy to spin it both ways. Prosser would have been a shoe-in for reelection, but for the wave of anti-Walker sentiment. People-power! On the other hand, with all the Union money funneled into the race, and all the state employees down to the janitor voting in Milwaukee and Madison voting to keep milking the rest of the state, the vote still split almost exactly fifty-fifty.

What strikes me about this victory for the left, if that is what happened, is how conservative the left has become. At the state level, the left is all about holding on to what it has won in the past. Are the Democrats and the Unions in Wisconsin the least bit interested in solving that state's fiscal dilemmas? Do they have any coherent proposals for the future? I'll let intrepid reader Donald enlighten me.

On the national level, it's pretty clear that the Democrats have become the party of 'No'. Here is the USA Today editorial on the Democrats and the Ryan Plan:

Love it or hate it — and we do some of both — the Wisconsin Republican's proposal is the first plan in Congress big enough to do something serious about the nation's runaway deficits and debt…

Democrats have already begun to demonize the Ryan plan, but where is theirs? Two bipartisan deficit panels produced serious, workable proposals last year, which President Obama treated as if they had cooties. Asked Tuesday about Ryan's plan, Obama said merely that he looks forward to having a "conversation" about the parties' "sharply contrasting visions."

Attacking the Republican plan might reap short-term political rewards, but the lack of presidential leadership is distressing. Without a credible proposal of their own, it's hard to believe the Democrats understand the danger posed by the rapidly escalating national debt…

It's hard to have a serious debate… if one side appears to be in denial about the extent of the problem. Democrats' lack of an alternative suggests that all they really support is the unsustainable status quo.

Yes. The left has become conservative in the worst sense of that term. No more big projects are in the pipeline. The grip of debt is threatening all their cherished achievements. The left has no instinct except to hang on to the status quo but that, as USA Today points out, is unsustainable. Even without any reform, the great progressive programs are beginning to crowd one another out.

It remains to be seen whether the Republicans can rise to the occasion. It is already abundantly clear that the Democrats have nothing.

Comments

[Stan Gibilisco]

Politicians play ping-pong. We be the ball.

[Miranda]

Stan: Maybe that can keep us from declaring that we're up a river without a paddle!

Dr. Blanchard: Excellent blog post! Thanks!

[William]

I'll be the curmudgeon, and say we can't "play ball" much longer. Wisconsin IS an important battlefield, as it exemplifies the "Rural Red" and the "Urban Blue" in extremes.

The heavily urbanized, largely "minority" and unionized "Blue" has split 50-50 with the rural "Red" vote with a narrowly contestable margin in the most highly contested election of the year. Major funding from national unions, along with the traditional "strong-arm" tactics of personal intimidation have served, at best, to win what will be a contested election (tactics that may actually serve to demonstrate the fraud that's rampant in states with heavy union representation).

MAD CITY and Milwaukee are just about as "Blue State", "progressive" enclaves as anyone can imagine. The very fact that they've been reduced to a "contested election" is really a major victory!

If we've reached the point where electoral "victories" are decided by a margin of 1/100th of a percent, we're in some serious "S#@&"!

The unions don't have unlimited funds, and can't keep sustaining efforts like they have in Wisconsin. If they can't have a substantial victory here, they cannot sustain the effort and I think they'll have to continue to fight here, even if they cheat on a recount.

If "Wisconsin WAS Lost", we can limit the loss, if we keep them in court to finalize the election and the unions are exposed for the tactics they used "to win".

The public sector unions ARE parasites on the public "at large" and Wisconsin is only the first battlefield.

Anyone that's concerned about runaway spending HAS to be in favor of limiting the influence (if not the existence) of public sector unions.

The American public still doesn't understand, Federal employees and the State employees of a majority of the states DON'T HAVE the "supposed rights" that the State Unions are claiming as "fundamental rights".

When does the taxpayer get to declare "BULLSHIT"?

[Repack Rider]

Prosser received over 99% of the vote in his last election. His campaign outspent the other by nearly 2-1, yet he lost half his support in a couple of months to an unknown.

As an Army veteran (E-5) and one of the few remaining working men in the United States, I salute the labor unions of Wisconsin for sending a message to the non-taxpaying corporate parasites preying on America.

[Donald Pay]

What is scaring Republicans, and the corporate elite whom they serve, is that they middle class here hit the limit on what they are willing to swallow. The middle class will accept some sacrifice to right the ship of state, but when the call for their sacrifice comes comes along with giving massive new subsidies to corporate titans, and abrogation of rights, that's when the revolution starts. Either we are all in this together and the pain is felt by the corporate elite, too, or we fire on the corporate elite's jets, and bring them down. But this is separate from the Supreme Court race.

The fact is Prosser self-destructed under the stress of the campaign, becoming increasingly agitated, strident and partisan. That's not a good trait in a judge. Kloppenberg maintained a judicial, non-partisan bearing, and didn't stoop to the name-calling and political pandering that Prosser showed in the last couple weeks of the campaign.

Outside group spending was two to one against Kloppenberg. She still won. Money can buy elections when the electorate isn't pay attention. They are paying attention now, so money doesn't have the same effect.

The election results showed Kloppenberg winning in counties taken by Walker just months before.

[Jimi]

Donald,

"She still won"

No she didn't......the media proclaimed she won.....as of right now Prosser is "winning", as Charlie likes to say!

[Jimi]

Donald,

"She still won"

No she didn't......the media proclaimed she won.....as of right now Prosser is "winning", as Charlie likes to say!

[Donald Pay]

Yeah, Republican voter count fraud being exposed, as many expected. It will be a long, long recount and court battle.

[William]

Donald, are you referring to the crony capitalists like GE, GM, Chrysler, Johnson & Johnson, JP Morgan-Chase, Exelon, Goldman Sachs, Citi, AT&T, etc that are bedded down with the Obama administration?

[larry kurtz]

That's a sweet picture, Ken. Looks like Republican toilet paper...endless.

[Ken Blanchard]

Donald: yes, this time the electorate was paying attention. Regardless of the outcome, it is clear that the electorate split pretty much down the middle.

[George Mason]

William you hit it on the head. Donalds parasites, Leona Helmsley, Bernie Madoff, the Goldman people, Jeffery Immelt, pick your favorite union president, are all part of the "only little people pay taxes" bunch and are all, like Donald, liberal democrats. They are also the ones who profited the most from the easy money policies and the CRA.

[Laurie Hemmer]

The left feels anything but empty, esp with polls showing Obama will win in 2012. People are tired of the Republicans not willing to compromise on anything and everything and tired of the right wing crazy Tea party. Americans are for the most part moderate not right wing nuts.

[Ken Blanchard]

Laurie: the Republicans just compromised on the budget. Now we are told that Obama is about to prepare a real budget, with actual cuts involved. Don't hold your breath. If there is any content to the Administration's fiscal policy, it is entirely supplied by a reaction to the Ryan plan.