% NOW TURNING TO THE U.S. SENATE
% RACE.
% >> MANDELA BARNES DANGEROUSLY
% LIBERAL ON CRIME.
% >> MANDELA BARNES HE STANDS WITH
% THEM.
% NOT US.
% >> MANDELA BARNES NOT JUST A
% DEMOCRAT, A DANGEROUS DEMOCRAT.
% >> SO DIFFERENT AND DANGEROUS.
% WE JUST SAW THE WORDS AND IMAGES
% IN CAMPAIGN ADS FOR REPUBLICAN
% SENATOR RON JOHNSON THAT ARE
% USED TO DESCRIBE HIS DEMOCRATIC
% CHALLENGER LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
% MANDELA BARNES.
% MANY OBSERVERS SAY THIS KIND OF
% MESSAGING GOES WAY BEYOND BEING
% RACIALLY TINGED.
% JOHNSON'S CAMPAIGN SAYS IT'S
% NOTHING OF THE SORTS.
% THAT RON JOHNSON IS TALKING TO
% VOTERS ABOUT THE ISSUES
% IMPORTANT TO THEM INCLUDING OUT
% OF CONTROL CRIME.
% HERE TO UNPACK THE DIVISION AND
% HOW WISCONSIN VOTERS MAY RESPOND
% TO THIS IS JOHN EASON.
% THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING
% HERE.
% >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
% >> HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE
% KIND OF MESSAGING THAT WE ARE
% SEEING NOW IN THE WISCONSIN U.S.
% SENATE RACE?
% >> I THINK IT'S REMINISCENT OF
% ADS WE HAVE SEEN IN THE PAST.
% FROM WILLIE HORTON TO THE GOLD
% WATER CAMPAIGN WITH THE LONG
% BLACK SHADOW HAND REALLY
% REACHING OUT AND SPEAKING ABOUT
% CRIME.
% AND EQUATING BLACKNESS WITH
% CRIME.
% >> DO YOU THINK IT GOES BEYOND
% THOSE KINDS OF OLDER MESSAGES?
% >> I THINK IT'S IRONICALLY RIGHT
% ON BRAND.
% BUT I THINK GIVEN HOW HYPER
% POLARIZED WE ARE TODAY, THERE IS
% NO REAL TOWN SQUARE IN AMERICA
% THAT THERE IS NO WAY TO HAVE
% REAL CHECKS AND BALANCES, THAT
% THIS IS JUST RIGHT ON BRAND.
% I DON'T THINK IT'S ANY WORSE.
% >> I MEAN THE MESSAGES ARE
% CONNECTED TO, ON THE ONE HAND
% CRIME RATES, AND ON THE OTHER
% HAND, MASS INCARCERATION AND
% POLICING REFORM.
% BUT YOU HAVE SAID, WHEN YOU HAVE
% GENERAL MISINFORMATION AND YOU
% THROW RACISM INTO THE MIX,
% THAT'S A PRETTY POWERFUL ELIXIR.
% HOW SO?
% >> RACISM -- THIS COUNTRY HAS A
% LONG HISTORY OF THIS.
% THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO TRY TO DENY
% OR MINIMIZE HOW MUCH RACE OR
% RACISM, SPECIFICALLY, MATTERS.
% BUT BECAUSE WE'VE HAD SO MUCH,
% YOU KNOW, FROM PEOPLE LEAVING
% SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS, WHOLE
% CONTINGENCY SWATHS OF PEOPLE
% BEING SILOED WITHIN SOCIAL MEDIA
% PLATFORMS, AND OUR NEWS IS VERY
% SEGMENTED.
% WHEN YOU ADD RACISM INTO THAT,
% YOU ADD -- YOU EVEN FURTHER
% DIMINISH THE BENEFIT OF DOUBT
% AND YOU FURTHER DEHUMANIZE
% PEOPLE.
% >> DO YOU FEEL LIKE THIS TESTING
% OF BLACK MEN OF DANGEROUS IS
% NORMALIZED IN THE MAJORITY WHITE
% WISCONSIN?
% >> I THINK IT HAS BEEN
% NORMALIZED AND NOT JUST A
% MAJORITY WHITE WISCONSIN, BUT
% THIS IS NORMALIZED ACROSS THE
% COUNTRY.
% >> SO JOHNSON'S ADS HAVE
% COINCIDED WITH HIS RISE IN THE
% POLLS.
% OVERTAKING BARNES.
% ONE PUN DENT TOLD US, WELL, IT
% WORKS.
% THIS KIND OF ATTACK AD.
% WHAT DOES THAT SAY, THOUGH,
% ABOUT TODAY'S, KIND OF, SCORCHED
% EARTH POLITICS?
% >> IT'S NOT SO MUCH IT'S JUST
% ABOUT CRIME, IT'S THE FEAR OF
% CRIME.
% AND THE FEAR OF CRIME WHICH IS
% LINKED TO BLACK PEOPLE, WE'VE
% SEEN THIS FOREVER, BUT IT SAYS A
% LOT ABOUT OUR POLITICS IN TERMS
% OF HOW WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE
% FORWARD.
% RIGHT?
% SO I'M HOPEFUL STILL BECAUSE WE
% HAVE SO MANY NEW VOTERS WHO MAY
% NOT BE CAPTURED IN THESE POLLS.
% WE HAVE SO MANY YOUNG VOTERS WHO
% ARE GOING TO PRIMARILY VOTE
% DEMOCRATIC, THAT THERE MAY BE
% SOME HOPE FOR CHANGING THE TONE
% AND TENURE OF OUR POLITICS.
% >> YOU FEEL AS THOUGH THESE KIND
% OF MESSAGES ARE KIND OF DIRECTED
% AT THE OLDER ELECTORATE?
% >> THEY DEFINITELY ARE.
% I THINK THIS IS SPEAKING TO
% PEOPLE WHOSE MINDS ARE ALREADY
% MADE UP.
% I DON'T THINK THEY WILL SWAY
% MANY NEW OR YOUNGER VOTERS WHO,
% ESPECIALLY -- EVEN IN RURAL
% COMMUNITIES.
% I THINK BECAUSE OF HOW WELL
% WISCONSIN'S EDUCATION SYSTEM IS
% COMPARED TO THE REST OF THE
% COUNTRY, I'M JUST WAY MORE
% HOPEFUL.
% BECAUSE OTHERWISE WE DON'T HAVE
% MUCH ROOM.
% RIGHT?
% TO MOVE FORWARD.
% WE DON'T HAVE A BASE TO REALLY
% PUSH FORWARD AND PUSH PAST WHERE
% WE'VE BEEN.
% NOT JUST IN WISCONSIN, BUT
% ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
% >> BUT STILL HOW DIVISIVE IS
% THIS IN A STATE ALREADY KEENLY
% DIVIDED BY RACE AND POLITICAL
% LINES?
% >> I THINK IT'S INCREDIBLY
% DIVISIVE.
% I THINK -- BUT THE PEOPLE WHO IT
% IS FUELING, THE ADS THAT THE
% MARKETS THEY ARE TARGETING, I
% THINK EVERYONE'S MIND IS KIND OF
% MADE UP ALREADY.
% I DON'T THINK THIS IS GOING TO
% SWAY PEOPLE ONE WAY OR THE
% OTHER.
% I DON'T THINK SOMEONE IS GOING
% TO SEE THIS AND SAY THIS IS NEW
% INFORMATION OR I HAVE A BRAND
% NEW VIEW ON MANDELA BARNES.
% >> PEOPLE MIGHT HAVE THEIR
% MINDS' MADE UP ALREADY, BUT HOW
% HURTFUL IS IT?
% >> THIS IS PART OF WHY I'M
% HOPEFUL.
% YOUNGER VOTERS, IN PARTICULAR,
% I'VE SEEN NOT ONLY IN MY
% CLASSROOMS BUT IN MENTORING
% GRADUATE STUDENTS AS WELL,
% YOUNGER PEOPLE WHO ARE MORE
% HOPEFUL, YOU WILL SEE THIS IN
% THE COMING DAYS AT THANKSGIVING
% DINNERS WHEN THEY ARE PUSHING
% BACK AGAINST THEIR, YOU KNOW,
% THE EXCUSE WE GET TO LET THE OLD
% DRUNK UNCLE GO OFF AND RANT
% ABOUT WHATEVER HE WANTED.
% YOU SEE MORE FRICTION IN
% FAMILIES NOW AT HOLIDAYS BECAUSE
% YOUNGER PEOPLE AREN'T PUTTING UP
% WITH THIS ANYMORE.
% >> ALL RIGHT JOHN, THANKS VERY
% MUCH.
% >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
% >> FOR MORE ON THIS AND OTHER
% ISSUES FACING WISCONSIN VISIT
% OUR WEBSITE AT PBSWISCONSIN.ORG