Battleground Wisconsin

The panel digs into the latest Republican health care "bait and switch" delivered by Paul Ryan this week, and preposterous Scott Walker defenses of disastrous new Wisconsin jobs numbers. We also have a special interview with People's Action Co-Director George Goehl, who is one of the national progressive leaders plotting a strategy to get from Trump resistance to a political revolution.

We announce the big news that Battleground Wisconsin will start airing on 1510 AM talk radio in Southeastern Wisconsin this Sunday at 3pm. We launch our new radio show with special guest Sen. Tammy Baldwin to talk about the current healthcare battle in Congress and why it such a deeply personal fight for her. On our Paul Ryan Watch segment we pick up on last week’s discussion of Ryan’s horse-riding media circus along the U.S./Mexico border with One Wisconsin Now’s Scot Ross. We also discuss the increasing importance voters are placing on fair elections and ending our corrupt system that allows politicians to choose their own voters through rigged legislative districts. Finally we remind listeners to get out this weekend and volunteer to help re-elect Tony Evers in the Spring Election.

We review the spring primary victory for Tony Evers, including the split among the right-wing primary candidates, and look forward to the April 4th general election. The panel exposes another eruption of Gov. Walker’s war on science, his effort to close down the 100 year old DNR Magazine which features articles by professional scientists on conservation issues. We also discuss how Republicans who won in 2010 after Tea party disruptions of town halls are now avoiding them, including Wisconsin's Ron Johnson. Jorna exposes Paul Ryan’s shameless grandstanding along the Mexico/U.S. border as he attempted to ride a horse for the media and only demonstrated that he doesn't know his way around horses. Finally, Citizen Action organizer Rebecca Derenne tells us about the new Northeastern Wisconsin Organizing Cooperative.

The presumed GOP front runner for U.S. Senate, reality TV star turned Congressman Sean Duff, says no to challenging Tammy Baldwin in 2018. We discuss the wild State Superintendent race where progressive incumbent Tony Evers is being challenged by two conservatives in Tuesday's primary. This week the story broke that the conservative opponents tried to negotiate a deal that would guarantee one of them a three year $150,000/year job, a driver, and sweeping control of over several urban school districts in return for dropped out of the race. We review state GOP efforts to pay lawyers $175,000 more for redistricting lawsuit, a new bill to greatly restrict who can request an election recount, and Gov. Walker backtracks on a nearly $10 million loophole in the Manufacturing and Agricultural Tax Credit. Robert gives us an update on the latest GOP House plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act while Sen. Ron Johnson ducks public town halls during the upcoming congressional recess.

We welcome Citizen Action Organizing Cooperative leader and education advocate Beth Ludeman to dissect Gov. Walker’s recently unveiled state budget where he celebrates restoring some of his own savage education cuts. Sachin Chheda joins us for an update on the redistricting lawsuit victory ordering the Legislature to redraw district lines. Sen. Dave Hansen discusses his new legislation (SB 13/AB 44) that would reform our redistricting process by empowering a nonpartisan commission to draw the maps, similar to the successful Iowa model that produces more competitive elections. Jorna tells us about Paul Ryan’s advice to Republican congressional members to bring extra security to their town halls, while Robert exposes the conservative bait and switch on healthcare.

We discuss the inspiring resistance to Trump during his first two weeks in office and the critical need to develop the positive progressive vision needed to inspire a political revolution. We highlight the imperiled nomination of Amway billionaire Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education and the monumental fight ahead on the Supreme Court nomination of ultra conservative Neil Gorsuch. We also welcome State Representative Gordon Hintz to discuss his leadership against Scott Walker's Manufacturing and Agriculture tax loophole that will cost the state $1.4 billion by 2019 and where more than 78% of the tax break goes to individual tax filers who earn more than $1 million. Robert also updates us on the successful media tour of Wausau and Eau Claire for the alternative progressive state budget, “A Wisconsin Budget for All.” Finally, we have an update on the successful launch of a new independent-progressive radio station on Southeast Wisconsin, News Talk 1510 Milwaukee-Waukesha.

In a major victory for Citizen Action's Radio-Active project, Mike Crute ( co-host of the Devil’s Advocates radio show) makes an exclusive announcement on the podcast that he is buying a major radio station in the Milwaukee market, broadcasting at 1510 AM. The new commercial talk radio station will feature independent and progressive voices engaging in fact-based discussions, including local hosts and national luminaries such as Thom Hartmann, Stephanie Miller, and many others. We also discuss Scott Walker’s punitive plan to force parents with children to work a minimum of 80 hours a month to receive food stamps and housing assistance, while the Walker economy continues to hemorrhage family supporting jobs. Also the panel discusses shocking new cost estimates for one of Walker's biggest corporate tax loopholes, his latest assault on worker rights, and new evidence that private school tax break passed by the GOP in the middle of the night is going primarily to wealthier Wisconsinites. We also weigh in on the latest Trump assaults on civil liberties. We welcome Milwaukee County Supervisor Marina Dimitrijevic to talk about the County Board’s resolution this week opposing all forms of discrimination and pledging that Milwaukee County will remain a safe place for undocumented immigrants -- regardless of federal law.

In advance of Gov. Walker’s state budget, Citizen Action of Wisconsin is one of the leaders of a 20 organization coalition which released an alternative state budget earlier this week. The budget eliminates huge corporate tax loopholes to fund exciting new investments in jobs, education, and health that will help create thriving communities. We also bat around the surreal Trump cabinet confirmation hearings this week that were headlined by embarrassing performance by Education Secretary nominee Betsy DeVos, whose only qualification appears to be millions in campaign contributions made by her family. Jorna has a Paul Ryan Watch update and we discuss growing opposition to the Trump attack on health care, including the successful Citizen Action Organizing Co-op rallies in Milwaukee, Eau Claire, Appleton, Waukesha, and Wausau.

We dissect Gov. Walker’s “working and winning” State of the State speech and uncover clues about his evolving political strategy. Moving to the national level, we welcome Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin’s Mel Barnes to discuss how Paul Ryan and Congressional Republicans plan to use the repeal of the Affordable Care Act to blacklist Planned Parenthood as a medical provider for Medicaid patients, cutting off access to women's preventive health care across Wisconsin. We also talk about Trump’s stranger than fiction press conference this week, the Senate's first vote on Affordable care Act repeal, and Health Care for All rallies we are hosting this weekend with Senator Tammy Baldwin and Congresswoman Gwen Moore. We also uncover shocking new Wisconsin legislation that would repeal child labor laws for kids 16 years and older to supposedly help homeless kids.

Media Call: Substance Use Prevention Experts Will Question Effectiveness of Walker's Opioid Proposal

Legislators, Advocates, and Experts working with youth in urban, rural and suburban school districts to evaluate Walker Administration's opioid prevention proposals

Statewide: Thursday January 12th at 1:15 PM, Citizen Action of Wisconsin will host a media call with State Senator LaTonya Johnson and substance use prevention expert Julie Whelan Capell to analyze Governor Scott Walker’s recently announced opioid prevention proposal. The Walker plan will be debated by the legislature during the state budget process.

Large scale prevention is the most effective and efficient strategy to cure the epidemic of heroin and opioid addiction, but there are major questions about the scale and scope of the Walker proposal. Failing to invest in proven prevention strategies at the scale necessary to meaningfully address the opioid epidemic will leave tens of thousands of urban, rural and suburban youth at deadly risk.

What: Media Call: Citizen Action of Wisconsin Joins Senator LaTonya Johnson and prevention expert to discuss Gov. Walker Opioid Epidemic Proposal