Battleground Wisconsin

We welcome Sarah Godlewski to the show to discuss the “Rally for Our Rights” events across Wisconsin she is organizing with PPAWI, Citizen Action and other progressive allies to highlight the critical importance of abortion rights in the Supreme Court election. This week the WMC dropped $3.2 million into a disgusting crime ad targeting Janet Protasiewicz that was topped by another shameful attack ad attempting to terrify voters that Janet will “take away parental rights and impose trans ideology on our kids.” We review Legislative news that Speaker Vos will kill Governor Evers’ bad idea to subsidize stadium improvements for the Milwaukee Brewers and an outrageous effort by Republicans to weaken our vaccine requirements for children in Wisconsin. We also continue to sound the alarm bell on the brewing cold war with China. We discuss Fahreed Zakaria’s comments on CNN declaring that this Tuesday’s Congressional committee hearing of the new House select committee on China was like being transported back to the 1950s, as members of both parties tried to outdo one another in their denunciations of China.

We welcome Michelle Mackey, the Executive Director of Kids Forward, to discuss their transition to an anti-racist policy center. We ask her what parts of Governor Evers’ state budget can make the biggest impact for equity. We also review the supreme hypocrisy of Dan Kelly refusal to commit to recusing himself from cases involving his wealthy campaign donors. Finally, we have a full serving of Robin Vos' hypocrisy, including his assertion that there is no money available for the state’s most pressing budget priorities when at the same time he proposes giving away more state revenue in the form of massive new tax cuts for the wealthy.

We debrief the Spring Primary Election, which saw historic voter turnout and a decisive victory by Judge Janet Protasiewicz. We take a deep dive into this first phase of the critical Supreme Court race, including the big money expended on scorched earth TV ads on behalf of three of the four candidates. Despite its short term success, did the messages set Democrats up for failure by reinforcing right-wing values on public safety, and damaging the multiracial progressive coalition needed to address mass incarceration and structural racism in the criminal justice system? We also call attention to the important reelection race of Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich, and call on progressives to get off the sidelines and volunteer in the general election.  Next, we discuss Sen. Tammy Baldwin’s call for the Biden Administration to rein in dangerous short-term health plans that are permitted by Trump era policies to violate the minimum standards for health coverage set by the Affordable Care Act. Robert tells us about a sleazy campaign by big health insurance corporations to destroy Medicare by privatizing it. Finally, we sound the alarm bells over the threat to health coverage posed by the unwinding of the COVID public emergency.

It’s Get Out The Vote weekend for next Tuesday’s critical Spring Primary Election. Governor Evers delivered his budget speech on Wednesday evening, launching the legislative phase of the budget battle. We discuss the highlights and shortcomings of the governor’s plan. We welcome back our in-house economist, Dr. Micheal Rosen, to discuss the misguided decision to include $290 million for the owners of the Milwaukee Brewers in the governor’s budget. We close the show with Citizen Action Northeast Co-op Organizer Natalie Hoffman discussing our door canvass this Saturday at Noon in Green Bay for Mayor Eric Genrich and our endorsed Supreme Court candidates. Please join the hundreds of small donors who have contributed to Citizen Action’s Supreme Court Action Fund supporting our deep canvas field program talking directly to voters. https://bit.ly/3YYidjd Natalie also previews upcoming budget meetings Citizen Action's Northeast Co-op is hosting with State Representatives Lee Snodgrass and Kristina Shelton.

We debrief President Biden’s State of the Union speech. Does Biden progressive economic agenda represent a break with recent Democratic Presidents? We preview Governor Tony Evers’ plan to increase state shared revenue in his state budget he will release next week. We encourage him to follow Biden's lead, and include forcing the ultrarich to pay their fair share. We welcome Citizen Action Northcentral Co-op organizer Joel Lewis to discuss thedoor canvass in Wausau this Sunday from 10am - 2pm at the Labor Temple. We also discuss the City of Wausau Climate Action planning process. We close the show by welcoming back Tobita Chow from Justice is Global to talk about the balloon kerfuffle and how too many American politicians are fixin’ for a dangerous Cold War with China that will unleash more anti-Asian hate.

Robert is away from the show this week so we are joined by long time show producer, Brian Wooldridge, to get his perspective on producing over a decade of Battleground Wisconsin Podcasts. We discuss Citizen Action’s release of state survey data this week that found 59% of Wisconsinites experienced at least one health care affordability burden over the last year and 39% struggled to pay the resulting bills. This survey data makes clear the intense need to expand BadgerCare in the next State Budget. We welcome new Citizen Action Driftless Co-op organizer Kristie Tweed to introduce herself and invite listeners to the Driftless Co-op Meet and Greet on Feb. 15th at 5:30pm in La Crosse. We also speak with Pio from Delta Beer Lab in Madison to thank them for a major donation to our election work and to promote Delta Beer Lab’s monthly fundraising for groups, including the Wisconsin Conservation Voters in February.

We discuss Citizen Action’s duel endorsement of Judge Janet Protasiewicz and Judge Everett Mitchell as we head towards the critical February 21st Supreme Court Primary Election. After debriefing Governor Evers’ State of the State speech and the Republicans' cynical response, we welcome back our in-house economist Dr. Micheal Rosen to discuss Republicans' scheme to create a phony “debt crisis” and what President Biden and Democrats need to do to win the fight. We also talk with Dr. Rosen about Legislative Republican’s shameful and destructive pursuit of large state tax cuts for the wealthy and expose Speaker Vos’ bad idea to increase the sales tax 1% to pay for shared revenue to state municipalities.

We are joined by State Senator Jeff Smith to discuss the first week of the gerrymandered State Legislature. Seeking to influence the State Supreme Court race, the session opened by Republicans placing on the Spring ballot a cynical political referendum asking voter opinion on a BadgerCare work requirement and a constitutional amendment on cash bail. The top priority of this illegitimate Legislature appears to be more tax giveaways for the ultra rich. Sen. Smith tells us why he is leading the charge to oppose the Republican attack on Wisconsin's progressive income tax. We also talk about state budget strategy,rural broadband, and the deepening bi-partisan public concern over PFAS in our water. Eau Claire City Council member and Citizen Action Organizing Director Kate Felton joins us to discuss her effort to organize local leaders in Western Wisconsin to fight for desperately needed increases in state shared revenue to municipalities during the upcoming state budget fight.

We are joined by Tobita Chow, the director of Justice is Global to discuss the new House committee aimed at the Chinese government and has Republicans warning of a “New Cold War”. We discuss why a cold war is disastrous to progressive governing and unnecessarily stokes anti-Chinese hate in America.

We debrief Citizen Action’s excellent State Supreme Court progressive candidate forum Wednesday night. We encourage you to watch and vote on what Citizen Action should do in the election. We talk about the newly unveiled Republican agenda in Congress and the State Legislature to provide tax cuts and tax avoidance for the wealthy while declaring no legislative pathway on very popular issues like legalized marijuana. We also review disgraced Wisconsin Election Commissioner Robert Spindell bragging about suppressing voters.

This week host Matt Brusky is on vacation, and we have as a special guest panelist State Senator Chris Larson. Chris and Robert Kraig dig into the latest revelations from the January 6th Committee documents which putt more of Senator Ron Johnson's fingerprints on the insurrection; the constitutional impasse in the House over the next Speaker, Trump's obsession with overturning the results in Wisconsin, and the Big Lie views of the two conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates. We then take a deep dive into weather governing in the public interest is possible with a hopelessly gerrymandered Legislature, including the prospects for BadgerCare Expansion, adequate revenue for schools and local government, and whether we can fend off a flat tax which raises taxes for most, slashes them from the ultra wealthy, and would create a permanent revenue hole that will defund our schools and other core public services. Can such a damaging tax policy be averted?