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 | By Andy Tarnoff   Publisher E-mail author | Author bio More articles by Andy Tarnoff |
| Published March 16, 2008 at 6:00 p.m. |
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I'll admit it, I'm perhaps not as tuned in as I should be into the race for Wisconsin Supreme Court judge.
I'll also admit that until I started seeing these vague and confusing commercials lately, I didn't even know a race was underway.
In fact, I had to figure it out myself, since these commercials mention neither the race at hand, when the election is, or who they'd like me to vote for. They just tell me why some judge I've never heard of is soft on crime, peppering in some bobbling heads, grainy, stock footage of criminals and prisons and testimonials from organizations I've never heard of.
Then they tell me to call some number in the 608 or 715 or area code and tell this judge I've had enough.
Um, why are you telling me to do this?
Surely, you don't really want me to call these judges. I've gathered that these are third-party negative ads indirectly pitching a candidate for an upcoming April election (again, no date is shown, but I'm sure I'll figure it out). Apparently the candidates, whose names I don't recall, are soft on crime and let criminals go free.
Maybe I'm being naïve, but isn't it the job of state judges to enforce laws, not to enact them? I know there's room for interpretation, as is the case at the U.S. Supreme Court, but is it that highly partisan at the state level? If it is, do I even have the knowledge at my fingertips to make an educated decision about who to vote for? More importantly, should this really be up to me, or should the Wisconsin Supreme Court justices be appointed by an elected official?
Maybe if I saw some commercials with a few salient points from the candidates (whoever they are) on why they're great judges, I'd feel more comfortable voting next month. I highly doubt these guys are really setting rapists free, nor are they "keystone kops" they're portrayed to be. If these commercials work as a loophole into a 501.c style endorsement (I noticed no one is saying "I've approved this message" at the end), they're not working.
Not only do I not feel strongly about either of these candidates, I'd prefer my judges to follow the law, not to serve as activists. I'd be more impressed if one of these commercials simply said, "Hi, I'm Judge Blah-blah-blah. I've been a judge for 20 years, and I have a record of ruling consistently with the state's laws, whether I agree with them or not."
And until that, I object. Unless these obscure campaigns change their tactics, I'm not voting for anyone for that position come April.
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5 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review. |
Recent Talkbacks ...
Posted by ChateauDweller on March 17, 2008 at 1:52 p.m. (report)
This blog is why we shouldn't encourage mass voter participation. People should take it upon themselves to find out about the canidates and not rely upon political ads. More voters does not mean better government. Better educated voters equals better government. It is scary that the majority of the public rely on ads and newspaper endoresments for their information.
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Posted by Franksville on March 17, 2008 at 1:24 p.m. (report)
Unless you want to have a narrow clique of courthouse insiders pick our judges, you are better off having judges elected, not appointed. But you are right about the absurdity of not allowing judges to ask for campaign contributions. Without the ability to raise money themselves, judicial campaigns wind up in the hands of third party interest groups that are under no such restrictions.
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Posted by CoolerKing on March 17, 2008 at 7:44 a.m. (report)
Actually, this type of election should really have more voter participation. The Supreme Court is the big decision maker on our rights as defendants. I recommend doing a search on the Wisconsin Law Journal's website and check out the judges' track records and then make your decision. The data will be much more accurate and unbiased than some so-called coalition or group's statistics which, on both sides, are spin-doctored in their TV ads.
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Posted by themil on March 16, 2008 at 7:43 p.m. (report)
Andy, it's important to know that since judges are elected in WI, they're politicians. But unlike every other politician in the state, judges are subjected to the Code of Judicial Conduct, which prohibits them from personally soliciting money for their campaigns. Can you imagine how difficult that must be to raise money for your campaign when you are personally prohibited from soliciting that money? Kinda hard to get your message out statewide when, as you stated, no one knows who the judges are anyway. TV airtime statewide is expensive and many judicial candidates don't have the funds to run any ads let alone ones touting their accomplishments. That's why these third party ads are flooding the airwaves. The judges aren't responsible for these ads, and one of the candidates has actually called for an end to all third party ads in the campaign. I'd ask you to reconsider not voting, do some research, and make a decision that you feel comfortable with. What may not seem like a big deal to you, is probably extremely important to the candidate who may be unemployed April 2nd.
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Posted by mkelover on March 16, 2008 at 7:31 p.m. (report)
You can thank McCain/Feingold campaign finance reform for these shady, third party ads. Their "reform" really didn't do much other than shift where money for ads originates.
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