MADISON - I was so appalled at Robin Vos’s latest lie about the 2020 elections that I had to sit down at the computer and write about it. You can read what I said here:

Vos Lies to Placate the Far Right

But mostly I wanted to write you today to invite you to our annual celebration, Thursday, May 19, at Lussier Family Heritage Center, 3101 Lake Farm Road, south of South Towne in rural Madison. (You also have the option to attend remotely via Zoom.)

Go here to register and view program details.

Check in is at 5:30 p.m. in person, and we’ll have appetizers.

The program starts at 6:00 p.m.  I’ll be giving a talk, “The Assault on Democracy in Wisconsin.”

And then there’s going to be a great panel with Mel Barnes from Law Forward, Angela Lang from BLOC, and Christine Neumann-Ortiz from Voces de la Frontera, moderated by Iuscela Flores, our Racial Equity and Economic Justice Advocate.

We’ll end around 7:30 p.m., and afterwards, I’ll be signing my book, “12 Ways to Save Democracy in Wisconsin.”

I sure hope you can make it! Feel free to forward this invite to a friend.

Best,

Matt Rothschild
Executive Director
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Podcast panel discusses conservative conspiracy theorists who are urging illegal decertification of the 2020 presidential election.

MILWAUKEE - Our panel discusses Speaker Robin Vos’ meeting with conservative conspiracy theorists who are urging illegal decertification of the 2020 presidential election. Will Trump be returned to power via midterm coup? The Wisconsin Election Commission does not pursue charges against Wisconsin’s fake electors. What does it mean? We review the implications of Gannett closing its West Milwaukee printing plant where it prints the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and numerous other Wisconsin newspapers. Is there any future for corporate-owned newspapers? Finally, the progressive firebrand brewer Kirk Bangstad from the Minocqua Brewing Super PAC joins us to talk about the PAC’s lawsuit alleging U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson and U.S. Reps. Scott Fitzgerald and Tom Tiffany are barred from holding public office by the post Civil War 14th Amendment. Will they suffer the fate of confederate leaders?

Listen Now - Episode #534

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MILWAUKEE - From the conservative leaning WI Supreme Court making up the new “least changes” redistricting criterion to the Republican attempt to funnel public dollars to private schools, it seems the Sith Lords of the WI GOP are embarrassing the dark side…again! We delve into the new political maps for Wisconsin and give some political insider perspective of the new districts pros and cons. Our eye-rolling won’t stop with the newly released Galbegate records showing Gableman’s massive spending of public money on himself, while continuing to drive his big-lie partisan election review into the toilet. And the hits keep rolling as we call out RoJo’s past pro-Putin support and how he continues to show his unworthiness to be in office (don’t forget to Vote Nov 8th!). Speaking of terrible leadership…did you hear about the one where a bunch of white people who don’t live in Milwaukee want to dismantle the multi-racial Milwaukee School district? Join us as we try to find the punchline.

LISTEN NOW - EPISODE #533
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A session of missed opportunities says Madison Senator.

Madison, WI – Tuesday the Wisconsin State Senate had their last session day for the 2021-22 legislative session. Senator Agard (D-Madison) released the following statement:

“Every two years as legislators, we have the opportunity to prioritize the issues affecting our state. Instead of continuing to work for the Wisconsin people during the worst pandemic we’ve experienced in a century, Republican leadership has gaveled out for the rest of the session.

“This is a session of missed opportunities for Wisconsinites across the state. Instead of working towards a common vision during this legislative session, my Republican colleagues failed to prioritize the big issues affecting our state: from clean water and green environmental practices, to reliable infrastructure and transportation, to legalizing cannabis and raising the minimum wage. Despite deep bipartisan support for these policies, many of them did not even receive a public hearing from the Republican majority.

“This isn’t right, and Wisconsin deserves better. My Democratic colleagues and I have been working hard for our state and are committed to working for the interests of all Wisconsinites. While Republicans have dedicated this session to advancing corporate interests and perpetuating conspiracy theories and harmful policy—such as making it more difficult to vote—Democrats and Governor Evers have stayed vigilant for the interest of the people and the greater good.

“My legislative agenda will always reflect the will of the people, and I look forward to continuing to address the issues that matter most in Wisconsin in the next legislative session.”

Contract extension from Speaker Vos is outrageous and a gross abuse of taxpayer dollars, says Sen. Agard.

Madison, WI – Tuesday, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) signed a new contract with Former Justice Michael Gableman to extend his review of the 2020 November election. This extension follows Gableman’s original contract that expired on December 31, 2021. Senator Melissa Agard (D-Madison) released the following statement:

“After Former Justice Gableman presented his embarrassing sham of an investigation to the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections last week, I had sincerely hoped that we put the conspiracies regarding the November 2020 election to rest.

“This extension from Speaker Vos is outrageous and a gross abuse of taxpayer dollars. Instead of using these funds to invest in and better our state, Republicans continue to fund conspiracy theories and harmful rhetoric with taxpayer dollars. Over half a million taxpayer dollars have cushioned Gableman’s pockets for the last eight months, and the GOP is inciting this corruption.

“Do the right-wing extremists realize that their taxpayer dollars are quite literally paying for Gableman’s Costco membership, Netflix subscriptions, and Uber rides? We know from recent records that Gableman is grifting Wisconsinites in the name of an election investigation. This abuse is disgusting and cannot continue.

“I am calling on Former Justice Gableman to pay back the taxpayers of Wisconsin for these frivolous expenses and stop stealing from us.”

Maps adopted by Court on Thursday are still hyper-partisan and preserve a built-in advantage for one party, say Conservation Voters.

MADISON – Today, the Wisconsin State Supreme Court adopted the “least change” version of Gov. Tony Evers’s legislative maps.

Civic Engagement Director Anjali Bhasin had this to say about today’s decision:

“While the Supreme Court ruled to adopt the better option under a “least change” framework today, these maps are still hyper-partisan and preserve a built-in advantage for one party.

The court’s decision earlier this year to use a “least change” approach ensured that the maps adopted will further unfairly entrench a hyper-partisan state legislature. This is a clear example of decision-making rooted in the desire to centralize and consolidate Republican single-party power without considering the will of the people and well-being of Wisconsinites, further eroding Wisconsinites’ ability to choose their own representatives.

Over the last decade, we have observed the perilous effects and impacts of gerrymandering on the lives of Wisconsinites especially when it comes to issues like clean air, clean water, and voter access. Overall, we are disappointed by the court’s decision to adopt maps that subvert the will of the people.”

You can access the court’s ruling here.

Of all the maps before the Supreme Court, the governor’s maps were the best choice, says Senator.

Madison, WI – Thursday, the Wisconsin Supreme Court announced their decision for the new Wisconsin legislative maps. These maps will dictate Wisconsin’s state legislative districts as well as congressional districts for the next 10 years in Wisconsin. Senator Melissa Agard (D-Madison) released the following statement regarding this decision:

“Of all the maps before the Supreme Court, the governor’s maps were the best choice to ensure the most competitive districts and to move Wisconsin forward in having the will of the people represented in the legislature.

“Yes, I still strongly believe non-partisan redistricting is the best option and I will continue to steadfastly work toward that goal, but in this legal case, the governor’s maps reflected the most democratic option. I want to thank Governor Evers for his unwavering commitment to ensuring that the Wisconsin people have the best chance at having their voices heard through their elected officials.

“Voters should choose their elected officials, not the other way around. For the last ten years, Wisconsin has been crippled by our gerrymandered maps that has resulted in a state government that is not responsive to the people it represents. Wisconsin’s current maps, as drawn in secret by Republicans in 2011, have even been recognized as one of the worst states in the nation in terms of gerrymandering. This decision in support of Governor Evers’ maps is the best possible outcome for the people of Wisconsin.

“Non-partisan redistricting is the best method to reflect the will of the people, but Governor Evers’ maps are a significant step forward for Wisconsin.”

MILWAUKEE - Public option, what? A sweeping BadgerCare Public Option Bill was announced this week in the Legislature, which does more than any bill introduced in over a decade to make health care more affordable and accessible in Wisconsin. We hit on the top details of the BadgerCare Public Option Bill and why it’s so important that legislation like this gets a fair hearing. In the weird and dangerous news of the week, disgraced ex-judge Michael Gableman is back in our chatter-box telling an Assembly committee that he was joining the circus. Okay maybe not, but he did give a clownish performance that spewed anti-democracy propaganda and bizarre conspiracy theories. Will Gableman succeed in nullifying Biden’s 2020 victory in Wisconsin and selling Donald Trump’s Big Lie? We also cover the latest Marquette Law School Poll and wonder, despite the media hoopla, if we really learned anything all that valuable.  We wrap it up this week with a quick yap about the stellar pick of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson by President Biden for the US Supreme Court. Go Badgers!

LISTEN NOW - EPISODE #532

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http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/evers-sos-2022-s450.pngSen. Smith recaps Governor Evers’ 2022 State of the State Address highlighting the accomplishments from the last year and the governor’s plan to keep our state moving forward.

MADISON - We need accountability for the crimes against our democracy.

That means accountability for Donald Trump.

And it means accountability for anyone in Wisconsin who were co-conspirators in the coup attempt.

On Wednesday, our legal allies over at Law Forward asked Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne to prosecute the Republican false electors. I write about that here:

Law Forward Asks DA Ozanne to Go After False Electors

On the legal beat, I also wrote about the horrendous decision by the Wisconsin Supreme Court late last Friday that infringes on our freedom to vote:

Wisconsin Supreme Court’s Horrible Ruling on Drop Boxes and Ballot Delivery Assistance

And on the campaign finance front, we noted that Republican fundraising for legislative races in Wisconsin is far outpacing that of the Democrats:

GOP Lawmakers Had 4x More Cash Than Dems Entering 2022

This is what we do, day in and day out: We track the money, we expose the anti-democracy forces, and we advocate for a broad range of pro-democracy reforms so that everyone can have an equal voice.  

Thanks for supporting us in these efforts.

Best,

Matt Rothschild
Executive Director
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P.S. If you’d like to send us a donation, you can do so by clicking here and pay with credit card or PayPal, or the old-fashioned way by sending us a check, made out to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, and mailed to our office at 203 S. Paterson St. Suite 100, Madison WI 53703. We really appreciate it!