Finally got to read Jessica McBride’s Waukesha Freeman column, courtesy a link by the Brew City Brawler. He deals with McBride’s “thuggery” in fine fashion. I’ll touch on those comments later. It’s the rest of her piece that begs for clarification.
Wow. It’s been an interesting week. First, the Democratic tsunami crashed and died on the electoral shore. It’s pretty much got the strength of the waves in a kiddie pool now.
Then, the Georgia Thompson "Travelgate" conviction got tossed, mucking the week up.
First the good news. Turns out the liberal tidal wave didn’t have staying power. At least, not in Wisconsin. That’s probably because, at least in this state, the midterm elections were more about Iraq and corruption by a former Florida congressman than they ever were about, well, Wisconsin. Yeah … midterms elections had nothing to do with Wisconsinites seeing through Mark Green’s non-disclosure of what he stood for
In their infinite wisdom, Wisconsin voters demonstrated this week that they are back to reality. They got it. This race was about preserving school choice, the gay marriage amendment, not restricting the powers of law enforcement officers to do their jobs and getting the judicial albatross off the back of business. No, this race was about electing a Supreme Court Justice who would rule objectively on cases, not be a pawn of the business community and conservatives. Actually … it was far more about Linda Clifford running a incredibly inept campaign. The only reason the election was as close as it was … because Ziegler was a flawed candidate and maybe 20% of the electorate voted. Face it, conservatives are able to energize their base better than liberals during April elections.
Conservatives can put away the post-midterm Prozac, although I was never one of those who cowered under the covers, concerned that conservatism had been repudiated. I never believed the midterms meant Wisconsinites wanted their taxes raised, criminals released and America to cower to Islamic fascist terrorists. The pendulum always swings back. Back to Bucher talking points. I thought this election was about Wisconsin, Jessie? Always count on Jessica to give herself the proverbial pat on the back. If anything, this gal is an expert at self aggrandizement.
The pendulum just swung back.
For one, voters demonstrated that they prefer conservative candidates in law enforcement positions. Conservative Annette Ziegler even won Milwaukee County. Historically, it’s been considered a coup for a conservative to neutralize Milwaukee County by winning 40 percent of the vote. Ziegler won Milwaukee County outright. This is a big deal. To win statewide, liberals need to run up the numbers in Milwaukee and Dane counties. For years, they’ve taken Milwaukee County for granted. No more. Scott Walker proved that on taxes. Now, this. Milwaukee County is up for grabs.
J.B. Van Hollen also performed well in that county for a conservative. Ziegler outperformed even him. The message: When it comes to positions with a law enforcement component, independents and even some Democrats prefer conservatives. Big surprise. The liberal approach to the violent crime problem is to advocate for the release of more prison inmates. The conservative approach? Well, it’s not to release prison inmates. Case closed. Well, that’s one of the more obscene generalizations I’ve ever read. If that’s the case, then liberals did real well in those areas not centered in Milwaukee or Madison during the last election. This one only kind of counts.
In addition, voters demonstrated Tuesday that the midterm vote was not a blank check for Democrats to raise their taxes.
They smacked down a gazillion dollar school referendum in the Elmbrook School District. They defeated spending referendums in Palmyra-Eagle and Delafield. They defeated a gargantuan school referendum in Franklin. They passed smaller referendums in other communities. The voters seemed to be saying: Don’t try to pull a bag over our heads. We can tell the difference between needs and wants. So, we were impatient about Iraq and hacked off about Mark Foley. Plus, we felt really sorry for Michael J. Fox. That didn’t mean we want our taxes jacked up. What is it with Jessica’s use of the words “smack down.” Me thinks she watches too much all-star wrestling. Though it would explain her limited vocabulary. And a couple of referendums get voted down. You know what, the amounts requested were rather large. I live in Brookfield and voted against the referendum. However, I am willing to listen when they come back asking for a more reasoned amount. It had nothing to do with “conservative thought.”
The voters also said again, resoundingly, that ethics matter. At least in Waukesha County. They showed Jefferson Davis the door in Menomonee Falls (I am sure my husband’s securing a criminal conviction against him played a role). The same Paul Bucher to whom Waukesha voters were so loyal … I guess it had something to do with his rabid partisanship and his wife’s egomania.
In contrast, in Milwaukee County, 6th Aldermanic District voters decided that ethics don’t matter by not recalling Alderman Michael Jackson McGee whatever his name is. Then again, that’s Milwaukee 6th District. Thugs voted for a thug. Hard to extrapolate that into a broader message. “Thugs voted for a thug.” For this, McBride should be fired. She impugns the entire 6th District.
Moving on to Georgia Thompson. A three-judge federal appellate panel burst the conservative giddy bubble and tossed her conviction this week. Actually, they did more than that: They ordered her acquittal and immediate release from federal prison, even before they committed their reasoning to paper.
The panel is not an example of liberals run amok. Two of the judges were Republican appointees. If you listen to the oral arguments, it’s clear they didn’t buy any element of the federal case. They didn’t think she had anything to gain. They didn’t buy that Adelman Travel hadn’t won the contract on its merits. They didn’t believe there were "significant" political connections between Gov. Jim Doyle and Adelman. They didn’t believe there was evidence of a political quid pro quo. In other words, they didn’t buy any of it.
They also supplanted their opinion for that of the 12-member jury, the grand jury and the federal judge in Milwaukee who presided over the case and found no reason to toss the conviction. This was a political arm-twisting from day one. But what is frightening is McBride’s total lack of any sentient humanity. It’s rude enough to be labeled “colorless.” But even McBride admits Ms Thompson had no clear motive. It was all about tarring Governor Doyle, and hoping that enough bad press would lift his opponent into the governor’s house.
McBride brushes aside the lost wages, lost home, lost job, lost four months of Ms Thompson’s life because:
Sometimes prosecutors put the screws to the mid-level player in an aggressive prosecution of an imperfect case because often such a player pleads out and flips on the real puppetmasters. But Georgia never flipped.
The final straw. McBride can’t even refer to this poor woman with respect, instead using her first name as though they are on good speaking terms.
Jessica McBride should be shown the door at UWM. She should be shown the door at WTMJ (like that will happen).
But, let’s be honest. Did anyone really believe Thompson was public enemy No. 1? That this colorless, apolitical career bureaucrat with no clear motive was the end game, as opposed to the means to get the prosecutor to the real target?
Aggressive prosecutors sometimes go down in flames. That’s because they take chances. They take on tough cases that, in the interest of justice, need to be brought. They don’t just take the easy road. If you want someone who punts on the tough cases, choose an E. Michael McCann. Or a Tom Schneider. Who?
If you asked that question, you proved my point. Schneider was the U.S. attorney before Steve Biskupic. He didn’t take chances. He didn’t ever go down in flames, as a result, over a high-profile case. He also didn’t do anything. On public corruption. On voter fraud. On police misconduct, you name it. He didn’t draw a societal line. He took the easy way out. Sometimes prosecutors put the screws to the mid-level player in an aggressive prosecution of an imperfect case because often such a player pleads out and flips on the real puppetmasters. But Georgia never flipped.Still, Biskupic? I’ll take his record any time.
