Weekly News from Your Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair

The news alert comes: a mass shooting is underway. Your heart leaps into your throat. A familiar horror. And this one’s in Wisconsin. Please, please, you pray, let the bloodshed spare the people I love.

This has become normal life in the United States. The 45th mass shooting this year. It’s numbingly normal in our state—the 11th Wisconsin mass shooting since 2004.  And the toll of gun violence goes far beyond mass shootings—to homicides, many in the context of domestic violence; to suicides; to needless accidents, including those affecting children. And the deaths are the brutal tip of the iceberg—a ceaseless mass of injuries and trauma.

Mere hours before this week’s news broke about the shooting in Milwaukee, Governor Evers renewed his call for Republican state legislatures to take simple, obvious steps to curb gun violence—such as Extreme Risk Protection Orders, which create a process to disarm individuals deemed dangerous to themselves or others.

Just an hour before the slaughter, Republican Senate Leader Scott Fitzgerald—who is now running for Congress—dug in his heels and announced that no action would be taken.

Human tragedy should not be political. But our state’s Republicans keep refusing to taken even the simplest steps, supported by a majority of gun owners of all parties, and most Republican voters—to prevent these tragedies from being repeated. If they flatly refuse to negotiate, to even consider a compromise, then politics—voting them out—is the only tool that’s left. So vote them out we will.

Our prayers go to the lost, and to their survivors. Let’s commit anew to building a politics that honors the fragile humanity of all.

Ben

Yes for MPS!

This money would help ensure there’s a certified teacher for each classroom and a librarian for every school—as well as music and art classes, mental health services, and smaller class sizes. The bill for all of that benefit? Merely $4 per week per Milwaukee household. More than 60 organizations have endorsed the effort—Milwaukee’s first attempt to pass a school referendum since 1993.

Wisconsinites chose a lifelong educator for a governor. If Republicans think they can make him turn his back on Wisconsin students, they’ve got another think coming.

It’s hard to overstate how critical the outcome of this race is to the future of our state. The winner will serve for the next 10 years and will be able to rule on issues like gerrymandering and voting rights.

Wisconsin’s democracy is on the ballot.

For the last four years, right-wing operative Dan Kelly ruled in favor of special interests whose board members have donated to his campaign. He has sided with Big Oil over Wisconsin communities, allowing them to avoid liability for oil spills they caused. He has upheld the GOP’s lame-duck power grab. And many believe Walker appointed him to the state Supreme Court as a thank-you gift for defending gerrymandering in court. (No wonder Trump endorsed him.) Dan Kelly’s business card may say “Justice,” but justice seems to be the farthest thing from his mind.

On April 7, Wisconsinites will cast their ballots in the presidential primary. If you’re voting for a Democrat, make sure you don’t just stop there—it’s time to vote for Jill for Justice.

Canvassing with BLOC

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin is an equal opportunity employer. Women, People of Color, LGBT, people of all religious affiliations & people with disabilities are encouraged to apply. 

Ben spoke about the importance of the youth vote in our effort and college students’ role in winning back Wisconsin. If we’re going to be successful in 2020 and beyond, it’s going to be young people who are going to help us cross the finish line. The College Democrats of Wisconsin are a crucial part of that effort.

That’s why the DNC’s Organizing Corps 2020 is recruiting and training 1,000 young people in key battleground states to work on the 2020 general election, starting this Spring. They’re looking for young people living in Wisconsin — especially recent graduates and career switchers — who are committed to working on the general election from June through November 3rd, 2020.

If you or someone you know wants to staff a presidential campaign, the OC2020 Immersion Program will you get there. Go to organizingcorps2020.com to learn more and apply. The deadline to apply is March 4th.

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