IB Madison Blogs / Bring It! / January 2013 / It is erroneous and fallon-eous to disguise high-court candidate Ed Fallone as an independent

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Jan 7, 201310:26 AMBlaska's Bring It!

with David Blaska

It is erroneous and fallon-eous to disguise high-court candidate Ed Fallone as an independent

(page 1 of 2)

My old comrade John Nichols of the anti-Capitalist Times has chosen Ed Fallone as the best hope to turn the Wisconsin Supreme Court to liberal, activist control in the supposedly non-partisan spring election.

In the partisan Left’s view, incumbent Justice Patience Roggensack has sinned most grievously by refuting the narrative of Justice Prosser as a batterer of female justices. Roggensack, an eyewitness, describes Justice Ann Walsh Bradley as the aggressor in a mini-altercation a year and a half ago. It is an account not disputed by the other five justices in the room, including Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson. (Here’s the sheriff department’s report.)

Nichols promotes Fallone’s candidacy as a victory of impartial jurisprudence over raw politics as compared to another challenger, Vincent Megna, who admits he is a Democratic partisan.

“Only the third contender in the Feb. 19 primary seeks to uphold the Wisconsin tradition of nonpartisanship in judicial races. Edward Fallone ... rejects partisan labels and partisan politics,” Nichols intones.

It could be that Megna is simply more honest than Fallon-eous (God help me, I couldn’t resist!) Fallone has left quite the trail of breadcrumbs in the cybersphere. The Marquette Law School prof’s blog of Aug. 13, “On Paul Ryan and Buggy Whips,” for instance, sings the praises of the Democratic Party’s “moderately socialist spreading of the burden ...”.

In fact, this single blog (there’s more to be had) could serve as the candidate’s political platform, which is indistinguishable from Dem Party leader Mike Tate’s.

Ed Fallone, disguised

Fallone damns Voter ID laws, recognizes same-sex marriage, stands with Sandra Fluke to demand “full access” to abortion and contraception, opposes tax cuts, and speaks of “leveling the playing field.” Tammy Baldwin, call your office!

But wait (as the TV pitchman says), there’s more. Here he celebrates the U.S. Supreme Court’s upholding of Obamacare. Here he praises a Dane County judge’s partial overturn of Act 10 collective bargaining reforms (and damns the “conservative noise machine”). Here he revels in the Milwaukee district attorney’s Javert-like fixation on Scott Walker. Here he condemns rules regulating demonstrations in the State Capitol, cheers the recall movement then (summer of 2011) at full mast, and praises Dane County Judge Maryann Sumi’s May 2011 open meetings ruling on Act 10 (itself eventually overturned by the state high court).

I have no problem with liberals running for judgeships; this is a democracy. But how about a little truth in advertising, John? Ed Fallone is a liberal. Say it loud, say it proud. Why else would you support him?

Vince Megna’s problem may be that he is too honest about his beliefs. Ed Fallone and his beard at The Capital Times don’t have that problem.