Back to the future and hoping for the best

While preparing to restart this blog I came across the audio of an interview that I did back in February on Madison's 92.1, The Mic.* I was the guest for the full hour with the very well-informed Lee Rayburn. The show focused on the Annette Ziegler and Michael Gableman campaigns for the state Supreme Court, both topics with which I am very familiar.

Listining nearly 10 months after the interview originally aired was actually very insightful. It was fascinating to look back on the facts at that time, and how things have transpired since. At that time, Ziegler had finally admitted to her ethical violations, while Michael Gableman was only beginning to commit his own. While it was clear at that time that Gableman was lying about specific items of fact, he had yet to commit the acts that now have him charged by the Judicial Commission. Ziegler has since both recieved and accepted the punishment of her peers while Gableman continues to cross shameful lines by fighting for his "right" to lie.

Gableman's attack on the Judicial Code will probably be the three ring circus that we fully expect it to be. While that will surely get its share of the headlines, we should also keep an eye on yet another right wing candidate running for the high court next year. After the Ziegler scandal of 2007, most of us hoped for something better in 2008. Unfortunately Gableman refused to learn from her mistakes and was intent on taking them to an entirely new level. Let's hope that Randy Koschnick departs entirely from the right wing pattern that has been set before him. Given some of the people that he has surrounded himself with so far and the playbook that he is already reusing, we have reason to worry. Even with that being said, we can still hope for the best: a civil campaign that focuses on substantive issues and real matters of law.

*If you would like to hear my February 26, 2008 interview with Lee Rayburn, you will find it available in the right column.

Note to Readers

All previous blog postings were done when my Eye on Wisconsin blog was hosted by Wispolitics/Wisopinion from late 2005-June 2006.* It is an archive of my blogging during that time. In May 2006, I was hired by what was then a brand new organization, One Wisconsin Now, as the blog editor. My blogs while at OWN (2006-2008) are available through the first link in the blog roll in the right column.

My time with OWN is coming to an end with the end of the the year, so I am resurrecting the Eye on Wisconsin blog. This is the primary place that I will be blogging from this day forward. I will also be contributing to other sites but Eye on Wisconsin will be my primary blogging home. Blogging may be rather light here until the first of the year, but with the new year will come new writing, new research and new opportunities.

*Content from Eye on Wisconsin prior to December 23, 2005 is no longer available.