I’m traveling and mostly not following politics this week (Zandar will be filling in for me once his account gets set up), but I am too fascinated by this Wisconsin judicial strangling incident not to comment.
I have long believed that wingerism will eventually devolve into Senators beating each other with canes and such, just like it did in those years right before the tyrant Lincoln trampled all over the Rights Of The States. When it does, David Brooks will be blaming the internet and whoever the Democratic president is for not having lunch with Paul Ryan enough. Should be a good time.
Roger Moore
I’m more worried that it will devolve into a string of attempted assassinations and bombings. Of course each one will be a separate incident resulting from causes specific to the individual case and in no way will be part of a broader right wing terror campaign.
scav
Blaming the Internet! But I though Legislation by Cage Match was what the founders wanted! Betsy Ross sewed the tight costumes for George “The Teeth” Washington, “Blood of Liberty Beanpole” Jefferson and “Beerbelly” Adams.
dpcap
I love how he claims that she just walked into his
fisthands. It’s just like every schoolyard bully’s dream, to be a State Supreme Court Justice so they can torment people some more.The Republic of Stupidity
Indeed, indeed…
Good times… good times…
And here’s my favorite line from the TPM link…
“It was a accident, see?”
“I had no choice…”
“She was like a wild animal…”
Reminds me of the time someone local was accused of shooting somebody 9 times… when asked by the police what had happened, the accused admitted to holding the gun at the time, but he said had no idea how it went off…
Good times… good times…
dpcap
“Why do you keep hitting yourself?”
*thwack!*
“Why do you keep hitting yourself?”
*thwack!*
“Why do you keep hitting yourself?”
*thwack!*
Han's Solo
I don’t see what the problem is… She told Prosser, a man, to get out of her office. He decided the proper response was to strangle her. Which, him being a man and all, was totally appropriate.
I hope she presses charges. Of course, if she does I’m sure Walker will give Prosser a total pardon. I mean, what’s more traditionally conservative than beating women? And really, Prosser barely won, if Prosser were forced to leave his position I doubt Walker would get another wingnut judge to help him kill worker’s rights.
dpcap
Best part is that if he is forced to resign, Walker can choose an even more insane dude as his replacement.
Good times.
BGinCHI
@Republic of
David BrooksStupidity:This is why we tell people not to write in the passive voice.
It’s the grammatical version of plausible deniability.
shortstop
Post title is beyond awesome.
Bullsmith
You wonder if things like this will start to get through to the general, non-political public in Wisconsin, or if the noise from Fox and Koch-bro ads will successfully drown out the obvious fact that the Wisconsin right is out of control.
It’s sort of disgusting to see Joeseph Goebbels become a Republican political icon. Not in person, of course, but basically it’s Rand’s ideas and his methods that are the core essence of the party right now.
Zach
I’ve got my fingers crossed as well. If you don’t feel up to following politics, you should at least follow the gay marriage panic over at NRO:
The horror! I’d rather grow up with a butch parent than one who wrote, “[P]ain is a marvelous purifier… It is not necessary to beat the child into submission; a little bit of pain goes a long way for a young child. However, the spanking should be of sufficient magnitude to cause the child to cry genuinely.”
Han's Solo
The Republic of Stupidity – That reminds me of Bill Maher’s take on Bristol Palin’s new book “Not Afraid of Life” should be renamed, “Whoops, there’s a dick in me.”
“It’s not my fault I got pregnant” “It’s not my fault I strangled someone for telling me to get out of their office” “It’s not my fault for….”
A HUGE part of being a Republican these days is avoiding any responsibility for anything you, or other Republicans, have done. The wars? Obama’s fault. The economy? Obama’s fault. Chris Christie is fat like an over-inflated blimp? Obama’s fault.
shortstop
There were witnesses, were there not?
The Snarxist Formerly Known as Kryptik
Seriously, even if you are attacked, how do you ‘accidentally’ put your hands on someone’s neck? I can understand perhaps pushing off on their collarbones and people mistaking it for a throttling, but the way they’re trying to pawn it off DOES come off more like ‘She just ran into my hands, it’s not my fault they accidentally wrapped around her neck!’
dpcap
@shortstop
Yep, but of course, their party affiliation will dictate what they saw (and possibly their gender.)
shortstop
I never go over there, but hustled Cornerward this weekend just to enjoy the bitter flavor emanating from all present.
shortstop
dpcap, if the whole court was in the room (and I don’t know that that’s true — saw something stating that other justices were there, but haven’t seen that confirmed), this is going to get even more interesting.
BGinCHI
The Prosser excuse reminds me of a scene in the Larry Sanders Show when his wife cheats on him and then claims “it was an accident.”
“An accident,” he replies in disbelief. “What, did you slip and fall on his p*n*s?”
FYWP
scav
@The Snarxist Formerly Known as Kryptik
Wait Wait, there’s a Sherlock clip for this. Ok, with a knife but . . .
Linda Featheringill
If criminal charges are presented against Prosser, this would have to be handled by the Federal judiciary system, right? How else are you going to press charges against a state supreme court judge?
Roger Moore
@shortstop:
Then the Republicans on the Court would back Prosser no matter what actually happened. Once things reach a certain level of politicization, they’re irredeemable.
trollhattan
Here’s a longer account from a Cheeseland paper.
http://www.wisconsinrapidstribune.com/article/20110626/CWS0101/106260520/Report-Prosser-grabbed-Bradley-around-neck?odyssey=tab|topnews|img|FRONTPAGE|p
Wow.
It’s too bad they didn’t vote out this a**hat. BTW, did anybody else hear This American Life’s Wisconsin politics story last weekend? A compelling slice of what’s become of politics there in the last year.
Thanks, teabaggers!
Omnes Omnibus
@ Linda F: No, state courts would be where it happens. There is no federal crime here, so there is no federal court involvement.
shortstop
Roger Moore: Yeah, that’s what I meant by “going to get even more interesting.” Clearly we need to start installing 7-11 and bank-type cameras in state supreme court chambers.
D0n Camillo
No way this is the first time he’s physically attacked a female colleague. It’s just the first time he’s attacked a female state supreme court justice in fron of other state supreme court justices. I think we’re going to start to hear from other women he’s been forced to assault in self defence.
SteveM
I was thinking more along the lines of Pinkertons gunning down citizens who try to vote without photo IDs.
cckids
Han’s Solo @ 12:
It goes on: 9/11? Clinton’s fault. Torture? brown people’s fault. Had an affair & divorced your wife? Love of country made me do it. It’s like a new Jeopardy category.
handsmile
Here’s a slideshow to instruct winger politicians, who generally prefer to leave the physical violence to their stooges, on legislative hurly-burly. “Hey, politics ain’t beanbag,” as is so often brayed.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/gallery/2010/dec/17/1
Also, there’s a terrific piece from Mother Jones, “When Congressmen Attack,” but I can’t seem to get the link to post here. ‘Home of the free, land of the brave’, and all that….
Han's Solo
Apparently six of the seven Supreme Court Justices were in the room when it went down.
If the missing judge was a Republican than the room was 50/50 Democrats and Republicans. If that is the case expect this to go forward a little before Walker steps in with a pardon. If the missing judge was a Democrat then it was 4 to 2 Republican advantage and you can expect the story to be that the lady judge assaulted Prosser’s hands with her neck.
Suffern ACE
@cckids 27 – as long as some black person somewhere, anywhere, has commited a crime recently; as long as some illegal Mexican somewhere, anywhere has gone to the hospital, and as long as some poor kid sniffs glue somewhere, I, as long as I am republican and not Jewish, am not as responsible as those folks are for anything that is wrong with this country, no matte how powerful I am or how powerless they are.
I believe that’s the oath one takes when when joining up.
canuckistani
She fell down the stairs and landed on the knife. Six times.
Can judges in Wisconsin be impeached, or do they have to wait for him to grow a sense of shame?
scav
It’s like we’ve discovered the existence of the passive class: the one to which things happen, they do not take drugs, they do not make or take bad loans, they do not insert their tabs into inappropriate slots or other tabs, nothing of the sordid sort. All of these things happen to them, grossly impinge on their beautiful little minds and worlds. “How DARE there be consequences!” Only thing I can’t quite squaqre up with this analysis is that they insist on being paid as the source of all good things, everywhere, at all times.
Thoughtful Black Co-Citizen
Don’t mind me, I just come here for DougJ’s awesome post titles.
(And I feel like a pig for laughing at this one.)
Villago Delenda Est
Yet another reason why the broken, mangled body of David Brooks cannot be found in a back alley soon enough.
Han's Solo
UPDATE: John McCain just issued a statement on this controversy – Apparently IT WAS A MEXICAN that strangled the judge!
Build the fence!
handsmile
Ah, if only Prosser’s party affiliation were different; if only “prosser” was slang for penis (any Bavarian linguists hereabouts?)…then maybe this story would merit national media attention.
But this little contretemps between colleagues (the kind of thing that happens every single day) just seems so confuuusing, what with he said/she said. And why did she wait so long before disclosing this alleged “incident”? Besides, doesn’t she have a long history of harassing this poor man? Sounds like those sore loser Dems just can’t accept the judicial election loss.
Oh wait..just in time..here’s the Rod Blagojevich verdict! How much will this conviction of yet another corrupt Democrat jeopardize Obama’s re-election?
Ben Cisco
@ Han’s Solo:You are on fire today!
Trevor B
Hell’s yes, I love me some Zandar. BJ does such a good job recruiting first Tom Levenson now Zandar. Now the problem is my google reader will all be double posts
bemused
I would be very surprised if 68 year old Prosser doesn’t have a long history of uncontrolled rage and intimidation incidents. I wonder if his victims are all women or if he vents his rage at anyone who challenges him.
Superking
I’ve always thought the internet should have lunch with Paul Ryan more often.
ChrisNYC
Check out Althouse for absolute raging crazy on Prosser. Raging crazy.
Maude
bemused @38
I bet he has a pattern and has done this type of thing since he was a small boy. He prolly left a lot of wingless flies in his wake.
bemused
Maude@41:
Yup and I would bet if people started digging into his behavior throughout his life, there would be a fat file of nasty.
D0n Camillo
Bemused,
I think the digging’s about to begin. He probably thinks, since there’s never been any consequences before, that he can get away with anything. He was right until this month.
jayjaybear
There’s a (spoken) lyric in Chicago‘s “Cell Block Tango”:
bemused
D0n Camillo:
That’s how it works for vicious bullies. I hope the digging hits a lot of pay dirt. Prosser has already shown how quickly and easily he totally loses it. The odds of epic, public meltdowns with great photo/video ops are pretty good.
JCJ
@Han’s Solo #35
No, not the fence. This Mexican snuck in to Canada then swam across Lake Superior! Electrify the coastlines!
Epicurus
Talkin’ ’bout the midnight… shit!
Did you see me jump the bedroom door…
This guy Prosser just keeps getting better and better. I do hope Justice Bradley is able to find some legal recourse for this attack. Like you said, somewhere Preston Brooks is laughing.
Josie
@bemused #39: You are exactly right. There is no way he just discovered this behavior in his sixties. I checked cnn and msnbc and there is no mention yet of the incident. I guess it’s up to “new media” to start digging for the truth of his history.
shortstop
A lower court mandating anger management classes for Prosser? Should be entertaining.
bemused
Josie:
I’m wondering how long the Morning Joe crew will avoid this.
Josie
bemused: I hadn’t thought of that, and it gave me a chuckle. This will be a difficult needle to thread for those who play at being reasonable conservatives.
bemused
Josie:
It would be hilariously horrifying if they invite those two horrors, Peggy Noonan and Pat Buchanan to discuss this.
Mnemosyne
@ ChrisNYC
Can you pull some choice quotes for us? I’m afraid of getting out of the boat if it means I have to see Althouse foaming at the mouth.
James E. Powell
@bemused
Until Justice Bradley apologizes & resigns, or until forever, which ever comes first.
trollhattan
@54.Mnemosyne
TBogg’s taken a run at it. He just can’t quit Malthaus.
http://tbogg.firedoglake.com/2011/06/26/got-you-in-a-stranglehold-baby-2/
bemused
James,
What an insane country we live in when that is more likely than Prosser losing his job, being prosecuted for assault and roundly reviled.
Terry Chay
“Is a state supreme court justice going to have to choke a bitch?”
ruemara
Ok Terry, I admit I lol’d.
kideni
Ian Millhiser at ThinkProgress had a good piece on four ways Prosser can be removed: resignation, impeachment, removal by address, and recall. The middle two require 2/3 majorities in one or both houses of the legislature, so neither of those will happen. Recall would mean we’d have to wait until next year. If for some reason he can be persuaded to resign, it’s probably the best option. It’s true that Walker would appoint the person to fill the slot, but it’s not as if Prosser would vote any differently than anyone Walker would appoint, so really, it would be kind of a wash. The appointee would then have to run to retain her/his seat the next year that there isn’t already a judicial election, which would be next spring, when ideally we’ll have just recalled Walker’s ass. Perhaps by that time the non-conservatives would be ready to run an actual campaign.
rikyrah
Terry, I lmao too.