Well, if he's that impulsive, it's probably also not such a big deal if he impulsively grabbed someone's neck (if he did). Presumably he wasn't going to kill her. Probably a crime of some sort, but lots of us have committed crimes of some sort.
Ann, aren't some of you a little quick on the draw demanding that people resign? Do you really think that if a co-worker and I had an altercation in our office, even if it got somewhat physical, that our boss would demand that one or both of us resign? Wouldn't she sit us down and try to explain to us how important it is to work together, and how both of us are very valuable to the hospital, etc.?
Do you think my employer would ask for someone's resignation if it turned out that he or she had had an affair? Absurd.
Do you know what resigning means? To you, to me? Looking for a job, with no guarantee of finding one?
All the decent employers I've ever had were very slow to fire people, or ask for their resignations; it's really a major thing to do to another person. Sometimes it's necessary, but it isn't the automatic response to every problem that pops up.
Same with marriages: I don't understand why so many people think that everyone in the public eye should get a divorce the minute their spouse lets them down. "How can you let him get away with that?" Don't they know what a divorce means to everyone involved? Sometimes it's the best decision, but usually people should try to work things out.
"Political jobs are different, because we must have complete confidence in the integrity of our representatives." Heh.
They don't have 10 year terms because we want them to be PR experts, smoothly handling press relations. PR is essentially not a part of their jobs, and they prove it regularly when they run for election. This is exactly the kind of crap that Prosser's opponents want to gin up. It's not pretty, but why begrudge him for showing some frustration for having to deal with all this extraneous crap that is being thrown?
What else does he impulsively grab? A cup of coffee? A doughnut? Surely some crack investigative reporters can stake him and out catch him on camera 'impulsively grabbing' other things, with his hands!
The video is possibly edited so that average viewer wouldn't be enraged and sympathize with Prosser over an aggressive reporter repeatedly violating his space.
Ok, how many times have you seen anyone, politician, celebrity, judge, or a citizen grab a reporters microphone? It just doesn't happen. The judge was angry. He expressed his anger in a physical manner.
At what point does impulsive become compulsive? Maybe he just can't help himself.
In that case, the debate must shift to whether Prosser grabs compulsively at things that look like necks or like microphones. I'm sure Bradley hopes it's the former.
"Darling, dearest, from the shoulders up you do resemble a microphone."
I'd like an explanation of how the video supports Bradley's version when what the video shows matches Prosser's version of events; invasion of space, engaging object put in face, walking away without putting reporter in chokehold.
Maybe Prosser was under the impression he was about to be assaulted with a dangerous weapon, tho' I don't know where he would get such a crazy thought. Speaking of crazy, I had a real cunt who drafted the Wisconsin Marital Property Law. "All the other states will follow." I asked her the purpose, her response, "Now spouses will be able to sue each other over disagreements on investments without having to file for divorce." I shit you not!! However, I do beleive I had 1 "token" liberal law prof with an actual set of moral values, otherwise the only real questions in UW--Cow College of Law were which prof was fucking whom, why and how. The pet loving profs made for the 'best' questions Titus.
Now, besides Prosser shoving away the microphone from his waistline ... the camera also follows him to the elevator. Where the doors don't close, promptly. So he turns his back.
If this is what the left is using for their "proof" ... their proof is very weak.
On the other hand, when I saw the clip showing Abrahamson "arriving" in the parking lot ... and, she began deflecting the questions asked with LIES! But, she did this like the line: "I'm ready for my closeup, now, Mr. DeMille."
Meanwhile, the shit has hit the fan.
People who got to wear robes, are pissed as hell. Because what goes on INSIDE the conference, stays there!
Sure, we've seen snapshots, before.
Nina Totenberg,(sp?), for instance, was Brennan's fucking sex partner. Brennan did pillow talk like nobody's business. And, Totenberg took the gossip to Bob Woodward. Who wrote The Brethren.
Don't think, now, though, that there's much "brethren-hood" left to the world of creepiness ... that was once portrayed as judicial "comraderee."
You also have the reality that Abrahamson reneged on a deal.
And, Prosser,is the man who does his job right.
The floozies are: Abrahamson, Bradley ... and perhaps, Crooks. Who wasn't in the room. And, he's not a quorum, or a leader, either.
The Dane County sheriff is in Abrahamson's pocket.
And, the Judicial Commission is where Prosser went with his complaint.
Funny, that Abrahamson made it look like the Judicial Commission investigation was her idea.
While Abrahamson's only ability seems to lay in knowing how to dance around the press.
I bet she set up that interview, too! Plus, she decided she wanted to be "captured" arriving in her car. Where she could be "interviewed" as she walked the parking lot.
X said "he put the neck of the microphone in a stranglehold" and made me wonder what Ted Nugent thinks of this whole thing.
__________ "lusnesse" Early 21st Century. Once thought to be Scottish dialect for "loose noose" but later shown to be related to Nessie, the fabled creature of Loch Ness reputed to have a long supple neck.
A fail from Prosser but even more from the reporter, who confuses harrassment with "offering a chance to respond". I think the other justices did well and are clearly ticked off at his refusal to understand why they won't comment.
Prosser is a short man displaying the classic dark side of virtually all short men. The history of our planet would be much more peaceful if all men were the same height[and all had the same sized prick]. I don't know what happened in that room and I am not making a judgement. However being a short man is a tough road and they carry more baggage than a skycap @ O'Hare on Thanksgiving weekend.
I have to call them as I see them. Prosser is a dope. I don't care how badly the witches of eastwick, Shirley and Ann are setting him up. You don't grab Mike Lowe's (the L in Lowe is for Lefty) microphone like that.
Prosser was a politician before this. He is used to the rough and tumble of campaigning. he should be used to this.
My only question is whether Prosser can get sworn in next month and then can Walker appoint a successor for the ten year term?
Grabbing the reporter's mike was stupid. Prosser is clueless about public relations, which is strange since he had a successful career as a politician before joining the supreme court. He also seems to have an anger problem. He isn't helping his cause any.
The good news is that if he ends up resigning (which probably won't happen), his replacement will be appointed by Walker. Prosser's replacement would be younger, more photogenic, more savvy at public and personal relations, more re-electable, and maybe even more of a constitutionalist.
Think about it: each person is an expert in something. Who has read or watched a piece in the news about something in which she is an expert, and observed that there were substantial factual errors in the piece?
Given that the press will get it wrong, why say anything to them? And when they get in your space, becoming pushy and obnoxious on their way to reporting something about you inaccurately, who wouldn't get pissy?
Some scattershot reactions (in no particular order) that jumped to mind:
1.) As microphone grabs go, it wasn't a big deal, from what I can tell, though it was unfortunate timing. I've seen far more aggressive microphone grabs.
2.) I do find it interesting that this is a report by a Fox affiliate.
3.) Based on the clip included in that broadcast report, I would not have characterized Prosser's entry into his office as "stormed" (hell, he didn't even jerk open the door, much less slam it--again, based on that clip from the broadcast report package).
4.) Grabbing a mic generally is an impulsive act; some people are more prone to a desire to take control than others. In and of itself, I don't think it means much. Regardless, it seems that Prosser instantly thought better of it and handed it right back without--at least from what we can tell from that clip in the report package--the reporter having to ask or even having a chance to.
One could just as easily use this as an example of how quickly Prosser checks his own impulses, yes?
5.) I have precisely -0- familiarity with Fox6, by itself or in comparison with other news broadcasts in its maret. Does WITI-Fox generally have a particular reputation for sensationalism? This does smack of an effort to milk a broadcast headline and spice up a story about a series of no-comments from the people interviewed (which, obviously, is not inherently exciting stuff, especially in video terms!).
---
Please note: I don't know what really happened in that meeting of judges, other than that things got heated and that at least more than one judge had an axe to grind. The more I see of the "reporting" surrounding this incident the less I'm inclined to come to a conclusion. In some cases, this might mean the "reporting" is very good. That's not so, in this case.
(And I think Althouse's questioning of the reportage, from the very start, has been a good thing--and regardless of how everything turns out, in the end.)
I hope he resigns after getting sworn in for the next term. Walker should then appoint a 40-something hunk for the old bats, er, ladies to swoon over. Politics schmolitics. They'll see things his way and everything will be all-right in Wisconsin.
Now that people have had time to answer and discuss, I want to suggest you turn back the clock to when Meade's camera was grabbed at the protests. And then ask yourself this question: is your answer today different from how you saw that story then? If not, what are the differentiating factors?
And full disclosure: my answer today was NOT consistent with my reaction then. I'm still thinking through my reasons, but I think the different contexts do make a difference.
You know, I'm going to praise the Internet, again.
Here we are coming into the 4th of July weekend. Where I know all of New York City has cleared out for the Hamptons. Or Fire Island. With some people jetting off to Martha's Vineyard, too.
The offices of the New Yoke Times look empty. Only a ghost crew remains.
And, this is where they "dump" the fact that a judge has "freed" the frenchman. And, the maid is vilified.
On a slow news weekend!
So that the eyeballs of readers don't have to be taken into account. And, yesterday's news then becomes, ahead, so much fish wrap.
If it wasn't for the Internet?
We wouldn't even know this mishigas came down the pike.
While in DC, our taxpayer money will go and fund the greeks. Because they're socialists.
We're led to believe that our streets could erupt just like Athens.
Will the hacks, used by the elites, be a formidable obstacle we still have to overcome?
Stay tuned. Or, perhaps, I should say: STAY CONNECTED!
Prosser needs smiling lessons. Men/women with real power don't need to intimidate everyone the run across. I suggest someone like Meade give Prosser some lessons in friendliness. If Prosser sees the tactical advantage of friendly smiles, then I am sure that the belligerent SOB will adopt them.
Kudos for Prosser's quick hands but he should think before he uses them. The clip seems to show a man whose frustration overcame his common sense. If a persistent reporter can set him off so easily...
ebutcher..what is your sex and height? I'm a 5'11" male. And...if you don't think short men have issues directly related to their height, you deny science and the painfully obvious.
If I'd been in Prosser's situation, I would have handed the microphone back too. But it would have been recording only the reporter's lower gastric noises from then on.
You know, I watched the Fox6 clip. Prosser shoving away a microphone that could have been headed towards his crotch ... was a typical response to being ambushed, I thought.
However, it was his turning around in the elevator that got me. It must have been a special elevator. Since the reporter couldn't climb in. And, why was there a delay when Prosser pressed the button? That elevator needs some attention, ya know.
Oh. And, when Prosser got to his office door, he just went in.
Which reminds me. His office door is double doors. So, this must be so, too, for Bradley's "bin."
With TWO DOORS to open ... Bradley's story even gets weirder, still!
Because with both doors open ... when four justices went looking for their chief ... there was enough room for all the four justices to see "in."
How come Bradley just flew at Prosser? Did she think, for instance, if she flew at Roggensack, she'd have had her teeth knocked out?
Why did Crooks go home? Did he just shrug off the problem of the opinion not being published? I know, now, "crooks is not a quorum" ... by why wasn't he curious? Did he have to run home to walk his dog?
Do bells go off at 5:30 alerting everyone in the courthouse that the day is finished?
This whole story still needs lots of sorting out.
Nina Totenberg screwed Potter Stewart? Did she call him, "Pot, honey?"
Who are you going to believe, me, or your lying eyes. I have never read so many people who could claim that a person's reaction to something, caught on camera, is meaningless. It doesn't matter if the reporter was in or out of bounds - the justice showed how intemperate and short fused he is at this time, and that, together with his past history makes it plausible that he acted as he is accused of acting. Now, character evidence may not be admissible in every instance, but this video is nevertheless damaging.
Honestly, I just have to wonder if Prosser's personality isn't becoming inconvenient even to those who are supportive of his general POV etc. This isn't to say--at all, at all--that they're on Bradley's or Abrahamson's side (anymore than they were Kloppenburg supporters.) It's just Prosser isn't necessarily "helping" the cause these days...
...which is perhaps part of Althouse's point with regard to the PR aspects, generally speaking.
Still, that video package smells to me, due to the way it's framed, from the intro and headline used to the weird choice of "stormed" to describe Prosser's entry into his office (at least, from what a reasonable person can tell from the video accompanying the narration).
"The history of our planet would be much more peaceful if all men were the same height[and all had the same sized prick]." Now that made my day--I can shut off the PC. Imagine the progress if we stuck with just the 1st Ten Amendments!! Imagine how nice the world would be with just 12 year old cunts: no breeders causing Grand Canyons with "stretch marks" UGH!! Yes, a perfect world. BTW--I'm taking transvaginal mesh implant cases, call 1-800-bad-drug. ABA board certified in vaginas.
How did Wisconsin get into a situation where the only choices for state supreme court were Kloppenburg and Prosser? If I lived there, I'd be looking for a way to avoid such lose-lose decisions in the future.
I think its been proven that men who are 5'11' have deep psychological problems. Being average, they must constantly draw attention to themselves, otherwise no one notices them.
BTW, I think its hilarious when the reporter melodramatically states "The judge then *stormed* into his chambers"
Looked like he just opened the door and walked in to me.
Remember that idiot from 2010 that was being aggressively pursued by a couple of phone camera-toting college kids, and the idiot actually put one of them in a choke hold? Yeah, he was an idiot.
So is Prosser. Doesn't matter how aggressively the "interviewer" was invading the judge's space, you don't give into impulse like that.
I'm surprised Wisconsin doesn't send the whole Supreme Court on vaction for a couple months.
Some of them apparently have learned that from watching liberals over the past 30-odd years. Too late, though, as the shine has come off that particular apple. It's a methodology with an expiration date that's fast approaching. Much like our President.
The elevator doors didn't close because the reporter, or his hairdresser, was holding the elevator door OPEN ... By pressing this button. Prosser then turned his head away from the camera lights.
You know I hate it when some lunatic comes by and presses OPEN an elevator's doors ... Purposely delaying the "flight up."
Also shows ya, Fox6 ... films one thing ... while the most interesting fact is NOT shown!
That TIME DELAY ... just wasn't natural.
Dr. Watson was grateful to hear from Sherlock Holmes.
And, yes. The chamber doors are double-doors. That's like CinemaScope, to any crowd of people, standing in the open doorway,staring in.
Did you know that on Wednesday ... following this Monday's late afternoon kerfuffle, Big black Chief Tubbs was called in ... And, in the re-enactment ... with crooks also present ... He was the dummy ... who played "Prosser."
Crooks can't deny this.
Crooks can't deny what he heard when Bradley pressed "choke hold" and four of the justices ... who had been witnesses told her she was WRONG.
I don't know what happened with Bradley, but Prosser has issues, which while maybe common, or not, give an appearance of impropriety for a man in his position. I don't think he helps his position, even if I believe he reached the proper conclusion, by acting like this.
How did Wisconsin get into a situation where the only choices for state supreme court were Kloppenburg and Prosser? If I lived there, I'd be looking for a way to avoid such lose-lose decisions in the future.
Prosser thought that the reporter was going to hit him with the microphone flying, so he defensively grabbed the microphone in a chokehold. It doesn't portray a man with such little self control that he would do such a thing right after choking another justice, would he? That would make it so very obvious that he was one angry , impulsive, nasty man who has no business being a Supreme Court Judge.
Why the continuous need for commenters here to call women they disagree with a cunt? I am surprised that Althouse herself does not call out these commenters for their misogynistic name calling, but I guess as long as they are far enough right of center it's just peachy?
ebutcher..what is your sex and height? I'm a 5'11" male. And...if you don't think short men have issues directly related to their height, you deny science and the painfully obvious.
I'm 5'6" and male. As I say, spinelli has surpassed Carol as purveyor of wild, inaccurate, and extreme generalizations, although I have to say Carol is right on the document dump and the little French toad.
Height, or anything else, is an issue only if you let it be. I never have and have a feeling spinelli's "science" is the same as global warming.
Which leads me to wonder what spinelli's problem is.
I would also contrast the reaction to this (microphone invading personal space of a male) with say, Rick Lazio handing (attempting to hand?) Hillary Clinton a document during the Senate debate in NY in 2000. There the interpretation was "bad Lazio, he invaded her personal space". Do men not have personal space?
ScottM, between Nevadabob, Carol Herman, and frank, the word cunt , whore , slut have been used numerous times describing women they perceive to be liberal. YOU can feel free to go back in the threads and count the times these slurs were used.
Ah. Then you admit your sentence probably should have read, some commentors, correct? Being a regular hereabouts, I don't recall a thread in which "cunt" was used continuously in any case. That must mean something different to you than it does to me.
Splitting hairs? Only the bristly ones inhabiting the end of that extremely large and cheap brush you're using. You're going to leave a lot of streaks with that thing and end up having to try again.
Er, as Freud might put it "Sometimes a mike is just a mike".
Hey, Prof A, what next: The Body-Language pseudo-scientist on O'Reilly?
So saying, getting mad at a TV "reporter" is always a PR fail.
And giving the camera your back in the elevator is another PR fail.
It’s better to greet these TV guys as if they were just doin’ their job & say that “As you know & as I’m sure your viewers will appreciate, I can’t comment at this time since there’s an ongoing investigation.” And then keep on moving. And, BTW, do say, sweetly, something like “good bye, for now” as you close your door.
But it won't matter in the end, whatever the end may be.
And the MSM & the Sheriff's Office no longer are completely in charge of the overall "Narrative".
Short man can be wimps or they can be like pit bulls. But all sizes can be trained, even pit bulls...maybe. Violating ones personal space bubble, which is at arms length, is the red zone because inside of that a defensive move may come too late. My 6'2'' son, who is as bad as his 5' 8''Dad ever was, calls it "getting into someones grill." But we are both trained not to use our strength unless we are ready to lose some friends along with the enemies they watch us confronting. People demand a safe place away from confrontational type people. Do you remember that God loved the anointed King David's warrior heart, but told him that David's son Solomon would have to be used to build God's Temple home because David had blood on his hands.
Ah. Then you admit your sentence probably should have read, some commentors, correct? Being a regular hereabouts, I don't recall a thread in which "cunt" was used continuously in any case. That must mean something different to you than it does to me.
Splitting hairs? Only the bristly ones inhabiting the end of that extremely large and cheap brush you're using. You're going to leave a lot of streaks with that thing and end up having to try again.
How did Wisconsin get into a situation where the only choices for state supreme court were Kloppenburg and Prosser?
I can answer that. From the Democratic side, Dane Co, being a huge pool of Democrats who like to vote in Primaries, is able to get Democratic Dane Co. candidates on the ballot pretty easilty. (Kloppenburg, Clifford, Feingold). Some of them are waaaay out of step with the rest of the state, however, and fail in state-wide elections.
Prosser was appointed to the Court (by TT). Once you're in, the power of incumbency makes it very hard to dislodge you. Primary opposition is almost unheard of.
Reading the comments I am struck no-one mentioned Abrahamson. She did well I thought, and is clearly getting testy by the end with this pillock reporter badgering her for a comment.
As for the mic, my take is Prosser was about to use it to speak, and thought better. It was not at attempt to turn the mic off from what I saw. This is QUITE different from the Meade camera grab which was intended to stop Meade filming. It may show impulsiveness; it does not show what Meade filmed.
I credit Roth's Portnoy's Complaint for making the word "fuck" the coin of the realm.
And, I think it was a crime and a shame that Lenny Bruce got persecuted for being very funny.
By the way, you can go and look. I didn't say 'cunt.' ... In the post that abrahamson is trying to pass a birth announcement off ... as "the canal from which the baby came." I was trying to show that my mother would have died of embarrassment. At it was pretty obvious to me, too, that abrahamson is way above her abilities in pay grade.
Probably, most judges feel the same way at the exposure they're getting from Wisconsin's chief justice. Who is a lying, incompetent, son of bitch.
But go ahead. Count words as much as you like. Doesn't amount to a hill of beans. Provoking the left wing bullshit artists is fun.
Too bad Prosser can't fart. It would have been so meaningful if had demonstrated that talent, while he was turned around, facing the wall of the elevator! While the true story is that the reporter-putz was leaning on the "door open" button.
Prosser did nothing wrong!
ambrahamson, on the other hand, set the whole thing up.
She didn't say an honest word in that interview of her's, either.
But the hack reporter didn't call her on her crappy peformance.
"Under investigation" ... indeed.
Probably isn't.
Probably the expected outcome will be to erase all traces of this from the face of our earth.
Good luck with that!
No wonder Ann doesn't want to lose her files to Blogger.
You folks there's a difference between a local Fox affiliate and Fox News Channel, right? I realize some people go apeshit the moment they see the word "Fox" and at that point all reason goes out the window.
@Ken, I had the same reaction to Abrahamson. The question that reporter asked her has to be in the all-time top ten for sheer cliched stupidity: "Questions have been raised about your leadership. How do you respond?"
I was hoping that she'd grab his microphone and cold-cock him with it, then look into the camera, arms raised triumphantly, and shout, "Prossered, beyotch!"
Chip S ... I said those could be name tags placed under the coat hooks of abrahamson and bradley.
It would be funny. And, yes. Appropriate enough that lots of people wouldn't go near either coat hook.
Words can be funny.
Abrahamson using a "fox" product ... to set up an interview ... where she probably also knew Prosser would be chased.
While for anyone who watched the clip ... at least the crook got identified.
Don't think the "clip" passed the smell test.
I think abrahamson is quite the "performer" though. And, as I said she reminded me of that line: "I AM READY FOR MY CLOSE UP, MR. DeMILLE." Abrahamson is old enough to have seen that film in her yoot.
And, through the comments ... nobody's changed anybody else's mind.
But for the laughs?
Man, this story is so funny!
It's not lose-lose for Wisconsin, either. It's just a wake up call.
I'll bet the majority of people who voted for Prosser are happy they did so. While some of the people who voted for kloppenhoppen got embarrassed no end, when her "victory speech" turned out to be so lame.
I remember an Israeli saying ... he was glad that Israel's enemies were so stupid.
If you're got to fight wars ... it's always good news to know that your enemies are stupid.
I haven't seen the left being smart since Bill Clinton's putz became an issue.
I have seen spin though.
Spectacular supernova of failures ... shot out through spin.
A Shemendrik...Thanks for the correct spelling. I always wondered why the son worried about his Weber grill. The son has always been competitive, and he came of age in bar fights in Ft Worth when he attended TCU. His Texas born frat Bros had to teach him not to take on all of the drunken cowboys, because that was only what they wanted. Prosser needs some friends like them.
This is from our Fox Six in the Milwaukee area. All the Milwaukee reporters are generally lefty although not as bad as Madison.
Mike Lowe who did the report has done all sorts of other great hit pieces. I think he did an expose last year that Rebecca Kleefish our lt. gov had a gay relative. With the implication being that Kleefisch should support gay rights because of this.
If I got to work. And, was in the parking lot. I'd group up with others who were going into the building.
We also know "Bradley couldn't be found?" Did she come to work disguised at the cleaning lady, so the reporter couldn't see her? He only saw the janitor's broom? Or cart?
Bradley would have been a prize catch!
Crooks? He didn't find his equilibrium, either. While certainly he is no quorum. But he was present at the meeting where black chief Tubbs came in ... so all 7 justices could do a repeat performance of the Monday's kerfuffle.
Oh, yeah. And, setting up the next scene ... the reporter said no one on the supreme court's word can be taken seriously ... because all of them are witnesses. In some sort of witness protection league.
Will the story ahead mute?
Will vacations intervene?
Will the Judiciary committee be limited in their investigation? They've already "investigated" Ziegler and Gabelman. Letting them sit and serve.
Sit and serve is what you get when you win your seat by election.
Mud, however, will still be flying. Because the democraps are desperate to unseat Prosser from his win. His recounted win. And, what elections mean. When democraps tell democracy to go shit in their hat.
Place your bets. All the horses are lame, though. The excitement of "passing to the front" ... will depend on horse whips. And, crotch punches. All in slow motion. (Where all the justices walk, alone.) Make note of it. Coming into the building, they walk alone. Even sharing car rides is not for them.
It seems like for a republican justice everything rises to the level of impeachment.
Well as they are ALREADY, Sexist, Racist, Bigot-Homophobes, Determined to Turn the Clock Back One Hundred years, Undoing a Century’s Social Progress on Many Fronts; it doesn’t take much to push them over the threshold.
Based on the viewable annoyance factor of the grandstanding "reporter" in what little was shown..gotta see the lead up to know what Prosser was subjected to. But the better way to handle it is to go the pleasant broken record "under investigation" comment a la Shirley. Why no ambush on Bradley? But at this point I do have concern whether any of these folks have their minds on the true tasks of their jobs.
ebutcher, thanks for your candor regarding your height. And..I was a pitcher and wish I was a lefty, I would have been more valuable. As a righty, I was in a big pack w/ many better than myself. Regarding politics, left of center culturally..fiscal conservative. As a person, a trained observor of human behavior..I don't miss much.
As Shirley is the Chief Justice, I think she should get a lot of the blame for the lack of civility on the Court. Well, perceived civility.
She should invite all the justices onto one of those team-building weekend things that all co-workers so desperately love. The snacks should included Merkt's Cheese Products and craft beers. But I wonder, in the trust building exercises, if someone would forget to catch her as she falls backwards with her arms across her chest. Shatter go the bones. Prosser and Gableman would point and say You were supposed to catch her.
I can't help but feel the last three options in the poll all lead into each other. His lack of self-control betrays his deficiency in media savvy, and that makes him an awkward man in an awkward situation.
If someone got that close to me with a mic and badgered me I would probably grab it too just as a way of getting it out of my space. There is not a parent alive who has not done the same thing with something their child is sticking in their face. But at the same time it looks very bad to see a public figure do it and makes me think that maybe Prosser was the aggressor in the previous incident. There isn't really any other way to react to such footage.
One incident shouldn't have anything to do with the other but humans are pattern seeking animals and it is hard not to see a pattern there. Also I think his turning away from the camera was poor form as well. That is typically seen as what someone who is ashamed or frightened does. It would have been very easy to simply have given a no comment. Instead he acted inappropriately when challenged.
Poor WI. They have liberal justices with poor impulse control when it comes to issuing judicial opinions and conservative justices with poor impulse control when it comes to using their hands. We all know which is most dangerous... and it is not the one a justice will lose his/her job over.
BTW kudos to the reporter for trying to get answers. Most journalists are lazy and too accepting of authority. Apparently the justices are not accustomed to dealing with the press since Prosser was not the only one who looked uncomfortable in front of the camera. In a way that is good since it makes them seem less like political hacks. But Abrahamson was pretty smooth in handling the reporter even though she too tried the dismissive "thank you now leave me the hell alone" passive-aggressive strategy to try to get the reporter to move along.
Couldn't the Supremes Supremes step in and.. I don't know.
Justices are supposed to be above this kind of everyday workplace occurrence.
It must be frustrating as hell not to be able to defend yourself though.. ie DSK.. only that Prossers future is in the hands of not so disinterested parties like NY DA's.. but fierce Winconsin partisans.
What's your perception of the microphone grab story?
Why isn't there an option for "This story is a nothingburger being whipped into a Big Deal by the press in a desperate attempt to attain their preferred political goals by quasi-journalist means"?
Maybe he was grabbing the microphone to make say something, then changed his mind? The video shows almost no context, so it's hard to say what transpired there. The reporter stated that Prosser stormed into his office, which the video doesn't support, so I'm wary of other conclusions drawn by him.
He is not emblematic of the not-into-my-shit person I want on the SC.
He was way better choice than moronic klopenburg person.
The best outcome wold be for Dave to hang fast thru July so as to allow Walker to appoint a younger and more conservative person to the SC. Preferably a person who is wired correcly.
More of a PR fail for the local Fox affiliate. Prosser didn't come across any worse than the other justices, except maybe the guy who wasn't a witness to the event. Abrahamson comes across like a sweet grandmother.
Prosser is a slightlly built, small man who would need a AR-15 in his hands to seem threatening. He certainly didn't seem hostile or threatening to the news guy. It almost looks like he took the microphone absent mindedly thinking he was supposed to hold it to say something.
Despite their explanation, Fox comes across like a bunch of jerks.
Carol, I'm not so sure all the footage of the justices in court was even of the same day. Could very well be file footage to support the narration. The reporter came off as, to borrow a trendy term, a dick as it is. I mean..pretending liek he's going to get anything real when a high profile investigation in underway is crap at the level of TMX. "Charlie, Charlie!! Are you really staying clean?" I'd love to see ALL the raw unedited footage of the ambush.
You know, I don't think Prosser's opinions have embarrassed anybody.
If his opinions had been poorly written, and not showing he was deciding things on merit, he would have been clobbered by Kloppenhoppen.
There is absolutely no reason for Prosser to resign!
Bradley, however, is not just nuts, she can't write a good decision for beans. And, this is equally true for abrahamson.
There's a reason abrahamson can't get better results when she polls her court! (Rehnquist had a similar problem. But that's because Sandra Day O'Connor worked around him. Let it be known that she'd vote to create a majorite of five ... IF she got to WRITE the opinion.)
For all we know "plastic reindeer" work? It surprised me.
But I didn't go to law school.
Long ago I had a great deal of respect for judges, too. (Lawyers? Plenty of them drowned trying to be sharks.)
And, all I know about lawyers, really, I learned from the news.
Now? From Wisconsin, we see GOT'CHA journalism is the hands of fools.
And, Prosser? He won! Then, he won the recount.
The bitches don't deserve to force him to resign! Though having to go into a conference room with those bitches, has to be absolute torture.
We're just lucky he doesn't just use his hands to grab his own neck, and strangle himself.
On the other hand? His hands at composing opinions remains strong.
That's like owning the aces in this, here, stupid poker game.
A good question for Shirl would have been "Why did you leak the story to the press? Doesn't that interfere with the investigation?" Not sure she'd stay in grandmother mode after repeating that one a few times.
Then, separate his limbs by quartering. Send his left arm to Door County, his left leg to LaCrosse, his right arm to Milwaukee, and his right leg to Hudson.
And his head shall be posted on a stake in Downtown Madison, to encourage the others.
You have to love how the reporter characterizes Prosser as having "stormed into his chambers" - when it looks to me like Prosser walks in and closes the door.
Not exactly storming, but that's the media for you.
As for the microphone thing, it's hard to understand what he was thinking...but like someone upthread said, I'd like to see what they filmed that they cut out, given the badgering (no pun intended ; ) the reporter was engaging in.
As the video starts with Prosser grabbing and immediately returning the microphone to the reporter, we have absolutely no idea what led up to it. We really can't say that Prosser "has no impulse control" because we don't know that his taking the microphone was an impulse at all.
For all we know, the reporter could have asked Prosser to take the microphone and return it.
A loaded word, "impulsively", was deliberately chosen to put Prosser in the worst possible light and connct the dots to Bradley's version.
I find it difficult to believe that anyone would find that cringing little man impulsive, threatening or aggressive. I could take him.
What I find most shocking is the lack of security in the courthouse, where camera crews can access elevators and corridors to chambers and the Supreme Court Justices don't have security details.
Lowe has placed all of the Justices at risk, unless, of course, the courthouse and Abrahamson's security was waved in advance and the "ambush" was a not quite as spontaneous as we're lead to believe.
Lowe's video raises far more questions than Prosser's temperament.
Because just what did Lowe say and do before Prosser took the mike? Maybe, he said "help me. I'm falling down. And, can't get up."
Story is full of holes!
If abrahamson thought this video would be the icing on top of Bradley's fake choke hold claim ... I think (with the outtakes) demanded in any investigation ... the epic fail ... is again one of the left's special supernova effects.
Even on a slow news day!
WOW, for the Internet!
WOW, for the comments that keep reviewing what we saw ... to show how "cutting" a story ... produces fake but accurate results.
If the outtakes need to be produced as evidence, I think Lowe's career will be as kaput as Dan Rather's.
You know, I'm glad this story just keeps streching out. Hope we're still seeing it on the other side of the July 4th weekend.
IMHO, Prosser’s not gonna resign, but that gives Libs a chance to dismiss every vote, every opinion of his forevah, as we used to say in Inwood.
So, the Lib rush to judgment, IMHO, arises out of their feeling, o, o, feeeeeeling that this bit of ammo is worth something. Thank God for Prof A. who forced them & the inattentive to consider an alternative scenario.
But, perhaps it will be hard for wimpy Republicans to speak up at Bar-B-Qs or cocktail parties in the future when some 4-3 WISC case, really, or assumed to be, favorable to Conservative/ Libertarian principles is issued.
But to paraphrase: We must distinguish between “White Male Court Decisions”, which are concerned with sterile facts, and “Power To The People Court decisions or "Social Justice" Court Decisions" (collectively, "PTP/SJ Court Decisions", which are concerned with what will promote the revolution. Prosser is an angry White Male who, by definition, can only produce White Male Court Decisions, while the honorable, er, centrist justices here, understanding the importance of such, will always produce desideratum: PTP/SJ Court decisions. Or something; whatever.
PS I'm surprised that the hatchet-job reporter didn't say to Prosser: "Some say that you are a 'flake'. Are you a flake?”
"For all we know, the reporter could have asked Prosser to take the microphone and return it."
I'm sorry, but I find that statement willfully naive. Please name another time you have ever seen a reporter hand someone their own microphone to speak into. Not point the mic in someone's direction, but actually say, "here, take this". It Does Not Happen Like That. Come on.
"I find it difficult to believe that anyone would find that cringing little man impulsive, threatening or aggressive. I could take him."
I keep reading here and other places Prosser defenders' descriptions of him as a "little man". That "little man" is taller than the reporter whose microphone he just grabbed. He's as tall or taller than Bradley, in the videos I have seen with the both of them together. This whole "little harmless man" trip you guys are on is simply untrue.
I just introduced a scenario that might or might not be what happened since we don't know what happened prior to Prosser taking the mic.
I wasn't thinking that the reporter handed Prosser the mic so that Prosser could speak into it, my scenario was that the reporter asked Prosser to take it and hand it back. Probably didn't happen that way, but it is a possibility.
We don't know what led up to Prosser taking the mic. The video starts the moment Prosser takes the mic. That's all we know.
You know, once, in hollywood, Alan Ladd was also 5'2" ... so that in "love scenes" (which are fake) ... he had to stand on a box ... as he spoke his lines.
Lowe's got a problem in that his tape isn't any more accurate than a truck that's purposely set to explode. Which is something NBC once did. Is this the technique now taught in GOT'CHA journalism courses?
Somehow ... Lowe got into the building and followed various justices around. Like a stalker.
You now, if this had happened at our Supreme Court ... EITHER the agents in charge of safety would have creamed Lowe ... breaking his mic as they forced his arms behind his back. Using plastic handcuffs to stop the show.
I'd also bet Chief Roberts would have been on the horn to the reporters bosses, making sure all hell broke loose at the top of the executive suite.
Just like when Dan Rather went on the air ... and tried to get away with fake but accurate.
calls weren't made to Mary Mapes. They were made to the top brass at Black Rock. And, Dan Rather was forced out.
Shirley Abrahamson has no idea what the role of Chief is!
Sure. Prosser was embarrassed.
Doesn't change what's ahead ... when investigations get done. And, the Dane County sheriff probably doesn't want to play the role of Dupnik.
It may take the judicial commission a long time to reach a conclusion. But it won't include "choke hold."
The only reason the democraps are still playing the media ... is that they think there's a pony is in that barn, somewhere.
They ought to carry a Con Ed sign. Con Ed puts out "DIG WE MUST" signs every time they live a man cover.
When the signs fail to stop pedestrians ... then the pedestrians fall into the hole. Feet first.
I hope Prosser takes heart that he didn't make a fool of himself.
I've turned around in elevators, too. To balance heavy loads. There's a rail back there people can use.
As to the question "who" was leaning on the "keep the door open" button ... That's worthy of an investigation all by itself. The ability to do this DESTROYS security in the Wisconsin Supreme Court building! Hope the bozo, shirl, sees to it that this gets fixed! Hey. She could call the bozo of Dane County's sheriff's department!
Did you know it could be investigated? It's a serious problem!
If I were Prosser, I'd wear a Groucho Marx disguise. And, I'd stomp on a huge, unlit cigar ... as I walked through the hallways of the bhilding.
ONE: Perhaps Groucho would pass unmolested?
TWO: Groucho's disguise would provide laughs. It would almost be like a segment of the Keystone Cops. Or like the days when TV was new, and worth watching ...
None of the gals could get away with wearing a Groucho disguise.
Missing from Lowe's tape are any answers Prosser may have given.
He finally got to the mic part ... and that became the sound-byte.
Followed at the elevator, where in exasperation, Prosser just turns his head to the wall.
Given that most Americans "claim" they want people to step forward and serve. And, not the usual dreck that we elect ...
I think Prosser fills the bill. He's so ordinary he looks pathetic when questioned by a total dork of a reporter.
Lowe is like Emily Mills. Trying to grab some recognition ... But not based on anything worthwhile.
Just based on "GOT'CHA" journalism.
With Ronald Reagan dead, we just aren't going to get class acts in front of cameras.
Prosser has been a good justice!
He had his seat for a full ten year term, after having been appointed to it by Tommy Thompson (I think.)
In all those years there wasn't one opinion that spoke of "plastic reindeer." Or were convoluted.
That's why the democraps are attacking his personality.
Most Americans, on TV, would look worse. Most Americans would also look FAT!
Sure. Prosser could attempt a new approach of "walking down the hallways." Maybe, he should go to modeling school ... where "walking down a stip, while it is lit up, is taught? Though it's not quite dancing.
For dancing steps you go to Arthur Murray.
Why does everybody want Prosser to be Fred Astaire?
He's just a justice. Used to sitting on a high dias.
That's the part of his job he handles well.
Meanwhile, the shoddy behaviors belong to Abrahamson and Bradley.
Some people assume, because they've seen Abrahamson strutting on TV, in little tiny segments ... that's she "grandma."
Have I got news for you! The "grandma" charade is dropped whenever Shirley sits on the dias. Where she uses her power ... to crap on the State of Wisconsin.
Is this dainty because her ass is covered in robes?
I think not.
The "grandma" routine is a cultivated act. Why should it force Prosser to resign a seat he won, fair and square, is beyond me.
Toot de' jour. And, french stuff not withstanding, none of us knows how this is gonna conclude.
But I do know "grandma" Abrahamson countered Prosser's move to his filing a complaint with the Judicial Committee ... with the ball rolling towards Dane County sheriff to start one of his own.
While Police Chief Tubbs turned down the request to file charges. AFTER he was used to play "dummy" to Bradley's demonstration of the "choke hold" done in front of the full court. Where Roggensack was probably the other justice who said "NO CHOKE HOLD" happened. And, Tubbs went away NOT filing a report. And, not even filing his notes from his "little meeting."
You know, it is entirely possible that the Dane County sheriff is not amused by his new "task." And, behind the scenes it must be a wallapalosa of recriminations.
Shirley can sure ask and task. But behind her "grandma mask" there lurks a witch. Who is being driven insane. Because she wants to get even.
I wasn't thinking that the reporter handed Prosser the mic so that Prosser could speak into it, my scenario was that the reporter asked Prosser to take it and hand it back. Probably didn't happen that way, but it is a possibility.
That theory makes even less sense than your original one. Maybe go back to that one. You might as well suggest that Prosser thought it was an ice cream cone.
"The video starts the moment Prosser takes the mic. That's all we know."
That's untrue. The video starts when the reporter asks "Did she come at you?" Prosser immediately grabs the mic. Watch it again.
Wow. That's like Chris Wallace's question to Michele Bachmann: "Are you a flake?"
Chris Wallace was asking, however ineptly, for her response to a reality--and, sorry, it is a reality--that a not-insignificant number of potential voters think she's a flake, for (and regardless of) whatever reasons. You might not like that reality, but there it is. Get over your requiring instant things, as must I get over such.
How about asking Sarah Palin if Trig is hers. Or if she's only the grandma?
This is an entirely different thing. It. is. an. entirely. different. thing.
It is. Full stop. What amount of credibility are you willing to exchange to maintain otherwise? That's the key question, all bullshit aside.
It's also been reported that one of the other justices did not support Bradley's attempt to say she had Prosser putting a choke hold around her neck.
Police Chief Tubbs was even called in ... to the Wisconsin Supreme Court ... Where all the seven justices were collected together. And, Bradley "used" Tubbs to demonostrate her idea of the "choke hold" ... when another justice, who saw what happened said "THERE WAS NO CHOKE HOLD"
Hold the presses. Lowe, reporting for Fox6, thought to ask Prosser if he lunged at Bradley ... when the story starts out that "grandma Abrahamson was hiding out in Bradley's office HIDING.
Four justices walked about the courthouse looking for "grandma" Abrahamson. Because there was supposed to be a deal of when the decision on the "union bill" (for want of the docket name) ... was going to be published. While "grandma" was trying not to fulfill her obligation to publish.
Prosser, knowing how abrahamson and bradley really work behind the scenes, took the "choke hold" LIES to the Judicial Committee.
To counter this, "grandma" abrahamson went to her stooge, the Dane County sheriff ... Because Tubbs ... After being used as the Prosser standing ... While Bradley demonostrated the "choke hold" ... heard from another witness that there was no choke hold. And, Bradley was lying.
Then, Bradley, after Tubbs left, tried another route. To push Prosser into "anger management classes." This was shot down by enough supreme court justices to turn the issue moot.
Maligning Prosser seems to be a sport that really is very UN-judicial. But "grandma" has had years perfecting her mask.
Behind the scenes she ain't "grandmotherly" at all.
Prosser, at least, has entered his claim with the Judiciary Committee. And, it seems they're familiar with reviewing various charges against other seated justices.
Will the truth out?
Not on Lowe's microphone!
Why can't Prosser just walk around carrying a teleprompter, which he plugs in ... when he needs cues on addressing the shills in the media?
Prosser is clearly Guilty of Whatever Crime it is he's guilty of!
It would seem so.
If this is what it looks like, he certainly could have handled it better - but who knows how aggressive the media d-bag had been up to that point? This is the same guy who claims Prosser "stormed" into his chambers, which, if you watch the video, you will see is an absurd thing to assert.
It must also be frustrating to have to battle the liberal media with both hands tied behind your back. I can't imagine what Prosser's been through. It's like the lefties in the state are trying to peck him to death.
Martin, At least one difference with the meade video, if I remember, is that it was taping a protester in a public environment..someone inherently seeking attention. The person just didn't approve of the attention he got. Prosser was going to work. The reporter was in ambush mode and may have been pushing him incessantly leading up to the mic grab. Prosser comes off poorly, but the reporter had the power to edit out what led up to that.
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171 comments:
Much ado about nothing, but then liberals only have that left in their arsenal.
Maybe he about to impulsively say something and then thought better of it?
Where's the context? Without it, the clip is misleading. I need to see the 60 seconds before.
Well, if he's that impulsive, it's probably also not such a big deal if he impulsively grabbed someone's neck (if he did). Presumably he wasn't going to kill her. Probably a crime of some sort, but lots of us have committed crimes of some sort.
Ann, aren't some of you a little quick on the draw demanding that people resign? Do you really think that if a co-worker and I had an altercation in our office, even if it got somewhat physical, that our boss would demand that one or both of us resign? Wouldn't she sit us down and try to explain to us how important it is to work together, and how both of us are very valuable to the hospital, etc.?
Do you think my employer would ask for someone's resignation if it turned out that he or she had had an affair? Absurd.
Do you know what resigning means? To you, to me? Looking for a job, with no guarantee of finding one?
All the decent employers I've ever had were very slow to fire people, or ask for their resignations; it's really a major thing to do to another person. Sometimes it's necessary, but it isn't the automatic response to every problem that pops up.
Same with marriages: I don't understand why so many people think that everyone in the public eye should get a divorce the minute their spouse lets them down. "How can you let him get away with that?" Don't they know what a divorce means to everyone involved? Sometimes it's the best decision, but usually people should try to work things out.
"Political jobs are different, because we must have complete confidence in the integrity of our representatives." Heh.
Maybe he has a very, very concrete sense of his personal space and a phobia against other breaking it. Off to watch the video...
Much ado about nothing, but then liberals only have that left in their arsenal.
A point of order. President Obama proved that they still have ample supplies of class warfare stockpiled.
They don't have 10 year terms because we want them to be PR experts, smoothly handling press relations. PR is essentially not a part of their jobs, and they prove it regularly when they run for election. This is exactly the kind of crap that Prosser's opponents want to gin up. It's not pretty, but why begrudge him for showing some frustration for having to deal with all this extraneous crap that is being thrown?
I can't tell what was going on from that video. Prosser seems to be quite naive with the media, even the Fox affiliate, as they are no friends of his.
What else does he impulsively grab? A cup of coffee? A doughnut? Surely some crack investigative reporters can stake him and out catch him on camera 'impulsively grabbing' other things, with his hands!
You have to grab justice where you can.
If it was his neck, I could see how this would mean something. However all it shows is that he's impulsive.
sure ann, he merely grabbed the microphone. play it down if you must.
he put the neck of the microphone in a stranglehold.
The video is possibly edited so that average viewer wouldn't be enraged and sympathize with Prosser over an aggressive reporter repeatedly violating his space.
Anyway, it does make him look bad.
Because that is how you hold a microphone? You know, by the handle? As it was designed to be held?
Ok, how many times have you seen anyone, politician, celebrity, judge, or a citizen grab a reporters microphone? It just doesn't happen. The judge was angry. He expressed his anger in a physical manner.
At what point does impulsive become compulsive? Maybe he just can't help himself.
In that case, the debate must shift to whether Prosser grabs compulsively at things that look like necks or like microphones. I'm sure Bradley hopes it's the former.
"Darling, dearest, from the shoulders up you do resemble a microphone."
I'd like an explanation of how the video supports Bradley's version when what the video shows matches Prosser's version of events; invasion of space, engaging object put in face, walking away without putting reporter in chokehold.
If we were in Japan, would we expect these idiot judges to resign en masse in embarrassment at their behavior?
There seems to be an absence of shame anymore- everything is excusable or rationalized.
Maybe Prosser was under the impression he was about to be assaulted with a dangerous weapon, tho' I don't know where he would get such a crazy thought. Speaking of crazy, I had a real cunt who drafted the Wisconsin Marital Property Law. "All the other states will follow." I asked her the purpose, her response, "Now spouses will be able to sue each other over disagreements on investments without having to file for divorce." I shit you not!! However, I do beleive I had 1 "token" liberal law prof with an actual set of moral values, otherwise the only real questions in UW--Cow College of Law were which prof was fucking whom, why and how. The pet loving profs made for the 'best' questions Titus.
Most people ambushed get terrified.
Now, besides Prosser shoving away the microphone from his waistline ... the camera also follows him to the elevator. Where the doors don't close, promptly. So he turns his back.
If this is what the left is using for their "proof" ... their proof is very weak.
On the other hand, when I saw the clip showing Abrahamson "arriving" in the parking lot ... and, she began deflecting the questions asked with LIES! But, she did this like the line: "I'm ready for my closeup, now, Mr. DeMille."
Meanwhile, the shit has hit the fan.
People who got to wear robes, are pissed as hell. Because what goes on INSIDE the conference, stays there!
Sure, we've seen snapshots, before.
Nina Totenberg,(sp?), for instance, was Brennan's fucking sex partner. Brennan did pillow talk like nobody's business. And, Totenberg took the gossip to Bob Woodward. Who wrote The Brethren.
Don't think, now, though, that there's much "brethren-hood" left to the world of creepiness ... that was once portrayed as judicial "comraderee."
You also have the reality that Abrahamson reneged on a deal.
And, Prosser,is the man who does his job right.
The floozies are: Abrahamson, Bradley ... and perhaps, Crooks. Who wasn't in the room. And, he's not a quorum, or a leader, either.
The Dane County sheriff is in Abrahamson's pocket.
And, the Judicial Commission is where Prosser went with his complaint.
Funny, that Abrahamson made it look like the Judicial Commission investigation was her idea.
While Abrahamson's only ability seems to lay in knowing how to dance around the press.
I bet she set up that interview, too! Plus, she decided she wanted to be "captured" arriving in her car. Where she could be "interviewed" as she walked the parking lot.
HOAX!
It was a set up.
Hopefully, the HOAX will fail.
Prosser should claim he thought the microphone was "a dick," a black one at that, thereby playing the gay and race cards.
A sure "killer" for a Presidential aspirant on MSM are the words, "I paid for this microphone... ."
X said "he put the neck of the microphone in a stranglehold" and made me wonder what Ted Nugent thinks of this whole thing.
__________
"lusnesse" Early 21st Century. Once thought to be Scottish dialect for "loose noose" but later shown to be related to Nessie, the fabled creature of Loch Ness reputed to have a long supple neck.
Doesn't seem to be much of a politician.
Then, again, he didn't do anything wrong when his grabbed the mic.
A fail from Prosser but even more from the reporter, who confuses harrassment with "offering a chance to respond". I think the other justices did well and are clearly ticked off at his refusal to understand why they won't comment.
Prosser is a short man displaying the classic dark side of virtually all short men. The history of our planet would be much more peaceful if all men were the same height[and all had the same sized prick]. I don't know what happened in that room and I am not making a judgement. However being a short man is a tough road and they carry more baggage than a skycap @ O'Hare on Thanksgiving weekend.
I have to call them as I see them. Prosser is a dope. I don't care how badly the witches of eastwick, Shirley and Ann are setting him up. You don't grab Mike Lowe's (the L in Lowe is for Lefty) microphone like that.
Prosser was a politician before this. He is used to the rough and tumble of campaigning. he should be used to this.
My only question is whether Prosser can get sworn in next month and then can Walker appoint a successor for the ten year term?
Prosser has impulse control difficulties. No doubt.
No transducer is safe so long as this madman remains at large.
Being physically impulsive has no bearing on his ability to interpret the constitution of Wisconsin.
Grabbing the reporter's mike was stupid. Prosser is clueless about public relations, which is strange since he had a successful career as a politician before joining the supreme court. He also seems to have an anger problem. He isn't helping his cause any.
The good news is that if he ends up resigning (which probably won't happen), his replacement will be appointed by Walker. Prosser's replacement would be younger, more photogenic, more savvy at public and personal relations, more re-electable, and maybe even more of a constitutionalist.
Think about it: each person is an expert in something. Who has read or watched a piece in the news about something in which she is an expert, and observed that there were substantial factual errors in the piece?
Given that the press will get it wrong, why say anything to them? And when they get in your space, becoming pushy and obnoxious on their way to reporting something about you inaccurately, who wouldn't get pissy?
WV: tatre
tatre?
Some scattershot reactions (in no particular order) that jumped to mind:
1.) As microphone grabs go, it wasn't a big deal, from what I can tell, though it was unfortunate timing. I've seen far more aggressive microphone grabs.
2.) I do find it interesting that this is a report by a Fox affiliate.
3.) Based on the clip included in that broadcast report, I would not have characterized Prosser's entry into his office as "stormed" (hell, he didn't even jerk open the door, much less slam it--again, based on that clip from the broadcast report package).
4.) Grabbing a mic generally is an impulsive act; some people are more prone to a desire to take control than others. In and of itself, I don't think it means much. Regardless, it seems that Prosser instantly thought better of it and handed it right back without--at least from what we can tell from that clip in the report package--the reporter having to ask or even having a chance to.
One could just as easily use this as an example of how quickly Prosser checks his own impulses, yes?
5.) I have precisely -0- familiarity with Fox6, by itself or in comparison with other news broadcasts in its maret. Does WITI-Fox generally have a particular reputation for sensationalism? This does smack of an effort to milk a broadcast headline and spice up a story about a series of no-comments from the people interviewed (which, obviously, is not inherently exciting stuff, especially in video terms!).
---
Please note: I don't know what really happened in that meeting of judges, other than that things got heated and that at least more than one judge had an axe to grind. The more I see of the "reporting" surrounding this incident the less I'm inclined to come to a conclusion. In some cases, this might mean the "reporting" is very good. That's not so, in this case.
(And I think Althouse's questioning of the reportage, from the very start, has been a good thing--and regardless of how everything turns out, in the end.)
I hope he resigns after getting sworn in for the next term. Walker should then appoint a 40-something hunk for the old bats, er, ladies to swoon over. Politics schmolitics. They'll see things his way and everything will be all-right in Wisconsin.
If he didn't beat said reporter about the head and shoulders as he probably should have (Fen has an excellent point), no harm, no foul.
ndspinelli said...
Prosser is a short man displaying the classic dark side of virtually all short men.
I think Carol's position as dispenser of extreme and wild generalizations has been eclipsed.
Now that people have had time to answer and discuss, I want to suggest you turn back the clock to when Meade's camera was grabbed at the protests. And then ask yourself this question: is your answer today different from how you saw that story then? If not, what are the differentiating factors?
And full disclosure: my answer today was NOT consistent with my reaction then. I'm still thinking through my reasons, but I think the different contexts do make a difference.
wv: polin. Soroh Polin.
He seems to be confused at his role of being the referee, and not the combatant.
You know, I'm going to praise the Internet, again.
Here we are coming into the 4th of July weekend. Where I know all of New York City has cleared out for the Hamptons. Or Fire Island. With some people jetting off to Martha's Vineyard, too.
The offices of the New Yoke Times look empty. Only a ghost crew remains.
And, this is where they "dump" the fact that a judge has "freed" the frenchman. And, the maid is vilified.
On a slow news weekend!
So that the eyeballs of readers don't have to be taken into account. And, yesterday's news then becomes, ahead, so much fish wrap.
If it wasn't for the Internet?
We wouldn't even know this mishigas came down the pike.
While in DC, our taxpayer money will go and fund the greeks. Because they're socialists.
We're led to believe that our streets could erupt just like Athens.
Will the hacks, used by the elites, be a formidable obstacle we still have to overcome?
Stay tuned. Or, perhaps, I should say: STAY CONNECTED!
Prosser needs smiling lessons. Men/women with real power don't need to intimidate everyone the run across. I suggest someone like Meade give Prosser some lessons in friendliness. If Prosser sees the tactical advantage of friendly smiles, then I am sure that the belligerent SOB will adopt them.
@Carol Herman....
The rumor about Totenberg is about Potter Stewart not William Brennan, but the truth about you is worse....
Kudos for Prosser's quick hands but he should think before he uses them. The clip seems to show a man whose frustration overcame his common sense. If a persistent reporter can set him off so easily...
Just a guess. But if abrahamson and bradley aren't forced to resign ... it just means they have entertainment value ... far above most justices.
It's almost like seeing how Anthony Weiner at first said "he was hacked." And, Bradley says "she was choked."
Maybe, just new words for "playing with your chicken?"
You know, so far you have no proof that Anthony Weiner actually resigned. All you know is that he said he put his resignation in the mail.
It's still floating around, probably, as "undeliverable." Either because he forgot to put on postage. Or he used a zip code that's in Antarctica.
Again, it's a very long slow news weekend. Will we hear from Emily Mills, again? Do you think I care?
Some people are just more touchy/feely than others. Personally I don't even grab anything during sex - it's all in the mind.
The initial story that he was unprovoked and grabbed Bradley's neck simply because she asked him to leave her office seemed bizarre and unlikely.
It still seems unlikely, but after viewing that clip it at least seems plausible.
He appears to have impulse control issues.
ebutcher..what is your sex and height? I'm a 5'11" male. And...if you don't think short men have issues directly related to their height, you deny science and the painfully obvious.
And...if you don't think short men have issues directly related to their height, you deny science and the painfully obvious.
As a 6' 3" male, I complete agree with this statement. Short Man Syndrome is what I call it.
If I'd been in Prosser's situation, I would have handed the microphone back too. But it would have been recording only the reporter's lower gastric noises from then on.
You know, I watched the Fox6 clip. Prosser shoving away a microphone that could have been headed towards his crotch ... was a typical response to being ambushed, I thought.
However, it was his turning around in the elevator that got me. It must have been a special elevator. Since the reporter couldn't climb in. And, why was there a delay when Prosser pressed the button? That elevator needs some attention, ya know.
Oh. And, when Prosser got to his office door, he just went in.
Which reminds me. His office door is double doors. So, this must be so, too, for Bradley's "bin."
With TWO DOORS to open ... Bradley's story even gets weirder, still!
Because with both doors open ... when four justices went looking for their chief ... there was enough room for all the four justices to see "in."
How come Bradley just flew at Prosser? Did she think, for instance, if she flew at Roggensack, she'd have had her teeth knocked out?
Why did Crooks go home? Did he just shrug off the problem of the opinion not being published? I know, now, "crooks is not a quorum" ... by why wasn't he curious? Did he have to run home to walk his dog?
Do bells go off at 5:30 alerting everyone in the courthouse that the day is finished?
This whole story still needs lots of sorting out.
Nina Totenberg screwed Potter Stewart? Did she call him, "Pot, honey?"
Who are you going to believe, me, or your lying eyes. I have never read so many people who could claim that a person's reaction to something, caught on camera, is meaningless. It doesn't matter if the reporter was in or out of bounds - the justice showed how intemperate and short fused he is at this time, and that, together with his past history makes it plausible that he acted as he is accused of acting. Now, character evidence may not be admissible in every instance, but this video is nevertheless damaging.
Honestly, I just have to wonder if Prosser's personality isn't becoming inconvenient even to those who are supportive of his general POV etc. This isn't to say--at all, at all--that they're on Bradley's or Abrahamson's side (anymore than they were Kloppenburg supporters.) It's just Prosser isn't necessarily "helping" the cause these days...
...which is perhaps part of Althouse's point with regard to the PR aspects, generally speaking.
Still, that video package smells to me, due to the way it's framed, from the intro and headline used to the weird choice of "stormed" to describe Prosser's entry into his office (at least, from what a reasonable person can tell from the video accompanying the narration).
Ok, how many times have you seen anyone, politician, celebrity, judge, or a citizen grab a reporters microphone? It just doesn't happen.
Do all those people who have punched out the paparazzi not count?
"The history of our planet would be much more peaceful if all men were the same height[and all had the same sized prick]." Now that made my day--I can shut off the PC. Imagine the progress if we stuck with just the 1st Ten Amendments!! Imagine how nice the world would be with just 12 year old cunts: no breeders causing Grand Canyons with "stretch marks" UGH!! Yes, a perfect world. BTW--I'm taking transvaginal mesh implant cases, call 1-800-bad-drug. ABA board certified in vaginas.
How did Wisconsin get into a situation where the only choices for state supreme court were Kloppenburg and Prosser? If I lived there, I'd be looking for a way to avoid such lose-lose decisions in the future.
I think its been proven that men who are 5'11' have deep psychological problems. Being average, they must constantly draw attention to themselves, otherwise no one notices them.
BTW, I think its hilarious when the reporter melodramatically states "The judge then *stormed* into his chambers"
Looked like he just opened the door and walked in to me.
Defend, defend, defend...its all so unfair...
When did the GOP become the party of victims?
Remember that idiot from 2010 that was being aggressively pursued by a couple of phone camera-toting college kids, and the idiot actually put one of them in a choke hold? Yeah, he was an idiot.
So is Prosser. Doesn't matter how aggressively the "interviewer" was invading the judge's space, you don't give into impulse like that.
I'm surprised Wisconsin doesn't send the whole Supreme Court on vaction for a couple months.
When did the GOP become the party of victims?
Some of them apparently have learned that from watching liberals over the past 30-odd years. Too late, though, as the shine has come off that particular apple. It's a methodology with an expiration date that's fast approaching. Much like our President.
Ok, how many times have you seen anyone, politician, celebrity, judge, or a citizen grab a reporters microphone? It just doesn't happen.
It doesn't?!?
Sherlock Holmes just called this in!
The elevator doors didn't close because the reporter, or his hairdresser, was holding the elevator door OPEN ... By pressing this button. Prosser then turned his head away from the camera lights.
You know I hate it when some lunatic comes by and presses OPEN an elevator's doors ... Purposely delaying the "flight up."
Also shows ya, Fox6 ... films one thing ... while the most interesting fact is NOT shown!
That TIME DELAY ... just wasn't natural.
Dr. Watson was grateful to hear from Sherlock Holmes.
And, yes. The chamber doors are double-doors. That's like CinemaScope, to any crowd of people, standing in the open doorway,staring in.
Did you know that on Wednesday ... following this Monday's late afternoon kerfuffle, Big black Chief Tubbs was called in ... And, in the re-enactment ... with crooks also present ... He was the dummy ... who played "Prosser."
Crooks can't deny this.
Crooks can't deny what he heard when Bradley pressed "choke hold" and four of the justices ... who had been witnesses told her she was WRONG.
Wrong is stronger language than "choke hold."
Sure does pay to stay connected to the Internet.
I hate ambush interviews.
Judge Prosser needs to learn not only better impulse control but how not to be seen, as Judge Bradley has apparently figured out.
(Here are some useful tips)
WaHHHHH!!!! Help me against these awful old ladies!!!!
They so mean to me...wahhhhhhh!!!!!!
I don't know what happened with Bradley, but Prosser has issues, which while maybe common, or not, give an appearance of impropriety for a man in his position. I don't think he helps his position, even if I believe he reached the proper conclusion, by acting like this.
How did Wisconsin get into a situation where the only choices for state supreme court were Kloppenburg and Prosser? If I lived there, I'd be looking for a way to avoid such lose-lose decisions in the future.
This.
Prosser thought that the reporter was going to hit him with the microphone flying, so he defensively grabbed the microphone in a chokehold. It doesn't portray a man with such little self control that he would do such a thing right after choking another justice, would he? That would make it so very obvious that he was one angry , impulsive, nasty man who has no business being a Supreme Court Judge.
Why the continuous need for commenters here to call women they disagree with a cunt? I am surprised that Althouse herself does not call out these commenters for their misogynistic name calling, but I guess as long as they are far enough right of center it's just peachy?
ndspinelli said...
ebutcher..what is your sex and height? I'm a 5'11" male. And...if you don't think short men have issues directly related to their height, you deny science and the painfully obvious.
I'm 5'6" and male. As I say, spinelli has surpassed Carol as purveyor of wild, inaccurate, and extreme generalizations, although I have to say Carol is right on the document dump and the little French toad.
Height, or anything else, is an issue only if you let it be. I never have and have a feeling spinelli's "science" is the same as global warming.
Which leads me to wonder what spinelli's problem is.
Being a Lefty, I suspect.
Why the continuous need for commenters here to call women they disagree with a cunt?
How many are you coming up with total? What constitutes "continuous" in your book? Exaggerate much?
I would also contrast the reaction to this (microphone invading personal space of a male) with say, Rick Lazio handing (attempting to hand?) Hillary Clinton a document during the Senate debate in NY in 2000. There the interpretation was "bad Lazio, he invaded her personal space". Do men not have personal space?
This.
Not this.
think about" the word "impulsively," and then ask whether the question makes sense.
ScottM, between Nevadabob, Carol Herman, and frank, the word cunt , whore , slut have been used numerous times describing women they perceive to be liberal. YOU can feel free to go back in the threads and count the times these slurs were used.
Ah. Then you admit your sentence probably should have read, some commentors, correct? Being a regular hereabouts, I don't recall a thread in which "cunt" was used continuously in any case. That must mean something different to you than it does to me.
Splitting hairs? Only the bristly ones inhabiting the end of that extremely large and cheap brush you're using. You're going to leave a lot of streaks with that thing and end up having to try again.
Grabbing a mike = grabbing a neck?
Er, as Freud might put it "Sometimes a mike is just a mike".
Hey, Prof A, what next: The Body-Language pseudo-scientist on O'Reilly?
So saying, getting mad at a TV "reporter" is always a PR fail.
And giving the camera your back in the elevator is another PR fail.
It’s better to greet these TV guys as if they were just doin’ their job & say that “As you know & as I’m sure your viewers will appreciate, I can’t comment at this time since there’s an ongoing investigation.” And then keep on moving. And, BTW, do say, sweetly, something like “good bye, for now” as you close your door.
But it won't matter in the end, whatever the end may be.
And the MSM & the Sheriff's Office no longer are completely in charge of the overall "Narrative".
Short man can be wimps or they can be like pit bulls. But all sizes can be trained, even pit bulls...maybe. Violating ones personal space bubble, which is at arms length, is the red zone because inside of that a defensive move may come too late. My 6'2'' son, who is as bad as his 5' 8''Dad ever was, calls it "getting into someones grill." But we are both trained not to use our strength unless we are ready to lose some friends along with the enemies they watch us confronting. People demand a safe place away from confrontational type people. Do you remember that God loved the anointed King David's warrior heart, but told him that David's son Solomon would have to be used to build God's Temple home because David had blood on his hands.
Sixty Grit
I type on Word first (can't spell) & then move it to the Blog.
Was interrupted & didn't look at recent comments.
You got the Freud reference first!
Oh, well, great minds....
(The Uncredentialed Crypto Jew)
Ah. Then you admit your sentence probably should have read, some commentors, correct? Being a regular hereabouts, I don't recall a thread in which "cunt" was used continuously in any case. That must mean something different to you than it does to me.
Splitting hairs? Only the bristly ones inhabiting the end of that extremely large and cheap brush you're using. You're going to leave a lot of streaks with that thing and end up having to try again.
No it’s not.
How did Wisconsin get into a situation where the only choices for state supreme court were Kloppenburg and Prosser?
I can answer that. From the Democratic side, Dane Co, being a huge pool of Democrats who like to vote in Primaries, is able to get Democratic Dane Co. candidates on the ballot pretty easilty. (Kloppenburg, Clifford, Feingold). Some of them are waaaay out of step with the rest of the state, however, and fail in state-wide elections.
Prosser was appointed to the Court (by TT). Once you're in, the power of incumbency makes it very hard to dislodge you. Primary opposition is almost unheard of.
TPM is reaching to make this some sort of indicator.
But it's TPM. I'm not surprised.
Why would a website that's known for impulsively jumping on stupid stories before knowing all the facts jump at this stupid story?
Reading the comments I am struck no-one mentioned Abrahamson. She did well I thought, and is clearly getting testy by the end with this pillock reporter badgering her for a comment.
As for the mic, my take is Prosser was about to use it to speak, and thought better. It was not at attempt to turn the mic off from what I saw. This is QUITE different from the Meade camera grab which was intended to stop Meade filming. It may show impulsiveness; it does not show what Meade filmed.
tradionalguy:
I think that's grille.
I credit Roth's Portnoy's Complaint for making the word "fuck" the coin of the realm.
And, I think it was a crime and a shame that Lenny Bruce got persecuted for being very funny.
By the way, you can go and look. I didn't say 'cunt.' ... In the post that abrahamson is trying to pass a birth announcement off ... as "the canal from which the baby came." I was trying to show that my mother would have died of embarrassment. At it was pretty obvious to me, too, that abrahamson is way above her abilities in pay grade.
Probably, most judges feel the same way at the exposure they're getting from Wisconsin's chief justice. Who is a lying, incompetent, son of bitch.
But go ahead. Count words as much as you like. Doesn't amount to a hill of beans. Provoking the left wing bullshit artists is fun.
Too bad Prosser can't fart. It would have been so meaningful if had demonstrated that talent, while he was turned around, facing the wall of the elevator! While the true story is that the reporter-putz was leaning on the "door open" button.
Prosser did nothing wrong!
ambrahamson, on the other hand, set the whole thing up.
She didn't say an honest word in that interview of her's, either.
But the hack reporter didn't call her on her crappy peformance.
"Under investigation" ... indeed.
Probably isn't.
Probably the expected outcome will be to erase all traces of this from the face of our earth.
Good luck with that!
No wonder Ann doesn't want to lose her files to Blogger.
You folks there's a difference between a local Fox affiliate and Fox News Channel, right? I realize some people go apeshit the moment they see the word "Fox" and at that point all reason goes out the window.
I'll confess to having used the word "twat" the other day in a thread. Of course, I was linking to an account of Bill Maher talking about Sarah Pain.
I guess if your target is "far enough right of center it's just peachy."
You folks there's a difference between a local Fox affiliate and Fox News Channel, right?
I absolutely do. In addition, local Fox affiliates can and do differ from locality to locality.
5'2" Bill Maher called Sarah Palin a cunt when he was in Dallas doing his show.
@Ken, I had the same reaction to Abrahamson. The question that reporter asked her has to be in the all-time top ten for sheer cliched stupidity: "Questions have been raised about your leadership. How do you respond?"
I was hoping that she'd grab his microphone and cold-cock him with it, then look into the camera, arms raised triumphantly, and shout, "Prossered, beyotch!"
"Twit" ... and "Twat"
Chip S ... I said those could be name tags placed under the coat hooks of abrahamson and bradley.
It would be funny. And, yes. Appropriate enough that lots of people wouldn't go near either coat hook.
Words can be funny.
Abrahamson using a "fox" product ... to set up an interview ... where she probably also knew Prosser would be chased.
While for anyone who watched the clip ... at least the crook got identified.
Don't think the "clip" passed the smell test.
I think abrahamson is quite the "performer" though. And, as I said she reminded me of that line: "I AM READY FOR MY CLOSE UP, MR. DeMILLE." Abrahamson is old enough to have seen that film in her yoot.
And, through the comments ... nobody's changed anybody else's mind.
But for the laughs?
Man, this story is so funny!
It's not lose-lose for Wisconsin, either. It's just a wake up call.
I'll bet the majority of people who voted for Prosser are happy they did so. While some of the people who voted for kloppenhoppen got embarrassed no end, when her "victory speech" turned out to be so lame.
I remember an Israeli saying ... he was glad that Israel's enemies were so stupid.
If you're got to fight wars ... it's always good news to know that your enemies are stupid.
I haven't seen the left being smart since Bill Clinton's putz became an issue.
I have seen spin though.
Spectacular supernova of failures ... shot out through spin.
A Shemendrik...Thanks for the correct spelling. I always wondered why the son worried about his Weber grill. The son has always been competitive, and he came of age in bar fights in Ft Worth when he attended TCU. His Texas born frat Bros had to teach him not to take on all of the drunken cowboys, because that was only what they wanted. Prosser needs some friends like them.
This is from our Fox Six in the Milwaukee area. All the Milwaukee reporters are generally lefty although not as bad as Madison.
Mike Lowe who did the report has done all sorts of other great hit pieces. I think he did an expose last year that Rebecca Kleefish our lt. gov had a gay relative. With the implication being that Kleefisch should support gay rights because of this.
Somebody needs to set up a meeting between Carol Herman and Justice Prosser immediately.
lots of people wouldn't go near either coat hook.
heh. Picture each of them saying to the other, "This appears to be yours."
How come none of the justices walk in groups?
If I got to work. And, was in the parking lot. I'd group up with others who were going into the building.
We also know "Bradley couldn't be found?" Did she come to work disguised at the cleaning lady, so the reporter couldn't see her? He only saw the janitor's broom? Or cart?
Bradley would have been a prize catch!
Crooks? He didn't find his equilibrium, either. While certainly he is no quorum. But he was present at the meeting where black chief Tubbs came in ... so all 7 justices could do a repeat performance of the Monday's kerfuffle.
Oh, yeah. And, setting up the next scene ... the reporter said no one on the supreme court's word can be taken seriously ... because all of them are witnesses. In some sort of witness protection league.
Will the story ahead mute?
Will vacations intervene?
Will the Judiciary committee be limited in their investigation? They've already "investigated" Ziegler and Gabelman. Letting them sit and serve.
Sit and serve is what you get when you win your seat by election.
Mud, however, will still be flying. Because the democraps are desperate to unseat Prosser from his win. His recounted win. And, what elections mean. When democraps tell democracy to go shit in their hat.
Place your bets. All the horses are lame, though. The excitement of "passing to the front" ... will depend on horse whips. And, crotch punches. All in slow motion. (Where all the justices walk, alone.) Make note of it. Coming into the building, they walk alone. Even sharing car rides is not for them.
Oh, yeah. Microphones are the weapon of choice.
It seems like for a republican justice everything rises to the level of impeachment.
(The Uncredentialed Crypto Jew)
It seems like for a republican justice everything rises to the level of impeachment.
Well as they are ALREADY, Sexist, Racist, Bigot-Homophobes, Determined to Turn the Clock Back One Hundred years, Undoing a Century’s Social Progress on Many Fronts; it doesn’t take much to push them over the threshold.
Sorry, Lem, impeachment is not on the scene.
Won't be on the scene for obama, either.
Though there, the horse to watch is hillary. Coming up from the rear is one of her specialties.
Of course, summertime is for vacations. Summertime, where the living is easy.
Yep. As Fen said.
Based on the viewable annoyance factor of the grandstanding "reporter" in what little was shown..gotta see the lead up to know what Prosser was subjected to.
But the better way to handle it is to go the pleasant broken record "under investigation" comment a la Shirley. Why no ambush on Bradley?
But at this point I do have concern whether any of these folks have their minds on the true tasks of their jobs.
ebutcher, thanks for your candor regarding your height. And..I was a pitcher and wish I was a lefty, I would have been more valuable. As a righty, I was in a big pack w/ many better than myself. Regarding politics, left of center culturally..fiscal conservative. As a person, a trained observor of human behavior..I don't miss much.
As Shirley is the Chief Justice, I think she should get a lot of the blame for the lack of civility on the Court. Well, perceived civility.
She should invite all the justices onto one of those team-building weekend things that all co-workers so desperately love. The snacks should included Merkt's Cheese Products and craft beers. But I wonder, in the trust building exercises, if someone would forget to catch her as she falls backwards with her arms across her chest. Shatter go the bones. Prosser and Gableman would point and say You were supposed to catch her.
I can't help but feel the last three options in the poll all lead into each other. His lack of self-control betrays his deficiency in media savvy, and that makes him an awkward man in an awkward situation.
The Althouse Hillbillies demand better choices.
If someone got that close to me with a mic and badgered me I would probably grab it too just as a way of getting it out of my space. There is not a parent alive who has not done the same thing with something their child is sticking in their face. But at the same time it looks very bad to see a public figure do it and makes me think that maybe Prosser was the aggressor in the previous incident. There isn't really any other way to react to such footage.
One incident shouldn't have anything to do with the other but humans are pattern seeking animals and it is hard not to see a pattern there. Also I think his turning away from the camera was poor form as well. That is typically seen as what someone who is ashamed or frightened does. It would have been very easy to simply have given a no comment. Instead he acted inappropriately when challenged.
Poor WI. They have liberal justices with poor impulse control when it comes to issuing judicial opinions and conservative justices with poor impulse control when it comes to using their hands. We all know which is most dangerous... and it is not the one a justice will lose his/her job over.
BTW kudos to the reporter for trying to get answers. Most journalists are lazy and too accepting of authority. Apparently the justices are not accustomed to dealing with the press since Prosser was not the only one who looked uncomfortable in front of the camera. In a way that is good since it makes them seem less like political hacks. But Abrahamson was pretty smooth in handling the reporter even though she too tried the dismissive "thank you now leave me the hell alone" passive-aggressive strategy to try to get the reporter to move along.
Bradley's impulsive reaction would be to put it in her mouth.
Just sayin'.
Couldn't the Supremes Supremes step in and.. I don't know.
Justices are supposed to be above this kind of everyday workplace occurrence.
It must be frustrating as hell not to be able to defend yourself though.. ie DSK.. only that Prossers future is in the hands of not so disinterested parties like NY DA's.. but fierce Winconsin partisans.
Just thinking...
Are we coming full circle with the "civility" discussion?
Carol;
The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.
~Thomas Jefferson
What's your perception of the microphone grab story?
Why isn't there an option for "This story is a nothingburger being whipped into a Big Deal by the press in a desperate attempt to attain their preferred political goals by quasi-journalist means"?
Jefferson? Jefferson was a prolix SOB.
Shakespeare, now there's a writer: Brevity is the soul of wit.
Maybe he was grabbing the microphone to make say something, then changed his mind? The video shows almost no context, so it's hard to say what transpired there. The reporter stated that Prosser stormed into his office, which the video doesn't support, so I'm wary of other conclusions drawn by him.
HELLO. It's called GOT'CHA journalism.
On TV, for people who watch, the "message" has to come across in 30-seconds.
You want fair play, here?
Have someone go time how long it takes a person to cross that lobby. Start with opening the door. Prosser was carrying a lot of stuff in his hands!
Then, go to the elevator. See how long it usually takes for an open door to close, once someone inside pushes another floor's button.
abrahamson set the whole thing up!
Of course, she doesn't have to "act" judicial ... until she puts on her robe. And, slips into her chair. At court.
The whole story isn't worth squat!
Since Bradley is seen SEATED in the row of supreme court justices ... it's obvious she got into the building ... "Somehow."
Prosser is being persecuted! With the loony left going into over-drive in getting a story line out that Prosser can't control his hands.
Meanwhile, abrahamson can't control her mind.
And, Bradley probably walked in from the parking lot on all fours. Making "kloppenhoppen" sounds.
Oh, yeah. And obama says he's got another five and a half years!
I'm telling you, he's going to be super gluing his tongue to one of the White House porticos!
Nobody holds the loony left responsible for anything. Shame on them!
I voted for Prosser. No regrets.
He is a squirrely fucker. No doubt about that.
He is not emblematic of the not-into-my-shit person I want on the SC.
He was way better choice than moronic klopenburg person.
The best outcome wold be for Dave to hang fast thru July so as to allow Walker to appoint a younger and more conservative person to the SC. Preferably a person who is wired correcly.
Can we all agree to fling poo at garage?
(The Uncredentialed Crypto Jew)
Can we all agree to fling poo at garage?
Really do you even need to ask that question? OF COURSE WE WILL.
More of a PR fail for the local Fox affiliate. Prosser didn't come across any worse than the other justices, except maybe the guy who wasn't a witness to the event. Abrahamson comes across like a sweet grandmother.
Prosser is a slightlly built, small man who would need a AR-15 in his hands to seem threatening. He certainly didn't seem hostile or threatening to the news guy. It almost looks like he took the microphone absent mindedly thinking he was supposed to hold it to say something.
Despite their explanation, Fox comes across like a bunch of jerks.
Carol,
I'm not so sure all the footage of the justices in court was even of the same day. Could very well be file footage to support the narration.
The reporter came off as, to borrow a trendy term, a dick as it is. I mean..pretending liek he's going to get anything real when a high profile investigation in underway is crap at the level of TMX. "Charlie, Charlie!! Are you really staying clean?" I'd love to see ALL the raw unedited footage of the ambush.
Best line in modern film;
"If you have any poo, fling it now."
TMX=TMZ
Carol Herman, Abrahamson can't control her mind? Loony left, coming from YOU? Bwahahahahahaha......
You know, I don't think Prosser's opinions have embarrassed anybody.
If his opinions had been poorly written, and not showing he was deciding things on merit, he would have been clobbered by Kloppenhoppen.
There is absolutely no reason for Prosser to resign!
Bradley, however, is not just nuts, she can't write a good decision for beans. And, this is equally true for abrahamson.
There's a reason abrahamson can't get better results when she polls her court! (Rehnquist had a similar problem. But that's because Sandra Day O'Connor worked around him. Let it be known that she'd vote to create a majorite of five ... IF she got to WRITE the opinion.)
For all we know "plastic reindeer" work? It surprised me.
But I didn't go to law school.
Long ago I had a great deal of respect for judges, too. (Lawyers? Plenty of them drowned trying to be sharks.)
And, all I know about lawyers, really, I learned from the news.
Now? From Wisconsin, we see GOT'CHA journalism is the hands of fools.
And, Prosser? He won! Then, he won the recount.
The bitches don't deserve to force him to resign! Though having to go into a conference room with those bitches, has to be absolute torture.
We're just lucky he doesn't just use his hands to grab his own neck, and strangle himself.
On the other hand? His hands at composing opinions remains strong.
That's like owning the aces in this, here, stupid poker game.
A good question for Shirl would have been "Why did you leak the story to the press? Doesn't that interfere with the investigation?" Not sure she'd stay in grandmother mode after repeating that one a few times.
First, the maybe-something (who-knows?) that might have happened in chambers, then the rudeness toward the smug creep with the microphone.
Clearly, Prosser must be hanged forthwith.
Then, separate his limbs by quartering.
Send his left arm to Door County, his left leg to LaCrosse, his right arm to Milwaukee, and his right leg to Hudson.
And his head shall be posted on a stake in Downtown Madison, to encourage the others.
Pogo. It looks like you came up with a scenario for a video game to be sold to juveniles.
Dibs on the rights.
You have to love how the reporter characterizes Prosser as having "stormed into his chambers" - when it looks to me like Prosser walks in and closes the door.
Not exactly storming, but that's the media for you.
As for the microphone thing, it's hard to understand what he was thinking...but like someone upthread said, I'd like to see what they filmed that they cut out, given the badgering (no pun intended ; ) the reporter was engaging in.
Despite their explanation, Fox comes across like a bunch of jerks.
I think so too. Members of the press never seem to realize how they come off, hounding people who choose not to talk. It's not a good look.
After grabbing the mic, Prosser should have handed it back in the same way R. Lee Ermey gives his patient the box of tissues in this commercial.
But no, Lombardi Chick!
Prosser is clearly Guilty of Whatever Crime it is he's guilty of!
His gross manhandling of that defenseless mic shows that He Must Go And Now! It was very nearly a rape or a murder or a serial killing!
Prosser is the Jeffrie Dahmer of recording devices!
The Ed Gein of torts!
Think of the children!
I think the microphone had its fists raised and prosser's hands just made accidental contact with it.
Also, Carol, your f-ing crazy.
Prosser is even worse than Bill Clinton getting blown by a subordinate or when Ted Kennedy let that one girl drown!
He must go!
Um, ...waitaminnit....
It should be clear to all that had the camera not been there, Prosser would have sodomized the poor reporter with that mic.
NTTAWW mic sodomy.
"NTTAWW"
Butt of course. Consent is pair mount.
@Carol_Herman
Though there, the horse to watch is hillary. Coming up from the rear is one of her specialties.
Buwhahahah!!
Dumb, Dumb, Dumb, Dumb, Dumb.
Sorry, you are a public servant. Smile and say no comment.
Because he appears to have really poor impulse control.
As the video starts with Prosser grabbing and immediately returning the microphone to the reporter, we have absolutely no idea what led up to it. We really can't say that Prosser "has no impulse control" because we don't know that his taking the microphone was an impulse at all.
For all we know, the reporter could have asked Prosser to take the microphone and return it.
wv: shroow
@kimsch
If you play the tape backward, it appears as though Lowe shoves the mic at Prosser and is just handing it back.
A loaded word, "impulsively", was deliberately chosen to put Prosser in the worst possible light and connct the dots to Bradley's version.
I find it difficult to believe that anyone would find that cringing little man impulsive, threatening or aggressive. I could take him.
What I find most shocking is the lack of security in the courthouse, where camera crews can access elevators and corridors to chambers and the Supreme Court Justices don't have security details.
Lowe has placed all of the Justices at risk, unless, of course, the courthouse and Abrahamson's security was waved in advance and the "ambush" was a not quite as spontaneous as we're lead to believe.
Lowe's video raises far more questions than Prosser's temperament.
There have been some great comments here.
Because just what did Lowe say and do before Prosser took the mike? Maybe, he said "help me. I'm falling down. And, can't get up."
Story is full of holes!
If abrahamson thought this video would be the icing on top of Bradley's fake choke hold claim ... I think (with the outtakes) demanded in any investigation ... the epic fail ... is again one of the left's special supernova effects.
Even on a slow news day!
WOW, for the Internet!
WOW, for the comments that keep reviewing what we saw ... to show how "cutting" a story ... produces fake but accurate results.
If the outtakes need to be produced as evidence, I think Lowe's career will be as kaput as Dan Rather's.
You know, I'm glad this story just keeps streching out. Hope we're still seeing it on the other side of the July 4th weekend.
MikeR @11:40 AM
Good post, full of insight.
IMHO, Prosser’s not gonna resign, but that gives Libs a chance to dismiss every vote, every opinion of his forevah, as we used to say in Inwood.
So, the Lib rush to judgment, IMHO, arises out of their feeling, o, o, feeeeeeling that this bit of ammo is worth something. Thank God for Prof A. who forced them & the inattentive to consider an alternative scenario.
But, perhaps it will be hard for wimpy Republicans to speak up at Bar-B-Qs or cocktail parties in the future when some 4-3 WISC case, really, or assumed to be, favorable to Conservative/ Libertarian principles is issued.
But to paraphrase: We must distinguish between “White Male Court Decisions”, which are concerned with sterile facts, and “Power To The People Court decisions or "Social Justice" Court Decisions" (collectively, "PTP/SJ Court Decisions", which are concerned with what will promote the revolution. Prosser is an angry White Male who, by definition, can only produce White Male Court Decisions, while the honorable, er, centrist justices here, understanding the importance of such, will always produce desideratum: PTP/SJ Court decisions. Or something; whatever.
PS I'm surprised that the hatchet-job reporter didn't say to Prosser: "Some say that you are a 'flake'. Are you a flake?”
@GM when playing the tape backwards do you also hear "Walker is Satan!"?
ev: sreasm
This court needs a nap. They are way too crabby.
"For all we know, the reporter could have asked Prosser to take the microphone and return it."
I'm sorry, but I find that statement willfully naive. Please name another time you have ever seen a reporter hand someone their own microphone to speak into. Not point the mic in someone's direction, but actually say, "here, take this". It Does Not Happen Like That. Come on.
"I find it difficult to believe that anyone would find that cringing little man impulsive, threatening or aggressive. I could take him."
I keep reading here and other places Prosser defenders' descriptions of him as a "little man". That "little man" is taller than the reporter whose microphone he just grabbed. He's as tall or taller than Bradley, in the videos I have seen with the both of them together. This whole "little harmless man" trip you guys are on is simply untrue.
OK definitely a bad idea. But it doesn't mean he did anything to the battle-axe that got in his face.
Based on many accounts these are all cranky old elitists that have been given a hard time recently - and they aren't used to that.
I say, continue to give every last one of these elitists a hard time, every time.
Make them accountable.
Arturo,
I just introduced a scenario that might or might not be what happened since we don't know what happened prior to Prosser taking the mic.
I wasn't thinking that the reporter handed Prosser the mic so that Prosser could speak into it, my scenario was that the reporter asked Prosser to take it and hand it back. Probably didn't happen that way, but it is a possibility.
We don't know what led up to Prosser taking the mic. The video starts the moment Prosser takes the mic. That's all we know.
@GM when playing the tape backwards do you also hear "Walker is Satan!"?
Haha.
"When did the GOP become the party of victims?"
The US Civil War.
Before that, actually. That's when it became the party of victims of violence.
It was founded to free the slaves, victims of historic oppression.
So, since the beginning of the GOP.
Prosser is 5'2"
Bradley's 5'7" ...and weighs more.
You know, once, in hollywood, Alan Ladd was also 5'2" ... so that in "love scenes" (which are fake) ... he had to stand on a box ... as he spoke his lines.
Lowe's got a problem in that his tape isn't any more accurate than a truck that's purposely set to explode. Which is something NBC once did. Is this the technique now taught in GOT'CHA journalism courses?
Somehow ... Lowe got into the building and followed various justices around. Like a stalker.
You now, if this had happened at our Supreme Court ... EITHER the agents in charge of safety would have creamed Lowe ... breaking his mic as they forced his arms behind his back. Using plastic handcuffs to stop the show.
I'd also bet Chief Roberts would have been on the horn to the reporters bosses, making sure all hell broke loose at the top of the executive suite.
Just like when Dan Rather went on the air ... and tried to get away with fake but accurate.
calls weren't made to Mary Mapes. They were made to the top brass at Black Rock. And, Dan Rather was forced out.
Shirley Abrahamson has no idea what the role of Chief is!
Sure. Prosser was embarrassed.
Doesn't change what's ahead ... when investigations get done. And, the Dane County sheriff probably doesn't want to play the role of Dupnik.
It may take the judicial commission a long time to reach a conclusion. But it won't include "choke hold."
The only reason the democraps are still playing the media ... is that they think there's a pony is in that barn, somewhere.
They ought to carry a Con Ed sign. Con Ed puts out "DIG WE MUST" signs every time they live a man cover.
When the signs fail to stop pedestrians ... then the pedestrians fall into the hole. Feet first.
I hope Prosser takes heart that he didn't make a fool of himself.
I've turned around in elevators, too. To balance heavy loads. There's a rail back there people can use.
As to the question "who" was leaning on the "keep the door open" button ... That's worthy of an investigation all by itself. The ability to do this DESTROYS security in the Wisconsin Supreme Court building! Hope the bozo, shirl, sees to it that this gets fixed! Hey. She could call the bozo of Dane County's sheriff's department!
Did you know it could be investigated? It's a serious problem!
If I were Prosser, I'd wear a Groucho Marx disguise. And, I'd stomp on a huge, unlit cigar ... as I walked through the hallways of the bhilding.
ONE: Perhaps Groucho would pass unmolested?
TWO: Groucho's disguise would provide laughs. It would almost be like a segment of the Keystone Cops. Or like the days when TV was new, and worth watching ...
None of the gals could get away with wearing a Groucho disguise.
Typo alert. "lift a manhole cover."
This is a constant in New York streets.
"DIG WE MUST" is the new GOT'CHA news expression.
How did Lowe keep going without having passed any security?
I would have done the same thing. none of these judges answered the reporter with any wisdom except maybe the one judge who was absent.
A leader should be able to answer a leadership question at any time.
At a minimum, they could say facts are still pending, everyone including you and I are waiting for them.
Patrick,
Missing from Lowe's tape are any answers Prosser may have given.
He finally got to the mic part ... and that became the sound-byte.
Followed at the elevator, where in exasperation, Prosser just turns his head to the wall.
Given that most Americans "claim" they want people to step forward and serve. And, not the usual dreck that we elect ...
I think Prosser fills the bill. He's so ordinary he looks pathetic when questioned by a total dork of a reporter.
Lowe is like Emily Mills. Trying to grab some recognition ... But not based on anything worthwhile.
Just based on "GOT'CHA" journalism.
With Ronald Reagan dead, we just aren't going to get class acts in front of cameras.
Prosser has been a good justice!
He had his seat for a full ten year term, after having been appointed to it by Tommy Thompson (I think.)
In all those years there wasn't one opinion that spoke of "plastic reindeer." Or were convoluted.
That's why the democraps are attacking his personality.
Most Americans, on TV, would look worse. Most Americans would also look FAT!
Sure. Prosser could attempt a new approach of "walking down the hallways." Maybe, he should go to modeling school ... where "walking down a stip, while it is lit up, is taught? Though it's not quite dancing.
For dancing steps you go to Arthur Murray.
Why does everybody want Prosser to be Fred Astaire?
He's just a justice. Used to sitting on a high dias.
That's the part of his job he handles well.
Meanwhile, the shoddy behaviors belong to Abrahamson and Bradley.
Some people assume, because they've seen Abrahamson strutting on TV, in little tiny segments ... that's she "grandma."
Have I got news for you! The "grandma" charade is dropped whenever Shirley sits on the dias. Where she uses her power ... to crap on the State of Wisconsin.
Is this dainty because her ass is covered in robes?
I think not.
The "grandma" routine is a cultivated act. Why should it force Prosser to resign a seat he won, fair and square, is beyond me.
Oh, yeah. Thanks for listening.
Oh, Good Lord.
wv: pregges
Isn't it funny how "Seven Nachos" and "Carol" never seem to appear on the same thread?
Not that it matters.
This is why I enjoy Carol [for the most part]. She makes me think of this [for example].
(Of course, I'm a little weird, too, in terms of what things remind me of other things, and don't I know it.
And so is Althouse, by the way.)
Color me vastly amused.
Toot de' jour. And, french stuff not withstanding, none of us knows how this is gonna conclude.
But I do know "grandma" Abrahamson countered Prosser's move to his filing a complaint with the Judicial Committee ... with the ball rolling towards Dane County sheriff to start one of his own.
While Police Chief Tubbs turned down the request to file charges. AFTER he was used to play "dummy" to Bradley's demonstration of the "choke hold" done in front of the full court. Where Roggensack was probably the other justice who said "NO CHOKE HOLD" happened. And, Tubbs went away NOT filing a report. And, not even filing his notes from his "little meeting."
You know, it is entirely possible that the Dane County sheriff is not amused by his new "task." And, behind the scenes it must be a wallapalosa of recriminations.
Shirley can sure ask and task. But behind her "grandma mask" there lurks a witch. Who is being driven insane. Because she wants to get even.
What if Prosser wins?
I wasn't thinking that the reporter handed Prosser the mic so that Prosser could speak into it, my scenario was that the reporter asked Prosser to take it and hand it back. Probably didn't happen that way, but it is a possibility.
That theory makes even less sense than your original one. Maybe go back to that one. You might as well suggest that Prosser thought it was an ice cream cone.
"The video starts the moment Prosser takes the mic. That's all we know."
That's untrue. The video starts when the reporter asks "Did she come at you?" Prosser immediately grabs the mic. Watch it again.
Soup, it's about, innit? ; )
"Did she come at you" ...
Wow. That's like Chris Wallace's question to Michele Bachmann: "Are you a flake?"
How about asking Sarah Palin if Trig is hers. Or if she's only the grandma?
Prosser was attacked with questions. And, yes. Ronald Reagan's style would have handled it better.
Comes to mind how he handled Sam Donaldson's screaming at him:
"Mr. President, do you take responsiblity for the current depression?" And, Reagan shot back "YES, I DO. I WAS ONCE A DEMOCRAT."
Not everybody has such flare.
Asking Prosser about an attack that NEVER happened ... in the way the press wants to describe ... Could get lots of people angry!
And, no. Microphones aren't ice cream cones.
And, our "orator in chief" can't speak without a teleprompter.
Perhaps, what Prosser needs is a "rolling teleprompter?"
Though if it were me, I'd be walking with a snarling German shepard.
Could a German shepard think a "mic" was a dog treat?
I've seen dogs lunge.
My own go for my shoes ... to bring to bed to keep him company while I sleep.
But Prosser had no protection at all. And, his hands were full. The "mic" shtick is a stupid setup.
If Prosser carried a pocket book ... it could have been done like a Laugh In set piece. But then, he'd have to wear a hairnet.
It's not so hard to figure out most of us would not have done any better.
While Fred Astaire would have twirled. It would have been interesting to watch the foot work.
Prosser needs Arthur Murray. Just the first five steps of the Tango would have destroyed Lowe's advancing set up.
How did he get into the building?
How come there's no decent security at Wisconsin's Supreme Court?
What's going to happen on August 1st? How come no one holds "grandma" responsible? She's a pit bull.
A trained German shepard would fit right in.
Prosser is 5'2"
Source? He sure looks taller than that.
Wow. That's like Chris Wallace's question to Michele Bachmann: "Are you a flake?"
Chris Wallace was asking, however ineptly, for her response to a reality--and, sorry, it is a reality--that a not-insignificant number of potential voters think she's a flake, for (and regardless of) whatever reasons. You might not like that reality, but there it is. Get over your requiring instant things, as must I get over such.
How about asking Sarah Palin if Trig is hers. Or if she's only the grandma?
This is an entirely different thing. It. is. an. entirely. different. thing.
It is. Full stop. What amount of credibility are you willing to exchange to maintain otherwise? That's the key question, all bullshit aside.
It's been reported that Prosser is 5'2".
It's also been reported that one of the other justices did not support Bradley's attempt to say she had Prosser putting a choke hold around her neck.
Police Chief Tubbs was even called in ... to the Wisconsin Supreme Court ... Where all the seven justices were collected together. And, Bradley "used" Tubbs to demonostrate her idea of the "choke hold" ... when another justice, who saw what happened said "THERE WAS NO CHOKE HOLD"
Hold the presses. Lowe, reporting for Fox6, thought to ask Prosser if he lunged at Bradley ... when the story starts out that "grandma Abrahamson was hiding out in Bradley's office HIDING.
Four justices walked about the courthouse looking for "grandma" Abrahamson. Because there was supposed to be a deal of when the decision on the "union bill" (for want of the docket name) ... was going to be published. While "grandma" was trying not to fulfill her obligation to publish.
Prosser, knowing how abrahamson and bradley really work behind the scenes, took the "choke hold" LIES to the Judicial Committee.
To counter this, "grandma" abrahamson went to her stooge, the Dane County sheriff ... Because Tubbs ... After being used as the Prosser standing ... While Bradley demonostrated the "choke hold" ... heard from another witness that there was no choke hold. And, Bradley was lying.
Then, Bradley, after Tubbs left, tried another route. To push Prosser into "anger management classes." This was shot down by enough supreme court justices to turn the issue moot.
Maligning Prosser seems to be a sport that really is very UN-judicial. But "grandma" has had years perfecting her mask.
Behind the scenes she ain't "grandmotherly" at all.
Prosser, at least, has entered his claim with the Judiciary Committee. And, it seems they're familiar with reviewing various charges against other seated justices.
Will the truth out?
Not on Lowe's microphone!
Why can't Prosser just walk around carrying a teleprompter, which he plugs in ... when he needs cues on addressing the shills in the media?
Well, probably because it isn't practical.
Not everybody has such flare.
Carol:
Flare, flair. You're a gamer, so what's the problem? Mixing such (bugs included) up is a feature for gamers. You want to change the mix, why?
It's been reported that Prosser is 5'2".
By whom? You're still not providing a source. "It's been reported" doesn't mean anything.
But no, Lombardi Chick!
Prosser is clearly Guilty of Whatever Crime it is he's guilty of!
It would seem so.
If this is what it looks like, he certainly could have handled it better - but who knows how aggressive the media d-bag had been up to that point? This is the same guy who claims Prosser "stormed" into his chambers, which, if you watch the video, you will see is an absurd thing to assert.
It must also be frustrating to have to battle the liberal media with both hands tied behind your back. I can't imagine what Prosser's been through. It's like the lefties in the state are trying to peck him to death.
When Prosser learns the Darth Vader chokehold, I'll start to worry.
Martin,
At least one difference with the meade video, if I remember, is that it was taping a protester in a public environment..someone inherently seeking attention. The person just didn't approve of the attention he got.
Prosser was going to work. The reporter was in ambush mode and may have been pushing him incessantly leading up to the mic grab. Prosser comes off poorly, but the reporter had the power to edit out what led up to that.
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