Will W.O.W. Counties Turn Blue?

By any measure, the W.O.W. counties are very Republican. For example, in November's election, Germantown voters will see no Democratic challenger to either State Senator Alberta Darling (R-Mesozoic) or State Representative (and Ozaukee Patriots member) Dan Knodl (R-Bronze Age).

In the 2012 presidential election, the three counties gave Mitt Romney the three largest margins in the state (Washington 70%, Waukesha 67%, and Ozaukee 65%). At a combined 67.8% Romney vote, if W.O.W. was a separate state, only Wyoming (69% Romney) and Utah (73% Romney) would have given the GOP candidate a larger margin of victory.

Despite being deep red, the W.O.W. counties are very important to the hopes of statewide Democratic office holders. With a total population of 616,000, W.O.W. is home to a hefty 10.7% of Wisconsinites. There are more people in these three counties than in Madison-centered Dane (516,000). And W.O.W. residents are very politically engaged. We vote. In the 2012 presidential race, our votes constituted a full 12.3% of state-wide turn-out. And in the 2014 gubernatorial election, our voters were an even greater percentage of the Wisconsin total (13.1%). Statewide Democratic candidates ignore these vote-rich counties at their own peril.

However, I tend to be an optimist. The low percentage of W.O.W. Democratic voters is a real opportunity for large Democratic gains through strong outreach efforts. After all, a swing of just 16.1% of 2012 voters from Republican to Democratic would have made the Milwaukee suburbs a tie. In the stronger Democratic year 2008, it would have only taken a 13.1% swing.

Already, one in three W.O.W. voters select Democrats for President. In sheer numbers, Waukesha County is the third most Democratic County in the state, behind only Dane and Milwaukee. And several demographic trends and GOP policy directions are making it likely that the W.O.W. counties will start moving from deep red through fuchsia to full-on blue.

Older, more conservative people are dying-out. Based on 2012 election results, it is clear that young people vote Democratic. Exit polls below show a strong correlation between age and the way we vote:  

                 Age                % Obama Vote

               18-29                     60

               30-44                     52

               45-64                     47

               over 65                  44

Current polls for the Clinton-Trump race show a similar clear correlation. Trump has twice as much support from those over 65 (49%) as from those 18 to 29 (24%). Assuming one's politics do not change over time, this bodes badly for GOP W.O.W. domination in the future. Cranky old GOP-leaning geezers are dying-off and being replaced with far more more progressive youth.

W.O.W. is becoming more ethnically diverse. The Democratic Party continues to be the party of economic opportunity for all Americans. The Party has become a home for voters belonging to fast-growing ethnic minority groups. For example, President Obama garnered 93% of African-American vote, 71% of Hispanic vote, and 73% of Asian-American vote. With the unapologetic racism spouted from the current GOP nominee, Republicans will continue to drive away minority voters.

Like the rest of the country, W.O.W. counties are gradually becoming more ethnically diverse. Just between 2010 and 2014, census surveys show that the number of people reporting as "white alone, not Hispanic or Latino" dropped from 92.3% in the three counties to 91.2%.

Elimination of Milwaukee's residency requirement. In 2013, MPS eliminated the requirement that district teachers live in Milwaukee. Last week, the State Supreme Court ruled against the city requiring other city employees to live in Milwaukee. This will no doubt result in an influx of Democratic-leaning workers and their spouses moving into the surrounding W.O.W. suburbs. Prior to 2013, about 6% of all Milwaukee households had workers covered by the requirements. Four years after ending their own residency requirements, 28.5% of Cleveland's workers had moved to the burbs.

Increasingly Extreme Republican Policies. Over the last several years, Republicans have embraced increasingly extreme and unpopular positions. Republicans at the national level defend the Citizens United decision and fight common-sense gun regulation. At the state level, GOP politicians are busily taking away voting rights and reproductive rights. They are tireless in their war on public education and the environment. And nothing exemplifies the GOP shift to the nutty right more than the party's 2016 presidential nominee.

People are getting fed-up. Nationally, the GOP has a favorable/unfavorable average of 30%/59% vs 45%/46% for Democrats. In Wisconsin, Scott Walker's job approval is in the toilet at 39%. Many voters are re-examining their party affiliation and leanings. And the Republicans are certainly losing independent support.

Yes, the W.O.W. counties are still very red. However, inexorable demographic shifts and unwise GOP policies will gradually put Washington, Ozaukee, and Waukesha Counties into play for the Democrats. Even before that distant day, the counties will become less overwhelmingly red. As progressives, we need to do everything possible to help that process along.

Ron Johnson Again Protects the Right of Terrorists to Buy Guns

Once again, Ron Johnson has defended the right of terrorists to purchase weapons capable of slaughtering huge numbers of innocent Americans. In two Monday Senate votes, the soon-to-be-former Senator from Wisconsin once again refused to do a single thing to stop the recent spate of mass gun murders. 

In the early evening votes, the Republican majority (including our own Ron Johnson) defeated amendments that would have made background checks mandatory and would have kept terrorists from purchasing guns.  

Today is not the first time that Johnson has protected the right of terrorists and criminals to buy mass-murder weapons. In December 2015, he voted against an attachment that also would have closed the gun-show background check loophole. He voted against one that also would have kept terrorists on watch lists from buying assault weapons. These were similar to the Senate bills introduced today.  

Not content to just do nothing, Johnson has criticized his responsible colleagues who are willing to incur the wrath of the gun lobby. Last week on Icky Vicki, Johnson called Senate attempts to enact sensible gun laws "Nonsense". He told the GOP radio propagandist, "We have to quit distracting the American public with these nonsense debates — and that’s what these are — these nonsense debates about gun control."

Instead, Johnson disingenuously claims that the problem is not guns, but "Islamic terrorism". I guess Ron chooses to ignore the vast majority of mass gun murders that are not carried-out by Muslims. In Johnson's mind, horrible killings such as Sandy Hook, Columbine, Charleston, or Oak Creek do not need to be addressed.

Johnson's blaming of mass-shootings on everything except easy availability of guns is not new. In a 2012 Fox discussion following the mass killing of Colorado movie-goers, he stated, "This isn’t an issue about guns. This is really an issue about sick, demented individuals. "

Johnson is only half right. The real problem is "terrorists" or "sick, demented individuals" armed with easily-available rapid-fire human-killing machines. Personally, I would rather take my chances with "terrorists" and "sick individuals" armed with shotguns, baseball bats, and switchblades than with AR-15's.

Johnson won't even try to keep guns out of the hands of the criminally insane. In a 2013 post-Aurora interview, he said, "You simply can’t keep these weapons out of the hands of sick, demented individuals who want to do harm. And when you try and do it, you restrict our freedom.”

Following the awful 2012 murder of children and teachers at Sandy Hook, Johnson had a chance to close the gun-show background check loophole. He voted against it. He had a chance to ban high-capacity ammo-feeders. He voted against it. He had a chance to re-institute the highly effective assault weapons ban. He voted against it. In fact, Johnson signed-on to a letter with 13 of the most extreme GOP Senators threatening to filibuster any attempts at even the laxest, most common sense gun laws.

Johnson's blind obedience to the the gun lobby has even affected his votes in other areas. For example, he claims that one of the reasons for his refusal to consider President Obama's nominee for the Supreme Court is that "Judge Merrick (Garland) is hostile to your Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.” This is the exact language that the NRA has been using in it's opposition to filling the Court vacancy.

Ron Johnson feels that there should be no controls on firearms at all. He consistently votes against even the most modest and rational gun laws, calling them "nonsense". He makes-up reasons that guns are not the real problem in gun-caused deaths. He comes-up with any excuse for his own shameful inaction. Johnson's refusal to act keep Americans safer in our malls, churches, schools, and streets disqualifies him from a second term.

Has Jim Sensenbrenner Earned a Twentieth Term ?

Jim Sensenbrenner has been on the taxpayer dole his entire working life. He was elected to the state Assembly in 1969, the year he graduated from law school. He served in the Wisconsin legislature until 1979, when he was elected to the US Congress-where he has sat ever since.

The year that our Congressman took his current job, the USSR invaded Afghanistan. Jimmy Carter was President. Kramer vs. Kramer was a box office hit. Magic Johnson met Larry Bird in the NCAA basketball finals. And one of the top albums was Saturday Night Fever. Our world and country have drastically changed in all that time, but Jim Sensenbrenner still occupies our Congressional seat.

What are Sensenbrenner's main accomplishments during his 38 years in office? Has he earned the right to yet another term? If you Google "Jim Sensenbrenner", one of the most frequent news stories related to our Congressman is an extreme pot-calling-the-kettle-black instance of Mr. Sensenbrenner stating that our current first lady has "a big butt".

Our Congressman calls himself a "veteran of the climate wars." He has finally acknowledged that the earth is, indeed, warming, but still fights any attempt to do anything about it. Recently, he voted against our military doing anything to prepare for climate change or acting to improve sustainability.

Jim Sensenbrenner is a senior Republican in the House. He and his party have succeeded in making this the most do-nothing Congress in US history. It is not as though there is nothing to do. Sensenbrenner and his cronies have done nothing on immigration, nothing on infrastructure, nothing on sensible gun safety, nothing on increasing the minimum wage, nothing on shoring-up Medicare and Social Security, nothing on jobs- well, you get the picture.

Instead, Sensenbrenner believes that the House has more important things to do than to attend to America's pressing needs. During a 2013 town hall meeting, one of Sensenbrenner's constituents remarked that so far, he has voted a ridiculous 46 times to repeal Obamacare. Jim immediately interrupted, saying, “and I would vote 46 more times to eliminate Obamacare.” To date, he has voted over 50 times to allow insurance companies to deny you medical coverage. Over 50 times to overturn an established and wildly successful law that helps his constituents.

And not satisfied with 13 Benghazi hearings, 50 briefings, and 25,000 pages of documents, Sensenbrenner voted to waste even more taxpayer money on Trey Goudy's ridiculously partisan and failed witch hunt.

As another example of how he ignores the needs of constituents in order to further a political agenda, our Congressman has consistently voted for every version of Paul Ryan's Ayn-Randian Roadmap to Prosperity manifesto. Through his votes, he has endorsed the privatization of Social Security and turning Medicare into a discount coupon scheme. Through his votes, he has favored the drastic slashing of the Pell Grant program, which allows millions of students to attend college.

The current Congress' ineffectiveness at governing should alone be sufficient reason to replace them all. However, Sensenbrenner and his pals have gone way beyond ineffectiveness. At the very least, we should expect that the people we elect to govern should keep the government actually open. Sensenbrenner has not even met these minimal expectations.

In one of the most senseless and inane Congressional actions in decades, House Republicans shut down the Government in 2013 for a total of 16 days. Right in the middle of this disgraceful event was our own Jim Sensenbrenner. He and 79 if his politically extreme comrades sent a letter to House leadership, encouraging them to close our Government in a vain attempt to end health care for millions of Americans. After Congressional leaders finally hammered-out an agreement to re-open the government, Sensenbrenner bizarrely voted with the minority to keep it closed. 

Sensenbrenner puts his party over his country. He has come-out in support of the most unqualified and dangerous presidential candidate in recent history. One of the few speakers to invoke Trump's name at the Wisconsin GOP convention, Sensenbrenner stated, "Donald Trump has won our nomination fair and square." In a convention interview, he expressed his views on the race, "I hope it's not Hillary Clinton. If Donald Trump is the only alternative, I hope it will be Donald Trump."

Want a politician to blame for a Florida ISIS sympathizer on FBI radar getting access to an efficient human-slaughtering weapon? Look no further than Jim Sensenbrenner. In 2011, he voted down an amendment that would have stopped terrorists on the no-fly list from buying guns. He has shown no support for a similar bill , the Denying Firearms and Dangerous Explosives to Terrorists Act, currently languishing in the House.

The electorate of the 5th District has had plenty of time to evaluate the long political career of Jim Sensenbrenner. From his participation in the heinous government shut-down to being a senior member of the least productive Congress in history, his record is an abysmal one. He has consistently voted against the interests of his constituents on issues such as gutting Medicare and privatizing Social Security. He has defended the right of terrorists to buy assault weapons. Sensenbrenner's performance in office has not earned him another term.

Republicans Want to Lower Your Income

One of the most consistent core Republican principles is the importance of lowering your income. From destroying unions, to making the minimum wage irrelevant, to fighting new overtime rules, the Trump-Party politicians who pretend to represent you are leading the charge to limit your take-home pay.

The latest affront to the income of Wisconsinites has come from our own Senator, Ron Johnson. In May, President Obama announced updated overtime rules that will raise the income level below which "salaried" workers must be paid time-and-a-half. When introduced in the 70's, the law covered 62% of salaried workers. With no adjustment for years, the percentage of covered workers has fallen to 7%.

The updated rule will give an estimated 80,000 Wisconsinites a well-deserved pay increase. The response by our two US Senate candidates makes the difference between the two parties crystal clear. Russ Feingold says that the change is long overdue. In contrast, Ron Johnson is totally against it. His office stated that he is working on ways to block the rule and that he "will seek additional opportunities to prevent its implementation".

House Speaker Ryan has also vowed to keep money out of your hands. Speaking-out against the new overtime rules, he warned, "We are committed to fighting this rule and the many others that would be an absolute disaster for our economy."

But this is not the first time that the Trump-Party-majority in the US Congress has sought to repress the pay of working Americans. Under Speaker Boehner, a minimum wage increase was never allowed a floor vote. It was filibustered every time it reached the Senate. Paul Ryan has consistently spoken-out against any increase. And Ron Johnson goes even farther, saying that there should be no federal minimum wage at all !

So short of executive orders by the President, there is little chance of Washington politicians doing anything to increase your paycheck. Any action must be taken at the state or local level. A 2015 study revealed that Wisconsin's middle class shrank more than that of any other state over the 2000-2013 period. During that time, the proportion of state households considered middle-class dropped from 54.6% to 48.9%. About 220,000 Wisconsin families fell out of the middle-class.

Surely, our state politicians would do something about that. Surely, they would do everything possible to get more money into the hands of Wisconsin workers and to rebuild our middle class, right? Wrong ! Rather than enact laws to put more cash in our pockets, our Trump-Party governor and corrupt legislature have done everything possible to lower the paychecks of working Wisconsinites. Everything possible to shove even more people out of the middle class.

Twenty nine states have instituted minimum wages higher than the current federal standard. Wisconsin is not one of them. Like many Trump-Party extremists, Walker doesn't even think that there should be a minimum. In a 2014 interview, he said that a minimum wage "doesn't serve a purpose". In another interview, he called a minimum wage "a lame idea". And the entrenched legislature Trumpites have kept all minimum wage proposals bottled up in committee for years.

Not content to keep low-end workers down, state GOP politicians have kept the middle class down, too. Hidden in the last state budget was a repeal of much of Wisconsin's Prevailing Wage law. The statute was designed to ensure high-quality work by well-trained workers on public projects. However, according to Rep. Dan Knodl (Trump-Party, Germantown), the repeal didn't go far enough. In a press conference he said, "The road to full repeal is the road that I've been on." and "...it (repeal) will drive down the wage."

And another success for the Wisconsin Trump-Party was the infliction of Right-to-Freeload on state workers. A 2014 study found that workers in the then-24 RTF states made16% less than those in states where workers pay their fair share of union representation. Implementation of RTF doesn't just affect union workers, either. Weaker union representation drives-down salaries for everyone. By jamming this law through in an emergency session, Trump-Party legislators have payed-off corporate donors like WMC at the expense of the rest of us.

At both the national and state levels, Republican office holders are working tirelessly to hold-down the wages of those they claim to represent. Through tactics like preventing minimum wage increases, weakening unions, and working against updated overtime rules, the GOP is systematically destroying the American middle class. One must ask the question-why are these politicians purposely and systematically working to hurt their own constituents? Just who do they really represent?

Wisconsin's Wasted Economic Opportunities

Over the last six years, Wisconsin has been blessed with many good opportunities for economic growth. Taking maximum advantage of these would have led to a much stronger recovery than we have actually experienced. Unfortunately, Scott Walker and his compliant GOP legislature have bungled many of the growth drivers handed to them. Let's look at a few of these economic growth opportunities.
 

1. Proximity of Wisconsin to two huge metro areas. Chicago and Twin Cities are the 3rd and 16th largest metro areas of the US. These huge nearby population centers should provide great opportunities for Wisconsin's economy. However, rather than building regional cooperation, Walker has insisted on bashing our neighboring states. He has in tried in vain to poach their companies. Where we should have strong growth through regional cooperation, we have petty and non-productive rivalries.

2. The Kenosha casino proposal. A new casino in Kenosha would have drawn high-rollers from the Chicago metro area (see #1). An estimated 10,600 direct and indirect jobs would have been created by the $800 million project. However, after being told by Iowa conservatives that casino approval would hurt his Iowa Caucus chances, Walker decided that Wisconsin does not need these jobs.

3. World class university system. Both UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee are prestigious R-1 research universities. Schools like these act as catalysts for high technology companies and are major assets for their home states. Unfortunately, instead of supporting these gems, Walker has recently declared war on them. Thanks to gross underfunding, packing the Regents with sycophants, and petty attacks on tenure, many of the best and brightest faculty are leaving for greener pastures.

4. High speed rail. Over $800 million in stimulus funds would have permitted high speed rail connections between Twin Cities and Chicago, tying us closer to those metro areas (see #1 above). Instead, Walker rejected the plan, forfeiting over 4,000 construction jobs and 50 permanent rail jobs (and 150 jobs at Talgo). Walker's partisan abandonment of the plan also unnecessarily cost us tens of millions to renege on contracts and to make needed repairs to the Hiawatha line.

5. Higher take-home pay accelerating our economy. Wage increases result in a ripple effect of high economic growth. Walker and his pet legislature have instead focused on keeping state wages down. Through Act 10, cuts to prevailing wage laws, enactment of Right-to-Freeload, and refusal to raise the state minimum wage, Wisconsin salaries have been kept woefully suppressed during the recovery. Only WMC is happy.

6. State efforts to attract and keep companies. An effective state Commerce Department should act to attract good jobs to the state through infrastructure improvements, tax incentives, and assistance. However, Walker dissolved the Commerce Dept., replacing it with the scandal-ridden WEDC. This shit-stain on clean government has lost track of loans, handed-out incentives to companies leaving the state, and acted as a taxpayer-funded hog feeding trough for Walker campaign donors.

7. Growth opportunities in renewable energy. Surrounding Midwestern states are experiencing big jumps in renewable energy capacity, along with the high-paying jobs that accompany them. But GOP regulatory uncertainty has led to no additional Wisconsin wind capacity in the last five years. While California had the Terminator, we have the Turbine-Hater. Government-approved fees on solar installations have led our state to lag all neighboring states in home solar growth. One industry analyst calls Wisconsin "an island of renewable-energy stagnation amid a sea of growth.” 
 

Wisconsin has been handed many recent opportunities for growth. However, our governor has managed to squander each of those opportunities through gross incompetence, ideological biases, and petty squabbles. This has caused Wisconsin's economy to badly lag those of our neighbors. During a 2012 CPAC speech in DC, Walker likened himself to the Chief Operating Officer of Wisconsin. An actual company COO with such a poor financial record would be swiftly fired by the Board of Directors.

Don't Let This Man Become State Superintendent !

With everyone's attention on the November elections, it is important to also maintain a longer range focus. Next April, Wisconsin will vote for State Superintendent of Public Instruction. This office is incredibly important in determining the direction and quality of our public schools.

One candidate has already announced. On May 17, current Germantown Superintendent Jeff Holmes stated that he will run for the post. Holmes made news in December 2013 when Germantown's Tea Party-dominated school board dropped adoption of Common Core State Standards. The board remains the only one in the state so foolish as to take this rash, politically-motivated action. "Germantown!" has become a rallying cry for the anti-Common Core crowd. 

What is motivating Holmes to run? His campaign announcement made clear that he wants to do to the entire state what he has done to Germantown. Many of his press quotes (as well as his Tweets) are fixated on abolishing common educational standards. It is clear that this will be his primary issue.

Holmes' campaign manager is Germantown Board member, Brian Medved. Holmes and Medved spoke at a 2014 anti-Common Core meeting in Ohio, sponsored by the John Birch Society, that wacky organization of foil-hat wearing nutters (see picture above, Holmes on left). The meeting was organized by a former school board president from suburban Dayton, Kelly Kohls. While in office, Kohls ignited a parental rebellion when she tried to require district science staff to teach creationism. So Holmes has associated himself with some very fringey groups.

But that is not all. In 2013, Wisconsin dodged a bullet by rejecting Tea Partier Don Pridemore's bid to become State School Superintendent. While in the Wisconsin Assembly, some of Pridemore's extremist bills included a "papers please" law similar to Arizona's. He tried to end stem cell research in the state. He wanted to ban discussion of contraceptives in school health classes. For more on his wacky career, see my blog, "Pridemore?Seriously?"

Despite his election loss, Pridemore has not lost his desire to influence state public education for the worse. He is President/CEO of an organization called Winner, Inc. One of the main purposes of the group is to find a DPI-Superintendent candidate who is kooky enough for ol' Tea Party Don. The Winner, Inc.'s Director of Operations is none other than Brian Medved. Yes, Jeff Holmes' campaign manager is a Director in this group. Looks like Pridemore has found his soul-mate DPI candidate in Jeff Holmes!

OK, it is clear that DPI-chief candidate Jeff Holmes is supported and influenced by far-right extremists. How effective will he be? In the two-and-a- half years since Germantown abandoned statewide standards, very little has been done toward developing replacement local ones. Holmes keeps talking about developing a vaunted "Germantown Way", but his sole visible accomplishment has been a Mission Statement full of buzzwords, edu-speak, and gobbledygook. Board member Medved suggests that developing local standards could be a "five to seven year project" ! 

However, buried in the 2015 Wisconsin state budget is a new legal requirement that school boards declare what academic standards will be used by their district for the coming school year. Since Germantown is years away (if ever) from developing their long-promised local standards, they had to do something to comply with the law.

At their August 10, 2015 meeting, the Germantown Board voted to adopt the old Wisconsin State English Language Arts and Mathematics standards. These standards, rolled-out statewide in 1998, are quite vague and very incomplete. For example, the Math portion only lists standards for 4th, 8th, and 12th grades. All other Wisconsin school districts have since moved-on from these mediocre standards to the far superior Common Core Standards.

A review of the 1998 Wisconsin standards embraced by Germantown was conducted by the well-respected Fordham Foundation. In comparison to other state academic standards, the Wisconsin standards received abysmal scores (see this link). The bottom line was quite damning: "With their grade of D, Wisconsin’s ELA standards are among the worst in the country..." and "With their grade of F, Wisconsin’s mathematics standards are among the worst in the country." By the same criteria, Common Core ELA was rated "B+" and Common Core Math was rated "A-". 

So two and a half years after halting Germantown Common Core implementation, district children are stuck with some of the worst academic standards in the US. With no relief in sight for years. With a record of accomplishment like that, Holmes cannot be allowed to do to the rest of Wisconsin schools what he has already done to Germantown. He cannot be elected as State Superintendent. Our public schools depend on it.

Nine Reasons Ron Johnson Will Be a One-Term Senator

Ron Johnson is one of the biggest Democratic targets in 2016. Johnson was elected during the off-year GOP tsunami of 2010. Having never occupied public office, he had no record to run on for that campaign and seldom spoke in detail on the issues. However, the 2016 campaign will be very different. Wisconsin has had a chance to see just how extreme our Senator is, and we don't like it. Ron Johnson will not be re-elected to a second term. Here are our top nine reasons why:

1. 2016 is a presidential election year. In presidential elections, Wisconsin voter turn-out is high (2012-70.1%; 2008- 69.2%). In off-year elections, turn-out is much lower (2010- 49.7%; 2014- 54.8%). A huge majority of the increased presidential year voters cast their ballots for Democrats. For example, Republican Johnson was elected in an off-year (2010) while Democrat Tammy Baldwin was elected in a presidential year (2012). High voter turn-out this year does not bode well for Johnson.

2. Johnson's awful environmental record. Ron Johnson's voting record on environmental issues is so horrendous that he earned an abysmal Lifetime Score of 4% from the League of Conservation Voters. His rejection of Climate Science has earned him the derisive nickname "Senator Sunspot".

3. Johnson's letter to the Ayatollah. Johnson was one of the Senators who wrote a traitorous letter to the leaders of Iran, telling them to pay no attention to the US President during negotiations to end Iran's nuclear program. That foolish act alone should disqualify him from further public office.

4. Johnson's refusal to do his job. Ron Johnson plays a major role in the deep partisanship and dysfunction of Congress. During the long government shut-down of 2013, Johnson actually voted against the final compromise to reopen the government. This year, he is stubbornly refusing to perform his Senatorial responsibility in filling the current Supreme Court vacancy. 

5. Johnson would undo the Affordable Care Act. Ron Johnson calls the law that allows you to buy health insurance despite a pre-existing condition the "greatest assault on our freedom in our lifetime". He would abolish tax credits for the 239,000 Wisconsinites who have bought insurance through the exchanges. He would return to a time when ever-increasing numbers of Americans did without life-saving health care. Last December, he cast a Senate vote to abolish the lifesaving law. 

6. Johnson's embrace of Donald Trump. RoJo's enthusiastic support for John Miller John Baron Don the Con is a millstone around his neck. According to one local right-wing radio personality, "If you embrace Donald Trump, you embrace it all".

7. Johnson's hatred of Social Security. Johnson cannot be trusted to preserve your Social Security. During the 2010 campaign, he referred to your retirement plan is a "Ponzi scheme". In a 2013 speech, he called it "candy the left is giving away." He praised Paul Ryan's 2010 scheme to privatize Social Security. For his opposition to retirement security, he has earned a 0% lifetime rating from the Alliance for Retired Americans. 

8. Johnson's Koch connection. Johnson pays much more attention to the needs of his corporate masters than to those of his constituents. Rated 90% by the Koch brother's group Americans for Prosperity, Johnson has been described as the Koch's "Model legislator". He has already been propped-up through huge TV ad buys by Koch-funded Super PAC's. 

9. Johnson's awful record on veterans. Johnson has repeatedly voted against the interests of our veterans. In the only recent Senate ratings by veterans' groups, Johnson received 0% scores from Disabled American Veterans (2014) and Vietnam Veterans of America (2011). His role in the Tomah scandal is inexcusable. A 2015 release by Votevets is titled, "Ron Johnson has failed veterans."

These are just a few reasons that Ron Johnson will be a one-term Senator. There are many others, including his sheer stupidity, the rarity of his meeting with Wisconsin citizens, his ties to the increasingly unpopular Tea Party, and unresolved questions over the self-funding of his last campaign. You probably have your own favorites.

In November, Wisconsin will elect a new, more competent Senator. We will elect a Senator who pays attention to the wishes of his constituents. We will elect a Senator that we can again be proud of. We will elect Russ Feingold.

What is a Hero ?

 

Our society greatly overuses the term "hero". We have a video game series, Guitar Hero. We often speak of sports heroes. Some slack-jawed Cro-Magnons even have "Scott Walker is my Hero" bumper stickers on the back of their pick-up trucks. But what is a real hero? What constitutes a true heroic deed?

I like to watch sports and listen to rock music as much as the next guy. However, I would hardly consider top-performing musicians or basketball players as heroes. Legends ? Sure. Greats ? Definitely. Role models? Sometimes. However, simply being one of the top-performing practitioners in your field hardly qualifies you as a hero. Certainly, one would not consider even the world's most accomplished accountant, scientist, bond trader, or baker to be a hero.

I think that to be a legitimate hero, there must be some degree of personal risk in your actions. You need to knowingly risk arrest, injury, or even death to be heroic. However, even personal risk alone is not sufficient. Practitioners of extreme sports like rock climbing are constantly assuming risk, but they are hardly heroes. Daredevil Evel Knievel often risked his life, and fractured 433 bones in the process, but he would not be considered a hero.

In addition to risking personal harm, truly heroic deeds have a higher purpose. Some people are heroes by their act of saving others. Some are heroes for their role in furthering human achievement. Still others are heroes for advancing human rights and freedom.

Certainly, soldiers on the front-line of a military conflict are heroes. Someone facing enemy fire in defense of their country is a hero in anyone's book. And police officers and firefighters are heroes. These public safety workers often put themselves at risk in the cause of keeping the rest of us safe.

Our astronauts are definitely heroes. Anyone who rides atop an explosive mixture into a vacuum is definitely risking their life. Fourteen astronauts lost their lives in Shuttle accidents. Their high risk is in the name of one of the noblest of causes, the expansion of humanity into the cosmos.

The Founding Fathers of many countries are rightfully considered heroes. Those signing our own Declaration of Independence risked their "lives, fortunes, and sacred honor" in a heroic act of rebellion. Gandhi is a hero in the struggle for Indian independence, often risking jail and injury. Simon Bolivar was a military hero in the struggle for independence of Venezuela, Columbia, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia from Spain.

Although the history revisionists of the right would hardly agree, history's human rights champions are heroes. Many heroes were created in the US civil rights struggle. Workers registering voters in Mississippi during Freedom Summer were heroes. James Meridith (who integrated the U. of Mississippi) and Vivian Malone and James Hood (who integrated the U. of Alabama) were heroes. Those who led and participated in the Montgomery bus boycott were heroes. Those involved in the Woolworth lunch counter sit-ins in Greensboro were heroes.

Thousands of real heroes come from the ranks of the labor-rights movement. History is replete with beatings, shootings, and imprisonment of early union organizers. In addition to such luminaries as Joe Hill, Samuel Gompers, Mother Jones, and Caesar Chavez many heroes in the rank-and-file risked everything in order to attain safer and better conditions for workers.

Sometimes, people don't go out of their way to be heroes. They are by thrust into that role by fate. The passengers of crashed UA Flight 93 are heroes. The Sandy Hook teachers who tried to protect their students from a heavily-armed madman are heroes.

But politicians being heroes? Not so much. Sure, there are plenty of politicians who were heroes in other aspects of their lives. Bob Dole (WWII), John Kerry and John McCain (Vietnam), and Tammy Duckworth (Iraq) come to mind. And NJ Senator Corey Booker was a hero when he rushed into a burning building to save a neighbor. Rep. John Lewis (GA) is a true American hero. As a civil rights activist, he faced beatings many times for his efforts to end segregation and discrimination.

However, I don't think any current US politicians would be considered heroes for what they have done as an expected part of their job. Not even such impassioned pols like Elizabeth Warren, who fight for economic justice. Not inspiring pols like Bernie Sanders, a champion for the middle-class and veterans. And the self-serving Scott Walker is by no stretch a hero.

A recent group of true heroes are the healthcare workers who traveled to west Africa to battle the Ebola outbreak. Despite the extreme risk to their lives, these brave people provided care to thousands of suffering sick. They battled an awful epidemic. They deserve our utmost respect and support for this important work.

There are plenty of real American heroes doing heroic things every day. They should be honored for what they do to make America a better country. We don't need to make heroes out of people playing music or playing a game or running for office. 

(Originally published by Paul Adair in Germantown NOW, Just Sayin' blog September 29, 2014) 

Another Experience With Hate Radio

At least five right-wing gasbags spew their venom over the metro Milwaukee radio airwaves. With so many hours of dead air to fill, it is no wonder that many Milwaukee-area progressives have been singled-out on these shows. Last week, I wrote about one of my own experiences in being personally attacked on right-wing radio. Today, I would like to talk about a second.

For four years, I wrote a political blog in the Germantown NOW on-line newspaper. During the legislature's 2015 "emergency" rush to jam-through Right-to-Freeload, I published a series of informational blogs on the topic. In one of those articles, titled "Better Rethink This", I compared the then-24 states with Right-to-Freeload (RTF) laws to the 26 states where workers pay their fair share for their union contract negotiations.

Using highly reliable data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the US Census Bureau, I compared the two groups of states with respect to poverty rates, average pay, insurance coverage, and workplace safety. By any of these quality-of-life measures, workers in non-RTF states were found to be much better off than those subjected to union-busting RTF regulations. 

Limbaugh wannabe and self-proclaimed World's Expert, Jay Weber, took exception to my fact-based arguments. He devoted an hour of air time to mischaracterizing my article. I welcome an adult and rational discussion on state policies as important as RTF. However, all we got from Weber were personal attacks, name-calling, and aspersion. Weber called those who disagree with his virulently anti-union opinions "ignorant" and "low-information". He then launched into an emotional tirade attacking me.

Actual numbers and statistics fail Weber, so he resorted to calling me a liar in as many ways as his Thesaurus would permit. At various points in his rant, he called these comparisons: "invented facts", "fake facts" (his favorite), "fake arguments", "false arguments", "a huge lie", "false statistics", "bunch of crap", "nonsense", "misleading", "misdirection", "invented narratives", "terribly dishonest", "bogus", an "intentional lie", and a "charade of an argument". Weber's attempt to dismiss the facts reminded me of a third grader's "Huh-uh !" playground argument. 

Weber's unnerved bluster was an attempt to cover his own lack of evidence for his position. While my article clearly linked to the data sources, he gave no such sources for his anti-worker opinions. During most of his rant, Weber was just content to hold-forth on the "proven success" of RTF and "the mountain of evidence" that it works. I guess that we must take his word for it, because after all, he is The Expert on such matters. 

Weber revels in being anti-intellectual and that theme saturates his ramblings. He said that I had a "condescending" tone (meaning I use big words). He said that I believe that readers are "cows and I came here to enlighten you". (I assume that my readers are intelligent and write to that intelligence). In a sneering voice, he prefaced part of my article, saying "Mr. Scientist is going to walk us through this because we are idiots."(I make no apologies for my scientific training and career).

And if ad absurdum repetition of his "Huh-uh !" argument was not enough to sway his listeners, Weber called me names that I haven't heard since elementary school. In addition to repeatedly calling me a liar for reporting factual data, Weber brought the discussion to an even more juvenile level by calling me a "clown" and a "clown-weasel" (whatever that is).

In an especially emotional outburst which destroyed any pretense of objectivity, Weber called me "an "indoctrinated "lib" who either realizes what he is doing or he is a complete pawn and patsy of the activist left who has completely swallowed their deceptive tripe."

Unlike most people who are victims of Weber's on-air tantrums, I had the ability to respond. I wrote a follow-up called, "Mr. Weber Loses the Argument". Rather than respond to this article with an adult discussion of any facts, Weber grew even more shrill and apoplectic. He grossly mischaracterized my writing. He questioned the number of readers of my blog. He was worked into such a snit that he refused to even mention my name. How dare I question the great and all-knowing Jay Weber?

If we plan to impose such radical policy changes on Wisconsin as Right-to-Freeload, we must have adult conversations on the merits. We must spend the time for rational public debate. On-air rants like Weber's childish outbursts add nothing constructive to the discussion.

I don't tell these tales of my own experiences with hate-radio because they are that important on their own. I tell them because my stories are all too common in the Milwaukee metro area. Too often, progressive thoughts and ideas are shouted down by the radio squawkers of the right. Too often, these school-yard bullies are not called-out for their anti-worker, anti-woman, anti-education, and often racist views. That must change.

One Interaction With Hate Radio

At least five Limbaugh wannabes spew their venom over the metro Milwaukee radio airwaves. With so many hours of dead air to fill, it is no wonder that many of my progressive friends have been singled-out on these shows. Being a typical activist, I am proud to have been attacked on-air several times by the far-right hate-radio crowd. Today, I would like to talk about one of those times.

In 2011, a member of the Germantown School Board resigned for personal reasons. A call went out for a temporary replacement for this board member, to be appointed by the the rest of the Board. With a 27-year private-sector chemistry career and having taught for several years at the college level, I believed that I have much to offer in such a post. I sent-in my resume and four other people did the same.

A decision was scheduled to be made at the October 10, 2011 Board meeting. In the meantime, the W.O.W. right-wing machine went into high gear. MacIver so-called "Institute" did internet searches on the five candidates. They discovered that-(horror of horrors !)- two of us had signed petitions to recall Alberta Darling. One of the other candidates actually had the gall to work for a nearby school system, so she was probably in a union ! But one woman was a frequent Board meeting visitor who often encouraged the Board to use the "tools" that Governor Walker had imposed on state public schools.

Before the Board decision, Mark Belling took to the airwaves. In his nasally whine, he whipped his listeners into a frenzy about how the unionistas were taking over Germantown schools. He went after me, the other petition signer, and the school employee. He even criticized my wife for being in a TV campaign ad against Darling. He strongly pushed the Walker-loving "Tool" woman for the job. On Belling's encouragement, the rabid right inundated the Board with calls and e-mails.

The evening of the big decision came. Belling's zombies packed the meeting room. Six stood-up and repeated Belling's bleatings about how terrible it was that petition signers would dare to volunteer to serve on the Board. (Actually, they sold me short. I was a petition circulator, responsible for hundreds of signatures) Like Belling, they attacked the school system employee for actually working for a school system (and possibly being a union sympathizer !). To a person, they endorsed the "Tool" woman candidate. Qualifications were not important for the job. Only extreme-right political purity.

One of of the most obsequious of the Belling water-carriers was State Rep. Dan Knodl. Attending in his capacity as an elected official, he criticized me and and other candidates, as well as advocating for "Tool" woman. For those not in his district, Knodl, member of Ozaukee Patriots, was instrumental in jamming through Right-To-Freeload and weakening Wisconsin Prevailing Wage laws.

The Board's vote deadlocked three times until a winner was decided. "Tool" woman was in the final two but ultimately, the school employee won. She had previously been on the Board, and could step right into the job. However, Belling's mob felt cheated. Their candidate did not win. One of the angry Belling-bots shouted, "You are ignoring the will of the people!" and "We are watching you!"

Several years later, both "Tool" woman and the "We are watching you!" guy were elected to the Board, where they remain to this day. And these are two of saner members of the Germantown Board! This is the Board that abandoned Common Core State Standards and, in their place, adopted what have been deemed "among the worst academic standards in the country". 

Because I never listen to hate-radio, I don't know how many other times Belling has felt compelled to influence the Germantown School system. His braying was especially loud in calling for the crucifixion of a district teacher who dared to tear-up a 2-dollar Walker campaign sign at a county fair. Belling certainly has influence and willing informants on our Board. According to him, an unnamed Board member called him to relay confidential information on the sensitive personnel matter involving the teacher.