Despite Republican efforts to undermine public education in our state, Superintendent Underly and Governor Evers have put our kids first, says Agard.

MADISON - I was impressed with Gov. Evers’ move this week, endorsing binding referendums. It’s one of the solutions I proposed in my book, “12 Ways to Save Democracy in Wisconsin.” As I noted there, and as I note in my posting this week, another progressive Wisconsin governor called for this reform more than 100 years ago:

Evers Right About Direct Democracy

But I’ve been disgusted, as I’m sure you have been, too, about the sleazy and racist ads that the GOP and their outside groups have been running against Mandela Barnes. One of the groups is a PAC funded by Diane Hendricks and Richard Uihlein, which adds a layer of corruption on top of the racism, as I explain here:

Hendricks, Uihlein Go After Mandela Barnes

Meanwhile, our research team has come up with a list of the largest outside groups in non-federal races here in Wisconsin, both on the Republican and Democratic side. Just take a look:

Outside Electioneering Groups Have Spent $37M+

I hope you find this info useful!

Best,

Matt Rothschild
Executive Director
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P.S. I’ve enjoyed speaking in person recently to the Ozaukee County Dems, the Washington County Dems, and the Kiwanis Club of Madison on the “Anti-Democracy Movement in Wisconsin, and How to Defeat It.” If you’d like me to speak to your group, please let me know.

Gov. Evers is right to call for binding referendums, and how this call echoes one from another progressive Wisconsin governor 111 years ago! - Matt Rothschild

Would allow voters to directly repeal Wisconsin’s 1849 criminal abortion ban.

On today’s POW/MIA Recognition Day, remember and honor the bravery and sacrifice of our service members.

MILWAUKEE - 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 racialized 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, 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.

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http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/coronavirus-nurse-tired-s448.jpgScheduled strike to start Tuesday averted by agreement.

MADISON - Our research team just did an interesting study of the top 10 donors to the legislative campaign committees in Wisconsin. See if you can guess who was number 1. Also on the list: a Wal-Mart heir who lives in Arkansas. Here’s our post:

Check Out the Top Contributors to the Wisconsin Legislative Campaign Committees

This week, as you may have heard, a judge down in Waukesha tied the hands of municipal clerks, forbidding them from fixing even the most picayune errors that the witness – not the voter! – made in filling out their address. Here’s what I had to say about that:

Waukesha Judge Sides with Republicans on Petty Disqualifications

I’d also like to share with you what I wrote about Pres. Biden’s speech late last week in Philadelphia:

Three Cheers for Biden in Defending Democracy

Biden and all of us need to keep calling out the anti-democracy forces for what they are. Now’s not the time to pussyfoot around!

I hope you have a nice weekend.

Best,

Matt Rothschild
Executive Director
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P.S. If you appreciate the work we do, please send us a tax-deductible donation by clicking here, where you can pay by credit card or PayPal.

MILWAUKEE - We welcome Citizen Action’s Movement Politics Director, Priscilla Bort, to discuss our Fall election program which centers grassroots conversations with pivotal voters. Our first phone night had 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 indepth 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.

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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 crusde 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?

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