Four thoughts in the aftermath of the debate Monday evening at Eckstein Hall between incumbent Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser and his challenger in the April 5 election, Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg:<\/p>\n
First: As a news reporter, I\u2019ve never covered a race for a Supreme Court seat. I was struck by how awkward the debate is, compared to the plain old partisan races I\u2019ve covered fairly often. It\u2019s similar to confirmation hearings for U.S. Supreme Court justices: Basically, if you have something substantial to say, you can\u2019t and shouldn\u2019t say it. You can\u2019t say what you would do with any potential upcoming issues. Frequently, you can\u2019t (or won\u2019t) comment on past actions, although Prosser did talk about some past cases and said he was glad to run on his record. So you end up standing there, saying repeatedly that you are independent and nonpartisan and will judge each case fairly and with an open mind. Which both Kloppenburg and Prosser did. But it is very clear that Prosser is being backed by conservatives and Republican-oriented groups and Kloppenburg is being backed by liberals and Democratic-leaning groups. Do all these people and groups know something the candidates don\u2019t know? Are they wrong? Or is this a curious exercise in avoiding talking about the issues, even though everyone seems to know what you\u2019d say if you did?<\/p>\n
Two: I\u2019ve been at some testy and tense debates and joint appearances by candidates in various races, but this one was way up the list, if it wasn\u2019t the champion on my personal list. <\/p>\n
The acrimonious atmosphere that has categorized the recent work (and public relations) of the Wisconsin Supreme Court has certainly carried over into this race. While both candidates said they were the right choice for people who wanted to see the court move forward with more collegiality, there was not much goodwill flowing between the two. Kloppenburg said Prosser had denigrated some justices and his conduct had made relations worse on the court (she did not mention the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story <\/a>that reported he had insulted Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson, but she almost certainly didn\u2019t need to). Prosser said Kloppenburg had let partisanship into her campaign and wanted to turn the election into a referendum on Gov. Scott Walker. He also said that Kloppenburg is \u201cincredibly envious\u201d of his record helping people as a prosecutor, while slighting her record in environmental work with the attorney general\u2019s office as involving \u201cthe length of (boat) docks.\u201d Kloppenburg responded, \u201cI have improved the quality of life for communities around the state.\u201d<\/p>\n Three: Prosser made what I would say is the most amazing statement by a candidate I have ever heard in person. He said Kloppenburg had left statements from supporters on her campaign\u2019s Facebook page that were inappropriate, including this one: \u201cStop the turd, vote Kloppenburg.\u201d He said, \u201cAm I turd?\u201d \u00a0He was in front of a bank of cameras. Moments like that can \u2013 and I suspect will \u2013 live forever on Youtube. \u00a0<\/p>\n