A Wisconsin 2020 election preview just played out in the spring election season here and it is not a good thing for the people of Wisconsin.
In almost a slam dunk race, the Democrats grabbed defeat from the jaws of victory in one of the most important (and winnable) State Supreme Court Elections there has been. Far right extremist, and Scott Walker crony, barely defeated Judge Lisa Neubauer.
Hagedorn, became famous for his 1820's anti gay views, so much so, that many traditional funders/bosses of the Republican party, distanced themselves from him. The WISGOP however felt that his hatred of anyone gay was a feather in his hat and took over the funding and the campaign.
Polling by a group backing Hagedorn showed him trailing badly as he headed into the final week of the campaign. Yet on Election Day, he edged out Neubauer by nearly 6,000 votes, thanks, some say, to a $1.3 million effort by Republican operatives in the closing days of the campaign. The initiative by the Republican State Leadership Committee targeted conservative voters who didn’t vote in the spring election last year when liberal candidate Rebecca Dallet won a spot on the Supreme Court. The group estimated that it mobilized 160,000 voters with a multi-media campaign that painted Neubauer as a radical liberal, linked attacks on Hagedorn with last fall’s contentious U.S. Supreme Court confirmation hearing and tapped into support for President Donald Trump.
Yes Hagedorn was behind the last week, rightly so, and ended up winning. Now we have a far right, Hyper partisan, Supreme Court for a few more years at least.
Where did we go wrong? There are many reasons, let's check out a few.
While we can blame the WISDEMS, and they definitely should shoulder their fair share of the blame but as always, they had help. As s typical the candidates hired consulting groups: Nation Consulting,Scott Spector Strategies(Moonlighting from Tammy Baldwin's office). G Strategies,Spiros Consulting, AL Media and 50+1. This is all to the tune of $893,656.60 in the last filing period alone. Almost a million dollars in Consulting fees, to end up losing to a homophobic bigot that his own biggest donors would not touch.
Asked if Neubauer intentionally placed a firewall between herself and the party, campaign manager Tyler Hendricks said: “Yes.” “We ran a fair, impartial and independent campaign,” he said in a response through the Neubauer campaign’s Facebook page. “Over $100k changed hands between our opponent and the WisGOP in the final days of the campaign, raising serious questions as to his claims of impartiality.”
One of the dumbest statements you will ever read. Of course Hagedorn is not impartial. Anyone who paid even remote attention, knows that the candidates who the Republican party runs, are chosen because they are not the least bit impartial. They know exactly how they will vote and rule n 99% of their cases which is why they were chosen. To pretend otherwise is naive.
Neubauer, wanted to distance herself from the Democratic Party. Yet what voters want is authenticity. Neubauers resume made it impossible to distance herself.
There’s no question that Neubauer is a Democrat. She and her husband, Jeffrey, a former state Democratic Party chair, have shelled out more than $100,000 for liberal causes and candidates over the years. She was appointed by a Democratic governor. Her daughter, Greta, is a Democratic state legislator and her husband is a former one. She’s worked for Democrats and she’s campaigned for them. Yet in her recent bid for the Supreme Court, she sought to brush those Democratic ties under the rug. And she urged liberal outside groups supporting her to stay out.
Of course the "Liberal" groups did not listen, they stayed in and helped tip the scales.
Zepecki conceded it was a game well-played. “They’ve got a story to tell because they took a flyer on this race and it worked,” Zepecki said. “They didn’t spend $1 million-plus knowing that they were going to be able to turn out 160,000 conservative voters. But they thought it was worth trying. Sometimes the narrow path to victory pans out. That’s what happened here.” He said the multi-media approach kept the campaign under the radar. No one knows, he said, what lands in people’s mailboxes or what texts they get on their phones. When the television ad appeared, it was too late to do anything about it. “We all sort of missed it,” he said. “Most folks were looking at the TV spend and the disproportionate levels of spending there going, ‘Oh this thing’s probably over in the other direction.’ And it turned out there was a whole other campaign happening.”
A million plus dollars on consultants paid for by the campaign, and who knows how many hundreds of thousands of dollars paid to consultants outside of the campaign and "We all sorta missed it".
Good work if you can get it. Being paid thousands upon thousands of dollars to get your ass kicked and then come back the next election to charge as much and lose again.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
As long as we continue our downward spiral in continually hiring the same consultants to do the same work, we will continue to be the state that used to be Progressive.
If by some chance, we decide to cleanse our politics of political lifers, whose main goal is to cash a check, then we can get back to the people powered, grass roots efforts that made us a blue state for years.
I, for one, am not optimistic.
One last thing, the devil is always in the details. Everyone knows that the DNC Convention will be coming to Milwaukee in 2020, but everyone might not know that the Registered agent of the Milwaukee 2020 committee is Thad Nation of Nation Consulting.
Something to keep in mind when you decide if you want to volunteer to do the hard jobs there, while Nation Consulting fills their coffers.
The press release came through today that Martha Laning has decided not to run for re-election.
MADISON -- Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Martha Laning, who has served in the role since being elected in 2015, has offered the following statement on her decision not to seek re-election in the Party’s June leadership race: “Four years ago, I ran to become Chair because I knew that Wisconsin Democrats needed a strong party infrastructure, a robust and engaged grassroots network, and a clear vision for what it means to be a Democrat. Like so many people in our state, I was deeply concerned about how the policies of Scott Walker and Wisconsin Republicans were taking opportunity away from our kids, jeopardizing the future of our communities and turning Wisconsin into a state none of us recognized anymore. I wanted to do my part to help. “Four years later, I am incredibly proud of the Party we have built. For the first time since 1982, Democrats hold all five constitutional state offices, lead by Governor Tony Evers who will put the people first as he champions our Wisconsin values. We re-elected our Senator Tammy Baldwin so she could continue her work improving the lives of Wisconsinites and protecting those that need it most. “These victories didn’t happen by accident. We launched an unprecedented year-round, every-year organizing program to empower activists across our state to inspire, engage and turn-out Democratic voters. We bolstered our candidate services team to support down-ballot candidates and helped them run competitive campaigns. We ensured the Party had the financial resources to support our ambitious plans. “Given these accomplishments and the bright future ahead for Wisconsin Democrats, I believe this is the perfect time for me to transition to my next challenge. I will not stand for reelection as DPW Chair this coming June and welcome the opportunity to support new leadership as they take the helm this summer. I remain committed to the Party and to our Democratic values, and I will continue to lead the Party with the same transparency and vigor as we prepare for the next Chair’s race and leadership transition following June’s election. “It has been an honor to work with so many caring and passionate activists who give their time to help make our vision a reality. I am humbled to work with a staff that doesn’t see the work just as a job, but as a calling to build a stronger Wisconsin. Chairing the Democratic Party of Wisconsin has been an incredible opportunity, and I couldn’t be prouder of the work we’ve done together to move Wisconsin forward.”
As is typical of past Chairs, taking credit for the wins and not discussing the losses, patting herself on the back as she walks out the door.
It is great that we won all Constitutional offices, but with the strong winds blowing a blue wave we were pretty much stopped there.
As Thomas Paine would say: "We have it in our power to begin the party over again.".
It is time for new ideas, new people, someone who lives and breathes progressive principles. It is time to take the fight to the Republicans instead of sitting back and allowing Robin Vos and Scott Fitzgerald the ability to guide the discourse.
That being said, let me offer up a few names who I personally would like to see run.
1. Bob Harlow - Regular readers here know. that I was team Harlow in the WI Governors race, as he was the first one in all the way until he dropped out. Bob is personable, hard worker, enthusiastic and full of great ideas!
2. Robert Hansen - The Former chair of the Milwaukee County Democratic party, (of which that has tended to be one of the few places in the state that has had Democratic success. Hansen, quit his job to work on the Campaign of Randy Bryce and worked part time with Senator Chris Larsen. Not sure any one person in Wisconsin, who can bridge the gap between the insiders and progressives, between the members and the people who should be members, than Hansen. In the aftermath of the election while ex aides and cronies were being recycled at an amazing rate, Hansen was left out. If anyone can do the work and deserves a chance it is Robert Hansen.
3. Tim Burns - an unabashed Progressive but it seems like a big step down to run for Wisconsin Supreme Court to running the WISDEMS. I like Tim, but think he should focus on bigger things (State Senate maybe?) .
4. Kathleen Vinehout - Kathleen ran for Governor, giving up her seat and is now out of Government. Vinehout might not be ideal, but I always felt she was a solid Democratic Rep for Wisconsin. I have had some problems with her positions, but not enough IMO to disqualify her. One of her strengths is, since she has been in Madison for so long she knows who the vipers and snakes are and will do her best to make sure they are no longer relevant in the Party.
5. Angela Lang - Angela ran Black Leaders Organizing for Communities (BLOC) and in my mind, BLOC was the MVP of the 2018 election. Let's let her take her vision of community and organizing abilities Statewide.
2020 is an important election and we need a real leader as WISDEMs Party Chair. We can not afford to have another two years of "Welcome to the new boss, same as the old boss.".
After all of that, and plenty more, an endorsement from me is far from a surprise. However, this endorsement is different. It is not I endorsing Tony Evers, as much as it is some of the people who know him the best.
Even early on, however, I noticed that not everything was as it should be. At more than one Cabinet meeting, the secretary of the Department of Administration, Mike Huebsch, told us never to send him or the governor any electronic documents of consequence, and to avoid the use of our state-issued cellphones. “If you send me an important report electronically, I won’t open it,” I remember him saying, “and if you call me on your state phone, I won’t answer it.” If we had any important documents, they were to be “walked over” and hand-delivered to the governor’s office. As a result, open-record requests by the media or political opponents would be almost futile. This lack of transparency would be a hallmark of the Walker administration.
Evers may lack polish and seem boring at times. But electing a lifelong educator instead of a professional politician should appeal to many voters tired of the bickering and partisan games at the state Capitol. Change is needed at the top after eight years of Gov. Walker sowing division, undermining good-government protections, and skimping on basic services such as roads while running up debt. The State Journal endorses Evers for governor in the Nov. 6 election.
Even though, some of the most qualified people in his administration endorsing his opponent should be enough, however, as we know there is always more.
As 7 investigates has previously reported documents show one of the governor’s main aides in 2012, Alex Ignatowski, received a letter from Racine County Judge Richard Kruel expressed shock over the treatment of a Racine County juvenile housed at Lincoln Hills, and held onto that document for more than one month.
Judge Kruel’s letter to Gov. Walker was written one year after the governor’s 2011 budget closed most of the state’s youth prisons, causing all of the state’s juvenile offenders to be moved to the Lincoln Hills/Copper Lake Schools in Irma. Opponents of the move have argued this decision led to years of problems inside the youth prisons, including inmate and staff injuries, under Walker’s leadership. Full statement from Gov. Scott Walker to 7 Investigates 7 INVESTIGATES : You have personally said you did not order a cancellation of the independent review into Lincoln Hills? GOV. WALKER: I did not. 7 INVESTIGATES: You did not? And no one on your staff did, as well? GOV. WALKER: To my knowledge, no. 7 INVESTIGATES: Have you Investigated that at all. GOV WALKER: No.
After eight years, we see that Scott Walker has an interest in, and does one thing very very well - Fundraise!
Wisconsin, we deserve more!
Please join me in voting for Tony Evers and Mandela Barnes on Tuesday November 6th.
Time to restore, honesty, character, decency, morality and virtue back to the Governors Mansion!
PS: One last observation. When was the last time you saw Scott Walker and Rebecca Kleefisch working together? Could it be that he does not respect her and she does not fit into his Republican climbing ambitions?
I started today with a quick introduction to Dan Schierl, and want to continue promoting people seeking state office. However, I am in Dane County, and do not travel the state like I used to, so I need some help.
Please let me know what candidates running for State Office that really impress you and why, what district they are in and who they are running against!
Then I will try and do a more in depth look and call to action for them. It is not about the party and time to stop worrying about them doing anything to tip the scales. We need to take charge and win in spite of them!
Thank you for your interest in my campaign. I am Dan Schierl. I have lived in the Fox Valley my entire life. I have lived in the Town of Clayton for over 20 years. I have been married to my wife, Katie, for 31 years. We have 4 children. I worked in manufacturing for 43 years. I started as a packer on the floor and ended as a millwright/pipefiiter. I retired in 2015. In my free time, I like to camp, hike, ski, snowmobile and travel. I am a member of and believe in the principles of United to Amend and Blue Jean Nation. I believe our government has not worked for the people in a very long time and I want to be part of the change necessary to get people back into power, not the big donors influencing our current system.
Wisconsin through and through for this lifelong resident!
So I looked up the 55th and who was representing the district, and it is Mike Rohrkaste. Never having heard of Rohrkaste in my life(for someone who follows state politics daily), I had to google him and see that he is a Republican who actually "represents" the Neenah/Menasha area and is completing his second term. Apparently anonymously. A look at his campaign finance reports and we see he really is pretty anonymous all around.
I believe the term for that is Mike has been a good soldier for the WISGOP, the problem though is the war they are waging is against public education.
Neenah/Menasha is a growing region that deserves out front independent representation. The 57,444 residents need to be represented well and proudly in the State Legislature.
That is why it is important that you send Dan Schierl to Madison in November. If you have a few bucks send it Dan's way,like his Facebook page, give him a couple hours of door knocking between now and the election, and call/text anyone you know in the 55th to show up and vote for Dan!
Every vote counts!
In the last election this seat was lost by 6870 votes so we need to bring more people to the polls!
The 2018 Democratic Convention was this weekend, and except for a handful of political junkies and some consultants looking to cash in, the person in WI watching this the closest was Scott Walker.
Walker knows that his re-election this year is anything but certain, and is desperate to attack the Democrats ruthlessly to keep people from focusing on himself.
After a weekend of speeches etc.... This is the one thing Scott Walker was able to find to pull and try and make some hay with and this is what he came up with:
Scott Walker3 hrs · It’s pathetic seeing what has become of Madison bureaucrat Tony Evers since he became a candidate for governor. He used the Lord’s name in vain this weekend during his speech to the liberal activists at the state party convention this weekend. What a horrible example for children, coming from a man who is responsible for educating students all across Wisconsin. Apparently this is part of his appeal to the far Left that controls the primary process and wants to hear rhetoric driven by anger and hatred.
For those of you scoring at home, "Madison Bureaucrat Tony Evers" = Wisconsin State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers, who in his Constitutionally mandated position has won statewide election numerous times.
It is nice that this guy now worries about examples to children. In case you didnt know, his good friend who let him sit in his seat and play President, had this to say:
Trump: I did try and fuck her. She was married.Trump: I moved on her like a bitch. But I couldn’t get there. And she was married. Then all of a sudden I see her, she’s now got the big phony tits and everything. She’s totally changed her look. Trump: Look at you, you are a pussy.Trump: Yeah, that’s her. With the gold. I better use some Tic Tacs just in case I start kissing her. You know, I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything.
That was locker room talk to Scott Walker, as he has never denounced that or worried about the example it set for the children.
In case you have not heard of Turning Point USA, this picture describes them well.
Seems they do not like colleges having "safe spaces" so they decided to drop their pants and show everyone who they are. GOP Senator David Vitter would be proud.
However, we are not without empathy. I would like to give Scott Walker the benefit of the doubt. Since Walker's blind ambition has gotten in the way of raising his sons, he wants to make amends. It is important to him that the good folks of WI do not also raise a son, who grow up to steal vans!
Just remember, while he may have failed as a father, and has definitely failed while handling money, because he ran through the tunnels during the protests of 2011, ISIS fears him.
I want a commander-in-chief who will do everything in their power to ensure that the threat from radical Islamic terrorists does not wash up on American soil. We will have someone who leads and ultimately we’ll send a message that not only will we protect American soil, but do not, do not take this upon freedom-loving people anywhere else in the world. We need a leader with that kind of confidence. If I can take on 100,000 protesters, I can do the same across the world. Scott Walker.
The problem is there are actual real questions to be asked. Let's take a look.
1. Have the wounds of 2016 healed?
We all know that there are two Democratic parties in Wisconsin, the one that supported Hillary for President and the one that supported Bernie.
Many party insiders jumped on the HRC express early on, and many people who supported Bernie were grassroots members on the ground who do not belong to the party.
Both sides need each other but I have not personally seen anything that says the wounds have healed. Team HRC think they are the star bellied sneetches, and paying their $25 makes them part of a private club that automatically knows more about politics than anyone in the state. Team Bernie, has no trust of the members of Team HRC thus no trust of the Dem party. They can totally overblow the riff and have trouble distinguishing between full blown support for HRC and those who voted for her in Nov as the lesser of two evils.
Neither side can win alone. So it is important that a leader steps up to bridge the gap and pull these two sides together.
2. What is the number one priority - Being a member of an exclusive club or being part of the party in charge?
With just over 1000 total members, and many less attending the convention this weekend will the convention be portrayed as the pulse of what is happening in WI or will it people more accurately understand that this is a nice weekend for free publicity and a way to introduce ourselves to people of WI and the unofficial kick off of election season.
Will Mike McCabe and his supporters be treated as lepers because he did not pay the $25? Will Kelda be treated as royalty because this closed group is her people? Will Mahlon getting endorsed by AFSCME propel him to the top or hurt him the way it did Kathleen Falk? Will Matt Flynn's role as lawyer for the Catholic church be resurrected yet again? Will Kathleen Falk get the cold shoulder from the party faithful that she has always gotten? Has Andy Gronik changed his position on public education from one that Scott Jensen would be proud of, to one that could get him elected as a Democrat? Will anyone know who Dana Wachs is? Does Paul Soglin even know or care that there is a Democratic Convention this weekend? Will Josh Pade wear his name tag at all times and a very bright colored tie so people can see him?
3. With Ten Candidates for Governor Speaking, who will emerge and how?
This is a very important question. Everyone has their favorite(s) and every candidate appeals to different subsections of voters. As stated earlier, a couple hundred loyal party members will have a straw poll and that will show who the hard core party members favor. Nothing else.
It will take about 1.3 million votes, throughout the state of WI, to beat Scott Walker. It is vitally important that every candidate, and every candidates supporters, feel that they have gotten a fair chance so they will get behind, whatever candidate comes through the August Primary.
As we get closer to the primary, the dirty tricks(which have already started) will get more and more and more intense. My recommendation is, before you start with some faux outrage towards a candidate, spreading a rumour or a whisper campaign against someone, ask your
self if you would like the same things said about the candidate you support.
4. The Year of the Women.
There have been a very high number of women filing to run for office, and two running for Governor. We have never had a female Governor before in WI and we are desperately in need of more diversity within our legislature. I look very much forward to brand new faces being sworn in to office, January 2019.
What are we doing to promote the diversity? My suggestion would be to get a group picture of every single Democrat on the August 14th ballot as a Democrat up and down the state. Show the diversity and the amount of women we are welcoming to our party. Then I would challenge the GOP to do the same, knowing there is no real diversity on their side.
5. Up and Down The Ballot.
While it is imperative that we change faces in the Governor's office, it is just as imperative that we pick up enough seats to make a difference within the Senate and Assembly. We have to treat every single race as winnable and we have to treat every single seat of the utmost importance.
That starts with Martha Laning this weekend and ends with the last voter to the polls at 8pm on November 6th. Every vote matters in every single race. What are the plans to reach them, and make our presence known all over WI?
I would highly recommend that the ADCC and the SSDC, stay as far away from candidates in close elections as humanly possible. I would also recommend showing up at events, working your free social media hard(use your social media not only to push your campaign but to be a community resource), get letters to the editor in your local paper. When you do doors, scrap the VAN and just go talk to people.
6. Will the Media Continue as Stenographers for the GOP?
One of the questions that Steven Walters asks is "Will Democrats justify GOP's "angry,haters" label. The problem with that question is that nothing justifies repeating that ridiculous claim by Scott Walker. Yet the media repeats it over and over, while ignoring reality. Scott Walker headlined a white power conference in Florida, his son stole a state van and there is over a billion dollar structural deficit coming and yet he has never been asked anything about any of this.
When the GOP refuse comment, then put out a press release, and the press runs it, they are just an arm of the GOP public relations campaign. If they continue to be at the behest of the WISGOP then what are the plans of the Dems to reach the public?
My recommendation is to have people pick different reporters and follow them on facebook and twitter, and everytime they write an article that is not fair, balanced or truthful, call them out on social media. It is called "working the refs" the WISGOP have been doing it so long that it is second nature to them, while the WISDEMS just complain to each other.
7. What About Scott Walker?
The easy thing to say is "we can not just be against Scott Walker, we have to be for something." The reality is we have to be both. The Burke campaign, while run as badly as the Hillary campaign in WI, was never against Scott Walker and rarely actually for anything.
America is on the verge of a Blue Wave (tm), Wisconsin has serious Scott Walker fatigue and desperately want to move on. Scott Walker, will have a blank check, to rewrite history and tell us all of the amazing things he thinks he has been doing.
It is important to point out what a failure he has been, and how we will do things differently. With a billion dollar structural deficit, each budget larger than the last, and record setting borrowing any idea/policy the Democrats have will be spending less money than the GOP have.
My suggestion, do not secede ANY issue to Scott Walker. He has not been successful in any area or any issue since he has been Governor. * He added more money to education, yet it is still not even close to what he cut and we are sharing the smaller pie with voucher schools. * Unemployment is low, yet wages are down, and he still has not accomplished his 250,000 job promise. We have a serious brain drain, with our young college graduates leaving town after graduation and to counter that he is spending millions advertising on high speed rail in Chicago to get people to move back here. You get the idea.
Another thing is we need to stop caring who and where voted for Trump. Trump came to WI and really played up his outsider status. The actual economy is not doing very well for people all over WI. There is no way that the career politician who has presided over WI for so long should receive their votes!
8. Money Changes Everything.
Breaking news: Scott Walker and the WISGOP are going to be much more well funded than the Democrats. Hell, America's Pac has probably already spent more on ads for Kevin Nicholson than the Dem candidate for Governor will raise.
That being said stop obsessing over money. We start out losing the money game, so when we look at the worth of a candidate strictly by dollar signs, we are setting ourselves up for failure.
Work hard, be aggressive, kick ass, be personable, talk to everyone.....the money will come.
Here is a partial list of people running to save the great State of WI. If you are not on here and are an incumbent or running against someone from the Fitzwalkerstan party, it means I was unable to find your name and information in a quick search (hint hint), so please either email me your info(jeff_simpson7@yahoo.com) or leave it in the comments, and I will continue to update this post.
For everyone else, I have tried to include links to the candidates facebook page, website and their twitter handle. Please add them/like them on social media, tell all your friends in their districts about them and possibly, pick one or two and send them a couple bucks.
We pointed out recently, that the Dem Party has not learned any lessons from the last few years of losses. Dana Wachs was the worst offender spending almost $40,000 and then hiring Jake Hadju to be his campaign manager. For those that do not know, Jake Hadju was executive director of the WISDEMS during the election debacles of the last few years, then moved on to run Hillary for Wisconsin campaign. Apparently running the campaign that lost Wisconsin for the first time in 32 years (1984) was all the qualification needed to get hired on to run the next campaign. However. as in many things, people will show you who they are. Jake Hadju, Dana Wachs campaign manager, did just that!
His campaign manager, Jake Hajdu, wrote in an August 23rd memo that Wachs was the only Democratic candidate "that has strong progressive values without the veneer of a Milwaukee elitist or a Madison liberal," and that other current candidates are "exactly like" other failed candidates since 2010.
For those of you scoring at home - While Jake Hadju has been working inside of Democratic politics for years in WI, he views Milwaukee as elitist, uses liberal as a criticism and thinks of Mayor Barrett and School board member Burke as "failed". Charlie Sykes could not have said it better himself. So now we see what Dana Wachs is made of. In true Scott Walker fashion, he distanced himself from Hadju.
"I didn't write that memo. It was put out by some members of my team," he said in an interview with FOX6 News. "I think what they're getting at is, we've run folks from Madison and Milwaukee in the past, and they're fine people. Mayor Barrett's a wonderful human being and a great Democrat, as is Mary Burke, but it's time for something different."
If that is what they are getting at, and compared to what Hadju wrote, then he probably should not be writing anymore as he is not even in the same zip code. If Dana Wachs is serious about running a campaign that appeals to people in Sawyer County, Milwaukee County, Dane County and Door County he needs to rid himself of these political insiders and high paid consultants and be Dana Wachs. As long as Hadju is his campaign manager, this "Madison Liberal" can not take the Wachs campaign serious.
Ed Garvey, one of my heroes, all time good guys from Wisconsin and a true Gamechanger, passed away in early 2017. Garvey, was what a true progressive should aspire to be. He did not talk about change, he worked to actually change the political landscape.
One of the gifts that Mr. Garvey gave us was Fighting Bob Fest. Fighting Bob Fest, was a big top Progressive Chautauqua, that was the envy of Progressives all over the country. It brought people such as Bernie Sanders, Greg Palast, Dave Zirin, Jim Hightower, Robert Kennedy Jr, Keith Ellison, etc.... to Baraboo,WI.
One of the criticisms of FightingBobfest was that it was preaching to the choir. However, as we have found out, Progressives becoming a rarity in WI, we needed one day of choir practice since we have 364 days of the exact opposite.
The 2016, FightingBobfest ended its run. It moved from Baraboo to Madison and now it goes into the dust bin of history.
There will apparently be a night at the Barrymore, which used to be the "kickoff" for BobFest, but with no Bobfest to "kickoff" not sure what the point is. Not only that, it is scheduled for September 10th and there is zero information available regarding the event available anywhere. A quick look at the FightingBob Facebook page and all you see is a months old post by The Progressive Magazine asking for money.
Since Hillary and her team blew it in Wisconsin and allowed the Donald to become President and RoJo to beat Senator Feingold, among many other losses, let us take a look at the Democratic/liberal/progressive scorecard n WI.
* Progressive Talk, The Mic 92.1, ended their run of political talk, despite good ratings, and went to a classic rock station(which I hope none of my readers will ever listen too).
* Sly was removed from his afternoon Progressive talk show and just allowed to play music on his family of radio stations.
* The Progressive magazine, has went from a monthly magazine to a bimonthly magazine.
* Wisdems leadership did not change and neither did anything in Wisconsin Democratic party.
* The Wisdems communications director left and no one knew(think about that).
* Paul Ryan feels comfortable enough to go on live TV and talk about how great a job The Donald is doing.
* FightingBob Fest has been shut down.
* The one Progressive media outlet in the State, The Capital Times, used to associate with BobFest, but now has decided to start its own "fest" called ideasfest where they invite people from "all sides" to share ideas, or as they bill it - a new way to reach a better state.
Under the leadership of managing editor Chris Murphy, these talks have posed what we believe are timely questions: “How many new apartments does Madison need?” was one well-attended example last year. We convened a panel of experts that drew almost 300 spectators to the High Noon Saloon, one of our frequent venues. Topics have varied but the turnouts, even on bad-weather weeknights, have been impressive — often 200 people or more. This new Idea Fest takes that concept — that people appreciate well-crafted experiences that both educate and entertain — and builds something much bigger. While the inaugural fest coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Cap Times, it will be an annual event and not a one-time celebration.
The people sharing their "ideas" are such noted thinkers as Charley Sykes and Ron Johnson. I look forward to hearing about the dangers of sunspots and why we should all call Michelle Obama - Mooch. Those are some brilliant "ideas".
Might I recommend they also invite Wild Bill Kramer to give us ideas on how to treat women and Scott Walker to tell us how to arrest people who sing songs you do not like. The ideas that some in this state can share with us are endless.
(Edit note: The venue for this "ideas fest" will be the UW-Madison campus. I wonder if Robin Vos and Jesse Kremer needed to sign off on all speakers and topics).
I guess when you have a director, Brady Williamson, who also represents WMC, then you should expect that the Progressive tradition of the Cap Times would be watered down.
Not much momentum heading into the incredibly important election of 2018 in Wisconsin for team blue(and rumors of internal dissension within the party - more on that coming)!
There is a zero sense of urgency, heading into a Gubernatorial election season, where historically the GOP should be extremely vulnerable. At least I should say, that with rare exceptions, there seems to be no sense of urgency, because it seems like the WISDEMS have been on vacation this year.
We also have another problem to overcome. primaries. There are going to be many people jumping in the race to face Scooter, the guy who thinks walling off Canada is a good idea. There is also a very contested race between Randy Bryce and Cathy Meyers to take on Paul Ryan already and a three way race for Supreme Court.
All of these races have been ugly already and we are only getting warmed up. Some people who I respect tremendously, who played neutral in the last presidential race, have been saying nasty things and spewing too much venom at candidates that they do not support,.
So with all of the complete suppression of Progressive values, Ed Garvey is truly dead to us in WI!
One of my favorite sayings of Ed's was "Is this a private fight, or can anyone join in?".
It is time that we honor Ed Garvey again and start to take back our State. Just like then, we need to take back the Democratic Party and then the State! We need to do it IMMEDIATELY!
How do we do that at this point in our History? It is simple, the same thing any athlete does when they fall into a bad slump - Go back to the basics!
In 2005 Ed Garvey came up with the idea of a "People's Legislature". After meetings all over the state(imagine that reaching people in Madison AND Cable, WI). The PL came up with four basic principles:
A four-part reform agenda was approved by participants at the assemblies, including:
Comprehensive campaign finance reform that includes public financing of state elections campaigns and full disclosure of political contributions that restores the state’s ban on corporate campaign contributions;
Independent ethics enforcement by combining the state Elections Board and Ethics Board into a single enforcement agency under the direction of a politically independent board;
Competitive elections through reform of legislative redistricting modeled after the system used in Iowa, and;
Preservation of local fiscal control to prevent arbitrary and centralized budget limits on local units of government.
It is hard to believe that we need to work around our legislators, to come up with these four basic ideas for a platform. That we have to push the Democratic Party to support these basic fundamentals, but we do.
Let's honor the memory of Ed Garvey and DEMAND that these basic principles are not just part of the platform of any candidate asking for our support but that they also make them part of their stump speech!
We have to also respect EVERYONE that runs for office, even if you do not support them. The way we attack people who are not part of the Democratic Party establishment is beyond the pale and needs to stop.
We also have to welcome ALL people into the Dem party and stop putting a premium on the people who pay $20. We need every vote we can muster in November 2018 and if it means someone has to give up some of their power so be it.
Finally, let's also remember another saying of Ed's(which we have strayed far away from, even having lobbyists run major campaigns):
"Bring your brooms so we can sweep the lobbyists out of the Capitol"
Ed Garvey showed us the way to a better state....let us honor his memory and actually bring real change to Wisconsin!
What the party and candidates need to be stressing is a larger, central theme out there of "A better America/Wisconsin" that includes ALL of these issues, with improved economic and political opportunity and fairness being the centerpiece of the campaign. The reason this doesn't happen seems to be an institutional problem within the party, and was illustrated this week in an excellent article by Dave Gold in Politico Magazine titled "Data-Driven Campaigns Are Killing the Democratic Party." Gold says that while data and demographics are important to the professionals in party offices, and gives a livelihood to many a political consultant, what matters more in winning elections is the ability to connect to voters in ways the voters understand and react to.
The idea that working-class voters are too dense to understand their own interests is condescending, counterproductive and wrong. The notion that Democrats have policy papers to answer every need misses the point that politics is not about 10-point plans but about emotions and perceptions and narratives that help people make sense of their lives. Democrats are not just losing because of gerrymandered lines on a map. They are losing because they are not connecting on an emotional level and they have conceded the narrative to the Republicans. A Republican will tell you a half-true story that resonates; a Democrat will show you a totally accurate graph that does not.
Everyone has an idea, so let me share mine.
First let's take a look at the landscape:
The next election is November 2018, a mere 21 months away. Scott Walker has already started running with his budget. He did not put some of the money back into education because he cares about the kids. Scott Walker did it to appear moderate, and has seen the popularity of public schools so he wants to make sure that people think he is their friend.
Scott Walker's plan has not gone unnoticed by the two majority leaders, who are both sick and tired of "waiting their turn" behind Scott Walker's blind ambition. Scott Fitzgerald and Robin Vos both have their sights set on being able to occasionally occupy the Governors office themselves while traveling the country on the Wisconsin taxpayers dime!
That means there will be a three way battle for this budget, to see who can look the most gubernatorial. While Walker's strategy is to appeal to the public education crowd, the Scorobin couple have no loyalty to public education and have already promised their souls to the road builders of WI.
(The Democratic) party that spent more than $1 billion last year, lost more than 1,000 statewide and congressional seats during Obama's presidency, and has the least power in 75 years. Now let's look at how we do that(in no particular order): 1. The establishment Democrats have to get over the fact that Bernie dared to challenge Hillary Clinton. It is a party primary. It happened. I used to be of the opinion that the Hillary supporters owed the rest of the country an apology for putting up such a horrible candidate that she could not even beat The Donald. I realized that is not coming and moved on. However I still see many Hillary supporters blaming Bernie Sanders for her loss. I am not here to re-litigate the primary but I do want to point out something. The Hillary supporters are dyed in the wool Democrats. They were Hillary supporters since the 90's, loved her career, intelligence and were excited for her to be the first female President. Many of the Bernie supporters on the other hand, were not dyed in the wool Democrats. Sure there were some Progressives that were excited for a populist to run in the Democratic Primary finally, but for the most part Senator Sanders brought in a huge section of people that have been left behind by the economy. It does not matter if it is the Bush economy or the Obama economy, there are people all over the country who are struggling in this economy and no one else was addressing them. They were sick of politicians, and wanted someone to shake the system up. Bernie was that man and so was The Donald. All the wishing in the world, would not have made many Bernie supporters vote for Hillary, 2. Stop writing off whole groups or people and whole areas of the state. The screenwriter of the movie, Hell or High Water, Taylor Sheridan, addressed this point specifically, not only in his movie, but also in many of his interviews(emphasis mine):
“Hell or High Water” is set deep in West Texas, in community where there are no social services, Sheridan says. Planned Parenthood is three states away, so they don’t understand why funding is going there. And money meant for highways doesn’t make sense because their highways never get fixed. “All these things, when you study them, start to explain the political leanings that have nothing to do with ideology. It has to do with ‘how can I control this bubble right around me that’s imploding?'” Sheridan told TheWrap’s Editor-in-Chief Sharon Waxman at a screening of his film Wednesday night. “We can’t assign beliefs to people who don’t have a voice to express them. And we can’t assume what someone thinks,” Sheridan said. “Those assumptions have created the situation we’re in today.” “Joking about the flyover states; we sit there and talk about diversity, but we’re going to lump people in an entire region together and sit there and attack them and assign beliefs to them in counties where the average income is $33,000 and we’re going to align them with the top one percent,” Sheridan said. “We attach all this stuff conveniently to people that have absolutely no connection to it. It’s unfair.” “I knew these people, and they weren’t what Bill Maher was saying they were,” he said. “This was the base of the Democratic party for 100 years. They felt really betrayed, and these are the consequences of what we’re dealing with now.” But poverty is poverty, Sheridan added. The superficial dividing lines between race, gender and religion he feels serve only to keep the rich making money and the poor down. “Hell or High Water” aims to bring those affected by poverty and those in power together. “As soon as we start focusing on the similarities and not the distinctions, then we got ‘em,” he said.
3. Understand that the Donald is not fit to be President, resist, but resist with Wisconsin in mind.
Yes The Donald is an unintelligent orange buffoon. but his incompetence will take care of itself as the rest of the country also helps take care of him. In Wisconsin, we have bigger fish to fry per say, but can not ignore the traitorous, incompetent mess that The Donald is. I recommend that every time you feel the need to speak up against Trump, find a way to tie it into Wisconsin. It is not that hard.
Want to discuss the Russian ties? Point out that Senator RoJo feels the biggest problem is that we found out about the Russian ties,
Maybe the fact that The Donald has yet to recuse himself from his business interests and in fact has been making money off being President? Make sure and also mention that the Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, could put an end to that.
Still want the swamp drained? Do not forget the fact that our very own Reince Priebus is POTUS Chief of Staff who is helping to oversee the repopulating of the swamp.
Also make sure to get as many pictures of these people with The Donald as possible. Like this(they will come in handy later):
4. When it seems impossible, that the world has gone crazy, remember that The Donald lost the popular vote by three million votes (not counting the third party voters).
There are more of us than there are of them! 5. Do not rely on the redistricting case saving us. Let's hope it does result in redrawn maps, but we can not rely on that. we have to continue working like there will not be a change at all. 6. Do not talk about the redistricting case without emphasizing how much of our money the Republicans are spending to make sure that the unethically drawn maps do not change at all.
This is the first state wide race since the November debacle and to start turning the state around starts with the first step. This is the first step.
9. Write a letter to the editor and tell your story!
It does not even have to be partisan, What is happening in the state that truly effects you? Share it with others. Would the ACA repeal be dangerous to you? Are you a hobby beekeeper and know the consequences of The Donald removing certain bees from the endangered species list? Has your favorite spot in Wisconsin been polluted or overcome by sprawl? It is not just negatives either, If you have a positive story, tell that. Was your child's education enhanced because of a great teacher? Did a police officer, fire fighter, or other public servant, go above and beyond to help you? Tell your story.
10. Stop working against Progressive media/blogs.
We all know about the right wing echo chamber and how powerful it can be. I get asked often why the left does not have one also. The answer is simple, because the left has been too arrogant. After the election, both the Progressive radio station in Dane County (92.1) and our friend Sly's progressive political talk show were taken off the air.
How many people emailed or phoned? Deleted Iheartradio app? Unsubscribed from their mailing list? Took them off your presets? Anyone? These were not cancelled because of ratings, Imagine the uproar if they suddenly cancelled Vuicki Mckenna's show?
The right also has a system of blogs set up that works with for the Republican Party. The Democratic Party and most legislators have ignored at best and been outright hostile to many progressive bloggers. In the last couple years some of the best, most informative blogs have stopped blogging (Root River Siren, Blue Cheddar) and we know Zach just recently moved on from Blogging Blue.
With outlets to get progressive news and information dwindling, now is not the time to hold grudges. Of course the left leaning blogs are not here to tout the Republican party business hook, line and sinker. We will save that for Kevin Binversie and Jamie Wigderson. Progressive bloggers can not and should not be partners but we should be acquaintances.
Like these blogs on Facebook, read them occasionally share the articles you are interested in, leave comments, etc...
12. Talk to people about politics! Politely!
It is past time that we stop discussing everything but politics with people. It is also time that we stop only discussing politics with people who think exactly like us. Have discussion with neighbors, friends, family, etc. Do not get frustrated, do not lose your cool and do not be mean. Explain why you feel the way you do and what facts led you there. Look for common ground, you will find it more often than you think!
13, Get over the myth that a candidate from Madison or Milwaukee can not win a statewide election.
Many candidates have won statewide being from Madison or Milwaukee. Tammy Baldwin, Scott Walker, Doug LaFollette come to mind. Stop trying to perpetuate the myth that there is a difference between Madison and the rest of the state.
As someone who grew up on a farm in small town Wisconsin, lived in Milwaukee for years, now lives in Dane County, spent much of my childhood in Cable, WI and have spent most of my career traveling Wisconsin, there might be some slight differences but in the end we all want the same things.
A strong public school for our kids, a job, a vehicle, healthcare, the ability to drink clean water, occasionally go out to eat and vacation once a year. The basic human needs are the same. Let us acknowledge them and work together to make sure we all can benefit and experience these.
14,. Stop listening to political lifer consultants and start listening to and talking WITH the people of Wisconsin.
If you hire Nation Consulting or Mike Tate, or anyone who learned the game under these guys, you are doing it wrong. I will support any candidate for the Democratic Party Chair who will publicly denounce these guys. They have been a governor on the Democratic party for years!
For four straight election cycles, Democrats have ignored
research from the fields of cognitive linguistics and psychology that the most
effective way to communicate with other humans is by telling emotional stories.
Instead, the Democratic Party’s affiliates and allied organizations in
Washington have increasingly mandated “data-driven” campaigns instead of ones
that are message-driven and data-informed. And over four straight cycles,
Democrats have suffered historic losses.
We need to TELL STORIES and tell anyone who says otherwise to take a hike! The last election cycle was the perfect example of this:
Consider the lot of Bill Clinton. It has been widely
reported that in 2016, Bill Clinton urged Hillary Clinton’s campaign to message
on the economy to white working-class voters as well as to the “Rising American
Electorate” (young voters, communities of color and single white women), but
couldn’t get anyone to listen to him in Brooklyn. They had an algorithm that
answered all questions. Theirs was a data-driven campaign. The campaign
considered Bill to be old school—a storyteller, not data driven.
We also need to mix up the WISDEMS administrative committee, they have been costing us seats!
15. WORK TOGETHER!
Ask anyone a question and it is not their responsibility. The WISDEMS, blame the ADCC who Blames the WISDEMS who then blame the SDCC who then points a finger at the ADCC who then..... well you get the point. Before you tell me about laws about coordination, and before I mention that those laws no longer apply to Wisconsin thanks to Scott "John Doe" Walker, but that is not what I mean.
Have some strong honest beliefs and stand behind them, Mean them! For instance , stand for public education and NOT using taxpayer money for voucher schools. Is it that hard for every Democrat in the state to draw the line on that? When you have a few that are for vouchers and a bunch more that hem and haw when asked, then the message gets blurred and it effects every single candidate with a D after their name,.
We covered this here. Make sure when you meet someone for the first time, tell them you are a Democrat, that before they even know you, they know some universal truths about you!
16. Truly become a big tent party.
There are hundreds of thousands of people in Wisconsin who identify as liberal, progressive, leans left or Democrat but have never joined the party. They are not the enemy, they are the key to winning. Yet the Democratic party has treated them like star belly sneetches who just are not as good as us without stars upon thars!
Knock that off!
I would suggest something that appeals to all. A sale! Take a couple weeks sometime this year and offer up membership in the Democratic Party for $5. Get people involved, have them actually become Democrats then welcome them into the party.
17. Never make a decision based on what the WISGOP might do.
I can not count how many times I have heard, "imagine what the Republicans would do with that?" I do not care. We are the Democratic party and I welcome anyone on the right to try and take us on regarding the issues.
18. We need to diversify.
That goes without saying!
19. We need to rethink white privilege while respecting it.
I understand that white privilege is real. I know, statistics tell me I can drive down the street and not be pulled over because I look like someone who maybe possibly robbed a convenience store a year ago. We absolutely need to acknowledge the inherent institutional racism that infects our system,
That being said, some white people are more privileged than others. When you live in a small town outside a medium sized city, the factor that three generations of your family have worked at has closed, your school has class sizes of 30 kids and no art class, and have to do their shopping at Wal Mart, you are not that privileged. When you have to drive an hour to work, because you finally got a job at the nearest mid sized city but can not sell your house, and make $50k year working 55 hours a week, you are surviving but you are not privileged.
We need to acknowledge that the economy isn't working for more people than it is working for, Then address that!
20. Acknowledge poverty!
Poverty has increased every year for as long as i can remember. The more poverty goes up, the less politicians talk about it. It is why the Scott Walkers of the world are allowed to keep dividing and conquering. We live in a land of great wealth, yet we have thousands of hungry homeless kids in WI.
I know the single mom, living in a motel, doing her best to keep her kids clothed and fed do not vote, but that does not mean they are not there.
It goes back to telling stories.
"...the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; those who are in the shadows of life; the sick, the needy and the handicapped. "~Last Speech of Hubert H. Humphrey
When we truly stand up for these people, then everyone else will know that we have a backbone and want to improve all of society. As they say, There but for the Grace of God goes I, many people know that could be us and if we can not take care of them how will we take care of me?
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