Battleground Wisconsin

We debrief Thursday night’s final U.S. Senate debate with Robert who attended in person. Next, we bat around the latest MU Law Poll. Does it show a pathway to victory for Mandela within the control of grassroots activists and volunteers? We discuss the significance of the expected Federal Reserve interest rate hike. Is slowing down the economy and spurring layoffs the way to heal the economy? Robert educates us on the We Energies’ rate hike and how their corporate power is hurting low income people of color and sabotaging the transition to clean renewable energy. We encourage listeners to attend a Milwaukee rally against the WE Energies rate hike this Saturday, 10/15, at Noon. We close with a special interview with Citizen Action’s endorsed State Treasurer candidate, Aaron Richardson, to talk about his campaign.

We discuss Trump-backed millionaire Tim Michels’ self-dealing flat tax scheme that would further undermine the revenue needed for education, health are, and a climate transition, and force working and middle class folks to pay more while the super rich get yet another tax giveaway. Ron Johnson continues to deny Jan. 6th was an armed insurrection, as Wisconsin Democrats work to make the November Election a referendum on the right to an abortion. Robert tells us the deep history and structural causes of for-profit utility foot dragging on climate change, and a new Sierra Club Report gives Wisconsin utilities D and F grades on clean energy. We close with an interview of Citizen Action North Central Organizing Coop member Don Dunphy, who has been working for two and a half years for our “deep canvass” program following his retirement as the Lincoln County District Attorney. Don tells us why talking to important voters this year is “the most important job of his life” and why it is important our listeners should donate to expand the canvass and volunteer with Citizen Action talking to voters who will decide the election.

Wisconsin Republicans are taking to the courts to disrupt democracy. First Robin Vos sued the January 6th Committee in an attempt to duck a subpoena asking him to speak about Donald Trump’s latest attempt to overturn the 2020 election result in Wisconsin. Then the Wisconsin GOP sued the City of Milwaukee for seeking the resources necessary for everyone to have an opportunity to vote in November. Where does the GOP plot against democracy end? Mandela Barnes pushes back against racist and false ads running against him and goes on the offensive this week as TV news largely ignores the story while its owners get rich from millions of dollars in trashy, racist dark money ads. Does the so-called Fourth Estate feel any obligation to educate voters about the real issues or is it just another corporate profit center? We discuss the state of the Democratic Party in rural Wisconsin heading into the critical 2022 election with State Senator Jeff Smith and State Assembly candidate Jayne Swiggum. They talk about the challenges and opportunities for progressives to succeed in rural Wisconsin where Trump found success.

We welcome Citizen Action Movement Politics Director Priscilla Bort back as a guest panelist. We discuss the push back against the onslaught of racist Republican ads against Mandela Barnes. Citizen Action’s “deep canvass” election program is one of the most effective counters for combating lies. We urge listeners to donate and/or volunteer to this pivotal program. Trump-backed millionaire authoritarian Tim Michels wants to end parole, even if it violates state law, and Republican state senate candidate Dave Estenson is the subject of a Department of Justice investigation into his sexual harassment of women. In an ominous sign, every Wisconsin House Republican votes against bi-partisan bill preventing the overturning of elections. We close with our special interview with Wisconsin Examiner journalist Henry Redman to discuss whether the billions of dollars invested in broadband are actually going to cover unserved areas of Wisconsin.

We shed light on the misleading media coverage of the latest MU Law Poll, which finds both the Governors and U.S. Senate races are a dead heat. Did the TV saturation of radicalized attacks on Mandela Barnes influence any specific subset of voters? We applaud Sarah Godlewski’s new PAC to expose Sen. Johnson on abortion and support 6 women candidates running for important state legislative seat. Robert reviews new campaign contribution data that reveals Corporate America as the real power behind MAGA and the assault on democracy. We welcome UW Health nurse Shari Signer to discuss this week’s narrowly avoided strike, the next steps for the nurses, and their role in helping inspire a rebirth of labor organizing. New data reveals the lowest child poverty rate in America ever measured thanks to President Biden’s policies, especially the Child Tax Credit. Will Democrats in the Senate make it permanent? We close with Matt ranting again against the un-elected Federal Reserve Bank.

Please join us for a special interview with Sulma Arias, the new Executive Director of People’s Action, Citizen Action’s national organizing network. In that in-depth interview, Robert and Sulma dig into the crisis in American democracy and the role grassroots organizing must play in recreating a sense of community and shared purpose.

We welcome Citizen Action’s Movement Politics Director, Priscilla Bort, to discuss our Fall election program which centers on grassroots conversations with pivotal voters. Our first phone night had a great turnout, and this weekend we launch our general election door deep canvass in Milwaukee and Green Bay Saturday morning. Our panel reviews President Biden’s visit to Milwaukee Laborfest and his continued call-out of MAGA Republicans who are imperiling American democracy. MAGA millionaire Tim Michels demonstrated his anti-democratic Trump instincts by calling for pitchforks and torches. We close with a special interview with Sulma Arias, the new Executive Director of People’s Action, Citizen Action’s national organizing network. In that in-depth interview, Robert and Sulma dig into the crisis in American democracy and the role grassroots organizing must play in recreating a sense of community and shared purpose.

Happy Labor Day Weekend to all our listeners. We hope you get out and participate in your area’s Labor Day events. In this episode, we take stock in the resurgence of labor organizing in America as new Gallup Polling shows 71% support unions, the highest since 1965! Will it lead to a rebuilding of the depleted ranks of organized labor, shifting power in a progressive direction, or is more structural reform needed to restore the right to form unions? The end of summer means the November Election is just around the corner. Behind in the polls, Ron Johnson goes on the attack while getting help from some Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporters who distort public perceptions in the name of balanced coverage. In the real scandal fest that is the MAGA wing of the GOP, it is revealed that Tim Michaels’ Foundation Gave to Anti-Abortion and Anti-LGBTQIA+ groups. We also review the latest attacks on our democracy, including the shameful end of Vos and Gableman’s sham election review and his crusade to imprison elected officials and mayors who push for access to voting. The Democrats seem to be surging in the polls. What does it mean for the prospects of building a true governing majority in the second half of President Biden’s first term?

We discuss President Biden’s announcement that he will use his presidential powers to cancel $10,000 in student loans for those making less than $125,000 and $20,000 for those who were low enough income to qualify for Pell Grants. Robert discusses how this benefits all middle class students and is especially targeted to the most financially challenged, including BIPOC students with very high student debts. We talk about the vote of over 2,000 UW Health nurses to authorize a 3 day strike in September to demand recognition of their union from hospital administrators. We review a new report finding public employees are leaving the sector at the highest rate in decades. Robert previews our “How to talk about the Inflation Reduction Act” training this Thursday at 6pm (WATCH recording of event at citizenactionwi.org) This week Citizen Action announced 32 new candidate endorsements for the November 8th election and discuss why it is so important for everyone to volunteer this fall to elect Mandela Barnes to take the next steps in passing a bold progressive agenda.

We debrief the seismic shifts in Wisconsin politics reflected in this week’s primary election, which saw a 40 year turnout high, and perhaps a permanent shift in the balance of power in the Wisconsin GOP. On the Democratic side, progressives continued to gain ground in primaries (including democratic socialists, and U.S. Senate nominee Mandela Barnes became a great hope for staving off a red wave in Wisconsin and nationally in 2022. Does Wisconsin hold the key to saving American democracy? At the same time, the Inflation Reduction Act, the historically bold climate, health care, and tax reform bill expected cleared the Senate Sunday and is expected to pass the House on Friday. It reflects Democrats making the most progress in 50 years possible given the current composition of Congress (with some very unfortunate but necessary concessions to Senators Manchin and Sinema).