Gloating over a 200-vote victory in a state Supreme Court election is stupid.
Anyone trying to say the Prosser-Kloppenburg election is a validation of left-wing progressive ideology is fooling himself.
This was a repudiation of partisanship and extremist ideology. It wasn't a validation of liberalism. It was a validation of moderation.
Kloppenburg's statement declaring victory acknowledges that fact.
I will be independent and impartial and I will decide cases based on the facts and the law. As I have traveled the State, people tell me they believe partisan politics do not belong in our Courts. I look forward to bringing new blood to the Supreme Court and focusing my energy on the important work Wisconsin residents elect Supreme Court justices to do.
That is how you win.
To Kossacks and others high-fiving each other over the repudiation of Scott Walker and the teahadists, I say this:
Congratulations. Yesterday was a good day for Democrats.
I don't say, "Yeah! We proved them wrong! Walker sucks! Everybody loves unions!"
The Supreme Court victory (Yes, she won.) is a victory for the rule of law - not for judicial activism or socialist policies. It's not a reflection that Wisconsin voters want bigger government. In fact, it's the opposite - they want a government that knows its place and doesn't overstep its bounds.
Why does this matter?
Because impartiality and objectivity are key to creating the sensus communis of conventional wisdom. It's why, as much as we hate Broderism (RIP), we love it when independent journalists or policymakers take our side.
SCOTUS Chief John Roberts famously said judges should "call balls and strikes". What he's done since his appointment to the Supreme Court is move the strike zone, so that what was previously a low outside fastball is now considered a strike. That makes it harder for Joe Q. Public to get a fair shake at the plate.
So yes, GOTV mattered and progressives and labor groups statewide were involved in a major change election. But the result here is not a wild swing from activist reactionary conservatism to activist radical liberalism. The result in the Kloppenburg election is that moderation and rule of law won over judicial activism and mean-spiritedness.
We should definitely celebrate the results in Wisconsin - the replacement for Walker in Milwaukee County will be an enormous improvement over the guy who left to become Governor. (Unfortunately, Walker's still in the governor's office for a while...) But the work isn't done. It's just beginning.
It feels good to work hard and make progress. And yes, getting rid of Judge Prosser is Progress with a Capital "P". It's especially encouraging to me that a female justice will be on the bench, and that she was elected by the people of Wisconsin. (Would love to see some polling and turnout data on how the vote tally fell along gender lines!)
But no, it is not good messaging to say, "What a humiliation for the Tea Party and their media toads." All that does is pour gasoline on a fire of hatred and animosity - divisiveness that Kloppenberg's victory is meant to put to an end.
So of course, we're not done. Norm Coleman is just across the border in Minnesota, and the Wisconsin Republican Party will pull out all the stops to deny the validity of the election results. Remember that RNC Chairman Reince Preibus (say that name as often as possible - Reince Priebus... now THAT is good messaging!) is formerly the state party chair in Wisconsin.
The judicial overreach of the Republican Party is one big reason why we should re-elect every single Senate Democrat in 2012. It's why we should get rid of otherwise "moderate" Republicans like Scott Brown and Olympia Snowe, no matter how much they try to appear moderate.
Republicans have the luxury of spending obscene endless gobs of money to sway the results of elections. We should all remember that it's the US Supreme Court - the likes of Scalia, Thomas, Alito, and Roberts - which is responsible for this travesty of justice and the resurgence of corporate fascism in our national politics.
It's up to all of us to stay focused, seize this moment, and keep the momentum moving forward.
Closing thought: In 2008, the Clinton campaign thought they could end the primary campaign if they won Super Tuesday. By focusing all their energy on that single day, they completely shot themselves in the foot. The Obama campaign went on to win 11 consecutive primary states, including Wisconsin on February 19th. By banking votes and momentum, Obama was able to change the narrative in one month from underdog to inevitable nominee, so that he only had to hold serve on March 4th.
We need to think in these terms in 2012 - downticket races and local and state primaries are going to be very significant, even though the top of the ticket is set.
2012 starts now.