Althouse: Lecturing "left-leaning political pundits in Madison" about how "beating Scott Walker is the primary thing."

November 4, 2013

Lecturing "left-leaning political pundits in Madison" about how "beating Scott Walker is the primary thing."

It's Paul Fanlund at the Capital Times telling them to shut up and get behind Mary Burke.

Good lord, this is a long piece! It takes a lot of words to say shhhh. Fanlund bemoans the "parlor games around process seem to trump pragmatism." The notion of a primary to pick the candidate is dismissed as "inside baseball and petty minutiae." Fanlund would like you to focus on "Walker, backed by ever-compliant GOP toadies in the Legislature, has morphed Wisconsin into a place where politics faces backwards; it’s ugly, mean-spirited, anti-women and anti-intellectual."

I love that he's promoting pragmatism and denouncing anti-intellectuals at the same time.

19 comments:

MadisonMan said...: People who have "agonized" over Walker's Gubernatorial reign are either (1) Union Presidents, (2) Democratic Party Operatives or (3) People with too much time on their hands.

I think pushing Burke down the throats of Wisconsin voters could backfire because the Liberal Dane County Democratic Party Hierarchy has tried the Woman from Dane County for many recent state-wide positions to dubious effect: Linda Clifford; Joanne Kloppenburg; Kathleen Falk. Tammy would be on that list too, but the Republican Party did the Annointed Candidate thing last Senate race with Tommy, to disastrous effect.

Having said that, I am interested to know more about Burke, as something more than the notWalker candidate. It would be nice to vote for someone. Lord knows I'm already voting against Pocan.; 11/4/13, 9:56 AM
Marty Keller said...: It's the liberals' thoughtless promotion of utilitarianism over our founding principles that both opens the door for their endless tinkering with political economic realities and ends up in jaw-dropping displays of hypocrisy.; 11/4/13, 10:04 AM
campy said...: "Shut up," he explained at great length.; 11/4/13, 10:13 AM
Levi Starks said...: Wouldn't a better strategy be to point out how much Wisconsin has suffered under Walker's governorship. And his lack of ability as an administrator, and how practically every word coming out of his mouth is a lie.; 11/4/13, 10:17 AM
Rusty said...: Let the vote fraud begin!; 11/4/13, 10:30 AM
Sam L. said...: The Cognitive Dissonance is strong in this one.

Levi S., I suspect that's a losing strategy.; 11/4/13, 10:36 AM
cubanbob said...: Levi Starks said...
Wouldn't a better strategy be to point out how much Wisconsin has suffered under Walker's governorship. And his lack of ability as an administrator, and how practically every word coming out of his mouth is a lie.

11/4/13, 10:17 AM

Now there you go again talking about Obama….; 11/4/13, 10:38 AM
PB said...: I love it when left-wing toadies complain about right-wing toadies.; 11/4/13, 10:49 AM
Carnifex said...: Yes. Because letting liberal newspaper shills select your candidates results in much better government.

Did I say "better"?

I meant "bigger". Bigger government.; 11/4/13, 10:58 AM
MadisonMan said...: I meant "bigger". Bigger government.

Is there any evidence that the number of state Employees has dropped under Walker?

(I have no idea what the answer is to that question)

A lot of Republicans pay lip service to the notion of small government (or local control) but when push comes to shove, they have just as many cronies who need jobs!; 11/4/13, 11:06 AM
Curious George said...: Bigger IS better. Duh.

As a side note, my sister lives is a liberal enclave in NW Wisconsin. Madison libs could learn something from these asshats. Vinehout is their choice.

But the one thing that I can guarantee is that they will support Burke, or ANYONE over Walker. If pathological.; 11/4/13, 11:09 AM
Curious George said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 11/4/13, 11:10 AM
Joe said...: Enlighten us, Levi; how has Wisconsin suffered under Walker's governorship? To those of us on the outside looking in, Wisconsin has flourished under Walker's leadership.

In fact, I'd call Walker the most successful sitting governor and believe he's the best presidential candidate for 2016, though I could change my mind.; 11/4/13, 11:26 AM
Eric Jablow said...: I don't understand. Act 10 is settled law. How dare they oppose it?; 11/4/13, 12:10 PM
RecChief said...: weren't House and Senate republicans scorned for saying their number one priority was defeating Obama? Oh but that was those obstructionist Republicans and not the pure, well-meaning progressives who only have our best interests at heart; 11/4/13, 1:32 PM
garage mahal said...: As a side note, my sister lives is a liberal enclave in NW Wisconsin. Madison libs could learn something from these asshats. Vinehout is their choice.

Madison liberals mostly hate Burke and want Vinehout to run. As do most progressives in Wisconsin.; 11/4/13, 1:54 PM
David Blaska said...: Of course, the irony is overwhelming. Who is the astroturf candidate?; 11/4/13, 7:26 PM
Carnifex said...: @Madman

I don't know either, but you are right. That's why I support the Tea Party. R's have stabbed the small gov't constitutionalists in the back more times than the D's ever thought of doing.; 11/4/13, 8:34 PM
RichardS said...: This line is very suggestive: "a place where politics faces backwards."

They key Lefty conceit: we know which way "progress," or perhaps I should say "progress" is.

But without that belief, the "living constitution" is impossible, for we if we don't agree what "forward" is, we can't agree about how the constitution should evolve.

Similarly, if we don't agree about what "forward" is, the nihilistic foundation of Pragmatism, in the philosophic sense of Pragmatism, is exposed, for one man's forward would be another man's, or woman's "backward."

From what I can tell, Walker has, in fact, improved things, moving away from the increasingly out-of-date 20th century model of government unionism, but I could be wrong.; 11/5/13, 12:32 PM