Battleground Wisconsin

We discuss the Organizing Revival, launched by Citizen Action with our national partners earlier this year, which is investing in improving permanent organizing capacity in every corner of the country. Leaders from 9 Midwestern states converged in Milwaukee last week to strategize on this critical power building initiative. Next, Robert encourages your attendance at next Wednesday’s statewide virtual Healthcare Action Meeting, where the group is engaged in a deep strategic analysis of the health care industry.

We laud the effort of state and national advocates who urged Congress this week to raise the corporate tax rate and ensure those who make over $400,000 annually “pay their fair share” to fund critical investments such as child care, and care for the elderly and those with disabilities. On the other end we call out the International President of the Teamsters who used the crutch of internal polling to sit out this historic presidential election. The Teamsters’ Black Caucus and Teamsters Wisconsin Council took a more proactive stance, supporting pro-labor candidate Kamala Harris.

In other news, RFK Jr is trying to get off Wisconsin ballots days before they begin to be mailed. Why is he spending so much money on this? Robert also highlights two Issues (immigration and abortion) where the politics have dramatically shifted over the past two decades. Which will have the biggest impact in the 2024 Election?

Who won the Presidential debate and why? How epic was Trump’s failure on healthcare? And does any of it matter? It may but not for the reasons many pundits think. The biggest impact may be exciting the volunteer base that will get out the vote and win over swing voters. Where you jazzed up by the debate? If so, help make it happen! Sign up to volunteer with Citizen Action today.

Wisconsin now has 136 school referendums in 2024, an indictment of the state funding formula and last state budget deal. We talk about how it has become a defining issue in the state Legislative elections.

Robert previews upcoming PSC hearings to get public input on We Energies’ proposed rate increases in Racine on October 1st and Milwaukee on October 3rd. We preview our new statewide campaign to cap utility bills at 2% of the rate payer’s income.

Congressional Democrats, civil rights leaders call for changes in the Senate filibuster. Trump wants to put Sen. Ron Johnson in charge of education policy in Wisconsin and again threatens political opponents with retribution, including jail.

We are two months away from the November 5th election and campaigns are charging full speed ahead. Robert debriefs Tim Walz’s speech at LaborFest in Milwaukee this Monday and we discuss how Walz’s governing record in Minnesota can be a blueprint for Wisconsin Democrats, including a BadgerCare Public Option, paid family leave, a child tax credit, and affordable child care.

We encourage our listeners to make next Tuesday a Day of Democracy by joining us for a 5pm – 7:45pm phone bank for Vinnie Miresse, a progressive state legislative candidate in Stevens Point and watch the Presidential debate after the phone bank

We review the fallout from a disgusting Republican ad that falsely blames Senator Tammy Baldwin for the killing of 6 Waukesha parade goers in 2021, re-traumatizing Waukesha residents. The ad was condemned by the Waukesha mayor. President Biden announced almost $600M for Dairyland Power Cooperative clean energy projects. It’s one of 16 rural electric cooperatives receiving a total of $7.3 billion for renewable energy projects funded by the Inflation Reduction Act. We talk about how the battle for the State Legislature this November is about taking on powerful private interests like CAFO operators and school privatizers.

Happy Labor Day Weekend. We discuss the significance of Labor Day, the surging support for unions, particularly among young people, and the critical need to restore democracy at work by passing the Protect the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. We encourage all our listeners to attend an organized labor event near you, including Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz at Milwaukee’s Labor Fest this Monday.

We update the developing crisis in Wisconsin’s monopolistic hospital and health systems. A new Eau Claire Leader Telegram article where a local doctor declares: “I don’t think it’s an understatement to say the HSHS closure and Prevea closure caused a medical crisis in the Chippewa Valley. I certainly see that when it comes to behavioral health each week.” We decry the failure of leaders to step up and address the brewing crisis that will surely engulf the rest of the state, starting with the increasingly troubled Ascension hospitals in southeast Wisconsin, HSHS hospitals in Green Bay, and down the road Marshfield Clinics if their latest merger does not work out.

We welcome newly Citizen Action endorsed state legislative candidate Angelina Cruz to the show to discuss her campaign for a Racine-area State Assembly District 62 and how her background as an educator and union leader have prepared her for the Legislature

Citizen Action unveils more state legislative candidate endorsements and welcomes two of the newly endorsed candidates to the show, State Representative Jodi Emerson, who is running for reelection in a new more competitive district in the Chippewa Valley and Karen Kirsch who is running in Assembly District 7, a suburban Milwaukee district. We encourage our listeners to volunteer for a statewide phone bank for Yee Leng Xiong,next Tuesday, 8/27 at 5pm.

We rip this week’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s coverage of the appointment of a new CEO of a merged Froedtert ThedaCare Health and his un-fact checked claims that the merger will reduce costs.

We comment on Tony Evers’ “jazzed as hell”’ DNC roll call speech, Trump outspending Harris on TV in swing states, and why Democrats are worlds apart from the GOP on addressing climate change.

We debrief big progressive wins in important and highly watched state legislative primary elections and with the overwhelming victory by Vote NO. We welcome Citizen Action endorsed candidates, Tara Johnson and Christian Phelps, who won important primary victories on Tuesday, to the show to discuss the significance of their primary wins and why they won.

Inflation is now under 3%, what is the significance and when will “the Fed” lower interest rates. As the presidential campaign heads into the Democratic Convention next week, Robert tells us what he likes about the initial ads being run by Kamala Harris’ campaign , including embracing a federal ban on price gouging.

Before turning to the big political news, we challenge our listeners to get active talking to voters this weekend. This primary is critical to electing movement progressives to the state legislature and defeating the 2 damaging constitutional amendment questions on the primary ballot next Tuesday, August 13th. We have 6 phone banks the final 4 days of the election where you can call from home and door canvass opportunities in areas we have organizers.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was selected this week by Kamala Harris as her Vice Presidential running mate. We analyze the pick and discuss the choice of Eau Claire to stage an early rally for the pair. As the new Democratic ticket takes off, Trump is caught red handed with fingerprints all over Project 2025, We close with a dissection of latest MU Law Poll, where the presidential race in Wisconsin is tied, Senator Baldwin is still up 5 points, and the Republican State Legislature remains wildly unpopular, with an approval rating at an abysmal 33%!

We discuss Donald Trump’s racist and false claim that Vice President Kamala Harris only recently identified as Black. Will the ex-president’s race-politics backfire or play to his advantage with his angry MAGA base? Why would the Trump campaign put him in front of a conference of Black journalists, who were bound to ask him insightful and challenging questions? In more substantive developments, President Biden ratchets up his calls for Supreme Court reform, and Kamala Harris takes up the issue on the campaign trail. Is the Executive Branch finally ready to perform its Constitutional role of checking and balancing a runaway court? As Biden/Harris administration officials descend upon Battleground Wisconsin, Green Homeowners United’s Kevin Kane joins us to educate us on why Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm is visiting Milwaukee on Friday and how it relates to fighting climate change and creating good union jobs. We discuss why Kamala Harris will campaign with her new running mate in Eau Claire next week and how the Harris bump in Wisconsin provides greater optimism for Democrats in the state legislature this November. We shout out the great organizers at the Wisconsin Progressive Education Network (WPEN) conference this week highlighting the failed public school funding formula and the need to organize the power to win a much better state budget.

In a sudden reset, President Biden steps aside and Vice President Kamala Harris immediately consolidates overwhelming support. We discuss the implications for Election 2024 and the possible policy agenda of the new Democratic standard bearer; including, medical debt, rent inflation caps, climate change, and the War in Gaza. Meanwhile, Benjamin Netanyahu throws gasoline on the situation in a speech to a joint session of Congress.

We discuss the critical August 13th State Legislative primary elections and strongly encourage progressives to get off the sidelines and talk to voters with Citizen Action. Next Tuesday, at 5pm we will be making calls for Tara Johnson in Assembly District 96, a chance to flip a GOP seat to a progressive champion.

Robert tells us about a media event we organized this week in Green Bay with State Representative Kristina Shelton in support of developing state legislation addressing the consolidation of the hospital industry, skyrocketing consumer costs, and the closures of important hospitals and clinics in Wisconsin. We close by acknowledging the avalanche of local school funding referendums that are being scheduled to make up for the state’s failure to properly fund public education. The same state budget lavished private voucher schools with their largest increase in 30 years

Robert joins us while on vacation and tells us about his adventures hiking the Ice Age Trail in Wisconsin this week. We review the disastrous RNC in Milwaukee that has seen a Milwaukee man shot by out of state police who were outside of the RNC’s security perimeter. In addition, there is a brewing economic backlash as many area businesses say the event was oversold as locals flee downtown and the city for the week and convention goers mostly stay in confined area and attend selected venues.

We talk about President Biden’s announcement that he will introduce legislation to cap rent increases to 5% per year, cancel medical debt, and rein in the U.S. Supreme Court. While mostly done out of political desperation, the elevation of these three significant issues is an important step for progressive organizers and our movement.

We review news this week from the dangerous, cutthroat and largely unregulated world of hospital and health system competition that UW Health is starting a $900 million expansion of its hospital and clinic footprint in pursuit of profits and market control. Attend our Hospital cost and closure training on Thursday, July 25th, 6pm to hear about efforts to fight back.

Citizen Action Southeast Coop Organizer, Brandon Williford, and Milwaukee County Supervisor Juan Miguel Martinez join us to discuss a wellness workshop that they are hosting at Mitchell Park with many other organizations next Tuesday, July 23rd, 3-7pm.