% >> A REPUBLICAN WISCONSIN
% ELECTIONS COMMISSIONER IS UNDER
% FIRE WITH CONTINUING CALLS THIS
% WEEK FOR HIS RESIGNATION.
% THIS COMES AFTER COMMISSIONER
% ROBERT SPINDELL WAS QUOTED
% POST-ELECTION SAYING TO FELLOW
% REPUBLICANS, "WE CAN BE
% ESPECIALLY PROUD OF THE CITY OF
% MILWAUKEE, CASTING 37,000 LESS
% VOTES THAN CAST IN THE 2018
% ELECTION, WITH THE MAJOR
% REDUCTION HAPPENING IN THE
% OVERWHELMING BLACK AND HISPANIC
% AREAS.
% DEMOCRATS CALL THIS BRAGGING
% ABOUT VOTER SUPPRESSION ON THE
% PART OF AN ELECTION OFFICIAL,
% AND THIS WEEK STATE SENATE
% DEMOCRATS CALLED FOR HIM TO
% RESIGN.
% COMMISSIONER SPINDELL JOINS US
% NOW WITH HIS REACTION.
% AND THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING
% HERE.%>> THANK YOU FOR HAVIN
G ME.
% >> WHAT IS YOUR REACTION AND
% RESPONSE TO THESE CALLS FOR YOU
% TO RESIGN YOUR POSITION AS AN
% ELECTIONS COMMISSIONER?
% >> WELL, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE
% DEMOCRATS HAVE REALLY LOST
% BECAUSE OF THEIR OWN FAILED
% BIDEN POLICIES SUCH AS
% INFLATION, SUBSTANDARD
% EDUCATION, HIGH CRIME RATE, AND
% THESE ARE SEVERAL OF THE ISSUES
% THAT WE TRIED TO PUT FORTH ON
% OUR RADIO COMMERCIALS AND OUR
% TWICE-A-WEEK RADIO TALK SHOW.
% THAT'S WHY MANY PEOPLE BECOME
% DISENCHANTED COMING OUT TO VOTE,
% INCLUDING THOSE IN THE MINORITY
% COMMUNITY.
% IN ADDITION, OF COURSE, THERE
% WAS A LOSS OF POPULATION
% SOMEWHAT IN THE CITY OF
% MILWAUKEE, BUT ALSO THE HARD
% WORK OF THE PEOPLE OF THE
% REPUBLICAN PARTY, THE CANDIDATES
% THAT WE GOT OUT TO RUN AND SO
% FORTH.
% WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT SUPPRESSION,
% YOU PROBABLY REMEMBER THE
% APRIL 2020 ELECTION, I USED TO
% BE A CITY OF MILWAUKEE ELECTION
% COMMISSIONER FOR 18 YEARS, AND
% IN MILWAUKEE, IT'S PROBABLY THE
% EASIEST CITY ANYWHERE TO VOTE,
% BECAUSE VERY RARELY DOES ANYBODY
% HAVE TO WAIT EVEN DURING
% NOVEMBER ELECTIONS MORE THAN
% FIVE OR 10 MINUTES AND IF YOU
% HAVE TO REGISTER, IF YOU WAIT
% MORE THAN 15 MINUTES, THEY'LL
% APOLOGIZE.
% BUT IF YOU'RE GOING BACK TO THAT
% 18 -- OR THE ONE IN APRIL OF '2D
% 185 POLLING PLACES DOWN TO
% 5 POLLING PLACES, THE -- CENTER
% SAID THAT WOULD REDUCE THE --
% SUPPRESS THE BLACK VOTE 15%.
% WHAT HAPPENED IN MILWAUKEE, THE
% GENTLEMAN RUNNING FOR COUNTY
% EXEC, CROWLEY, WON BY A THOUSAND
% VOTES, THE INDIVIDUAL RUNNING
% FOR CITY TREASURER LOST BY A
% THOUSAND VOTES, LENA TAYLOR LOST
% BY ABOUT 15,000 VOTES.
% SO CERTAINLY THE SUPPRESSION WAS
% NOT FROM THIS PROGRAM.
% THE SUPPRESSION WAS SOMETHING
% ALONG THIS LINE, TRY AND DO
% SOMETHING ALONG THAT LINE.
% >> COMMISSIONER, YOUR COMMENTS
% HAVE BEEN CALLED, QUOTE,
% INCREDIBLY RACIST, BECAUSE OF
% BEING PROUD, ACCORDING TO THAT
% EMAIL THAT YOU WROTE, THAT IN
% THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE, AMONGST
% OVERWHELMINGLY BLACK AND
% HISPANIC AREAS, 37,000 FEWER
% VOTES WERE CAST.
% WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY ABOUT
% BEING DESCRIBED AS INCREDIBLY
% RACIST?
% >> WELL, I'VE NEVER REALLY BEEN
% DESCRIBED AS THAT BEFORE.
% OVER THE YEARS, I'VE BEEN A --
% I'VE DONE A GREAT DEAL FOR THE
% BLACK COMMUNITY IN MILWAUKEE.
% I WAS APPOINTED BY GOVERNOR
% THOMPSON TO BE THE ONLY
% NON-MINORITY MEMBER OF THE
% GOVERNOR'S COMMITTEE ON MINORITY
% BUSINESS.
% HE THEN APPOINTED ME TO THE
% GOVERNOR'S CENTRAL CITY
% INITIATIVE, WHICH BROUGHT ABOUT
% ALL SORTS OF PROGRAMS TO HELP
% PEOPLE IN THE INNER CITY GET
% JOBS, GET A HOUSE, GET SOMETHING
% ALONG THAT LINE.
% THAT WAS -- I WAS ON A WISCONSIN
% CORRECTIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR A
% WHILE, GOING AROUND TO PRISONS,
% TRYING TO HELP PEOPLE TO KNOW
% WHAT TO SAY IN TERMS OF GETTING
% JOBS, BUT MORE IMPORTANT, FOR
% OVER 25 YEARS, I WAS VICE CHAIR
% OF CAREER YOUTH DEVELOP M, ONE
% OF THE LARGEST SOCIAL SERVICE
% AGENCIES IN MILWAUKEE, AND WE
% HAVE SUCH PROGRAMS AS WE WERE
% THE FIRST AGENCY IN THE COUNTRY
% TO GET WITH A DRUG AND ALCOHOL
% HOSPITAL TO START OUR OWN
% OPERATION WITHIN THE FACILITY.
% WE THEN PUT OUR OWN FACILITY
% TOGETHER.%WE RAN IT WITH OUR
OWN DOCTORS
% AND WE EVEN BUILT AN INPATIENT
% TREATMENT CENTER.
% THERE'S ALL SORTS -- WE HAVE 30
% PROGRAMS.
% >> SO YOU REJECT THE
% DESCRIPTION.
% BUT IT'S NOT NEW FOR CANDIDATES
% TO SAY, PLEASE VOTE FOR ME, BUT
% IF YOU CAN'T DO THAT, DON'T VOTE
% FOR MY OPPONENT.
% DEMOCRATS DID THAT IN 2020 IN
% TALKING TO MODERATE REPUBLICANS.
% BUT ISN'T THERE A DIFFERENCE
% BETWEEN THAT AND CELEBRATING THE
% REDUCTION OF VOTES AMONGST A
% POPULATION OF VOTERS THAT HAS
% BEEN HISTORICALLY DISCRIMINATED
% AGAINST THROUGHOUT OUR NATION'S
% HISTORY?
% >> WELL, REALLY THE THING I WAS
% CELEBRATING WAS THE FACT THAT
% FINALLY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS,
% THE REPUBLICAN PARTY OF
% WISCONSIN AND THE RNC FINALLY
% RECOGNIZED THE IMPORTANCE OF THE
% BLACK VOTE, THE HISPANIC VOTE
% AND NOT JUST TALK ANYMORE BUT
% THEY ACTUALLY PUT THE RESOURCES
% INTO THAT PROGRAMS SO THAT WE
% MAY MAKE PROGRESS WITHIN THAT
% AGENCY.
% AND A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE
% DISENCHANTED.
% I KNOW THEY WERE -- THE DEMS
% TRIED TO GET PEOPLE TO KNOCK ON
% DOORS TO GET THEIR VOTE OUT.
% THEY WERE PAYING $27 AN HOUR.
% THEY COULDN'T GET PEOPLE TO DO
% THAT.
% PEOPLE WERE DISENCHANTED.
% I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY
% DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE BLACK,
% HISPANIC, THE WHITE COMMUNITIES
% WHERE THE EFFORT IS TO TRY AND
% GET THE PEOPLE THAT YOU HAVE
% IDENTIFIED OUT TO VOTE, AND IF
% THEY CAN'T, ALL THE ADVERTISING,
% WHETHER IT BE MILLIONS OF
% DOLLARS ON TELEVISION, THAT'S
% ALL NEGATIVE ADVERTISING TRYING
% TO SAY HOW BAD THE OTHER
% CANDIDATE IS.
% >> HAVE YOU SPOKEN TO SENATE
% MAJORITY LEADER DEVIN LEMAHIEU
% WHO REAPPOINTED YOU TO A
% FIVE-YEAR TERM ABOUT WHETHER HE
% CONTINUES TO SUPPORT YOU AS AN
% ELECTIONS COMMISSIONER?%>> N
O, I HAVE NOT, I HAVE NOT.
% ALL HE WOULD SAY IS WELL, THE
% DEMS ARE TRYING TO GET YOU FOR
% THE FOURTH OR FIFTH TIME TO
% RESIGN.
% THEY'VE TRIED THAT ON SEVERAL
% DIFFERENT OCCASIONS.
% BECAUSE SIMPLY THEY DO NOT LIKE
% MY GOING THROUGH AND MAKING SURE
% THAT THE REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS A
% VOICE ON THE COMMISSION, AND
% ALSO THAT WE WORK TOGETHER WITH
% THE DEMOCRATS TO TRY AND MAKE
% SURE THAT THE BEST SOLUTION FOR
% THE PEOPLE OF WISCONSIN COMES
% OUT OF SOME VERY HEAVY
% DISCUSSIONS AMONG THE SIX OF US
% ON THE WISCONSIN ELECTION
% COMMISSION.
% >> WE NEED TO LEAVE IT THERE.
% WISCONSIN ELECTIONS COMMISSIONER
% BOB SPINDELL, THANKS VERY MUCH.
% >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR
% HAVING ME.
% >> WE SHOULD NOTE THAT
% COMMISSIONER SPINDELL DECLINED
% TO SPEAK ABOUT HIS ROLE AS AN