Madison, Wis. -- As Wisconsin hospitals face nearly full ICU wards as COVID cases surge, Ron Johnson has continued his crusade to prolong the pandemic by discouraging Wisconsinites from getting vaccinated as well as pushing dangerous and unproven treatments such as Ivermectin. Doctors and other health care professions have pleaded with Senator Johnson to stop undermining their efforts to get the pandemic under control.

• Despite unvaccinated people accounting for over 99% of COVID hospitalizations and deaths, Johnson continues to sow doubts about the effectiveness of vaccines.
• Johnson has used faulty and incomplete data to discourage vaccinations and push dangerous alternative treatments like Ivermectin, which is a dewormer medication for livestock that has put numerous people in the hospital.
• Johnson, who for months complained that the vaccine was under Emergency Use Authorization by the FDA, is still disparaging the vaccine even though the FDA has fully approved it. 
  • Johnson previously stated: “if we have an effective vaccine and a safe one, and that's the only one we'll release. But if you are out there undermining that possibility, that will cause people's deaths."
• Johnson claimed that ventilators, which keep critically ill COVID patients alive, are doing more harm than good.

WisDems launch website highlighting Kleefisch’s record that’s radically wrong for Wisconsin.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/john-macco-88-s5.pngGreen Bay area politician John Macco, who has filed paperwork to run for governor, questions the science behind vaccines, touts ivermectin, which has poisoned 17 Wisconsinites, as a potential cure.

MADISON - Wednesday, Wisconsin parents Chelsea Powell, Dr. Jennifer Milosavljevic, and Lora Zimmer demanded that Ron Johnson stop endangering the lives of Wisconsin’s children with his crusade to discourage people from getting vaccinated while spreading dangerous disinformation about ineffective alternative treatments.

You can watch the full event here and see what the speakers said, in part, below:

Chelsea Powell: “We need to get to a place where our elected officials are telling the truth about COVID, being honest about the risk of COVID and encouraging us to protect ourselves, our families, and our communities. We do not have that with Senator Johnson. So I’m here to ask that he and others do the right thing: tell the truth about why the vaccine is so important, talk about the risk that we are all facing as parents in this pandemic, and work harder to keep our kids safe.”

Dr. Jennifer Milosavljevic: “Senator Ron Johnson has undermined our pandemic response at every single step. Despite what we are seeing as cases surge in Wisconsin, Senator Johnson is still out there discouraging people from getting an FDA approved vaccine and pushing unproven treatments like Ivermectin -- it makes no sense to me as a physician. Senator Johnson has said repeatedly he’s not a doctor: so please take the medical advice from physicians. We are telling you that you need to come up with a better strategy to fight this pandemic so that our kids can stay in school. It’s just appalling, these are our children’s lives.”

Lora Zimmer: “I question what reality Senator Ron Johnson is living in when we see in our own community that ICUs are at full capacity. We’re seeing kids going on ventilators across the country, but Ron Johnson seems to think everything we’re doing to keep our kids safe is a hoax. How many kids in our community are going to have to end up in the hospital before Ron Johnson listens to the medical community and urges his constituents to listen to the medical community too? Our kids deserve better.”

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/evers-speaks-dairy-mo-s5.pngUSA Today: State Democratic Officials “Doing All They Can to Increase Participation and Turnout”

State Senator Jeff Smith writes about everything that he, and his office, can do to serve residents of the 31st Senate District.

Rebecca Kleefisch has tossed aside her “nonprofit” the 1848 Project like yesterday’s trash in preparation for her gubernatorial run, move surprises no one.

MADISON, Wis. -- Just days before a “big announcement,” Rebecca Kleefisch has tossed aside her “nonprofit” the 1848 Project like yesterday’s trash in preparation for her gubernatorial run. Kleefisch filed paperwork to run for governor this week, and abruptly stepped down from the 1848 Project today.

Over the last year, Kleefisch has used the 1848 Project to hide her donors, abuse the tax code, and dodge the scrutiny that comes from being an announced candidate. The 1848 Project did little to hide its true purpose - Kleefisch hired political operatives from the Republican Party of Wisconsin for key roles in the organization, ran radio ads directly attacking Gov. Tony Evers, and released a self-described policy “manifesto” that reads like a far-right campaign platform.

An IRS complaint was filed against the 1848 Project earlier this year.

“Rebecca Kleefisch’s resignation from the 1848 Project is too little too late - Wisconsinites still deserve answers about who funds this organization, how much money the nonprofit spent on raising Kleefisch’s profile across the state, and whether the project will still exist as a dark money group to support her candidacy,” said Democratic Party of Wisconsin Rapid Response Director Kayla Anderson. “With her upcoming ‘announcement,’ it’s even more obvious that this group only existed as a holding place to pay her campaign staffers, promote her campaign platform pre-announcement, and avoid media scrutiny. We look forward to holding Kleefisch accountable for her lack of transparency and her radical agenda in 2022.”

MADISON - Ron Johnson has spent months discouraging Wisconsinites from getting the vaccine while pushing controversial and unproven COVID treatments like ivermectin, a dewormer drug that has hospitalized people across the state and country. See more below:

Wisconsin State Journal: ICYMI: US Sen. Ron Johnson doubles down on controversial early COVID-19 treatments, including ivermectin

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson on Wednesday doubled down on touting early treatments for COVID-19, including the much maligned use of the anti-parasitic drug Ivermectin, even after federal health authorities warned against unauthorized use of the drug to treat COVID-19.

[...]

Johnson for months has advocated for the consideration of drugs unproven to treat COVID-19 — such as the anti-parasitic medication Ivermectin or malaria treatment hydroxychloroquine — as potential therapies for people who have contracted COVID-19.

[...]

In a health advisory last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned clinicians and the public that ivermectin is not currently authorized or approved by the FDA for treatment of COVID-19, and that the National Institutes of Health has also determined there is currently insufficient data to recommend ivermectin for treatment of COVID-19.

Even so, there has been a 24-fold increase in ivermectin prescriptions compared to before the pandemic, according to the CDC.

[...]

Physicians in Wisconsin and across the nation have criticized Johnson and others for touting the use of ivermectin and other unproven treatments for COVID-19, especially given the existence of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines.

Dr. Scott Walker, a family medicine physician in Prairie du Chien, said whether for veterinary or human use, the underlying ivermectin drug is still the same.

"It’s approved range of uses is very limited," Walker said. "It’s not demonstrated to have any effect on COVID-19, and it is known to be dangerous, especially at higher doses."

Walker said Johnson should be promoting safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines instead of unproven treatments. Despite no evidence showing ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19, Walker said he's recently heard from a pharmacist who received a large shipment of ivermectin.

[...]

Dr. David Gummin, medical director of Wisconsin Poison Center, said the center has received a slight uptick in the number of calls regarding ivermectin. He said the center has received 17 calls regarding potential ivermectin poisoning so far this year, compared to 10 by this time last year, and 11 the year before that.

Gummin said some people may feel the medical community is trying to withhold information on the use of ivermectin and other unproven COVID-19 treatments. But he said the reality is that there simply isn't sound evidence to indicate people should use such drugs to treat COVID-19.

Dr. Jeff Pothof, UW Health chief quality officer  and an emergency medicine physician, said ivermectin in humans is typically used to treat parasites, such as roundworms and nematodes, and also can be effective against lice. He said the medication is more frequently used in countries with lower standards of sanitation and food safety. In the U.S., he said the medication is more often used in livestock and pets to treat conditions such as heartworm.

Pothof said misinformation over the use of ivermectin may stem from early in the pandemic, when some suggested ivermectin could be used to treat viruses.

[...]

Studies so far indicate there's no benefit to using the drug for COVID-19.

"Anything you take has a risk, so if there's no benefit, and only risk, we shouldn't be doing that to people," Pothof said. "Doctors do not experiment on their patients in the U.S."

He said ivermectin can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. At higher doses, the medication can cause low blood pressure, seizures, coma or even death. Pothof said that while there are new antibody therapies that may help prevent severe COVID-19, the best course of action for people without COVID is to get vaccinated.

Governor welcomes Afghan Refugees While Republicans Pull Self-Serving Political Stunt

MADISON, Wis. -- Today, Gov. Tony Evers visited Fort McCoy to receive updates on Operation Allies Refuge and meet with Afghan refugees who are being housed at Fort McCoy.

Wisconsin residents who would like to help support refugees and in the global response to the crisis in Afghanistan should visit the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families “How Can I Help?” page, which is available here.

Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler released the following statement:

“Families just like yours and mine, who happened to grow up in a different part of the world, are seeking to safely start a new life and contribute to our communities. At the heart of Wisconsin values is the commitment to welcoming and protecting our neighbors. And this is not the time to abandon those values.

“At the center of our best Wisconsin is the bedrock, selfless commitment to looking out for one another. But Republicans showed up to Fort McCoy today to make it about them, and turn this into a circus. Governor Evers visited to announce what the administration will be doing to help refugees and welcome them to our state. Leadership means living out your values and bringing people together -- even when those who benefit from fear and division are on the attack. I am proud that Governor Evers and President Biden are doing just that, while Republicans are trying to score political points.

“Think about how you would feel if you and your family had to travel to a new country to start a new life of freedom and safety. Now think about what you can do to help Afghan families arriving now. This moment must bring out the best in all of us. Afghan refugees, you are welcome here.”

Reince Priebus Reveals WI GOP’s Sham Election Review Could Cost Taxpayers Nearly $700,0000

MADISON, Wis. -- In a scathing editorial today, The Capital Times editorial board slammed Assembly Speaker Robin Vos for failing to stand up to Donald Trump’s lies and using taxpayer dollars to undermine confidence in our elections, saying, “With each passing week, Vos and his bumbling henchman — disgraced former Wisconsin Supreme Justice Michael Gableman — have upped the ante, amplifying the big lie and burning through more tax dollars.”

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported today that former Trump chief of staff Reince Priebus said Robin Vos’s sham election review could cost Wisconsin taxpayers as much as $680,000. After Priebus broke the news, Vos confirmed he has allocated additional resources for “independent contractors” to bring Arizona’s Cyber Ninja circus to Wisconsin.

A recount, a report from Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security, and multiple rulings by courts in Wisconsin proved that the 2020 Wisconsin election was secure time and again.

If Vos was honest, the ed board said, “He would have rejected the lie long ago and told Trump to crawl back into the swamps of Mar-a-Lago.”

Read the full editorial here.

“This is such a joke - Robin Vos is letting Trump and his lackeys walk all over him, and Wisconsin,” said Democratic Party of Wisconsin Rapid Response Director Kayla Anderson. “Republicans aren’t in Madison to help Wisconsinites, they’re there to help themselves. If Robin Vos and his caucus actually cared about Wisconsin, they’d focus their energy on expanding affordable health care, fully investing in equity in education, or encouraging people to get the life-saving COVID-19 vaccine - instead they’re taking plane rides with Donald Trump and spending taxpayer money on undermining our democratic elections. It’s pathetic.”