MADISON - This week, Rep. Melissa Sargent (D - Madison) of the Wisconsin Assembly Democrats talks about legislative Republicans putting politics over the people of Wisconsin.

Audio File of Radio Address

Hello, this is State Representative Melissa Sargent with this week’s Democratic Radio Address.

Our democracy is founded on having three separate but equal branches of government. The separation of powers between our legislative, executive, and judicial branches are paramount in protecting the promise of a fair and balanced state government.

This concept is central to the well-being of our democracy.

Despite this, the day after Tony Evers was elected Governor, Republicans expressed a desire to limit executive authority.

Republicans never mentioned a need to reign in the powers of the governor throughout the entire campaign, yet after Scott Walker lost, it became their top priority.

The people of Wisconsin have voted for a change in leadership and in direction.

Sadly, Republicans are choosing to act against the will of the people.

Rather than accepting the results of November’s election and working to collaborate with Governor-elect Evers, Speaker Vos and Majority Leader Fitzgerald are focused on desperate attempts to consolidate power.

Putting politics over the people of Wisconsin is not the way forward.

Wisconsin deserves better.

Thank you.

MILWAUKEE - Happy Thanksgiving Weekend! We thank everyone who attended our Brew Fest fundraiser this week, including speakers Mandela Barnes, Gwen Moore and the Lisa Neubauer, candidate for State Supreme Court in April 2019. We discuss the potential GOP lame duck session in the State Legislature where Republican leaders want to take power away from Tony Evers before he is inaugurated the 45th Governor of Wisconsin. The Walker Administration reveals that it created a $1 billion dollar state deficit that was hidden from voters until after the election. We also bat around Walker’s petty unwillingness to apologize for his false accusations of incompetence in ballot count.

MADISON, WI – Senator Mark Miller (D-Monona) offered the weekly Democratic radio address.

Great wins occurred on pro-democracy referendums.

MADISON - Amidst all the coverage of Tony Evers’s narrow victory over Scott Walker last week, one story got lost: the great wins that occurred on pro-democracy referendums.

By overwhelming margins, citizens in four counties voted against partisan gerrymandering, and citizens in nine communities said they were in favor of amending the U.S. Constitution to overturn Citizens United. Here are the details:

Pro-Democracy Referendums Pass in Wisconsin, Elsewhere

Another story that didn’t get enough attention was the record amount of outside money that splattered our screens with mud in the lead-up to Election Day. Here’s our list of express advocacy groups, and the Koch Brothers’ Americans for Prosperity tops it:

Reported Electioneering Group Spending Tops $36M in Fall Elections

And we continue to expose how big donors have gotten their way, time and time again, at the DNR under Scott Walker. Our most recent posting here was about the Kohlers and their golf course:

Ex-DNR Employee Says Agency Was Pressured to Approve Big Donor’s Golf Course

We’ll be vigilant, over the next six weeks, to watch for any last minute giveaways to donors, and we’ll press ahead with our pro-democracy agenda in the year ahead.

Thanks for all your support!

Best,

Matt Rothschild
Executive Director
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MADISON - This week, Assistant Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein (D - Middleton) discusses Veterans Day and the importance of remembering those who served.

Audio File of Radio Address

The text of Rep. Hesselbein's comments is presented below.

Hello, this is State Representative Dianne Hesselbein with this week’s Democratic Radio Address.

On November 11th, Americans celebrated Veterans Day.

On this day we especially honor those who performed the highest duty any individual can offer our great nation – service in our Armed Forces.

Our brave veterans are a steadfast reminder of the sacred obligations we hold as Americans, both at home and abroad to protect our freedoms and way of life.

As a state legislator, I believe it is my duty to ensure when our service men and women return home, they are provided the opportunities they need to succeed.

That means opening the door to educational opportunities, ensuring access to high-quality healthcare, and breaking down barriers for veterans to enter the workforce.

On a personal note, I would like to thank my husband Bob for his 28 years of military service as a pilot in the Army and Air Force.

A debt we can never fully repay is owed to these brave individuals and I pledge to never stop working to move Wisconsin and our veterans forward.

Thank you.

Tuesday’s historic election, the Citizen Action lawsuit that expanded access to early voting, and more...

STATEWIDE - We review Tuesday’s historic election that swept Tony Evers, Mandela Barnes, Josh Kaul, and Sarah Godlewski into statewide office and overwhelmingly re-elected Tammy Baldwin to fight the Trump administration in Washington. We look at highlights and a few lost opportunities.

We welcome Anita Johnson to discuss her organizing work and her role in the Citizen Action lawsuit the expanded access to early voting, which had a decisive late night role in Walker's defeat. We are also joined by Robyn Vining. who narrowly upset Matt Adamczyk in a Republican district in suburban Milwaukee, and Citizen Action organizer Jeff Smith, who overcame the growing urban/rural divide and won election to the State Senate in Western Wisconsin.

LISTEN NOW - EPISODE #367
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The voters of Wisconsin on Tuesday clearly relegated the politics of 'divide and conquer' to the dustbin of history. Speaker Vos should work with Governor-Elect Evers to build a bipartisan partnership.

MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee and Dane Democratic Party County Chairs Christopher Walton and Michael Basford released a statement slamming Assembly Speaker Robin Vos for his remarks saying that state legislative maps weren’t meant to represent Milwaukee & Madison.

“Speaker Vos is even more tone deaf than we ever thought possible. He had the audacity to say that the state isn’t gerrymandered because, "If you took Madison and Milwaukee out of the formula, we (republicans) would have a clear majority." Milwaukee and Madison are as much part of Wisconsin as Racine, Onalaska, Green Bay, and Plover.

How frankly racist of the Speaker to say that if you get rid of the areas where about 95% of the African American people in the state live we’d have a Republican state legislature. But we all know that erasure is primary focus of the Republican Party platform.

As the Chairs of the Democratic Parties of Milwaukee and Dane Counties, We believe that the voters of Wisconsin on Tuesday clearly relegated the politics of 'divide and conquer' to the dustbin of history. If Robin Vos spent more time listening to all voters in Wisconsin than continuing to further divide Wisconsinite against Wisconsinite, perhaps his party wouldn't need this extreme gerrymandering to hold onto what power it has left. Speaker Vos work with Governor-Elect Evers to build a bipartisan partnership rather than continue that divide and conquer politics of the last 8 years.”

Signed:

Christopher Walton, Democratic Party of Milwaukee County

Michael Basford, Democratic Party of Dane County

Evers Election Means Partisan Rigged Maps of 2011 Cannot Be Repeated in 2021.

“Our state does better when we all work together" says Sen. Jennifer Shilling.

MADISON, WI – Senator Jennifer Shilling (D-La Crosse) offered the Democratic weekly radio address highlighting the challenges ahead in 2019 and the Democratic solutions to help Wisconsin families.

“Our state does better when we all work together. Rather than pitting families against one another and favoring out-of-state corporations at the expense of home-grown businesses, we should work to level the playing field and make sure that everyone who works hard has the opportunity to succeed.” Sen. Jennifer Shilling

The audio file of this week’s address can be found here.

A written transcript of the address is below:

“Hi, I’m State Senator Jennifer Shilling.

“With a new legislative session just around the corner, Senate Democrats are committed to advance clear ideas and a balanced approach to address the challenges facing our state.

“In order to grow our economy, we must invest in our local public schools, support small business growth and build the infrastructure needed to compete in the 21st century. Democrats will continue to push for solutions that grow our middle class, encourage innovation and promote economic opportunities.

“Our state does better when we all work together. Rather than pitting families against one another and favoring out-of-state corporations at the expense of home-grown businesses, we should work to level the playing field and make sure that everyone who works hard has the opportunity to succeed.

“Senate Democrats remain united in the Wisconsin Way Forward that expands access to affordable health care, expands the family medical leave act, and invests in our infrastructure and local public schools.

“These are the issues that impact families across Wisconsin and these are the issues that families want fixed.

Thank you.”

We discuss how important it is to vote on Tuesday, November 6th, the white nationalist terrorist attack in Pittsburgh, the despicable new Trump ad vilifying immigrants, and much more...

STATEWIDE - We welcome Citizen Action coop member Sarah Godlewski who is in the final stretch of her amazing campaign for State Treasurer. Sarah reminds us how important it is to vote all the way down the ballot on Tuesday, November 6th.

We discuss the terrorist attack by a white nationalist in Pittsburgh and how the tragedy is a direct consequence of the hatred sewn by Donald Trump, and the Republican politics of division. We discuss the despicable new Trump ad vilifying immigrants, which some believe is even worse than the infamous Willie Horton ad. We review the new MU Law Poll and discuss the importance of getting involved in GOTV canvassing efforts the last 4 days of the election.

Robert reviews a new Citizen Action report finding that allowing Wisconsinites to buy-into Badgercare as a “Public Option” would slash premiums and deductibles by as much as $24,000 for a family of four. The report also found the healthcare cost gap with Minnesota is widening.

Listen Now - Episode #366
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