No one thought that Peggy Lautenschlager would have an easy time getting reelected. A drunk driving conviction is difficult for any politician to overcome, especially the top law enforcement official in the state. I think it's likely that Falk voters bought the argument that Peg would not be able to defeat the Republican in November, but I don't think that's the main reason she lost.
Peggy lost, in my opinion, because her campaign barely mentioned the fact that she has been the only official in the state standing between Jim Doyle and a complete turnover of the state to corporate interests. Yes, she talked about "standing up to special interests," but in a manner that was so general and vague that she essentially let Doyle off the hook. Lautenschlager needed to tell the voters that ours is a system of checks and balances, and especially being that Wisconsin gives its governor enormous budget and other powers, it is vital that the AG stand up to the governor whether he is a Democrat or Republican. Falk will be fine if Mark Green gets elected governor, but we have no assurances at this point that she will stand up to Doyle. A corporate Democrat governor with a toady in the AG's office is a frightening prospect. Let's hope Kathleen asserts some indepedence in the next few weeks.
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The pinheads over at the WMC say that Falk is going to continue to harass businesses, who want to do nothing more than provide employment, while turning her back on criminals. Even if that translates into some kind of attempt by Falk to keep a reign on corporate abuses, she won't be standing up to Doyle himself, not a chance.
It's Doyle's party. The main reason Peg lost wasn't because of what she did or didn't do vis-a-vis the voters, but because of her history with Doyle.
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