'Setting the stage, poised for a knockout ... a fading, faltering, broken Hillary Clinton campaign': Everyone has read the ledes reporting on Barack Obama’s landslide win in Wisconsin Tuesday.

One aspect has been overlooked: In a critical dimension, it’s not Clinton or Obama who won or lost.

The people spoke and thus won. And one fact that bears noting is that Hillary Clinton supporters are more idealistic than she is.

In speaking to Clinton supporters the last week, the take-away is that Hillary has the requisite mettle and wisdom to successfully lead this country to social justice.

But Hillary did not speak for these people in her relentlessly negative (and false) ads and mailers that sought merely to stave off the 17-point defeat that she suffered here.

Hillary found out just how repugnant the politics of fear and distortion is among voters, including many of her supporters, who see the democratic process as a means of their deciding their government's policies.

Does Hillary believe that her supporters wish her campaign to assassinate Obama’s character, abilities and commitment? Noone I know was consulted.

Wisconsin has seen the Joe McCarthys, Bob Kastens (and Roger Ailes), and has seen good men journey the low road, like Jim Moody and Joe Checota. And Wisconsin has, often enough, challenged these politicians to take the high, democratic road.

Not all Wisconsin citizens dislike negative politics like what Hillary employed this last week.

But enough people do, so politicians ought to consider the betrayal that he or she is committing against citizens ranging from casual voters to their own supporters.

Wisconsin is a turning point in the 2008 presidential campaign, and is pointing the way towards a new future in American politics.