Battleground Wisconsin

We debrief the undemocratic Lame Duck power grab with the panel and special guest State Rep. Greta Neubauer. Thanks to everyone who contacted their state legislators, made calls to constituents, or went to the Capitol to testify and bear witness. We also welcome State Rep. Evan Goyke to look towards 2019 and the potential for criminal justice reform. Moving to the next critical election, we interview of State Supreme Court Candidate Justice Lisa Neubauer.

After debriefing Rebecca’s much needed vacation, we discuss the latest news on the GOP lame duck legislative session scheduled for next week. Contact your state legislators today to voice your opposition to the Republican power grab! Robert educates us on Evers’ newly minted healthcare policy advisory council, Evers' plan to expand Medicaid, and what we can expect the next Congress to do on healthcare. We also review the recent Amazon deal and throw some love to the Eau Claire City Council for making marijuana possession fines $1.

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend! We thank everyone who attended our Brew Fest fundraiser this week, including speakers Mandela Barnes, Gwen Moore and Judge Lisa Neubauer, candidate for State Supreme Court in April 2019. We discuss the potential GOP lame duck session in the State Legislature where Republican leaders want to take power away from Tony Evers before he is inaugurated the 45th Governor of Wisconsin. The Walker Administration reveals that it created a $1 billion dollar state deficit that was hidden from voters until after the election. We also bat around Walker’s petty unwillingness to apologize for his false accusations of incompetence in ballot count.

We review Tuesday’s historic election that swept Tony Evers, Mandela Barnes, Josh Kaul, and Sarah Godlewski into statewide office and overwhelmingly re-elected Tammy Baldwin to fight the Trump administration in Washington. We look at highlights and a few lost opportunities. We welcome Anita Johnson to discuss her organizing work and her role in the Citizen Action lawsuit the expanded access to early voting, which had a decisive late night role in Walker's defeat. We are also joined by Robyn Vining. who narrowly upset Matt Adamczyk in a Republican district in suburban Milwaukee, and Citizen Action organizer Jeff Smith, who overcame the growing urban/rural divide and won election to the State Senate in Western Wisconsin.

We welcome Citizen Action coop member Sarah Godlewski who is in the final stretch of her amazing campaign for State Treasurer. Sarah reminds us how important it is to vote all the way down the ballot on Tuesday, November 6th. We discuss the terrorist attack by a white nationalist in Pittsburgh and how the tragedy is a direct consequence of the hatred sewn by Donald Trump, and the Republican politics of division. We discuss the despicable new Trump ad vilifying immigrants, which some believe is even worse than the infamous Willie Horton ad. We review the new MU Law Poll and discuss the importance of getting involved in GOTV canvassing efforts the last 4 days of the election. Robert reviews a new Citizen Action report finding that allowing Wisconsinites to buy-into Badgercare as a “Public Option” would slash premiums and deductibles by as much as $24,000 for a family of four. The report also found the healthcare cost gap with Minnesota is widening.

This week Wisconsin is ground zero for the 2018 election with the visits of Presidents Trump and Obama. The panel discusses the effort by Trump and Wisconsin Republicans to inject immigration and other conservative issues into an election dominated by GOP failure on healthcare. We encourage listeners to vote early and volunteer on election day or work at a polling location. We close with a discussion of the State of New York’s lawsuit against Exxon Mobil, saying It deceived shareholders on climate change and the Supreme Court intervening in another climate change lawsuit.

We discuss how healthcare, particularly pre-existing conditions, remains the top issue in Wisconsin elections. The panel forecasts their top 3 agenda items for progressives in 2019 if Tony Evers wins the Governor election and Democrats gain control the State Senate. Gabriel Gomez, a Citizen Action co-op member and candidate for State Assembly District 21, joins us to discuss his campaign.

This week the panel is forced (yet again) to interpret the infamous Marquette University Law Poll, which now declares a dead heat in the Governor's race. We dig through the electoral and movement ramifications of the disturbing confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to a lifetime SCOTUS appointment. Will it energize right-wing voters in November? Will it build the strength of the #metoo movement? We take a deep dive into the bizarre U.S. Senate debate this week between Tammy Baldwin and Leah Vukmir. Did Vukmir really say that pre-existing condition discrimination never happened, and is a "big lie" propagated by progressives? Next we discuss the shocking new UN report on climate change that shows we must take drastic action much sooner to prevent a global genocide. We close with a great discussion with Citizen Action co-op member Tom Sieber, who is a dynamic progressive candidate for the State Assembly in Northeast Wisconsin.

We discuss the sham FBI investigation into the credible charges of sexual assault leveled against SCOTUS nominee Brett Kavanaugh, and predict the likely outcomes of the shameful Senate confirmation process and the electoral fallout from Donald Trump's latest degrading remarks. We also talk about the Fight for $15 movement’s victory this week at Amazon, and the strike in Milwaukee that resulted in 23 arrests outside a McDonald's. Robert reviews the week’s healthcare news, including Assembly Speaker Robin Vos's stubborn “No way” declaration on accepting federal Medicaid money and Leah Vukmir's extreme attacks on Medicare for All. Finally, we welcome Aaron Matteson, a Citizen Action Co-op member and candidate for Assembly District 22.

We discuss the shamefully rushed Brett Kavanaugh confirmation process that played out this week and what does it mean for the progress of gender equity in America? We then welcome Citizen Action co-op member and candidate for State Assembly candidate Chris Rahlf to discuss breaking news this week that her opponent, Rep Rob Brooks, made racist and sexually abusive comments to 3 female GOP state legislators. We welcome State Senate candidate Jeff Smith to discuss his campaign and fundraiser next Thursday, October 4th, at Big Head Brewing Co. in Wauwatosa. We close with Citizen Action co-op member Kris Lennon to tell us about a Fair Maps Town Hall on Saturday, October 6th, 12:45 pm in Wauwatosa.