April 15, 2011

Prosser wins the Supreme Court race, but not by enough to block Kloppenburg from seeking a free recount.

"A statewide canvass of vote totals of the state's 72 counties finalized Friday afternoon has Prosser beating Kloppenburg... by 7,316 votes.... The deadline for calling for a recount is 5 p.m. Wednesday."

Congratulations to Justice Prosser.

Should Kloppenburg seek the recount?
Yes, the margin is slim, the recount is free (to her), and the balance on the court matters.
No, the margin is strong, the recount will cost the state money, and I'd like finality.
No, because I like the outcome and want it clinched now.
Yes, because I don't like the outcome, and I'll want to pursue whatever hope is left.
  
pollcode.com free polls

ADDED: Professor Jacobson repurposes "a plea taken from a concern troll who posted a comment here when it looked like Kloppenburg would win by 200 votes." Ha ha.

83 comments:

JackWayne said...

My vote is

Let her do the free recount because nothing else will get them to STFU.

Anonymous said...

It's not free and nothing will shut them up. Just sayin'.

Fen said...

No. She'll do something like flee to Illinois with a trunk full of ballot boxes.

Stake it, lop of its head, salt it, then take off and nuke it from orbit just to be sure.

Kevin said...

Obviously, since the fairness of the process has been called into question, all the votes from Brookfield should be invalidated.

If those votes weren't quickly reported to the Associated Press, they were clearly invalid.

Trooper York said...

If Pia doesn't get a recount this twat shouldn't get a recount.

Oh sorry. Judge Twat.

Synova said...

I go with number 2, but stop at "cost the state money."

Those who aren't satisfied won't be after a recount either, so the finality thing is a distraction.

James said...

Should Kloppenburg seek a recount? No.
Will she? Yes.

Given the margin, the recount will be free to her but I'm curious about who is going to pay her legal expenses. It has to be quite expensive to retain lawyers/observers in all 72 counties.

PJ said...

Can't Judge Sumi just declare the election void and prohibit publication of the results? Why go the recount route rather than the judicial route? (Unless Kloppy has a strategy for winning the recount.)

Martin L. Shoemaker said...

James said...

Given the margin, the recount will be free to her but I'm curious about who is going to pay her legal expenses.

SEIU. AFSCME. And the teacher's unions. They'll use the money they extracted from their members to keep that money flowing, by hook or by crook.

Sal said...

Of course she will because she's damn sure she won. Didn't you see the victory speech?

Unknown said...

You're being Puckish, Madame.

Do the recount; else the Lefty 3 year olds will be whining the way they did after Dubya won.

coketown said...

Is there a market for "Suck it, Kloppenburg" bumper stickers? If so I'll start printing at once.

Lance said...

Can't Judge Sumi just declare the election void and prohibit publication of the results?

Nope. If you get the courts involved, the Repubs will appeal to SCOTUS for another one of those obviously biased 7-2 decisions.

paul a'barge said...

You left out:
(5) Yes, because nothing satisfied like watching loser DEMONcrats run their heads hopelessly against the wall, only to prove to all of us over and over again what losers they are.

I choose #5.

garage mahal said...

State investigating vote irregularities in Waukesha County going back 5 years

Why this dizzy ex-Prosser aide's laptop hasn't been impounded yet hasn't been explained.


The results for the 2006 attorney general's race, for example, show 174,047 votes for either Democrat Kathleen Falk, Republican J.B. Van Hollen or write-in candidates, a total that is 17,243 votes higher than the total ballots cast recorded elsewhere in the results.

Her explanation?

In her note, Nickolaus said the reference to ballots cast "is the number of ballots that were fed through the election machines at the polling places and the results were collected using a modem in the office" but does not include "any hand-entered results."

"Hand entered results"? I feel better. Anyone else?

Brian Brown said...

a total that is 17,243 votes higher than the total ballots cast recorded elsewhere in the results.


Funny how you never pop up when there are more votes cast than registered voters in some elections.

Gee, I wonder why that is?

Carol_Herman said...

Well, let's say it's an "Al Franken Unit" for Kloppenhoppen. While Prosser will probably win it ... unless the democraps can truncate his vote.

Doesn't matter. It's just a dress rehearsal for 2012. Will Trump be the main act for trhe republicans? Or they at a loss on how to win at politics?

It ain't for the Mr. Peeper's of the world, ya know?

I can't imagine why the Kloppenhoppen folk didn't see that a republican district was reporting short. They should have been stealing from the get-go.

For some reason the robbers overlooked the vault.

If this was a comedy film, about now the democraps would be suggesting a lottery instead of a ballot.

The soap opera continues. Oh, and while it continues, you'll notice SUMI stalls! These people are like driving a Volt ... where the steering wheel just detaches in your hands. But first ya need to be traveling at speed.

Anyway, the outcome is just to STALL! Maybe, they'll stall to August 2nd?

By then we'll know if Trump is serious. Or not.

KCFleming said...

Strangely, disputed votes, hinky vote-counting, and stolen elections do not cause Democrats to call for more stringent voting requirements.

Why is that?

SteveR said...

Even as far away as I live and as unfamiliar with Wisconsin demographics, it was clear that there was a problem in Waukesha Cty totals that night. I could accuse Garage of mocking republicans by feinging concern for some Frankenest irregularities but as we know, he actually has to believe Prosser couldn't have won.

Toad Trend said...

@garbage

"Nickolaus said the reference to ballots cast "is the number of ballots that were fed through the election machines..."

"Hand entered results"?"

Yes, because machines experience 'read errors' that result from incomplete or illegible entry on the ballot itself by the voter. If they can't be read, they have to be manually entered and registered.

Of course, it's only nefarious if a republican wins the election.

kent said...

Prosser wins the Supreme Court race

THIS... is what democracy looks like.

garage mahal said...

Funny how you never pop up when there are more votes cast than registered voters in some elections.

Maybe if there was a thread about that topic, between 2-6 yrs ago, I would, shit-for-brains?

WineSlob said...

The Margin O'er Klopper was a Whopper
By Thousands of Votes The Pross Topped 'Er
Klop Dropped Some More Ploppers
In a Poopy-Pot Hopper
There's Nothing To Do But Get Schnockered.

Dustin said...

I can't stand Klopp, but the law provides a free recount because a result this close requires extra care. I support the notion of a recount at the taxpayer expense. Even though Klopp obviously rejected this approach when the shoe was on the other foot, insisting it was over when the margin was drastically smaller.

But just because she's an asshole who hates democracy doesn't mean I have to become what I hate. Go ahead with the recount.

1775OGG said...

There's a caravan of DFL driven cars headed for Wisconsin now with excess Franken ballots that could be used for Kloppenburg. These are ballots that weren't needed, in the final analysis, for Franken to steal, Oops win, his election in 2008. Harry Reid certifies that these are validly prepared uncounted ballots.

It might take a while for this caravan to get to Wisconsin since many of these DFL drivers are coming from out of state and really aren't certain how to get to Madison from where they're from.

Cheers.

Dustin said...

"Maybe if there was a thread about that topic, between 2-6 yrs ago, I would, shit-for-brains?"

So angry, so touchy, so aggressive.

Maybe you should stop throwing baseballs on my lawn, you freaking creepo. Every time I click onto an Althouse thread, no matter what hour it is, there's Garage being a freaking angry loser. This must be your life.

damikesc said...

gm: State investigating vote irregularities in Waukesha County going back 5 years

When was the OFFICIAL vote ever incorrect? The only problems were with an unofficial total given to the AP. Some papers had the correct numbers that night.

But keep on doing...whatever you think you're doing.

Toad Trend said...

@Grand Inquisitor

"Every time I click onto an Althouse thread, no matter what hour it is, there's Garage being a freaking angry loser. This must be your life."

Only a liberal could have so many 'arguments' so completely vacuous and lame and still come back to dispense more. He's a master at constructing scare crows.

garage mahal said...

So angry, so touchy, so aggressive..

Please. You called Kloppenburg an asshole and lied about her! She at no point rejected the recount right Prosser would have had according to state law.

Only a liberal could have so many 'arguments' so completely vacuous and lame and still come back to dispense more. He's a master at constructing scare crows.

Like links to facts and stuff? Yea I can see why that would annoy you.

Brian Brown said...

Like links to facts and stuff?

Actually, you make false assertions and provide links to items that provide no actual evidence for your dipshit claims.

Conserve Liberty said...

I am a member of a Forum on which I can selectively mark a poster "Ignore" and the poster's replies are not visible to me. The fact that a post was made is visible, but the actual post is not shown to my Login ID.

Meade - can this feature be enabled in Blogger? I'd like to put the garage door down.

Penny said...

Recounts extend hope for the losers, anxiety for the winners and media attention for the issues.

Sounds like a WIN-WIN... in a black humor kind of way.

Patrick said...

Recount in Waukesha. I'm just saying I'd be damned suspicious if this happened in Dane County and favored Kloppenburg. Fortunately, the error was only in reporting to the press, and the votes, the actual ballots are preserved, so the total can be easily and objectively verified.

Of course, this won't do for the left, but it will convince any fair minded person that the vote has been properly tallied.

Toad Trend said...

"Like links to facts and stuff?"

Facts? I hardly think so! Its the 'stuff', the silly assertions and shithouse philosophy that buries your chances for being believable.

I do admire your no-quit attitude, it reminds me of the kamikaze pilots in WW2.

Penny said...

Conserving liberty, Conserving Liberty?

ha ha

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I'm guessing its back to the Sumi egg basket for the democrats.. now that the Klopper eggs wound up in their collective face.

BTW - I just got back for our annual tea party April 15th rally here in Hackensack NJ.

Took some pics of the protest signs..

I also have some video of what appears to be a protester protesting the tea party protesters.. who also happened to be African American.. I tried to engage him a little bit but slavery is not my strong suit.

The video sort of speaks for itself if anybody wants it for posting let me know and I'll send it to you. (it would be nice if Althouse puts it up)

There is also some footage of a lovely tea party dog. A Lagotto Romagnolo, or similar (with an American flag as a scarf)

Jason (the commenter) said...

I don't like the results of Althouse's poll, it must be fixed.

Dustin said...

Garage, I call Klopp an asshole for three reasons.

First, she refused to denounce a disgusting advertisement. Easily the worst advertisement I've ever seen in a judicial election.

Second, she failed to distance herself from the notion she would be biased for a specific decision about a specific issue. Quite the contrary.

Third, she failed to respect democracy. She announced she won before the election was certified in a transparent effort to delegitimatize the outcome (they knew this town hadn't been counted). She did this for pure politics.

She's an asshole, and your whining that I call them like I see them doesn't mitigate in your favor. You contradict yourself fundamentally, and you do it on a whim. You show absolutely no principle beyond spinning everything in the most aggressive manner for politics.

That and the sheer time you spend here show you have no life or thought beyond your politics, and your politics are shallow partisanship alone.

David said...

I'm with Jack Wayne.

Do the recount. That way we can point out that she lost the election three times after claiming victory (the corrected unofficial tally, the certified tally and the recount.)

Life's a bitch (that word again!)

garage mahal said...


Facts? I hardly think so! Its the 'stuff', the silly assertions and shithouse philosophy that buries your chances for being believable.


Such as.....? Let's go over an example.

I said ________ this.

You disagree _______ here.

I know so unfair right?

David said...

Garage: "Why this dizzy ex-Prosser aide's laptop hasn't been impounded yet hasn't been explained."

Ok, Garage, read carefully.

Nothing relating to the official count or the official results is or ever was on her laptop. Her laptop was not an instrument of doing the official count.

Can you grasp that?

Anonymous said...

I hope she does go for the recount, so that the lefties get her loss ground into their faces.

MadisonMan said...

It's not clear to me why non-Wisconsinites care about this.

I'm undecided. The law allows for it, and if she wants it, she should go for it. I don't know for sure if I'd do the same in her place. At some point you have to say No. There's an evolution to accepting a result...not sure where Ms. K is. Denial? Anger? Depression? Acceptance?

Can't Judge Sumi just declare the election void and prohibit publication of the results?

I'm curious what you think of Sumi's ruling yesterday.

Jason (the commenter) said...

MadisonMan: It's not clear to me why non-Wisconsinites care about this.

Well, when they were sure Kloppenburg was winning, the national news organizations were telling us how this was a very important election for the entire country.

Toad Trend said...

@MadisonMan

"It's not clear to me why non-Wisconsinites care about this."

Does it bother you that 'non-Wisconsinites' do?

Rule of law and its equitable application is in everyone's interest. It may even set the tone for challenges yet to come in other states. Precedent!!!

blake said...

Indeed, Jason, it refudiated the 2010 election results.

Whoops.

Unknown said...

Garage,

There are votes cast on election day at polling places, those are the votes that are transmitted over modems to "election central".

Then there are absentee and write-in votes which have to be added to the totals separately.

wv: malinico

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Kloope is Jealous of Prossers Boggie.

Don't be jealous of my boogie, don't be jealous of my boogie
You can say that you are not, but I always see you lookin'
Don't be jealous of my boogie, don't be jealous of my boogie
You can say that you are not, but I always see you lookin'.

garage mahal said...

There's an evolution to accepting a result...not sure where Ms. K is. Denial? Anger? Depression? Acceptance?



Just curious. Have you heard of Kath Nickolaus?

MadisonMan said...

@garage: Yes.

Duh. To quote Jeremy. (Never thought I'd do that!)

paminwi said...

I say let her go for a recount. Maybe she can spend some more of the unions money so they can ask for more during the recall elections and the 2012 elections. At some time even the wacky, low paid (because we all know the union employees don't make enough $) will have to decide to feed their children or give more $ to their unions. The unions are also using $ to fight in the courts the budget repair bill and at some point someone in the White House is going to say "SAVE YOUR MONEY FOR ME! and MY RE-ELECTION! Don't waste it all on a silly recount or recall elections."

garage mahal said...

@MadisonMan
Ah, ok cool. Don't you think Krazy Kathy would be an East Sider though? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

And here I thought you were cynical.

MadisonMan said...

Sorta o/t, but re: Palin.

I'm on a lot of email lists that flooded my inbox with messages re: Walker back when that was happening. Nary a peep about Gov Palin visiting.

For what it's worth.

MadisonMan said...

@garage, I am a cynic. But I also think the best of people. I think Ms. N does the best she can.

damikesc said...

gm: Such as.....? Let's go over an example.

I said ________ this.

You disagree _______ here.

I know so unfair right?

OK, I'll bite.

A local paper in Brookfield had the correct vote totals --- the ones "corrected" by Nickolaus --- on election night.

If these were fishy ... how come some reporters managed to get the right ones?

And when do problems with an UNOFFICIAL count become "fraud"? Wouldn't that be if a problem existed with the OFFICIAL count?

Steve Koch said...

What happens when they canvass the results and why does it take so long (10 days)? I notice that Milwaukee took the maximum amount allowable by law.

One reason the election is interesting to out of state people is to see if the Dems try to steal the election. Walker promised that the Dems would not be able to repeat the chicanery they pulled off in the Minnesota senate election. I'm watching to see if Walker is able to ensure that the election is not hijacked (or not).

BTW, are the Wisconsin Republican politicians doing anything to improve election integrity (like voter ID)? If not, why not?

garage mahal said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
garage mahal said...

@garage, I am a cynic. But I also think the best of people. I think Ms. N does the best she can

That ain't near nowhere good enough, and you haven't been paying nowhere enough attention to who is running things these days. Ms. K has found votes that swung elections more than once. Always Republican. She plead immunity from prosecution from a prior election scandal, and you still "trust" her? Would you trust your money with Ms K.? I doubt it.

Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...

I would rather she didn't ask for the recount. It will cost the state lots of money and it won't change the outcome. I believe the largest shift in Wisconsin recount history is around 600 votes. If she was lucky enough to be on the receiving end of such a historic shift she would still be 6700 votes short.

On the other hand, a recall really wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for conservatives. It would continue to suck up energy and resources from the left without providing them any real hope of prevailing.

Thorley Winston said...

It's not clear to me why non-Wisconsinites care about this.

1) As a net federal taxpayer I don’t want to fund another State bailout. If Wisconsin gets its fiscal house in order, its less likely to want a bailout and its Congressional delegation less likely to vote support a bailout of the other States. In so far as the collective bargaining reforms Wisconsin passed make it more likely it can get its spending under control and insofar as Prosser is perceived as a vote to uphold the new law whereas Kloppenberg is a likely to vote against it, my preference is for Prosser to win.

2) State supreme courts often see the rulings of similar State supreme courts as persuasive authority when they haven’t ruled on a issue. Given the perceived balance on the Wisonsin supreme court, the victory of either Kloppenberg or Prosser may decide the balance of your court and hence affect whether the Minnesota supreme court may be influenced by more conservative or more leftist court opinions.

3) The labor battle in Wisconsin (of which the judicial election and litigation are key parts) is seen by many of us as the first in a line of dominos. As each State employee union falls, their national organizations become weaker if only because they lose a source of funding. So insofar as public employee unions in my own State (and nationally) are hostile to my interests as a net taxpayer who wants more limited government, I welcome each State that defunds them as a ultimately helping efforts in my State to do the same.

4) There is a rather ugly strain of bigotry that is still socially acceptable and in many ways celebrated in Minnesota and that is looking down one’s nose at anything perceived as Southern. If anyone even suggests trying to reign in spending (not even cutting just slowing down the rate of growth), we hear accusations of trying to turn Minnesota into a “cold Mississippi” or a “cold Texas” or whatever. When States that neighbor us adopt more conservative policies (like South Dakota or Wisconsin), it makes it a little easier for those of us who want things like welfare reform or school choice or tax cuts or cutting State spending to point to our neighbors. Also everytime our neighbors enact policies that create a more business friendly climate, it creates a sort of “race to the top” where we have greater pressure to cut spending and reign in the cost of our own government.

MadisonMan said...

As a net federal taxpayer I don’t want to fund another State bailout.

There is absolutely no evidence that WIsconsin is anywhere near needing a bailout. None at all. So what are you really afraid of?

(Another?)

Beta Rube said...

Maybe I'll bring a "Welcome Back Prosser" sign to the rally tomorrow.

Awfully hard to "find" 7k votes.

Carol_Herman said...

There's only one game in town!

It's been the same game since those numbers came in and bounced Kloppenhoppen out of the lead.

And, the game is DELAY ...

Seems to be working.

Prosser was the obvious winner right after Kloppenhoppen gave her weird acceptance speech!

Even the union thugs know that Kloppenhoppen doesn't have a chance to win. However, with Sumi, and Ambramson pulling the court levers ... this "race" won't be counted out until August 2nd. Or as close to August 2nd as these people can come!

What's their gain? They're playing with minds, here! And, people aren't up in arms. Aren't screaming for Mr. Peepers.

If anything, the "game" for republicans is to lie low. (That's why they need Special Olympic helmets when they go out to play politics.)

1775OGG said...

Clarification: My comments above, about the "caravan" only apply if a recount were to be ordered, in which case, Wisconsin's borders should be sealed.

Finding "additional" votes for Kloppenburg would only matter in a recount.

Synova said...

"There is absolutely no evidence that WIsconsin is anywhere near needing a bailout. None at all. So what are you really afraid of?"

MM, In my opinion it's almost the *mildness* of Wisconsin's economic situation that makes it important. Symbolically at least. If even Wisconsin, with its relatively small and manageable budget shortfalls is (with malice) prevented from doing what is necessary to get its fiscal house in order, what hope do the real disaster states have? What hope does the federal government have?

Anonymous said...

Free Recount?....tell that to the taxpayers who will pay for the free recount.....

James said...

While California frequently makes the headlines because of its $26.6 billion structural deficit, Wisconsin's 2012 estimated deficit of $3.6 billion shouldn't be shrugged off.

On a per capita basis those deficits translate to $713 for each California resident and $643 for each Wisconsin resident. And if I recall correctly, just a few months ago Wisconsin's per capita deficit was larger than California's.

Penny said...

Well, that's one way to look at it, Synova.

Course if you only have time to tune into nightly news on TV, you might assume that "flyover country" is being saved by union solidarity!

*fist bump*

bagoh20 said...

OMG, what happened to Ann Wilson - she WAS hot back then, but now - holy shit! We all get old, but put down the fork.

Why

bagoh20 said...

I'm referring to: The link has a video of Heart doing "Baracuda". She looked really good, then.

Freeman Hunt said...

I don't care if she recounts. I think it would be a waste of time and money, but it's up to her, that's the law.

So my Democrat friends, what a crazy election, right? You guys should probably vote in voter ID or something.

bagoh20 said...

"On a per capita basis those deficits translate to $713 for each California resident and $643 for each Wisconsin resident."

CA median family income 2009 = $56K
WI = $51K

Which makes you guys even lamer than us, HA!

And we're all wasted out here on medical weed. What's your excuse - tainted cheese?

Freeman Hunt said...

I assume you see a lot of protest signs in Madison that read, "Election Thief Prosser! Voter ID Now!"

Alex said...

garage can go fuck himself with a rusty dildo for all I care.

PJ said...

@Madison Man: I'm curious what you think of Sumi's ruling yesterday.

I haven't read the text of the decision, but from news reports it appeared that she was basically clearing away clutter. The dismissed plaintiffs, Dane County officials Falk and McDonnell, were apparently raising exactly the same claims as other plaintiffs whose cases are still pending (the the Dane County DA and the union plaintiffs), but with highly questionable legal standing. Thus, the Falk/McDonnell suit appeared to be a "me too" action, likely designed to advance the political interests of the plaintiffs more than to add any substance to the case against the challenged legislation. By dismissing the Falk/McDonnell action, Sumi cleared some work from her docket and obviated a potential appellate issue, without narrowing the range of legal grounds available to her for invalidating the law.

The decision did provide occasion for a good laugh when it emerged that Falk and McDonnell were not precluded from proceeding as private citizens at their own expense (at least not yet), but they evidently decided that their redundant lawsuit was worth pursuing only if the taxpayers financed it. This is what democracy looks like!

Roger Sweeny said...

The very first commenter is right. Sure, some people will never be satisfied, but most will.

It's the same reason there should have been a full-state recount in Florida in 2000.

AllenS said...

I hope that Kloppenburg asks for a recount. That way she can lose twice.

Brian Brown said...

Ms. K has found votes that swung elections more than once

Um, how about you provide news accounts of these instances?

Further, nobody "found" votes in this instance, nor is anyone claiming to have "found" votes.

You silly little liar.

James said...

Sumi cleared some work from her docket and obviated a potential appellate issue, without narrowing the range of legal grounds available to her for invalidating the law.

Except that there's no "law" to be invalidated since Judge Sumi's restraining order prohibits the Sec. of State from publishing the act in the Wisconsin State Journal.

Thus setting up the laughable situation where Judge Sumi hints that the legislature should take another vote on the bill, and the Assembly and Senate leaders say that there will be no new vote.

Conserve Liberty said...

Penny said...

Conserving liberty, Conserving Liberty?

Jeffersonian Democrat

Issob Morocco said...

I vote yes, because even though they may say the recount is 'free', it will tie up money and resources from the left in what we will be, in the end, a losing effort.

My guess is come Wednesday at 5:01PM CST, Kloppenburg will found standing by herself near a sloping corn field outside of LaCrosse, on the road to Cashton.

The left knows when to cut their losses and move on to other battles, if nothing else.

dave in boca said...

Although I voted the second choice on the list, because of time and money, it might just be worth recounting so as to keep Kloppenburg's epic fail of a "victory statement," surely the most ridiculous example of entitlement hubris in quite a while, in front of the eyes of the American public.

Trochilus said...

A part of me says you missed the best choice for an answer:

YES, because I want to see the Democrats once again demonstrate their incapacity to understand what really concerns the public -- i.e., wasting public money on worthless causes -- thereby turning even more Wisconsin voters against them in the run-up to 2012.