The Appleton Post-Crescent has endorsed Joanne Kloppenburg for Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice. It is not unusual for a candidate to receive an endorsement from a newspaper, but this one is noteworthy for two reasons.
1. The editorial announcing the endorsement is unusually harsh in describing Kloppenburg’s opponent, the incumbent David Prosser.
...Prosser is an intemperate figure given to partisan rhetoric. This is troubling in a justice.
...We are deeply troubled by the incident, made public during this campaign, in which Prosser blew up at Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson, calling her a "bitch" and threatening to "destroy her."
What that indicates is an injudicious personality, plain and simple. It's unacceptable behavior in any circumstance -- and surely it's worst of all in a Supreme Court Justice, whose entire job is to make rational decisions without prejudice.
...It's a very revealing episode, and frankly there is no defending it.
2. David Prosser is from Appleton. He was born in Chicago, but his family moved to Appleton when Prosser was young. It's gotta sting when your home town newspaper endorses your opponent.
You can read the entire editorial here.
The editorial isn’t just a ringing non-endorsement of Prosser, however. It includes praise for Joanne Kloppenburg.
As an assistant attorney general, Kloppenburg has worked under four attorney generals, both Democrats and Republicans. She has demonstrated an ability to work on legal matters in a nonpartisan way, to work within multiple areas of the law. She has argued before the state Supreme Court in multiple cases. And as she points out, she has firsthand knowledge of how Supreme Court rulings actually affect the lower courts, agencies and people when they are put into practice.
…
We endorse Kloppenburg because she can act as an impartial, nonpartisan justice.
That is also why I endorse Joanne Kloppenburg (as if anyone cares.) We know Prosser will act as a rubber stamp for the illegitimate leaders of FitzWalkerstan. His campaign send out a press release saying he would be a conservative complement to Walker and the Fitzgerald-led legislature. (Comically, Prosser later said he didn’t authorize that statement, even though it was from his own campaign. Add “incompetent” to the list of reasons not to vote for Prosser.)
If we elect Joanne Kloppenburg, we know that the recent anti-middle-class legislation that was (sort-of) passed by the Wisconsin legislature will get a fair hearing from at least one impartial, intelligent, and even-tempered justice.
The election is April 5th. Absentee ballots are available now from your local clerk.
How often do you read “bitch” in a Fox Valley newspaper editorial. Cool, huh?