Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

The snowflake in chief appeared visibly frustrated when questioned by a reporter about egg prices.

You come for women, you’re gonna get your ass kicked.

Text STOP to opt out of updates on war plans.

In my day, never was longer.

Mediocre white men think RFK Jr’s pathetic midlife crisis is inspirational. The bar is set so low for them, it’s subterranean.

Tick tock motherfuckers!

Sometimes the world just tells you your cat is here.

Donald Trump found guilty as fuck – May 30, 2024!

Not rolling over. fuck you, make me.

Marge, god is saying you’re stupid.

Do we throw up our hands or do we roll up our sleeves? (hint, door #2)

You are so fucked. Still, I wish you the best of luck.

Prediction: the gop will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

Stay strong, because they are weak.

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. keep building.

Reality always gets a vote in the end.

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

The republican caucus is covering themselves with something, and it is not glory.

Washington Post Catch and Kill, not noticeably better than the Enquirer’s.

Shut up, hissy kitty!

“Loving your country does not mean lying about its history.”

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

You are here: Home / Politics / Wisconsin and Chicago – Election Watch and Music Thread

Wisconsin and Chicago – Election Watch and Music Thread

by | 371 Comments

This post is in: , ,

There’s so much on the line today, so much at stake, that I have everything crossed.

Polls close in Chicago at 7 pm Central, 8 pm Eastern.

Polls close in Wisconsin at 8 pm Central, 9 pm Eastern.

*if you are in line by closing time, you are still allowed to vote.  No idea of whether that will be at play here, or how quickly we can expect election results for Wisconsin.

For Chicago, I just saw this:

City officials are expected to begin releasing results by ward after midnight, Central time, into Wednesday morning.

boo!

edit: but they are posting results for Chicago mayor already!

⭐️

Music Playlist  created by brendancalling especially for this occasion, in honor of Wisconsin and Chicago and the NY indictments.

Quick note from Brendan:

Hi everyone,

Short blurb today. I tried to grab songs that are relevant to Chicago, Wisconsin, and TFG’s arrest—all while trying to find a decent place to eat here in State College, PA—where despite having a college the size of a small city, the sidewalks seem to roll up around 8:00.

Today’s playlist is all over the map but as I mention focuses primarily on Wisconsin and Chicago. There’s some blues, some folk, some rock, including some louder bands you might not have heard of like Naked Raygun. I couldn’t help but throw on “Breakin’ the Law” by Judas Priest. It’s a twofer—not only does the song fit our National Embarrassment’s current situation, JP’s singer, Rob Halford, is famously the first star of heavy metal to proudly come out as gay.

I also included the complete Winnebago Man outtakes. Those of you with virgin ears (HAHAHAHA) may want to skip past, but for me… well, I’m imagining TFG (and a lot of of others in his orbit) the whole time.

Anyway, I gotta get out of here if I expect to eat tonight. Good luck to us in Wisconsin and Chicago! And from this Philly boy, fuck Paul Vallas.

I haven’t watched more than 5 minutes of *MSNBC or any of those shows in years, but I have watched a lot today.  Luckily, I have Tivo so I recorded several hours, and I just fast forwarded through all the fucking street scenes and the hallway scenes – our media is complicit in crating creating Trump.  Autocorrect gave me crating at first, and now that you mention it, I hope the media will finally be complicit in his cratering, as well.

*Now I understand why a few of you want to smack there former-Republican now-MSNBC anchor who sees red when the rest of us see Merrick Garland.  I hope she has to eat crow before this whole thing is over.

Anyway, let’s gab about today’s events in NY, and the elections.  Hoping election results come quickly and all in the right direction!

In the first few comments, I’m including some great information that one of you sent me today, but I can’t recall who.  So out yourself, please, if it was you!

Open thread.

 

Reader Interactions

371Comments

  7. 7.

    Mousebumples

    @WaterGirl: Wisconsin referendums were largely GOP attempts to gin up conservative turnout, in my opinion. Voted against all 3. (2 were referendums, and 1 was a non binding resolution, I think)

    Devita Davison (@DevitaDavison) tweeted at 6:10 PM on Tue, Apr 04, 2023:

    As of this morning, per @WI_Elections, 434,985 absentee and early votes have already come in for Wisconsin’s Supreme Court election.

     

    The previous pre-pandemic Spring election record, in 2019’s Supreme Court race, was 147,141.

    Expect huge turnout.

    (twitter.com/DevitaDavison/status/1643390717052567554?t=0ieTFCra1-0huNh-7W4hHw&s=03)

    If you click through there’s video of students at UW Eau Claire waiting in line to vote.

  13. 13.

    WaterGirl

    Is anyone listening to the playlist?  There are some fun songs on there

    The first one I am listening to is in honor of the Dumpster in NY.  I fought the law and the law won.

  14. 14.

    Brachiator

    Wisconsin Election Notes.

    Election Day

    Polls close at 9 p.m. ET.

    How Wisconsin votes

    Voting is open to all voters, who can register on election day.

    The AP will declare a winner in the race for Supreme Court justice and in five additional races, including three ballot measures, a special election for state Senate and a Court of Appeals seat. In the February primary election, the AP first reported results in Wisconsin at 9:06 p.m. ET. The final election night vote update came just after midnight, at which point more than 99% of votes had been counted.

  17. 17.

    WaterGirl

    The NYT doesn’t even show the Supreme Court race on their election results page.  WTF?

    edit: I just found it on a separate page from Spring Elections.  Totally illogical.

  18. 18.

    UncleEbeneezer

    The Fruit Bats are one of my favorite Chicago-based bands that I have discovered and learned to really love in recent years.  Good old, roots-rock with a bit of a country and even folk vibe at times.  Here’s my Spotify playlist of some their best tunes.

  19. 19.

    WaterGirl

    @TaMara: Did you see that the cretin who is running against Jodi for the state senate seat talked about impeaching Judge Janet if he wins?

    (Because if he wins, the Rs will have 2/3 majorities in both state houses, and as I understand it , they will be able to impeach any elected official they please.

  22. 22.

    Another Scott

    Re the playlist:  I was going to suggest #28, but I figured brendancalling would have already picked it.  Good thing I checked!

    Fingers crossed for the good people of Chicago and Wisconsin tonight.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  28. 28.

    WaterGirl

    Is everyone all talked out about the arraignment today?  I was watch MSNBC (I don’t think I’ve watched a political show in well over a decade) so after the action started in NY, I missed most of the threads today.

  31. 31.

    rikyrah

    @WaterGirl:

     

    It’s only the Mayoral Race and a handful of Aldermanic races.

     

    Mail ballots collected before today were prepped and have been scanning since yesterday.

    Early votes were downloaded and the electronic data uploaded today while the election was going on.

    Now, they’re just waiting for the precincts to transmit to their central server.

     

    After the precincts report, the only thing left will be whatever mail ballots come in that were postmarked by today. They have until the 18th to arrive into the Chicago Board of Elections in order to be counted.

  32. 32.

    Another Scott

    Rupert has another sad. France24.com:

    The 92-year-old announced his planned nuptials less than a month ago, telling his own New York Post that he would wed Ann Lesley Smith and the pair would spend “the second half of our lives together.”

    But Vanity Fair, citing unnamed sources close to Murdoch, said the wedding plans were suddenly halted.

    The magazine reported one source saying Murdoch had become uncomfortable about 66-year-old Smith’s evangelical views.

    I would think religious views would come up pretty early in a courtship. Hmm…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  37. 37.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

     Dave Wasserman@Redistrict 7m

    New: w/ 442,491 votes counted in Chicago, Vallas’s lead over Johnson narrows to 2,441 votes (50.3%-49.7%). Huge momentum shift. You’d much rather be Johnson now

    No word how the cemeteries are voting

    (sorry, couldn’t resist)

  38. 38.

    Soprano2

    We have an election here too. If the two wing nutty school board candidates win, the school board will be a shit show for a couple of years at least. Crossing my fingers the sane candidates win.

  41. 41.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Meanwhile, Tom Nichols is live-tweeting trump’s meltdown

    Tom Nichols @RadioFreeTom 4m
    “The banks made 200 million off Donald Trump and they liked me very much”

    that populism the economically anxious white working class of the rust belt loves so much

  47. 47.

    raven

    Live chat

     

    Trump’s first mention of the judge in the New York case — who he just described as a “Trump-hating judge with a Trump-hating wife and family” drew a mix of murmurs and groans from his crowd. So far, these remarks are long on grievance and light on applause lines.

  49. 49.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @UncleEbeneezer: I caught this exchange in the car. Littman has been getting increasingly frustrated with Wallace’s Garland Derangement. She really thinks a trial can and should look just like the J6 Committee.

  53. 53.

    jackmac

    50-50 deadlock in Chicago with 87 percent counted. Vallas with 370 vote lead out of 476,000 cast.

  55. 55.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: So glad I don’t watch her.  She sounds like she would drive me absolutely bonkers.  Mehdi Hassan and Elie Mystal being on these shows, is already enough to keep me away.

  58. 58.

    Barbara

    @WaterGirl: Like many Republicans she wants someone, anyone  to save them from Trump, but at least she has the integrity to say so out loud.

  60. 60.

    rikyrah

    @WaterGirl:

    they matter only in terms of the integrity of the Alderman. We’re supposed to have a strong council/weak Mayor system. But, too many Aldermen give the Mayor too much power and influence.

  62. 62.

    rikyrah

    Johnson just took the lead

     

    BRANDON JOHNSON
     
    242,970
    50.11%

    PAUL VALLAS
     
    241,859
    49.89%

    Total Votes
     
    484,829
     

     

     
     

  63. 63.

    Princess

    @WaterGirl: I’ll look forward to rikyrah’s thoughts but I think they matter a LOT. We’ve had councils that are rubber stamps and ones that are less so.

  77. 77.

    Steeplejack

    @Baud:

    Yeah, it is. In Windows you can search for an emoji, and this 🦡 comes up for “badger.”

    ([Windows key] + [period key] to access emojis.)

  78. 78.

    Delk

    I’m in the 47th ward. The 46th and 48th have a lot of real estate developments happening. The alderman has a lot of say about what gets built.

  83. 83.

    rikyrah

    @Delk:

    I’m in the 47th ward. The 46th and 48th have a lot of real estate developments happening. The alderman has a lot of say about what gets built.

     

    Tis true. If the Alderman wants to use that power for good and empowering the constituents, they can do it through development.

     

    Don’t get me started on TIFF districts, and the scam that turned into

  85. 85.

    Sure Lurkalot

    Hoping BJ good will in terms of WaterGirl’s organizing, posting and zooming (and baking!), the benjamins contributed and postcards written put our good candidates over the top.

  88. 88.

    Citizen Alan

    @Another Scott: I’m genuinely curious as to what evangelical views were the deal breaker considering she was happy to marry a thrice divorced man who was 30 years. Her senior and had one foot in the grave.

  92. 92.

    Josie

    @Citizen Alan: ​ My mother, who had southernisms to rival Bill Clinton’s, used to say “One foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel.”​

  94. 94.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Mousebumples: My niece is at UWEC.  She sent me a picture of her “I voted” sticker.  My nephew merely said that he voted.  They are 20 and 21 respectively.

  97. 97.

    Manyakitty

    @raven: I usually do, too. She underwent a true conversion away from the dark side. That gives her some latitude for her residual winger views. She’s shed a bunch of them and I expect her to lose more apace.

  99. 99.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Citizen Alan:

    he was happy to marry a thrice divorced man who was 30 years. Her senior and had one foot in the grave.

    I hadn’t realized they were that close in age.

  105. 105.

    eclare

    @WaterGirl:   Whoever sprayed his face did a horrible job.  He should have gotten a sprayer from DWTS, they are pros.  They go through gallons of the stuff.

  107. 107.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Wasserman has turned his attention to the WI court race

    Dave Wasserman @Redistrict. 1m
    Wisconsin: 73% of Wood Co. (Wisconsin Rapids) reporting and Kelly leading there 56%-44%. That’s a Trump +19 county, so again, not a good enough pace for Kelly.

    3m   Wisconsin: up to 36% reporting in Dane, and Protasiewicz up to a 79%-21% lead there. That would be a winning pace.

  108. 108.

    WaterGirl

    @eclare: I thought his hair looked frizzy and dried out, like they had washed it with dial soap in the shower.

    of course, if I didn’t despise him, I wouldn’t care about that.

  109. 109.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @japa21: The referenda were wingnut bait.  Meant to harsh-up pretrial confinement, etc.  All decent people voted no.  Except possibly my s-i-l.

  111. 111.

    rikyrah

    Precincts Reported: 1,194 of 1,291 (92.49%)

     

     

     
     
     

    Candidate
     
    Total

    BRANDON JOHNSON
     
    258,594
    50.70%

    PAUL VALLAS
     
    251,415
    49.30%

    Total Votes
     
    510,009
     

     

     
     

     

  115. 115.

    MazeDancer

    Lakshya Jain runs a newish numbers org called Split-Ticket. He’s full of good news Hope he’s right. Calling Chicago for Brandon. And:

    This is not callable yet, but it is very, very difficult to see how Dan Kelly makes up the margins he needs here. This is a catastrophic start for him, and if these early returns show anything, he’s on track to post awful numbers in the blood-red Milwaukee suburbs

  121. 121.

    different-church-lady

    @eclare: ​
      Years before he ran, I read someone saying it wasn’t a comb over, it was a comb forward.

  126. 126.

    UncleEbeneezer

    Transgender Women Athletes & Elite Sport: A Scientific Review:

    CONCLUSION: There is no firm basis available in evidence to indicate that trans women have a consistent and measurable overall performance benefit after 12 months of testosterone suppression. While an advantage in terms of Lean Body Mass (LBM), Cross Section Area (CSA) and strength may persist statistically after 12 months, there is no evidence that this translates to any performance advantage as compared to elite cis-women athletes of similar size and height. This is contrasted with other changes, such as hemoglobin (HG), which normalize within the cis women range within four months of starting testosterone suppression. For pre-suppression trans women it is currently unknown when during the first 12 months of suppression that any advantage may persist. The duration of any such advantage is likely highly dependent on the individual’s pre-suppression LBM which, in turn varies, greatly and is highly impacted by societal factors and individual circumstance.

  128. 128.

    Eduardo

    The lady with the impossible name is winning in Wisconsin.  If she does, this will mark the defeat of a serious and for a while triumphant attempt to end democracy in varios states of the Midwest: PA, MI, WI and partially MN. Maybe I am leaving some state out.

    The American experiment goes on. 🇺🇸

  129. 129.

    marcopolo

    Wasserman just called it for Janet Protasiewicz in WI.  That’s 99.9% of the way for me…

    Now, let’s see if the D’s can win SD 8

  133. 133.

    TaMara

    Hope this prediction holds:

  134. 134.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @WaterGirl: Yes, she is.  She is just very pro-cop and pro-prosecution.  Works as a victims’ advocate for battered women.

  139. 139.

    Steeplejack

    Tom Nichols live-tweeted Trump’s speech tonight at Mar-a-Lago. Apparently Nichols has not mastered threading technology, so you have to scroll down in his timeline to this tweet and then read back upward from there. Interesting stuff and links to other observers.

  142. 142.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @UncleEbeneezer: Thanks for sharing. It’s the latest study to confirm that trans women don’t retain any advantages after hormone treatment. I’d also note that we’ve been running a world-wide experiment for two decades and trans women aren’t taking over women’s sports.

  144. 144.

    marcopolo

    Btw, shout out to Ben Wikler and all the WI Dem Party staff and volunteers for all the hard work they’ve put in over the past several years.  First, getting Evers re-elected Gov and now flipping the WI SC.  Amazing work!!!

  146. 146.

    rikyrah

    @marcopolo:

     

    Btw, shout out to Ben Wikler and all the WI Dem staff and volunteers for all the hard work they’ve put in over the past several years.  First, getting Evers re-elected Gov and now flipping the WI SC.  Amazing work!!!

    CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP

  149. 149.

    mvr

    Shout out to WaterGirl for organizing a bunch of jackals to write cards, etc.
    Mousebumples as well!
    Still a bit nervous, but if we’re doing shout outs that one is deserved.​

  151. 151.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Steeplejack: Sometimes when I come in late I read threads from the bottom up, and this was the second from the bottom. Makes me want to just abandon the thread and get a drink.

  154. 154.

    David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: ​  200 million is petty cash to a banking industry worth 3.6 Trillion dollars. (roughly 0.00055555555%)​
     

    Dump has always been small time

  156. 156.

    rikyrah

    Precincts Reported: 1,231 of 1,291 (95.35%)

     

     

     
     
     

    Candidate
     
    Total

    BRANDON JOHNSON
     
    274,517
    51.18%

    PAUL VALLAS
     
    261,845
    48.82%

    Total Votes
     
    536,362
     

  160. 160.

    Steeplejack

    @Citizen Alan:

    Down in the Vanity Fair article it sort of indicated that she had a gold-digger-y background with a former millionaire husband before she found Jesus.

    ETA: Speaking of which, Gold Diggers of 1933 is starting on TCM in a few minutes. The best of the big Busby Berkeley musicals, IMO. Great songs and also a well-written comedy.

  163. 163.

    David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch

    So far the cemetery wards haven’t reported in Chicago

  164. 164.

    japa21

    Meanwhile, Johnson has expanded his lead even further.  Almost 13 K advantage 95% in

    ETA: I’ll just let Rikyrah handle it.
    But between WI and Chicago, could be a good, good night.

  165. 165.

    TS

     

    @rikyrah:

    BRANDON JOHNSON 258,594 50.70%

    PAUL VALLAS 251,415 49.30%

    So hard to believe it could be this close. So many people want RW autocratic rule – because they think it will be better for themselves and worse for those others.

    The hatred that this engenders is mind boggling – and sadly not just in the US.

  166. 166.

    jackmac

    Love the playlist but “Lake Shore Drive” — a great Chicago song by Alioto, Haynes and Jerimiah — is conspicuously absent.

  169. 169.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Sister Golden Bear: You’re very welcome.  It just popped up on my Twitter feed and since a commenter here was asking about the Trans athlete myth, just the other day, I figured it was worth sharing asap.

    I was surprised that other studies arguing that there is an advantage, compared elite Trans women athletes to mostly-sedentary Cis women.  I mean, wtf?  That’s a pretty major flaw for a study, that more people should be aware of.

  170. 170.

    rikyrah

    @TS:

    So hard to believe it could be this close. So many people want RW autocratic rule – because they think it will be better for themselves and worse for those others.

    The hatred that this engenders is mind boggling – and sadly not just in the US.

     

    It’s the crime issue. When crime was just in the Black and Brown communities, it was ‘manageable’. But, now that crime is taking place in White areas too, that gave Vallas his opening.

  172. 172.

    japa21

    @TS: ​
      Vallas would not qualify as RW authoritarian rule. Definitely a centrist Dem, but nor RW.

  174. 174.

    Steeplejack

    Rachel Maddow announcing on MSNBC that Janet Protasiewicz is the projected winner in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race by 57% to 43%. That’s a pretty big margin.

  175. 175.

    rikyrah

    @TS:

    The truth is..

    In Chicago, you can piss one major union off and stay in power:

     

    Police or Teachers

     

    Lori Lightfoot made enemies in BOTH unions and they went after her.

    The Vallas/Johnson match is basically both unions going after one another.

     

    Vallas – Police

    Johnson – Teachers

     

    Johnson racked up a number of Union endorsements, outside of the Teachers Union. and, in Chicago, those endorsements came with door knockers and walkers for him.

     

    Vallas only had the Police Union.

     

    The Unions that Johnson had sent boots all over the city, because they were from all over the city. The Police Union, while required to live in Chicago, are completely concentrated in two different sections of the city, both at the city’s edge – one on the North Side, one on the South Side. Of course, I mean the White cops. Black and Hispanic cops live in neighborhood all across the city.

  181. 181.

    Steeplejack

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Back-story: On the MSNBC all-star panel a couple of hours ago O’Donnell said that he went down into the crowd this morning to get the vibe. He said that very few people recognized him, but there was one guy who kept following him around and yelling something incoherent about his vagina.

    ETA: Rachel Maddow did point out that that could just be an ordinary day in lower Manhattan.

  182. 182.

    Mousebumples

    Thank you to everyone here – whether it’s WaterGirl for coordinating with Voces to get us addresses for postcards, or all of you who wrote postcards, joined us for the music threads, donated to Voces or WisDems, or just posted encouragement. I feel like there’s finally a light at the end of the tunnel to turn my state into a representative democracy.🎉🙌

  186. 186.

    RaflW

    Just looked up from a rousing game of Ransom Notes with friends to see the good WI news. Phew!!

  187. 187.

    different-church-lady

    @Steeplejack:

    and yelling something incoherent about his vagina.

    It would have been even weirder if he had been yelling something coherent about it.

  191. 191.

    H.E.Wolf

    We had great leadership from the tenacious trio of Mousebumples , WaterGirl and MazeDancer! Thank you!

  192. 192.

    Another Scott

    @sralloway: Thanks for the pointer.

    Here’s hoping that Jodi Sinykin can make it a sweep for the good people in SD8.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  196. 196.

    japa21

    Just a biased side point, another plus for WI is the the Brewers just shellacked the Mets for the second day in a row, outscoring them 19-0 over that span.

  198. 198.

    japa21

    SD 8 is going to take a while. The jerk is back in the lead, though by only 700 votes.

  199. 199.

    HumboldtBlue

    Congrats to the Wisconsinites and to you fine people who continue to do yeoman’s work on elections, absolutely fantastic, youse are amazing.

  200. 200.

    Alison Rose

    Ah, the NYT does something useful and provides a phonetic pronunciation: pro-tuh-SAY-witz. I had most of the sounds right but was putting the emphasis on the second syllable and making it more like “tass”.

  201. 201.

    rikyrah

    Precincts Reported: 1,248 of 1,291 (96.67%)

     

     

     
     
     

    Candidate
     
    Total

    BRANDON JOHNSON
     
    277,388
    51.20%

    PAUL VALLAS
     
    264,395
    48.80%

    Total Votes
     
    541,783
     

  203. 203.

    jackmac

    So pleased to hear the Supreme Court results from Wisconsin.

    Sanity may now be on the way back in the Badger State!

  206. 206.

    topclimber

    Any Wisconsin jackals know what’s up with school board races? The ones I look at from here show them real close. I don’t know if there are book banners in the picture, and whether they are winning or losing.

  210. 210.

    WaterGirl

    @jackmac: that will help a ton! But if Jodi loses in sad-8, then they have 2/3 majority in both houses and can impeach Janet, the governor, etc.

  211. 211.

    Mousebumples

    @topclimber: I’m not in Milwaukee, so I can’t offer much, but my NE Wisconsin school district races are going in favor of my 3 preferred candidates so far.

    @WaterGirl: I voted no on all 3, so I don’t think so. Mostly because the legislature came up with the questions, and I don’t trust them.

  212. 212.

    Omnes Omnibus

    I would just like to shout out to all the people who were writing off WI over the past few years.

  214. 214.

    Another Scott

    I've seen enough: Brandon Johnson defeats Paul Vallas in the Chicago mayoral runoff.

    — Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) April 5, 2023

    Woot!

    DeVos loses again!!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  217. 217.

    japa21

    @Omnes Omnibus: ​
      On the referendums, where they done the usual GOP way of being worded as though they sound almost sensible and able to hide the inherent cruelty behind them?

  218. 218.

    Dr. Jakyll and Miss Deride

    Speaking of MSNBC, I had to turn off their indictment coverage, featuring all five of their top female anchors, after Joy Ann Reid (a non-lawyer, so far as I know) asked why it was that the Black state prosecutors were carrying the ball on all the prosecutions while DOJ sat back and did nothing, and Rachel Maddow (also a non-lawyer) seconded her, and Nicolle Wallace (also, etc.) cheered them both on.  Of course, they had no actual lawyers on with them to harsh their mellow.

  223. 223.

    jackmac

    In my little corner of far west suburban Chicago sanity prevails as four right-wing stealth candidates were overwhelmingly rejected in school board elections!

  228. 228.

    Princess

    @rikyrah: My neighbourhood was literally crawling with SEIU workers for Johnson this weekend. They were knocking on doors, hanging out at the strip malls, everywhere you looked.

  230. 230.

    rikyrah

    Precincts Reported: 1,273 of 1,291 (98.61%)

     

     

     
     
     

    Candidate
     
    Total

    BRANDON JOHNSON
     
    284,108
    51.45%

    PAUL VALLAS
     
    268,115
    48.55%

    Total Votes
     
    552,223
     

  232. 232.

    Eduardo

    The Republican cope and crying  on Twitter regarding the Wisconsin SC election is beyond delicious.

  235. 235.

    Alison Rose

    LOL Seth Meyers talking about the scene outside the courthouse: “throngs of Trump supporters, numbering in the tens, or perhaps even the twelves, showed up to just sort of mill around, I guess, support the indicted former president, where they were outnumbered by both reporters and pigeons”

  236. 236.

    prostratedragon

    @different-church-lady:  I think as a singer he still gets better and better.

    I’m not at all sentimental about my native city, but among the things I’ll give it, every kind of great singing is on offer here.
    “Ecce Gratum” from Carmina Burana, Carl Orff.
    I had the pleasure of hearing the present-day edition (recording is from the 80s) live a couple of weeks ago. Stupendous! If you’re around at the right time, give yourself a treat.

  239. 239.

    WaterGirl

    @Mousebumples: what a fucking whiner and sore loser. I’m sure he doesn’t think this race was legitimate, either. These people are sad excuses for human beings.

  241. 241.

    dnfree

    The playlist looks good but I don’t see Steve Goodman’s Lincoln Park Pirates (because that was and maybe still is a real towing company) or his Cubs song?

  245. 245.

    Stuart Frasier

    @WaterGirl: Republicans have 64/99 seats in the Wisconsin State Assembly.  That’s short of a 2/3 majority, so they can’t impeach without Dem votes.

  247. 247.

    Major Major Major Major

    Looking like Denver voters may be deciding that no housing shall be built on the privately-held, unused golf course… but you know what, now that I’m a homeowner, I can at least benefit from NIMBYism! Too bad, though, for everybody else.

  250. 250.

    tobie

    @Dr. Jakyll and Miss Deride: This is exactly why I gave up on MSNBC. Sometimes I’ll listen to a bit of Lawrence O’Donnell or Stephanie Ruhl, but since April 2021–i.e., a month after Garland was appointed–Maddow and Wallace have been calling for Garland’s head. Reid’s “Merrick, the Meek” with its hints of the antisemitic taunt Feigling was a step too far for me.

    Don’t they get that this case was small fry and the DOJ really did have to devote all its resources to Jan 6, Russian influence, and the documents scandal?

  252. 252.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @WaterGirl: ​
      I’ve got some footballs to spike. I got very annoyed by people explaining my state to me from the east and west coasts. FIBs like you are okay in my book. :D

  254. 254.

    dnfree

    @WaterGirl: Thanks!  I can see his lists are comprehensive.  (But there can never be too much Steve Goodman when talking about Chicago.)

  256. 256.

    Dr. Jakyll and Miss Deride

    of course, by Reid’s logic, since only one of those Black state prosecutors has yet filed charges, and we haven’t heard a peep out of Fani Willis since her special grand jury wrapped up its work weeks ago, we ought to conclude that the other Black state prosecutors are also doing nothing and will probably never do anything.

  257. 257.

    Jackie

    If this wonderful news has already been posted, I apologize, but good news is always worth repeating!

    “Wisconsin voters on Tuesday chose to upend the political direction of their state by electing a liberal candidate to the State Supreme Court, flipping majority control from conservatives, according to The Associated Press. The result means that in the next year, the court is likely to reverse the state’s abortion ban and end the use of gerrymandered legislative maps drawn by Republicans,” the New York Times reports.

    “Janet Protasiewicz, a liberal Milwaukee County judge, defeated Daniel Kelly, a conservative former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice who sought a return to the bench. With more than 60 percent of votes counted, Judge Protasiewicz led by about 14 percentage points. The contest, which featured over $40 million in spending, was the most expensive judicial election in American history.”

    ETA: I’m the 257th post? We need a new thread!

  259. 259.

    rikyrah

    Precincts Reported: 1,281 of 1,291 (99.23%)

     

     

     
     
     

    Candidate
     
    Total

    BRANDON JOHNSON
     
    285,773
    51.42%

    PAUL VALLAS
     
    269,951
    48.58%

    Total Votes
     
    555,724
     

     

     

  262. 262.

    japa21

    @Omnes Omnibus:  Yes even we FIBs have a better understanding of WI, even if we haven’t lived there for 50 years.​
     

    ETA: And you have plenty of reason to spike the football for more than just this. Despite whatever Steve in WTF says, you’re a pretty astute lawyer.

  266. 266.

    RaflW

    @topclimber: Menomonee Falls all went bad. And last year’s staggered term election also sucked, so that school district is going down the right wing shitter.

  270. 270.

    cain

    @Ksmiami: ​ It amazes me that that these people see themselves as noble.
    Looking for good news for the Senate district ! Go Dems !​
     

    Eta woot ! 270! Omg 😳😱

  273. 273.

    japa21

    @eclare: ​
      The I stands for Illinois. You can figure out the F and B when you realize it isn’t a way of flattering somebody.

  275. 275.

    H.E.Wolf

    @Omnes Omnibus:”I got very annoyed by people explaining my state to me from the east and west coasts. FIBs like you are okay in my book. :D”
     If you in-staters would have me, I’d be honored to be a FOB. (O for out of state)

  278. 278.

    different-church-lady

    @Major Major Major Major: ​
      I’ve been a homeowner for close to 17 years now. I’m supposed to be thrilled that values are through the roof, but instead I’m disgusted by sheer greedy vulgarity of it all.

  281. 281.

    Soprano2

    Latest returns for our school board are good, the two sane candidates are ahead with 7 of 12 precincts in.

  286. 286.

    Another Scott

    Madison.com (from January):

    The lone Democratic candidate running to fill a Republican-leaning state Senate seat has so far outraised her GOP challengers leading up to an April special election that could give Republicans a veto-proof majority in the 33-member chamber.

    Jodi Habush Sinykin, of Whitefish Bay, will run unopposed in the Feb. 21 Democratic primary for the 8th Senate District, which was previously held by longtime Republican Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills.

    […]

    So it sounds like it was an uphill race for her. I hope she pulls it out.

    Google (and the above) tells me that the State Assembly has 64 GQPers of 99, so they don’t have a 2/3 majority there. But it’s uncomfortably close to one…

    Dunno if just the monsters in the Senate can remove officials with a 2/3 vote… :-(

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  287. 287.

    different-church-lady

    @Major Major Major Major: ​
      This ain’t a popular opinion, but just increasing the stock will do nothing for affordability. There are too many factors distorting the market. If we don’t do something about all the flippers and investors, more stock just means more unaffordable housing.

  291. 291.

    eclare

    @different-church-lady:   It’s about the punishment, at least that is what I see in TN.  Republicans already have a supermajority, why expel these reps for not being decorous, whatever the fuck that means.  They are doing it because they can.

  294. 294.

    Soprano2

    @prostratedragon: That’s hands down my favorite choral work. I’ve performed it 4 times and would do it again in a heartbeat. The men definitely have the harder part – “In Taberna” is a beast!

  297. 297.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @eclare:

    They are doing it because they can.

    I was thinking today what I used to think often from 17 on, the worst thing about trump is he taught Republicans, especially in red states, what they can get away with. If he drops dead tomorrow, that will still be true.

  299. 299.

    Major Major Major Major

    @different-church-lady: it’s actually a very popular opinion, probably the most widely-held one I encounter regarding housing.

    However, the vast, vast majority of new construction is occupied, so it just doesn’t make sense that “flippers and investors” could be overpowering well-understood market mechanisms. There was a ‘scandal’ the last few years as Blackstreet started buying up a bunch of houses, and people were all too happy to blame exploding prices on them, but if you looked at what they actually said, it was that the headwinds faced by developers meant that housing was a really safe investment compared to the stock market.

  300. 300.

    Stuart Frasier

    @Major Major Major Major: From your link:

    Removal of: Justices and Judges

    Initiated by: The Legislature

    Removal by address is a procedure that allows the Legislature to remove justices and judges from office based on a supermajority vote in each house. Before removing a justice or judge, the Legislature must serve the individual with a copy of the charges forming the grounds for address and provide an opportunity for the justice or judge to be heard and to present a defense. The Legislature may then vote on removing the justice or judge by a 2/3rds vote of all the elected members of the Assembly, as well as a 2/3rds vote by all elected members of the Senate. [Wis. Const. art. VII, s. 13, and s. 17.06, Stats.]

  305. 305.

    different-church-lady

    @Major Major Major Major: All I know is in my neighborhood I see far more knockovers and flips than private sales. We’ve been building condo developments like crazy and the prices just keep going up regardless of the increase in stock.

  306. 306.

    patrick II

    I know we are talking – mostly about women’s rights in the Wisconsin, but right this have any Wisconsin state gerrymandering cases coming before the court? That would make a huge adifference in highly gerrymandered Wisconsin.

  310. 310.

    Eduardo

    @japa21: supermajority in the sum of both houses and supermajority in the senate.  So if you dont get 2/3 in the house you still can get the judge revoked if you have enough senate votes beyond 2/3

    because what they have is exactly 2/3 in the senate they need 2/3 in the house too

    not happening anyway I don’t think

  311. 311.

    different-church-lady

    @Stuart Frasier: ​
      So I don’t understand what “assembly” means in WI, but I’m seeing folks at LGM say that the Uggs don’t have 2/3rds there, so they can’t impeach.

  312. 312.

    Mousebumples

    @patrick II: not officially but the Democratic Election lawyer had indicated that new lawsuits may be filed. Elias, I think, was his name?

  314. 314.

    Mousebumples

    @different-church-lady: Assembly is like the “House” to use a US govt equivalent.

    I’m not 100% sure on the impeachment rules, but I don’t trust the WI GOP to try whatever shenanigans they can to grasp onto power.

  317. 317.

    prostratedragon

    @Soprano2:  How, uh, fortunate! Sounds about right to my ear that the lower voices have it tougher, though there are a couple of beautiful parts for the sopranos, chorus and soloists. Reginald Mobley sang a dignified Swan while the baritone was quite hammy, both appropriately imo.

    And the orchestra is much more than stooges for the voices here. One of the real treats of being in the room where it happens is feeling those big drums at the beginning, and seeing the bass drummers (2) whamming those things like Serena crushing a forehand.

  318. 318.

    sdhays

    @billcinsd: But the state assembly is only 64/99 Republican, so they can’t successfully impeach and remove judges even if they win SD-8 (without Democratic help, which isn’t impossible – though hopefully very unlikely – if what they’re saying about North Carolina is true). If the rules are different for executive branch offices, Evers could be in for a rough(er) ride, though.

  322. 322.

    Soprano2

    @prostratedragon: That high note in “In Trutina” is a high D. Not many sopranos can hit that note. Hammy is the right way to sing the baritone solos. The whole work is like singing joy to me. It’s too bad that most people only know “O Fortuna”.  My choir conductor says she wants to play that bass drum part.

  327. 327.

    prostratedragon

    @Soprano2:  I forgot my opera glasses, but could swear that the audience-side drummer had a big grin on during that part. Like discovering you really like board break exhibitions.

    Cute kid from the children choir I saw leaving with his mother was absolutely flying over cloud 9. I wonder if he realized they had 3 more performances.

  328. 328.

    Mousebumples

    @WaterGirl: I think I might need to go to bed and not wait on SD-8 results. I’m guessing the absentee/central count results are the main thing left. Hope the margin is enough to put Jodi over the top!

    Dan Shafer (@DanRShafer) tweeted at 10:27 PM on Tue, Apr 04, 2023:
    The chair of the Republican Party of Wisconsin called the races for school board in Wauwatosa “the most important school board race” in the state.

    Conservative candidates are going to go 0-for-3, with none of them getting more than 42% of the vote.
    (twitter.com/DanRShafer/status/1643455385544671234?t=oXgoOT6sVFFeLl3Xv2r-rQ&s=03

     

    Kyle Kondik (@kkondik) tweeted at 9:56 PM on Tue, Apr 04, 2023:
    Pre-election chatter that Trump indictment could juice GOP performance in Wisconsin didn’t happen – this showing looks worse than the D margin in the first round

    Just like back in August when the Mar-a-Lago search didn’t appear to help Rs in some House specials later that month
    (twitter.com/kkondik/status/1643447398969008128?t=oWXfKpKfK2W3V1em1ruYbA&s=03)

  329. 329.

    Soprano2

    Looks like sanity has prevailed here in the school board race! Plus, shockingly, the former police officer (big MAGA) running for one of our city council seats lost. That’s shocking here, I was sure he would win.

  330. 330.

    David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch

    @Another Scott: ​  I was watching Ari Melber and he had on the former head of SDNY and the former general counsel of the liberal F.B.I. and they both said Bragg was masterful today.​

  331. 331.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Dr. Jakyll and Miss Deride: You can’t reason someone out of a position they didn’t reason themselves into.  The Garland-haters swallowed whole the presumption that DOJ/Garland must’ve failed us somehow, long ago and now it’s too late to go back so they just keep doubling down.  The vast majority of them that I have witnessed seem to have made the initial plunge based on emotions of fear and anxiety not a well-reasoned evaluation of existing evidence or legal expertise from people with experience in complex, Federal investigations.  It’s been a real eye-opener into how otherwise smart people can put critical thinking on hold in favor of doom/gloom speculation.  The NY and GA cases are both minuscule in scope, complexity and magnitude than what DOJ/Garland/Jack Smith are managing.  They are gonna bring out the BIG charges/penalties, but they also have the much tougher challenges to bring them.  Manhattan and Fulton are just opening acts.  Federal Indictments will be the HEADLINER!

  334. 334.

    Jojo

    @topclimber: All around SE Wisconsin, there has been an organized push for book -banners/wingnuts/anti-LGBTQ school board candidates, led by the odious Moms For (not actually) Liberty, Awake (basically M4L in disguise), and the vile Scarlet Johnson (Scarlet is a fake name -her real name is Katy) and Rebecca Kleefisch’s 1848 project. Depending on the district, they’re either open about it-like in Oconomowoc, which is very right wing-or they try to play coy about it and pretend they’re not partisan hacks, like in Wauwatosa, which is much more left-wing than it was even 10 years ago. In Wauwatosa it looks like it flopped pretty badly, but there are still absentee ballots to count. Unfortunately, in a lot of districts I think they’ll have more success, like in Menomonee Falls.

  335. 335.

    Mousebumples

    Okay, I’m off to bed. Thanks again to everyone – and thank you Ben Wikler for chairing my state party! 💙

  336. 336.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @UncleEbeneezer:

    It’s been a real eye-opener into how otherwise smart people can put critical thinking on hold in favor of doom/gloom speculation.

    I think with most Garland-bashers, it’s the opposite of gloom and doom, it’s the wrong-headed conviction that prosecuting trump is a slam-dunk, whatever the charges, whatever the evidence.

    I heard (Garland-basher) Elie Honig say on a podcast that former Senator and prosecutor Doug Jones has been very skeptical of the Georgia case. I did some googling looking for where or when Jones said that, but I couldn’t find it.

  337. 337.

    Jojo

    The chair of the Republican Party of Wisconsin called the races for school board in Wauwatosa “the most important school board race” in the state.

    Conservative candidates are going to go 0-for-3, with none of them getting more than 42% of the vote.

    Another loss for Scarlet Johnson and Moms For “Liberty”.

  339. 339.

    cain

    @Mousebumples:

    I suspect that we are now at the stage where the Trump supporters are a minority but very large and still forcing unpopular candidates and 24/7 culture wars.

    I think as a party this showing means they are in deep shit. I think a lot of people are alarmed with what the fuck is being passed across the nation – and I think women are showing up. Which of course means that women are enemy #1 – too bad they can’t gerrymander districts to filter out women now can they?

  340. 340.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Princess:

    Let’s go Brandon! 

    Johnson, that is.

    Yes!  And I think it’s safe to chant “Fuck off, Paul Vallas!” now.

  342. 342.

    dww44

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I’m no lawyer either, but I don’t have good feelings about the case here in Georgia. I can’t speak to DA Willis’ abilities one way or the other, although there were  misgivings floated early on that maybe she wasn’t up to the task.

    She will have to be very strong to take this case to trial as there are some huge powerful forces aligned against her and doing everything they can to thwart her ability to move forward. No levers of state power are in Democratic hands and the GOP legislature is trying mightily to weaken her hand  and intimidate her.

  343. 343.

    RaflW

    @sdhays: The MKE Journal Sentinel said it’s a simple majority vote of the lower house, and a 2/3rds in the WI senate to convict.

    So the GOP can certainly try, and I’m thinking they will. They’re totally contemptuous of democracy, of voter intent, and wholly in service to power by any means.

    Doesn’t mean we don’t fight like hell. And an impeachment, if successful, will mean a 3-3 Court until a new election can again be won by even more furious Dems. But the GOP is both desperate and deranged, so they’ll go for it, I believe.

  345. 345.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @dww44: there’s a former GA prosecutor named Michael Moore who has been a frequent commentator on MSNBC. I like him because he’s wry and a bit cynical. He said at one point, discussing this case, that his biggest concern was the jury: “It may be Fulton County, but it’s still Georgia”– I believe trump and Herschel Walker each got about 25% there, and trump only needs one figurative MAGA hat on that jury.

    When that special grand juror was doing her Full Ginsberg media tour, somebody asked Moore what he thought of it and he just sighed and shook his head and said, “Well, there’s your jury pool”

  347. 347.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @RaflW: ​
      I would argue that the impeachment rules do not apply to judges as there is a separate procedure delineated for removal of judges. But what do I know…

  348. 348.

    RaflW

    If you’re as old as I am, you might well know who Steve Albini is (record producer who has worked with Nirvana, Breeders, Pixies, and many others). I love this:

    steve albini @electricalWSOP
    Spent my whole fucking life voting defensively, having to choke down some lame suit-and-tie asshole in the general to avoid a worse asshole. Absolutely thrilled to have voted for Brandon Johnson. He wants all the things I want and he’s going to be the fucking mayor.

  349. 349.

    RaflW

    @Omnes Omnibus: As WI-based esquire, you know plenty. I’m just sayin’ what (possibly wrong) journalamalists are sayin.

    And editorializing that the GOP will, at this decrepit stage in their spiral, try anything and everything to fuck people over.

  350. 350.

    Wombat Probability Cloud

    @Omnes Omnibus: It’s going to be an interesting week–or so–as this all sorts out. The NYT tracker shows Knodl up by 533 (>95%), desafortunadamente.

  351. 351.

    Jinchi

    @RaflW: If they can impeach a newly elected judge, they can impeach all the Dems on the bench.

    Personally, I don’t think they’ll do it. But if they were headed down that path there’d be no need to keep the court at 3-3.

  352. 352.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @RaflW: ​

    And editorializing that the GOP will, at this decrepit stage in their spiral, try anything and everything to fuck people over.

    No doubt, but trying and succeeding are not the same thing. The People of WI just won a huge victory tonight, and I am not really in the mood for people to “well actually” it this quickly.​

  354. 354.

    NaijaGal

    @Omnes Omnibus: Thank you! I was just going to ask this.  Is a judge a “civil officer?” Because it looks like the rules for removing judges by address specifically require a 2/3 majority in both the WI house and senate, but the rules for impeaching a “civil officer” require a bare majority in the house and 2/3 majority in the senate. There also has to be a valid reason for impeachment (corrupt conduct in office, commission of a crime or misdemeanor). I hope there would be demonstrations all over WI if winning an election for a judgeship suddenly becomes  a “crime” or “misdemeanor” since the judge hasn’t been in office (for a corrupt conduct in office charge to stick).

  356. 356.

    Ithink

    @RaflW: OMG that is awesome! I’m on my early thirties and am of course aware of this fella and am a HUGE fan of his production work and collaborators. These two (hopeful!) back-toback victories for democracy give me a grandeur of optimism for the Presidential Election of 2024 though nothing is gauranteed until that last singular vote (electoral and otherwise) is tallied.

  357. 357.

    StringOnAStick

    So relieved when I got the text from Wisdems that Judge Janet had won, and then seeing the pro teacher candidate win in Chicago.  I hope for more good news on election results tomorrow.  A pretty damned good day!

  359. 359.

    Ithink

    1. @Ithink: *IN MY*; *back-to-back*; Especially Nirvana though Mr. Albini was ironically NOT a Nirvana fan when he originally collaborated with him.
  360. 360.

    Pharniel

    @Omnes Omnibus: ​
     
    I keep shouting it from the rooftops, but no political junkie, pundit, advisor, consultant, or what have you – professional or amateur – of any party is ready for the consequences of regular 80%+ turnout elections.

  363. 363.

    El Muneco

    @NaijaGal: The original phrasing of “high crimes and misdemeanors” was “maladministration”. Impeachment for incompetence, abuse of power, etc. – even drunkenness – has a long legal history.

    The danger is that any such fig leaf that there is no (valid) source of appeal for is on solid enough legal ground to make stick.

  364. 364.

    RaflW

    Dan Shafer (Recombobulation Area writer):

    Looks like we might hit 1.8 million voters in the race for Wisconsin Supreme Court, which is WILD.

  366. 366.

    SectionH

    We went out to the fishing pier today, To the little craft beer bar there. Yeah, we knew  already – did love the conspiracy charge as lagniappe. Anyway it was sunny but windy and coldfreezing, so there was almost nobody there, fishing or eating/drinking. So when we walked in, our wonderful guy who works there broke into a giant grin – because yeah he knows we share the same politics – and came out into the center of the floor and had a srsly Righteous rant. Every other word was Fucker, or some variation on that, yes about TFG, and what a relief it was to have the fucker that far in court anyway.

    It was a thing of beauty.

    edited

  370. 370.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Jinchi:

    If they can impeach a newly elected judge, they can impeach all the Dems on the bench.

    Personally, I don’t think they’ll do it. But if they were headed down that path there’d be no need to keep the court at 3-3.

    Heck, why stop there? They could impeach the governor and every Democrat in the legislature at the same time! Do they have the balls? Absolute power!!!!!

    I’ve wondered for a while what Americans would do in a situation like that, their representatives in government just going flat-out Skeletor with the justification that technically they can. A bunch of these Republican state legislatures are clearly moving in that direction.

    But in this case, it sounds like they’d need complete unanimity and Janet Protasiewicz carried a bunch of these Republican members’ districts, so it’s not a case where they’d be following the will of their gerrymandered constitutents. And they have to know that.

  371. 371.

    Kay

    Dave Wasserman
    @Redistrict
    Hmm…what is this current election map of [insert midwestern state here] that makes it look like Dems are back to ‘90s level strength w/ WWC voters?
    Oh right, abortion is the driving issue on the ballot.

    The failure of the anti-woke warriors in the upper midwest is also interesting, IMO, but I don’t think we get so much analysis on that because so many members of media jumped on the anti woke bandwagon.

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