Saturday, December 21, 2024
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Saturday, December 21, 2024

Milwaukee Press Club 'Excellence in Wisconsin Journalism' 2020 & 2021 Award Winners

The DNC’s Horrible, Very Bad Week in Wisconsin & Elsewhere

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The Democratic National Committee has had a horrible, very bad week.

The DNC’s bad stretch started with a polarizing, angry Trump-obsessed speech by Kamala Harris that Democrats and the liberal media largely loved, but the days since then have been absolutely brutal. As they say, a month is a lifetime in politics. In the case of this insane election cycle, revise that to a day.

There’s evidence the dishonest media bubble propping up Harris is starting to burst – even a Washington Post columnist doesn’t like her Soviet-style price controls, the New York Times is taking shots at her (yes, “joy” is not a policy), and her flip-flopping has escalated to the point of ludicrousness (seriously, she’s for the border wall?) Axios is no conservative outlet, and even they wrote the story this way: “Harris flip-flops on building the border wall.”

The DNC might end up regretting its decision to prop up the exceptionally flawed Harris – who has to own the last four years of the Biden/HARRIS administration and who can’t handle an interview or even debate without notes  – instead of a young Democrat governor (from the south or Pennsylvania) who could have run against it.

Here’s how the DNC crashed and burned this week:

1. RFK Jr. Eviscerates the DNC

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the namesake son of the most famous Democrat family in U.S. history, absolutely eviscerated the DNC in a press conference in which he tossed his support to the Republican Party’s nominee, Donald Trump.

To truly understand how devastating Kennedy’s speech was, watch it all. Be forewarned that Kennedy has a voice disorder; if you prefer, here’s a written transcript.

He slammed the DNC as anti-democratic for engaging in lawfare to keep him off ballots, refusing to allow him to debate, engaging in a “palace coup” against President Joe Biden, and then anointing a candidate, Kamala Harris, who did not get a single vote and who is refusing to do a single interview.

The genius of the RFK Jr. speech is that in one fell swoop, he destroyed the Democrats’ lie that Trump is the threat to democracy by describing how the Democrats are threatening democracy.

Kennedy then cleverly positioned voting for Trump as a moral imperative for his followers who believe his cause of curing the childhood disease epidemic (he’s called it “Make America Healthy Again” or MAHA) is more important than tribal loyalties. In other words, he found a way to make it acceptable in their own minds for them to choose Trump.

In one fell swoop, a Kennedy no less, re-positioned the Democrat Party as the party of war, censorship, and big Pharma. And he re-positioned Trump as the candidate for kids.

Since some battleground states could turn on a sliver of the electorate, RFJ Jr.’s suppotr might throw the election to Trump. It’s true the liberal media predictably responded by rushing to destroy RFK Jr.’s not-perfect character, while not acknowledging the sobering reality outlined in his childhood disease statistics, but it’s more likely that a lot of his supporters will listen to HIM, not CNN.

He wants his voters in battleground states to now vote for Trump. Yes, his name is still on the Wisconsin ballot. However, we think his voters got the message.


2. The Liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court Rejects DNC Lawfare Against the Green Party

Color us shocked, but the extremely partisan liberal hacks on the Wisconsin Supreme Court couldn’t even get on board with the DNC’s naked attempt to win the election by robbing voters of their chance to vote for the Green Party’s Jill Stein.

Then, the Wisconsin Election Commission voted 4-2 to put Stein on the ballot.

“This is a big win against the anti-Democratic Party’s war on democracy and voter choice,” Stein said in a statement Monday. “The Democrats constantly preach about ‘saving democracy,’ when in reality they’ve been doing everything they can to crush democracy by trying to remove the Green Party and others from the ballot.”

The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty outlined the insidiousness of the DNC’s efforts, which reinforced RFK Jr.’s point. The DNC petition “advances a new reading of Wis. Stat. § 8.18 that would effectively prevent any small or new party from getting on the presidential ballot,” WILL noted.

Remember that the Green Party was denied access to the Wisconsin ballot in 2020.

In 2016, the Green Party’s Jill Stein received 31,072 votes in Wisconsin. It arguably cost Hillary Clinton the State of Wisconsin because President Donald Trump won the state with fewer votes than that in 2016 (22,748 votes).

Do the math.

Stein’s appearance on the Wisconsin ballot also gives those RFK Jr. voters somewhere else to go than Harris if they still can’t stomach choosing Trump.

It was a decision that could determine the presidential election.


3. Former DNC Vice Chair Endorses Trump

On the heels of RFK Jr.’s support for Trump, former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard announced she is endorsing Trump too.

Reminder: Not that long ago, Gabbard was vice chair of the DNC!

Democrats tried to counter all of this by touting former staffers for the Bushes, John McCain and Mitt Romney trashing Trump, but that just links Harris to the past and Bush’s wars.

“This administration has us facing multiple wars on multiple fronts in regions around the world and closer to the brink of nuclear war than we ever have been before,” Gabbard said.

“This is one of the main reasons why I’m committed to doing all that I can to send President Trump back to the White House, where he can once again serve us as our commander-in-chief. Because I am confident that his first task will be to do the work to walk us back from the brink of war,” she continued.

Gabbard said that voting for Trump is “saving our country and serving the people.”


4. Cornel West Placed on the Ballot in Michigan & Wisconsin

Independent presidential candidate Cornel West was placed back on the ballot in Michigan by a judge.

Then, the Wisconsin Election Commission voted to put West on the Wisconsin ballot too. An employee with the DNC had challenged West’s application to be on the ballot.

“Court of Claims Judge James Robert Redford wrote in a decision released Saturday that West’s campaign submitted the proper number of signatures to qualify for the ballot and that presidential candidates are not required to file affidavits of identity,” AP reported.

It seems clear that the leftist West would likely draw from Harris more than Trump.

“West, a leftist academic, progressive activist and long-shot presidential candidate, is at the center of multiple legal and political battles,” AP reported. “In Michigan, the state Democratic Party, Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and a voter backed by a Democratic-aligned political action committee had challenged West’s candidacy.”


5. Donald Trump Is Looking Like the President

Watch Donald Trump at the solemn ceremony remembering the deaths of the 13 brave American service members who were murdered in Afghanistan in the midst of President Biden’s disastrous, dangerous, haphazard withdrawal.

And ask yourself: Who looks like the president right now?

We don’t even need to say.

Meanwhile, Biden was sunning himself on a beach (do we even have a president right now?), and the DNC’s candidate was MIA.

Democrats tried to trash Trump for politicizing the ceremony, but why wouldn’t he show his respects if the families wanted him there? Even the White House admitted to the AP that the reason Trump was there was because the families INVITED HIM.


6. Donald Trump Is Leading in Most Battleground States

Electoral college maps

Real Clear Politics has Trump up in five of 7 battleground states, except Wisconsin and Michigan, where he’s down by only 1 and 2 percentage points respectively.

He’s leading in Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Georgia (where Trump just mended fences with GOP Governor Brian Kemp.)

And that’s BEFORE RFK Jr. spanked the DNC.

It’s true that Harris revived Democrats’ chances in the battlegrounds, but she’s leveled off in the past few days and hasn’t been able to beat Trump overall, RCP reports. In fact, RCP has a map showing that Trump can win the electoral college without winning Wisconsin or Michigan if he succeeds in the battleground states where he currently leads.


7. Job Numbers Are Revised – Downward

Biden debate
Joe biden at the debate.

The Biden administration ended up having to revise the nation’s job numbers down.

“They don’t mention the economy because the economy’s horrible,” Trump said to “FOX & Friends.”

“They defrauded the people of our country with the job numbers. You saw that? 818,000 fake jobs they put in the rolls.”

On Wednesday, Fox Business reported, “The Bureau of Labor Statistics revised down its total tally of jobs created in the year through March by 818,000 as part of its preliminary annual benchmark review of payroll data.”

This is an opinion piece.

Victims Named in Madison’s Abundant Life Christian School Shooting

(The Center Square) – The teacher and student who were shot and killed on Monday at Madison’s Abundant Life Christian were identified as 42-year-old teacher Erin West and 14-year-old student Rubi Vergara by the Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Vergara was a freshman at the school. The two were determined to have died due to “homicidal firearm related trauma” from another student shot, who died from self-inflicted wounds.

Two students who were injured in the shooting remain in the hospital with life-threatening injuries while three students and a teacher who were also injured have been released from area hospitals.

Police determined the freshman shooter opened fire in a mixed grade study hall classroom on Monday. Two guns were found at the school but only one – a handgun - was used in the shooting, according to Madison Police.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives traced the weapons but police are not releasing the results of that search at this point.

“Detectives are still working to determine a motive,” Madison Police said in a statement. “As in any investigation, they are reviewing the shooter's social media activity and evidence collected at her home. They are aware of the documents and photos circulating around the internet and are working to verify their authenticity.”

After the shooting, officers went to the shooter’s home and entered the residence without a warrant due to concerns of the physical well-being of anyone inside. Officers later received consent to search the residence.

STRIKE: Amazon Workers Launch Historic Strike Just Before Christmas

The Teamsters Union announced an Amazon workers strike beginning at 6 a.m. Thursday as Amazon is in overdrive in shipping and delivery for Christmas.

The Teamsters say they have 10,000 workers in their ranks, though Amazon boasts about 1.5 million employees in the U.S. They say Amazon ignored a Sunday deadline to respond to their demand for “higher wages, better benefits, and safer conditions at work.”

“If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed,” Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien said. “We gave Amazon a clear deadline to come to the table and do right by our members. They ignored it.”

Amazon has reportedly said they do not expect delays.

“For more than a year now, the Teamsters have continued to intentionally mislead the public – claiming that they represent ‘thousands of Amazon employees and drivers,’” Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement to media outlets. “They don’t, and this is another attempt to push a false narrative.”

The Teamsters said workers in Atlanta, New York City, San Francisco, Southern California and Slokie, Illinois, will join the strike and that “other facilities are prepared to join them.”

The union said local Teamsters unions are also setting picket lines at hundreds of shipping sites around the country.

“These greedy executives had every chance to show decency and respect for the people who make their obscene profits possible. Instead, they’ve pushed workers to the limit and now they’re paying the price,” O’Brien said. “This strike is on them.”

Trump Attorney: Willis Decision Ends ‘Politically Motivated Persecution’

The decision by the Georgia Court of Appeals to remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from an election interference case involving President-elect Donald Trump "puts an end to a politically motivated persecution of the next President of the United States," Trump's lead attorney on the case said.

The court said in a 2-1 decision on Thursday that "no other remedy will suffice to restore public confidence in the integrity of these proceedings." Willis had a romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, the man she appointed as lead prosecutor on the case.

A Fulton County judge ruled that Willis could continue on the case as long as Wade stepped down, which he did. The appeals court reversed that ruling but did not dismiss the indictment.

"The Georgia Court of Appeals in a well-reasoned and just decision has held that DA Fani Willis’ misconduct in the case against President Trump requires the disqualification of Willis and her office," Steve Sadow, Trump's lead attorney, said in a text message to The Center Square. "The court highlighted that Willis’ misconduct created an 'odor of mendacity' and an appearance of impropriety that could only be cured by the disqualification of her and her entire office. As the court rightfully noted, only the remedy of disqualification will suffice to restore public confidence."

The Center Square was unsuccessful getting comment from Willis' office before publication.

Trump and others are accused of trying to overturn the 2020 election, which he lost to Joe Biden. Michael Roman, one of the co-defendants in the case, discovered the romantic relationship between Willis and Wade.

Willis was first elected as district attorney in 2020. She was reelected in November defeating Republican Courtney Kramer after having staved off a challenge in the Democratic primary from Christian Wise Smith.

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Natalie Rupnow AKA Samantha Rupnow Named as Madison School Shooter

Police are investigating a shooting that led to five dead, including the juvenile shooter was a student, at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison.

Seven people were taken to the hospital, including two who died, with injuries from the shooting at 10:57 a.m. local time on Monday. The injuries range from minor to life-threatening.

“Today is a sad, sad day,” Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said at a news conference shortly after noon. “Not only for Madison but our entire country.”

Barnes said he was dismayed at what occurred, especially near Christmas. Barnes said the Madison Police train for school shootings quarterly, most recently two weeks ago.

Police did not fire their weapons and the injuries to the shooter were believed to be self-inflicted, Barnes said.

“This is something that we all prepare for but hope we never have to do,” Barnes said.

Barnes added that the Madison Police are working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to determine the origin of the shooter's gun.

Barnes said that he believes every person in the building is now a victim and will be a victim forever.

"I am closely monitoring the incident at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison," Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers wrote on social media. "We are praying for the kids, educators, and entire Abundant Life school community as we await more information and are grateful for the first responders who are working quickly to respond."

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Report: Wisconsin Needs Solution to Road Construction/Repair Funding Gap

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin will need to find an additional funding source for road repairs and transportation spending or the quality of the state’s road system will decline, according to a new report.

Gas tax collections, which fund transportation spending, have progressively declined while the cost of road repair has increased significantly, according to Wisconsin Policy Forum.

“Either the state will have to forego spending and sacrifice road quality over time, or it will have to tap one of a few available funding sources such as the gas tax, vehicle fees, general tax dollars, mileage fees or local taxes and fees” the report finds.

The gas tax stopped being increased along with inflation after a 2005 law change and since then the state has used $2.6 billion of general funds between fiscal 2012 and fiscal 2025 on road work including $749.7 million in the 2023-25 biennial state budget.

Wisconsin has spent $821 per person in state and local funds over the most recent three years with data on road work compared to a national average of $811.

“While little of the analysis or warnings about the condition of our transportation funding system are new, we are reaching an inflection point–fiscally, technologically and demographically–that makes the stakes of ignoring long-term reforms to fund our roads, bridges and highways even higher than ever,” Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association (WTBA) Executive Director Steve Baas said in a statement regarding the report.

The cost of construction has gone up 56.8% nationally and 26.6% in Wisconsin since 2020.

The report suggests that some options to fix the funding gap include increasing the state general fund transfers, increasing the gas tax and vehicle registration fees, switching to a mileage-based fee used in pilot programs in several states or begin collecting tolls.

“Our economy stands on manufacturing, agriculture and tourism – all are incredibly dependent on roads and transportation,” Baas said. “If we are going to grow the state’s economy, creating a sustainable sufficient funding model to support smart asset management is an imperative. “The cost of doing nothing is prohibitive for Wisconsin communities and the Wisconsin economy.”

Mileage-based pilots have occurred in Oregon, Utah and Virginia with other states considering them for the same reasons.

“These little-used programs show mileage-based fees are technologically feasible, but remain relatively untested nationally and seemingly unpopular with motorists,” the report said.

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