Wisconsin had gone for the Democratic candidate in every presidential election since 1988. The Clinton campaign saw no use wasting time here. Totally ignored were ominous signs - recent overwhelming GOP Wisconsin Republican victories, Obama's razor thin Wisconsin victory in 2012, and moderate congressional Republicans replaced by hard right.
Even CNN's babbling clones observed that Trump had one slim route to victory, through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin. Sound Democratic strategy would have made blocking that route top priority.
Would campaigning in rural Wisconsin counties that went for Obama in two previous elections have made a difference? Would hitting shop floors in Kenosha, Racine, Milwaukee, the Fox River Valley and Green Bay have gained that single additional percentage point for a Clinton Wisconsin win?
Who knows, but first, ya gotta show up. Sending daughter Chelsea to Madison to pat liberals on the back doesn't cut it.
Wisconsin's historically progressive tradition is highlighted by "Fighting Bob LaFollette." Its progressive tradition is marred by the dark reign of Sen. Joe McCarthy. (Times column, April 7.) His political career ended with censure by the Senate. He died while still in office in 1957.
In the special election to fill McCarthy's vacant seat, Democrat William Proxmire defeated moderate Republican Tom Petri. In the 1958 general election, Petri became Congressman of Wisconsin's 6th district, serving until 2016.
Proxmire was Wisconsin's longest-serving senator, from 1957 until 1989. He was a maverick of sorts, known for his publicity stunt, the annual "Golden Fleece Award." He would highlight research projects with ridiculous sounding titles, and ridicule them as "wasting money." That tactic occasionally backfired when research led to beneficial results, causing him to be charged as "anti-science." To his credit, he would apologize.
Meanwhile, Congressman Petri was truly a Republican moderate. He compiled a pro-labor record and was a founding member of the Ripon Society, named after the small Wisconsin city that claims to be birthplace of the Republican Party. The Ripon Society was the first Republican organization to endorse the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
In an obvious sign of Wisconsin's turn to solid red, hard-right Republican, Glenn Grothman, believing Petri not conservative enough, declared for Congress in 2015. With that, Petri bowed out of the race.
While Petri was a long-serving moderate Republican and Democrat Proxmire was Wisconsin's longest serving Senator, Republican Tommy Thompson was Wisconsin's longest-serving governor. He was somewhat moderate by today's standards. He supported mass transit, earning him distrust by fellow Republicans. However, he was a member of the right-wing American Legislative Executive Council (ALEC). Thompson believed himself clever to adopt ALEC proposals, tweak them a bit, and claim them as his own.
President W. Bush appointed Tommy as Secretary of Health and Human Services where he served from 2001-05. Tommy surfaced again in 2011, declaring for the U.S. Senate to replace retiring Democrat Herb Kohl. Recognizing the hard rightward turn of the Republicans, Tommy managed to defeat three lesser known Republicans arguably even more conservative than he had become.
But Tommy still had a major problem. Our own 2nd district Congresswoman, Tammy Baldwin, declared for that seat. She reminded voters that the "present Tommy" was not the same Tommy who had served as governor.
Tommy, believing he had an inside track to that seat, tried to paint the soft-spoken Tammy as a screaming Mimi. It didn't work. Tammy whipped him.
Tommy is still crying in his beer about "how mean" Tammy was to him.
But at least Tommy, in a recent interview, cited the University of Wisconsin as an engine of state economic growth. This is in stark contrast to Republican governor Walker and his obedient lackeys in our gerrymandered legislature that bash the UW at every opportunity.
Wisconsin results were typical of much of the nation resulting from the 2010 mid-term elections. That election brought us the master of "divide and conquer," Scott Walker, who broke the unions and attempted to drastically change UW's statutorily embedded mission statement.
The election of 2010 further illustrates the drift of Wisconsin to blood red. Long-time powerful 7th district Congressman, Democrat David Obey, retired. He was replaced by Tea Partier Sean Duffy. That sprawling northern rural Wisconsin district, once reliably Democratic, would become prime "Trump country" by 2016.
The 8th Congressional district, including Green Bay, once a swing district, replaced a Democrat with moderate Republican, Reid Ribble, in 2010. As in the 6th district with Petri, a hard-right Republican in the 8th district replaced moderate Republican, Ribble, to run in 2016. The 8th, like the 6th and 7th districts, now was fertile "Trump country." Add to this the traditional GOP-dominated 5th (suburban Milwaukee, Sensenbrenner) and our neighboring 1st (southeastern Wisconsin, Speaker Paul Ryan). Five of eight districts, now hard right.
Was anyone - the Clinton campaign? - paying attention?
That fateful 2010 election also brought us Sen. Ronald Johnson, a colorless, inarticulate empty suit with an apparent room temperature IQ - thermostat set at energy-saving levels. Johnson's chief political "contribution" resembles a broken record, repeating Koch Brothers' - they're picking up the tab - tired banalities and bromides.
And it was in 2010 that the GOP took over the legislature. They gerrymandered the state in such a way as to retain control for the indefinite future.
Then we have Wisconsin native and former national GOP Chair, Reince Preibus, holding the second-worst job in Washington, White House Chief of Staff. (Press Secretary Sean Spicer undoubtedly has the worst job, spinning the unpredictable outbursts of his temperamentally unfit, egocentric boss.)
Preibus is still the kid with the toy steering wheel, pretending to drive the buss. Good luck with not getting crushed between Trump's children and Steve Bannon.
Wisconsin, from blue to blood red, and no end in sight.
- John Waelti of Monroe, a retired professor of economics, can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net. His column appears Fridays in The Monroe Times.
Even CNN's babbling clones observed that Trump had one slim route to victory, through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin. Sound Democratic strategy would have made blocking that route top priority.
Would campaigning in rural Wisconsin counties that went for Obama in two previous elections have made a difference? Would hitting shop floors in Kenosha, Racine, Milwaukee, the Fox River Valley and Green Bay have gained that single additional percentage point for a Clinton Wisconsin win?
Who knows, but first, ya gotta show up. Sending daughter Chelsea to Madison to pat liberals on the back doesn't cut it.
Wisconsin's historically progressive tradition is highlighted by "Fighting Bob LaFollette." Its progressive tradition is marred by the dark reign of Sen. Joe McCarthy. (Times column, April 7.) His political career ended with censure by the Senate. He died while still in office in 1957.
In the special election to fill McCarthy's vacant seat, Democrat William Proxmire defeated moderate Republican Tom Petri. In the 1958 general election, Petri became Congressman of Wisconsin's 6th district, serving until 2016.
Proxmire was Wisconsin's longest-serving senator, from 1957 until 1989. He was a maverick of sorts, known for his publicity stunt, the annual "Golden Fleece Award." He would highlight research projects with ridiculous sounding titles, and ridicule them as "wasting money." That tactic occasionally backfired when research led to beneficial results, causing him to be charged as "anti-science." To his credit, he would apologize.
Meanwhile, Congressman Petri was truly a Republican moderate. He compiled a pro-labor record and was a founding member of the Ripon Society, named after the small Wisconsin city that claims to be birthplace of the Republican Party. The Ripon Society was the first Republican organization to endorse the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
In an obvious sign of Wisconsin's turn to solid red, hard-right Republican, Glenn Grothman, believing Petri not conservative enough, declared for Congress in 2015. With that, Petri bowed out of the race.
While Petri was a long-serving moderate Republican and Democrat Proxmire was Wisconsin's longest serving Senator, Republican Tommy Thompson was Wisconsin's longest-serving governor. He was somewhat moderate by today's standards. He supported mass transit, earning him distrust by fellow Republicans. However, he was a member of the right-wing American Legislative Executive Council (ALEC). Thompson believed himself clever to adopt ALEC proposals, tweak them a bit, and claim them as his own.
President W. Bush appointed Tommy as Secretary of Health and Human Services where he served from 2001-05. Tommy surfaced again in 2011, declaring for the U.S. Senate to replace retiring Democrat Herb Kohl. Recognizing the hard rightward turn of the Republicans, Tommy managed to defeat three lesser known Republicans arguably even more conservative than he had become.
But Tommy still had a major problem. Our own 2nd district Congresswoman, Tammy Baldwin, declared for that seat. She reminded voters that the "present Tommy" was not the same Tommy who had served as governor.
Tommy, believing he had an inside track to that seat, tried to paint the soft-spoken Tammy as a screaming Mimi. It didn't work. Tammy whipped him.
Tommy is still crying in his beer about "how mean" Tammy was to him.
But at least Tommy, in a recent interview, cited the University of Wisconsin as an engine of state economic growth. This is in stark contrast to Republican governor Walker and his obedient lackeys in our gerrymandered legislature that bash the UW at every opportunity.
Wisconsin results were typical of much of the nation resulting from the 2010 mid-term elections. That election brought us the master of "divide and conquer," Scott Walker, who broke the unions and attempted to drastically change UW's statutorily embedded mission statement.
The election of 2010 further illustrates the drift of Wisconsin to blood red. Long-time powerful 7th district Congressman, Democrat David Obey, retired. He was replaced by Tea Partier Sean Duffy. That sprawling northern rural Wisconsin district, once reliably Democratic, would become prime "Trump country" by 2016.
The 8th Congressional district, including Green Bay, once a swing district, replaced a Democrat with moderate Republican, Reid Ribble, in 2010. As in the 6th district with Petri, a hard-right Republican in the 8th district replaced moderate Republican, Ribble, to run in 2016. The 8th, like the 6th and 7th districts, now was fertile "Trump country." Add to this the traditional GOP-dominated 5th (suburban Milwaukee, Sensenbrenner) and our neighboring 1st (southeastern Wisconsin, Speaker Paul Ryan). Five of eight districts, now hard right.
Was anyone - the Clinton campaign? - paying attention?
That fateful 2010 election also brought us Sen. Ronald Johnson, a colorless, inarticulate empty suit with an apparent room temperature IQ - thermostat set at energy-saving levels. Johnson's chief political "contribution" resembles a broken record, repeating Koch Brothers' - they're picking up the tab - tired banalities and bromides.
And it was in 2010 that the GOP took over the legislature. They gerrymandered the state in such a way as to retain control for the indefinite future.
Then we have Wisconsin native and former national GOP Chair, Reince Preibus, holding the second-worst job in Washington, White House Chief of Staff. (Press Secretary Sean Spicer undoubtedly has the worst job, spinning the unpredictable outbursts of his temperamentally unfit, egocentric boss.)
Preibus is still the kid with the toy steering wheel, pretending to drive the buss. Good luck with not getting crushed between Trump's children and Steve Bannon.
Wisconsin, from blue to blood red, and no end in sight.
- John Waelti of Monroe, a retired professor of economics, can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net. His column appears Fridays in The Monroe Times.
