The Capital Times, Madison, Jan. 15
Trump and his toadies fear Wisconsin voters
Donald Trump is a pathetic shell of a man who fears a fair fight. That’s not really news to anyone who has paid attention to the sad story of a son of privilege who could never succeed on his own.
Trump’s sad story is that of weak man who has always relied on his family and his fixers to clear the competition out of his way.
Born to wealth and coddled throughout his education, Trump was handed every opportunity and still made a mess of things. He talks a good game about “the art of the deal” and his supposed business prowess. Yet he frequently ended up in bankruptcy and had to be bailed out again and again and again - by ever more dodgy bankers.
When Trump finally entered presidential politics, after years of teasing about a run, he failed to win even a plurality of the vote. Democrat Hillary Clinton beat Trump by 2.9 million ballots in the 2016 presidential election. It’s was only because the anti-democratic Electoral College allows a loser to “win” that Trump became our nation’s chief executive.
Once in office, Trump failed again - at least in the eyes of the American people.
The latest national poll for Politico, which was conducted in the first week of January, put Trump’s disapproval rating at 56%. Just 41% of Americans indicated that they thought the president was doing a good job. In battleground states like Wisconsin, where he narrowly won the Electoral College votes that allowed him to claim the presidency in 2016, Trump is tanking.
According to the Morning Consult survey from December, 53% of voters disapprove of Trump handling of the presidency, while 44% approve. As is the case nationally, Trump’s numbers in Wisconsin are dragged down by the overwhelming rejection of his approach on the part of Democrats. He’s also failing in the eyes of significant number of independents.
But what’s really striking is that a lot of Republicans have soured on the guy. The Morning Consult poll found that, among likely Republican primary voters, Trump’s was approved by 87% of Republicans. That means that tens of thousands of Wisconsinites who are inclined to vote in a Republican primary are unenthusiastic about the president.
Among Republican-leaning Wisconsin voters who are under the age of 30, 18% disapprove of Trump. Among the most educated Republicans, the president faces a similar level of disapproval. Among Republicans who identify as moderates, the rejection rating spikes to 24%.
Trump was always going to be the front-runner in Wisconsin’s 2020 Republican primary. But that wasn’t enough for him. Faced with the prospect that an embarrassingly high percentage of Wisconsin Republicans might reject Trump’s re-election run, the president and his toadies panicked. Last week, the blank-stare Trumplicans who control the state Republican Party submitted only the Donald’s name for a place on the April 7 primary ballot. That move excludes credible challengers to Trump - former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld and former Illinois Congressman Joe Walsh - from the state ballot, unless they can collect 8,000 signatures each by Jan. 28 and petition to get on the ballot.
That’s a high barrier to democracy, as Weld noted. “Trump’s party bosses in Wisconsin just told millions of voters they don’t deserve a choice in the Republican primary,” he argued. “That’s not how a democracy works, and certainly not the way the party of competition and freedom should work.”
The cynical chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, Andrew Hitt, has tried to suggest that he and his cronies blocked Weld and Walsh because the candidates had failed to secure ballot positions elsewhere. “If they’re not on the ballot in other states, it becomes less relevant in Wisconsin,” claimed the chairman.
What Hitt didn’t say, of course, was that he is part of a multi-state cabal that has been fixing things for Trump.
Wisconsin is just one of a number of states where Republican Party fixers have manipulated the process to shield Trump from primary challenges - and possible embarrassment. “Trump’s allies have been working for months to clear the primary field across the country for the president in the face of challenges from dark horse candidates,” reported The Associated Press.
“The Minnesota GOP, for example, plans to list only Trump on its March 3 primary ballot. Republicans also have canceled primaries in a number of states, including South Carolina, Nevada, Arizona and Kansas, to clear the field for Trump …”
After Wisconsin Republicans blocked him, Walsh griped, “So yet another state in America wants to disenfranchise its voters. That would make 10 states in which Republican Party bosses have canceled primaries. All to protect their king. This isn’t Russia. This isn’t China. This kind of un-American bullshit shouldn’t happen here.”
That goes double for Wisconsin, a state that more than a century ago led the way in creating open primaries where the people, not the bosses, choose party nominees. Trump and the crooked partisans who have taken charge of the state Republican Party have now made it crystal clear that they do not respect Wisconsin’s political heritage or its contemporary enthusiasm for robust competition and fair elections.
They have also made it clear that they do not trust the voters of Wisconsin, even Republican primary voters, to give the president the rubber-stamp support his damaged ego demands.
That’s something the voters should remember in November.
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Wisconsin State Journal, Madison, Jan. 15
3 more GOP lawmakers back bill to end gerrymandering
Make that six Republican lawmakers who now support the good-government bill to end gerrymandering in Wisconsin.
The number keeps growing, creating bipartisan momentum for fair voting districts following the 2020 census.
Congratulations and thank you to Reps. Loren Oldenburg of Viroqua, Jeff Mursau of Crivitz, and Joel Kitchens of Sturgeon Bay for adding their names to Assembly Bill 303. They join Reps. Todd Novak, R-Dodgeville, Travis Tranel, R-Cuba City, and all Democratic lawmakers in co-sponsoring this important legislation, which mirrors Iowa’s proven model for nonpartisan redistricting.
Another lawmaker, Rep. Joe Plumer, R-Lodi, has repeatedly told the State Journal he supports AB 303. Other Republicans have expressed openness to this fair process for redrawing legislative and congressional districts to reflect population changes.
Instead of the politicians shaping voting districts for political advantage following the census, AB 303 would assign this once-every-decade task to the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau. That’s similar to Iowa’s process, where the two political parties have agreed for decades to let a nonpartisan state agency draw neutral maps.
Iowa saves its taxpayers millions of dollars in legal bills because the two political parties don’t fight over districts in court. Iowa’s maps also have produced more competitive elections, which hold incumbents of all stripes more accountable to voters. Iowa requires its districts to be compact and to follow municipal and county lines as much as possible, without consideration for political advantage.
Mursau asked his constituents in northeastern Wisconsin last fall what they thought about the issue in a legislative newsletter. He subsequently reported that 78% of respondents said the bill was a good idea, while only 6% thought it was bad (the rest were unsure).
“After reading the comments and responses from last week’s question and looking over the bill,” Mursau wrote, “I’ve decided to add myself as a co-sponsor.”
Good for him - and for all those supporting AB 303.
The response from Mursau’s constituents isn’t surprising, given that more than two-thirds of Wisconsin’s counties have passed resolutions opposing partisan gerrymandering. And nearly three-quarters of respondents to the statewide Marquette Law School poll have said they favor the Iowa plan.
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in on board, and a bipartisan majority of the GOP-run Legislature is getting closer to reality. Please contact your elected officials. Tell them you want AB 303 to become law this session.
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The Journal Times of Racine, Jan. 16
Taking steps for safety in our houses of worship
We want to believe that, as Americans exercising our freedom of religion, we would be safe in our houses of worship, no matter the religion. Sadly, in recent years we have learned that, no matter your religion, that safety is not assured.
Larry White, a longtime master martial-arts instructor for the Racine YMCA, is a member of Grace Church, 3626 Highway 31. Grace, which typically draws about 600 people on a Sunday, has had a church safety team for about 10 to 15 years, White said. Not long after the Sikh temple shootings in Oak Creek in 2012, in which six people were killed, there were incidents at Grace involving a young man who had to be asked to leave several times because he was trying to lure girls outside at night, White said. Finally, he was told not to come back.
“And my question was: Where did he go?” White said.
As a result, Grace started a church email network so other churches could be informed if someone was kicked out at any of them, he said: “So, that’s how we started the Racine Area Church Safety Network.”
RACSN is “an assembly of people from different churches around the Racine area to help one another prepare for emergency situations,” the group’s brochure states. The organization will help any church start a security/safety team or help existing ones become even better prepared.
Such an emergency arose at a church in Texas over the holidays.
It is heartbreaking that two men died during services on Dec. 29 at West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, Texas. But members of that congregation said that even more of the 242 people in the sanctuary that morning would have been killed or wounded were it not for the decisive action of the church, the Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram reported.
Mark Payne, who teaches at Elite Handgun Academy in Dallas and has law enforcement experience, said the video taken during the church’s worship service showed skill and awareness among the church’s security team. The team’s quick response likely saved dozens of lives, he said.
“The thing took like 6 seconds, so that was pretty impressive,” Payne said. “They did a good job.”
The quick draw and accurate shot by Jack Wilson, the security team member who killed the gunman, was impressive under the stress of the situation, Payne said. According to Wilson’s Facebook page, Wilson worked at On Target Firearms Training Academy in Fort Worth.
Bryan Proctor, a handgun instructor who teaches security classes at Go Strapped in Fort Worth, agreed that Wilson’s reaction time and accuracy were impressive. Proctor, a retired police officer with 20 years of experience, said: “That’s an amazing reaction time, and the only way you’re going to get that done is if your positioning is right, your reaction time is correct and your situational awareness is on point.”
Payne said the shooting showed the importance of carrying a gun in a place that is easily accessible to its owner. He said proper training and practice in drawing a firearm is an important part of carrying one.
In other words, it’s not enough to be a good guy with a gun. Security team members must also be good guys who are well-trained and have high-level marksmanship.
We encourage local parishes and congregations to explore and implement ways to keep their fellow worshippers safe. But we also encourage them to make sure those entrusted with membership in the security ministry are held to the highest standard.
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