Declarations – Midwest

Running, Seriously

“I’ve only been considering this for 24 hours, but I am absolutely serious. … I’ve never ran for anything and if there was anything I would ever run for, this is the only thing.”

—Noted lemon law attorney Vince Megna, known nationally for his successful record of bringing lawsuits on behalf of car owners against automobile companies, dealerships and others, said his candidacy for Wisconsin Supreme Court is no joke. Megna is the first announced candidate to challenge Justice Patience Roggensack, who is up for re-election on April 2, 2013. Two others, Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi and Marquette University law professor Ed Fallone, said they are considering entering the race.

Goodwill Hunting

“There’s not going to be a lot of goodwill on the Hill. … The party lines will be hardened after this election.”

—Princeton University history professor Julian Zelizer said President Obama’s re-election victory will not strike fear in the hearts of Republicans, who remain in control of the House of Representatives. Democrats held on to the Senate, but fewer moderates of either party will be in the mix. Zelizer said the result is a recipe for more gridlock and white-knuckle showdowns over taxes and spending. Reaching consensus on even the most routine legislation will be difficult, he said.

No Quacking Duck

“Odds are against a five-year farm bill in the lame duck (session) unless it’s part of a budget agreement.”

—Pat Westhoff of the think tank Food and Agricultural Policy Research, based at the University of Missouri, said, referring to the likelihood that lawmakers will be unable to break their deadlock over enacting a five-year, $500 billion farm bill covering a wide range of agricultural policy from food stamps to crop subsidies and soil conservation.