Spotlight on Wisconsin

In late October, “Saturday Night Live” spoofed the second presidential debate, in which Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney fielded questions from a town hall audience. One question: “I was wondering what either of you would do to keep dangerous assault weapons such as AK-47s off the street?”

Mock Mitt answered first: “Ah, nothing.” Bogus Barack backed him up: “I would also do nothing.”

Scott Walker isn’t anybody’s idea of a champion of campaign finance reform. He was elected governor in 2010 after outspending the competition in what was then the costliest statewide race in Wisconsin history, at $37.4 million. That record was shattered in this year’s recall election, when an estimated $81 million was spent, including $36 million by Walker’s own campaign.

The Capital Times of Madison recently ran an article on Vince Megna, the flamboyant Milwaukee “lemon law” lawyer who plans to run against state Supreme Court Justice Patience Roggensack this spring.

On Nov. 29, Tim Sullivan appeared before the Senate Select Committee on Mining and presented a report critiquing the state’s mining laws. The report was commissioned by the Wisconsin Mining Association, a trade group for which he serves as chairman.

The Wisconsin Government Accountability Board’s Nov. 29 certification of the official results of the Nov. 6 election made it, well, official: Democratic candidates got more votes than Republicans in state races for president, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, state Senate and state Assembly.