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The Democratic primary for governor

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starts to get negative, and

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one candidate turns to national live

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streams to raise money.

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Not everyone's happy about it.

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This is Inside Wisconsin Politics.

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I'm Sean Johnson here with Anya Van

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Wegtendonk and Rich Kramer in Eau

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Claire. Hey gang.

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Hey Sean.

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So I wanna start this discussion

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with a simple question.

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I think a lot of people probably

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associate political campaigns with

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negative attacks.

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Candidates run for office, they

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attack their opponents.

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So Anya, I'm wondering, why

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is it noteworthy that here in the

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middle of summer, we have

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overt negative attacks in this

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Democratic primary?

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Yeah, you know, I think for the last

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couple weeks, months, there have

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been some snipes, what I might call

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sort of a Midwestern nice approach

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to trying to get negative.

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This is the first week that we got,

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you know, a press release from a

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candidate explicitly saying, my

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opponent has done something bad.

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I am going to do something great.

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And that was Mandela Barnes calling

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out Sarah Rodriguez,

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a former Lieutenant Governor,

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calling out a current Lieutenant

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Governor over donations that she

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received while she was in the

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assembly. And essentially trying to

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suggest that she is viable,

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that he is not, so making an issue

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of this in a much more explicit way.

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So a little bit of a shot across the

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bow, six weeks out from the midterm,

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to really kind of start to make

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these more explicit points.

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Rich, I think this kind of

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pales by comparison from

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attacks you would see in national

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politics right now, for sure, and in

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past Wisconsin campaigns.

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Have you seen anything like this yet

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this summer?

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Not really.

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As Anya mentioned,

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these have been pretty mild.

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And I guess if we're thinking

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about boneless buffalo

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wings, these would be the ranch

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and the

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blue cheese type of attacks that

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we've seen thus far.

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We're starting to get into the

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actual Frank's red hot kind of

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territory, but even still, it's

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pretty tame.

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And what I was thinking about

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is the earlier veiled

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criticisms that we heard like

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during the Democratic convention or

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something Most people

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aren't really tuned into this race

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yet. That is your regular

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voter, but the people

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that might be Getting

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these communications from the

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candidates could be you know

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fellow politicians looking to

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endorse one of the six

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candidates in the race could

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also be messaging out

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to money groups or donors.

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I mean, that's speculation, but

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really, unless you're really tuned

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in, you wouldn't be able to connect

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the dots between some of the attacks

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we've seen until this moment between

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the candidates when they're talking

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about electability or

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first time politician, et cetera.

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You'd really have to do some

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homework to find out.

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And now it's a little more blatant.

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Right. So you would have to know,

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like at convention, for example,

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when Calderoy says, we

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can't have anybody without

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experience stepping in here at this

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time, she's, you know, we kind of

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know who she's referring to, but

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she's not saying it.

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Francesca Hong saying, you know,

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voters can detect BS.

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I don't know, I suppose she could be

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saying that about everybody but her.

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But this is like

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a candidate against another

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candidate.

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So I guess I'm wondering, What does

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it say about Mandela

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Barnes and Sara Rodriguez

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right now that the attack is coming

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from Mandela Barnes against Sara

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Rodriguez. And by the way, she

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responded in kind.

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Absolutely right.

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It was kind of a forceful exchange

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of words. So then her response was

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essentially, you ran for Senate

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and lost. I ran for Lieutenant

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Governor and won.

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And so again, them's fighting words.

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That's a little bit not quite

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Midwest nice.

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So I think it tells us a couple of

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things. One, it says that Sarah

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Rodriguez is considered to be

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a serious contender, right?

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You don't need to take down somebody

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who has nowhere to come down from.

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Another thing is that Mandela Barnes

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is really trying to make utility

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rates a kind of central platform.

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And so using this particular thing,

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donations around utility rates is

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also a way to kind of draw attention

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to himself. And then I think the

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third thing is, you know,

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voters are pretty checked out, even

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though again, we are less than six

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weeks away from the primary absentee

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ballots have already started being

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sent out.

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But there's like a way

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that these candidates need to be

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drawing contrast between themselves

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in a crowded race where there's not

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super strong distinctions, right on

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the sort of major issues, they're

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relatively unified.

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And so this is also a way of

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distinguishing in terms of lanes.

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So he didn't go after, for example,

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Francesca Hong, who is a little bit

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more on his wing of the

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Democratic party.

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He went after somebody who's a

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little more moderate.

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And so it's a way, I think, again,

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trying to draw starker distinctions

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between lanes in this race, not just

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between individual candidates.

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Yeah, I'm still trying to make sense

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of the lanes in this race.

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I mean, I kind of have a sense of

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it, but I wonder if they are feeling

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it out, too.

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And that is kind of the way I read

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it, too, is that Mandela Barnes

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probably feels like I'm not

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going to win over the Francesca Hong

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supporters necessarily.

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But those Rodriguez supporters, they

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might be my people.

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Well, and in a crowded primary,

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you're fighting over the same

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voters. You're fighting over

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Democrats, right?

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And so you also it's

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the kind of thing where a few

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thousand votes can be the difference

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between winning and not.

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It's more competitive in certain

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ways than a general.

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And so like the contours of what

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competition looks like in the

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primary is also going to look

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different.

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Rich?

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And this kind of reminds me of

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something I heard from a campaign

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strategist back in 2022.

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This was the Senate race between

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Mandela Barnes and Ron Johnson.

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Ron Johnson's polling numbers, you

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know, approval ratings weren't super

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high. And this person who was

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a Republican campaign consultant

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said, Johnson

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doesn't need to improve his

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numbers, he just needs to hurt

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and bring down the numbers of

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Barnes. So in a primary like

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this, that might be part of the

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calculus, like.

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If someone seems to be,

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whether it be from internal polling

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or whatever,

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getting some ground and your

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campaign doesn't like that, try to

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knock them down a bit.

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So I guess wonder if this is

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kind of uncorking the bottle,

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so to speak, you know, like is

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this going to be the new norm now

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that a fight started?

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Is it okay for Democrats

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to say, well, you don't know,

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I didn't start it, but but I got

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to finish it now or they or they see

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sort of the urgency of the primary

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coming up and if they want to

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stand out, do they have to

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attack? Is there any signs that

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that's happening?

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Well, it's a little bit of a

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calculation because, you know,

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on the one hand, negative attacks

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can get you more attention if you're

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like kind of sassy on social media

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that tends to resonate a little bit

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more. But at the same time, you

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don't want to weaken fellow

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Democrats terribly because

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ultimately they're going to go up

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against presumably Tom Tiffany in

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November for what is

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going to be a close race like a

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general election in Wisconsin is

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always going to be close.

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And so you want to kind of weaken

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your opponents enough that you can

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get across the finish line.

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But not so much that you kind of

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leave your entire party susceptible

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to potentially Tom Tiffany picking

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up what you've already said

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and running with it.

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Rich, what do you think?

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I agree 100% and

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I mean no matter who the Democratic

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candidate is it would be

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surprising if the entirety of

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the party doesn't try to rally

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around them because this race is

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pretty critical for them as they're

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they're hoping you know the

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best-case scenario would be a

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trifecta where they win the State

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Assembly State Senate and keep

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the governorship so maybe

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that's also why The attacks have

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been kind of mild, but...

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Whoever it is that bad blood

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will likely magically disappear

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at least publicly after

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the August primary

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So Anya, there was

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a story that you covered this week

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involving Francesca Hong's

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fundraising strategy here.

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It was at the end of the fundraising

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period, by the way, where

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she wanted a couple of national

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live streams to raise money.

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Tell us about who she talked to and

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why is that significant?

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Yeah, so she went on two on Monday.

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One was Mike from PA, who's

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sort of a progressive streamer

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aligned with the Democratic

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Socialists of America.

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He has a pretty big following.

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And then she went on with Hassan

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Piker, who is arguably one

286
00:08:41,370 --> 00:08:43,709
of the biggest political streamers

287
00:08:43,710 --> 00:08:44,509
online.

288
00:08:44,510 --> 00:08:46,489
And he's become something of a

289
00:08:46,490 --> 00:08:48,029
kingmaker or perhaps attempted

290
00:08:48,030 --> 00:08:49,909
kingmaker on the left of

291
00:08:49,910 --> 00:08:51,509
American politics. And he's appeared

292
00:08:51,510 --> 00:08:53,409
with a number of DSA

293
00:08:53,410 --> 00:08:55,609
aligned or sort of leftist

294
00:08:55,610 --> 00:08:56,569
politicians.

295
00:08:56,570 --> 00:08:57,949
And so she went on with him.

296
00:08:57,950 --> 00:08:58,989
It was about an hour and a half

297
00:08:58,990 --> 00:09:00,029
appearance.

298
00:09:00,030 --> 00:09:02,089
It was sort of fun

299
00:09:02,090 --> 00:09:04,129
and chatty. They talked about.

300
00:09:04,130 --> 00:09:05,869
Politics but they also ate Korean

301
00:09:05,870 --> 00:09:06,829
food and they talked about

302
00:09:06,830 --> 00:09:08,389
merchandise and they talked about

303
00:09:08,390 --> 00:09:10,049
whether they should erect a statue

304
00:09:10,050 --> 00:09:11,669
of Scott Walker for people to walk

305
00:09:11,670 --> 00:09:13,789
around and slap when they have

306
00:09:13,790 --> 00:09:14,569
big feelings.

307
00:09:14,570 --> 00:09:15,849
So it was this really, you know,

308
00:09:15,850 --> 00:09:17,209
it's a very different kind of

309
00:09:17,210 --> 00:09:19,169
appearance than might occur sort

310
00:09:19,170 --> 00:09:21,429
of here on PBS Wisconsin or

311
00:09:21,430 --> 00:09:23,009
WPR.

312
00:09:23,010 --> 00:09:24,629
But that was this kind of approach

313
00:09:24,630 --> 00:09:26,969
to, according to Francesca Hong,

314
00:09:26,970 --> 00:09:28,229
meeting different types of voters,

315
00:09:28,230 --> 00:09:29,789
more disaffected voters, the type of

316
00:09:29,790 --> 00:09:31,409
people who keep these streams going.

317
00:09:31,410 --> 00:09:33,269
Again, perhaps very different

318
00:09:33,270 --> 00:09:35,249
voters than our

319
00:09:35,250 --> 00:09:37,269
audience. Um, but at the same

320
00:09:37,270 --> 00:09:39,149
time, Hassan Piker has said

321
00:09:39,150 --> 00:09:40,869
numerous very controversial things

322
00:09:40,870 --> 00:09:42,809
in the past, things about,

323
00:09:42,810 --> 00:09:44,909
uh, Israel in particular that has,

324
00:09:44,910 --> 00:09:46,689
uh offended some Jewish communities.

325
00:09:46,690 --> 00:09:48,749
And so there's also been a response.

326
00:09:48,750 --> 00:09:50,089
She ended the day having raised

327
00:09:50,090 --> 00:09:52,149
about $92,000 from those two

328
00:09:52,150 --> 00:09:52,929
different streams.

329
00:09:52,930 --> 00:09:54,569
Hassan piker has now he's going to

330
00:09:54,570 --> 00:09:55,969
come out to Wisconsin and campaign

331
00:09:55,970 --> 00:09:57,649
with her. But at the time, there's

332
00:09:57,650 --> 00:09:59,289
been this kind of pushback from

333
00:09:59,290 --> 00:10:01,369
fellow Democrats and others saying,

334
00:10:01,370 --> 00:10:02,549
why would you appear with somebody

335
00:10:02,550 --> 00:10:04,080
who has said XYZ in the rest.

336
00:10:05,530 --> 00:10:07,489
And so, like, you did see some

337
00:10:07,490 --> 00:10:09,329
attack there from David

338
00:10:09,330 --> 00:10:11,749
Crowley, kind of like saying,

339
00:10:11,750 --> 00:10:13,529
you just shouldn't go on here,

340
00:10:13,530 --> 00:10:14,369
right? I mean, essentially.

341
00:10:14,370 --> 00:10:16,369
Yeah, he said those comments are

342
00:10:16,370 --> 00:10:17,309
beyond the pale. And you know, I

343
00:10:17,310 --> 00:10:19,129
should perhaps specify what they

344
00:10:19,130 --> 00:10:20,809
were. So he has said, for example,

345
00:10:20,810 --> 00:10:22,509
9-11 was deserved.

346
00:10:22,510 --> 00:10:24,029
And he says that he was referring to

347
00:10:24,030 --> 00:10:25,569
this idea that America's foreign

348
00:10:25,570 --> 00:10:27,629
policy actions have consequences.

349
00:10:27,630 --> 00:10:28,809
And then again, a number of his

350
00:10:28,810 --> 00:10:31,529
comments about Israel and Zionism

351
00:10:31,530 --> 00:10:33,389
has sort of been seen

352
00:10:33,390 --> 00:10:35,629
as conflating Jewish Americans,

353
00:10:35,630 --> 00:10:36,889
Zionists, this kind of thing.

354
00:10:36,890 --> 00:10:38,769
And so I spoke with, for example,

355
00:10:38,770 --> 00:10:40,689
Anne Jacobs, who's the co-chair

356
00:10:40,690 --> 00:10:42,729
of the Jewish caucus of the

357
00:10:42,730 --> 00:10:44,339
Wisconsin Democratic party.

358
00:10:44,340 --> 00:10:46,139
Who was really kind of appalled by

359
00:10:46,140 --> 00:10:47,759
the fact that Francesca Hong would

360
00:10:47,760 --> 00:10:50,019
go alongside this person

361
00:10:50,020 --> 00:10:51,859
and said that, you know, should Hong

362
00:10:51,860 --> 00:10:53,979
receive the nomination in November,

363
00:10:53,980 --> 00:10:55,199
she feels like she's going to have a

364
00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:57,299
lot of work to do to bring Jewish

365
00:10:57,300 --> 00:10:59,119
Democrats kind of into

366
00:10:59,120 --> 00:11:00,939
the ballot box to make sure that

367
00:11:00,940 --> 00:11:03,119
a Democrat can still win.

368
00:11:03,120 --> 00:11:04,519
And again, you now, I reached out to

369
00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:05,759
the Hong campaign for comment and

370
00:11:05,760 --> 00:11:06,979
they said, essentially, we are

371
00:11:06,980 --> 00:11:08,079
willing to meet with just about

372
00:11:08,080 --> 00:11:09,599
anyone to share our vision.

373
00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:11,039
If we don't go on these types of

374
00:11:11,040 --> 00:11:12,319
platforms, that creates a vacuum

375
00:11:12,320 --> 00:11:13,979
that conservative messaging can

376
00:11:13,980 --> 00:11:15,219
instead go to.

377
00:11:15,220 --> 00:11:16,619
So they are trying to create this

378
00:11:16,620 --> 00:11:17,979
sort of big tent.

379
00:11:17,980 --> 00:11:18,979
Some of the concern from other

380
00:11:18,980 --> 00:11:20,799
Democrats is who all should be

381
00:11:20,800 --> 00:11:21,929
in the big tent?

382
00:11:21,930 --> 00:11:23,549
And how much did she raise in a day?

383
00:11:23,550 --> 00:11:25,629
$92,000, $57,000

384
00:11:25,630 --> 00:11:27,409
from Hassan Baker or from that

385
00:11:27,410 --> 00:11:28,410
stream.

386
00:11:28,740 --> 00:11:30,799
And for somebody who's watched those

387
00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:32,459
streams, they kind of know what to

388
00:11:32,460 --> 00:11:34,679
expect. For somebody who doesn't,

389
00:11:34,680 --> 00:11:36,579
it's a little busy on those streams.

390
00:11:36,580 --> 00:11:37,319
Is it not?

391
00:11:37,320 --> 00:11:38,979
Yeah, as a, you know, a public radio

392
00:11:38,980 --> 00:11:40,839
girlie, I will say it was a little

393
00:11:40,840 --> 00:11:42,379
bit stimulating to have that kind of

394
00:11:42,380 --> 00:11:44,139
thing going, but I think people who

395
00:11:44,140 --> 00:11:45,419
are younger than me, like this is

396
00:11:45,420 --> 00:11:47,139
how they are getting a lot of their

397
00:11:47,140 --> 00:11:48,899
news and information and again in

398
00:11:48,900 --> 00:11:50,939
this kind of funny, cheeky

399
00:11:50,940 --> 00:11:51,449
way.

400
00:11:51,450 --> 00:11:52,829
All right, what do you think, Chad?

401
00:11:52,830 --> 00:11:53,729
I don't know.

402
00:11:53,730 --> 00:11:55,629
Is that how it's done? All right fam.

403
00:11:55,630 --> 00:11:57,489
Rich Kramer, what are Republicans

404
00:11:57,490 --> 00:11:59,449
saying about this appearance there

405
00:11:59,450 --> 00:12:00,450
by Francesca Hong?

406
00:12:02,230 --> 00:12:04,209
They're saying a lot.

407
00:12:04,210 --> 00:12:06,229
They're framing it as,

408
00:12:06,230 --> 00:12:07,969
you know, this is the entire

409
00:12:07,970 --> 00:12:09,829
Democratic Party lurching to the

410
00:12:09,830 --> 00:12:11,649
left towards these, what they call

411
00:12:11,650 --> 00:12:14,469
dangerous ideas and comments.

412
00:12:14,470 --> 00:12:16,749
So they've been very

413
00:12:16,750 --> 00:12:18,049
critical of Han.

414
00:12:18,050 --> 00:12:20,449
But again, they're conflating this

415
00:12:20,450 --> 00:12:22,569
to try

416
00:12:22,570 --> 00:12:24,209
to say that all Democrats are

417
00:12:24,210 --> 00:12:26,189
essentially Hassan Piker

418
00:12:26,190 --> 00:12:28,109
fans and they support everything

419
00:12:28,110 --> 00:12:30,259
that he's ever said, which

420
00:12:30,260 --> 00:12:31,899
is obviously an exaggeration but

421
00:12:31,900 --> 00:12:33,719
that seems to be the way you do it

422
00:12:33,720 --> 00:12:35,279
in politics when you're trying to

423
00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:37,089
bring down the other side

424
00:12:37,090 --> 00:12:39,369
and we'll get a sense in

425
00:12:39,370 --> 00:12:40,849
the middle of July, July 15th or

426
00:12:40,850 --> 00:12:42,889
when fundraising reports are due for

427
00:12:42,890 --> 00:12:43,889
the first half of this year.

428
00:12:43,890 --> 00:12:45,729
So you'll see not only that

429
00:12:45,730 --> 00:12:46,909
fundraising, but everybody else's

430
00:12:46,910 --> 00:12:49,729
fundraising up through that point.

431
00:12:49,730 --> 00:12:51,549
And you'll get real sense of who's

432
00:12:51,550 --> 00:12:53,369
got a formidable campaign

433
00:12:53,370 --> 00:12:54,969
right before the campaign wraps up,

434
00:12:54,970 --> 00:12:56,729
essentially. We're gonna be in a

435
00:12:56,730 --> 00:12:58,589
very compressed primary

436
00:12:58,590 --> 00:13:00,109
campaign here.

437
00:13:00,110 --> 00:13:01,609
Rich, Tom Tiffany, the Republican

438
00:13:01,610 --> 00:13:03,229
candidate for governor is.

439
00:13:03,230 --> 00:13:05,089
Had the benefit of not having

440
00:13:05,090 --> 00:13:07,109
a real contested primary on

441
00:13:07,110 --> 00:13:09,209
his side, and

442
00:13:09,210 --> 00:13:11,109
he's getting correspondence

443
00:13:11,110 --> 00:13:12,529
now from the President of the United

444
00:13:12,530 --> 00:13:14,929
States about disaster declaration.

445
00:13:14,930 --> 00:13:15,930
What happened there?

446
00:13:17,680 --> 00:13:19,779
It was really interesting.

447
00:13:19,780 --> 00:13:21,659
So President Donald Trump used

448
00:13:21,660 --> 00:13:23,539
his personal social

449
00:13:23,540 --> 00:13:26,099
media site, Truth Social,

450
00:13:26,100 --> 00:13:28,259
to announce that Wisconsin has

451
00:13:28,260 --> 00:13:31,119
been approved for around $22.5

452
00:13:31,120 --> 00:13:33,059
million in disaster

453
00:13:33,060 --> 00:13:34,499
relief aid.

454
00:13:34,500 --> 00:13:36,399
This is tied to

455
00:13:36,400 --> 00:13:37,899
the storms that we saw earlier this

456
00:13:37,900 --> 00:13:40,099
year, the big time flooding,

457
00:13:40,100 --> 00:13:41,659
other kinds of damage that really

458
00:13:41,660 --> 00:13:43,779
hit local governments pretty hard.

459
00:13:43,780 --> 00:13:45,479
So he made this announcement, which

460
00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:48,049
is not unusual, but...

461
00:13:48,050 --> 00:13:49,529
He didn't mention Governor Evers

462
00:13:49,530 --> 00:13:51,149
once. In fact, he said that the

463
00:13:51,150 --> 00:13:53,289
first call that he made was to

464
00:13:53,290 --> 00:13:55,209
Tom Tiffany, who he also

465
00:13:55,210 --> 00:13:57,229
mentioned I endorsed, and

466
00:13:57,230 --> 00:13:59,349
he kind of re-upped that.

467
00:13:59,350 --> 00:14:01,409
Trump also essentially

468
00:14:01,410 --> 00:14:03,109
applauded every Republican in the

469
00:14:03,110 --> 00:14:05,329
congressional delegation and

470
00:14:05,330 --> 00:14:07,129
didn't mentioned a single Democrat

471
00:14:07,130 --> 00:14:09,049
from Wisconsin, even though

472
00:14:09,050 --> 00:14:11,068
Governor Tony Evers

473
00:14:11,069 --> 00:14:12,949
and people like Tammy Baldwin

474
00:14:12,950 --> 00:14:14,789
and the rest of the delegation sent

475
00:14:14,790 --> 00:14:16,539
letters in May asking...

476
00:14:16,540 --> 00:14:17,779
For this assistance.

477
00:14:17,780 --> 00:14:19,379
They were asking for $27 million.

478
00:14:20,580 --> 00:14:22,719
So it almost seemed like

479
00:14:22,720 --> 00:14:24,579
the president was treating Tiffany

480
00:14:24,580 --> 00:14:26,579
like he's already the governor and

481
00:14:26,580 --> 00:14:28,459
that Evers is already

482
00:14:28,460 --> 00:14:29,919
kind of an afterthought.

483
00:14:29,920 --> 00:14:31,959
So that was pretty interesting to

484
00:14:31,960 --> 00:14:32,349
see.

485
00:14:32,350 --> 00:14:33,769
And the Evers administration

486
00:14:33,770 --> 00:14:35,109
essentially doesn't know the detail,

487
00:14:35,110 --> 00:14:36,190
at least when you talk to them, they

488
00:14:36,191 --> 00:14:37,629
didn't know the details of the

489
00:14:37,630 --> 00:14:38,909
funding. You reached out to the

490
00:14:38,910 --> 00:14:41,149
White House press office and

491
00:14:41,150 --> 00:14:43,029
had a series of

492
00:14:43,030 --> 00:14:44,529
questions for them about the details

493
00:14:44,530 --> 00:14:46,129
and they had a very brief response

494
00:14:46,130 --> 00:14:47,130
to you.

495
00:14:48,040 --> 00:14:48,839
That's right.

496
00:14:48,840 --> 00:14:50,699
I wanted to ask, you know, when

497
00:14:50,700 --> 00:14:52,059
might this money be coming?

498
00:14:52,060 --> 00:14:52,859
What type of aid?

499
00:14:52,860 --> 00:14:54,919
Because there's aid from FEMA

500
00:14:54,920 --> 00:14:56,679
that goes to businesses or

501
00:14:56,680 --> 00:14:58,839
governments or individuals.

502
00:14:58,840 --> 00:15:00,419
So those were the questions I asked.

503
00:15:00,420 --> 00:15:02,479
And they just said, we refer

504
00:15:02,480 --> 00:15:04,459
you to the truth, which means

505
00:15:04,460 --> 00:15:06,659
to the president's post.

506
00:15:06,660 --> 00:15:08,399
So they didn't have any additional

507
00:15:08,400 --> 00:15:09,979
information. All right.

508
00:15:09,980 --> 00:15:11,959
So we had two very big Supreme

509
00:15:11,960 --> 00:15:13,159
Court decisions, U.S.

510
00:15:13,160 --> 00:15:14,859
Supreme Court's decisions this week,

511
00:15:14,860 --> 00:15:16,779
which were national news, but

512
00:15:16,780 --> 00:15:17,959
I think it's fair to say there are

513
00:15:17,960 --> 00:15:19,839
some Wisconsin angles in

514
00:15:19,840 --> 00:15:20,659
there.

515
00:15:20,660 --> 00:15:22,679
First, this birthright citizenship

516
00:15:22,680 --> 00:15:24,559
decision, Rich, I think

517
00:15:24,560 --> 00:15:26,659
this was widely expected that

518
00:15:26,660 --> 00:15:28,359
the court would rule against

519
00:15:28,360 --> 00:15:29,999
President Trump's executive order

520
00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:31,959
and say that birthrights citizenship

521
00:15:31,960 --> 00:15:33,479
is protected by the U.

522
00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:35,059
S. Constitution.

523
00:15:35,060 --> 00:15:36,579
But there are Republicans, and I

524
00:15:36,580 --> 00:15:38,289
mean, Noteworthy Republicans in

525
00:15:38,290 --> 00:15:39,709
Wisconsin who are saying we got to

526
00:15:39,710 --> 00:15:40,710
do something about this.

527
00:15:42,160 --> 00:15:44,279
Yeah, to borrow

528
00:15:44,280 --> 00:15:46,499
Anya's term big feelings.

529
00:15:46,500 --> 00:15:47,839
There were big feelings from some

530
00:15:47,840 --> 00:15:49,419
Republicans in Wisconsin.

531
00:15:49,420 --> 00:15:50,839
Congressman Derek Van Orden

532
00:15:50,840 --> 00:15:52,239
basically said that the

533
00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:54,739
Constitution's 14th Amendment was

534
00:15:54,740 --> 00:15:56,679
aimed at guaranteeing citizenship to

535
00:15:56,680 --> 00:15:58,979
freed slaves and not for

536
00:15:58,980 --> 00:16:00,319
children of illegal immigrants.

537
00:16:00,320 --> 00:16:02,299
He said the ruling undermines

538
00:16:02,300 --> 00:16:03,779
the integrity of American

539
00:16:03,780 --> 00:16:05,979
citizenship and that Congress has to

540
00:16:05,980 --> 00:16:07,659
do something about it.

541
00:16:07,660 --> 00:16:08,759
With it being declared

542
00:16:08,760 --> 00:16:10,419
unconstitutional, at least the

543
00:16:10,420 --> 00:16:11,859
executive order, It's kind of.

544
00:16:11,860 --> 00:16:14,579
Unclear what that would look like.

545
00:16:14,580 --> 00:16:16,279
Congressman Tony Weed, another

546
00:16:16,280 --> 00:16:18,159
Republican, said that

547
00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:20,199
this amendment wasn't intended

548
00:16:20,200 --> 00:16:22,219
for what it's being used for today.

549
00:16:22,220 --> 00:16:24,119
There's all this talk of birth

550
00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:25,999
tourism, where the

551
00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:27,599
idea is that people that are

552
00:16:27,600 --> 00:16:29,019
pregnant, women that are pregnant

553
00:16:29,020 --> 00:16:30,499
from other countries come here, have

554
00:16:30,500 --> 00:16:32,759
a baby, strictly so that they can

555
00:16:32,760 --> 00:16:34,519
get that child citizenship

556
00:16:34,520 --> 00:16:35,520
automatically.

557
00:16:36,660 --> 00:16:38,739
One of the more, I guess,

558
00:16:38,740 --> 00:16:40,619
aggressive comments came from 7th

559
00:16:40,620 --> 00:16:41,709
Congressional.

560
00:16:41,710 --> 00:16:43,589
District Republican candidate

561
00:16:43,590 --> 00:16:44,489
Michael Alfonso.

562
00:16:44,490 --> 00:16:46,249
He's the son-in-law of Sean Duffy

563
00:16:46,250 --> 00:16:48,109
the US transportation secretary

564
00:16:48,110 --> 00:16:50,149
He talked about how his

565
00:16:50,150 --> 00:16:52,229
newborn baby had can trace her

566
00:16:52,230 --> 00:16:54,069
ancestry quote back to before

567
00:16:54,070 --> 00:16:56,329
the Revolutionary War and

568
00:16:56,330 --> 00:16:58,909
that the ruling essentially is

569
00:16:58,910 --> 00:17:00,989
telling people that Children

570
00:17:00,990 --> 00:17:02,989
like his are not

571
00:17:02,990 --> 00:17:05,289
equally as American to quote Chinese

572
00:17:05,290 --> 00:17:07,568
spies anchor babies,

573
00:17:07,569 --> 00:17:09,469
so a lot of a lot

574
00:17:10,589 --> 00:17:12,049
thoughts coming from someone on the

575
00:17:12,050 --> 00:17:13,118
right.

576
00:17:13,119 --> 00:17:14,499
And Anya, there was this other

577
00:17:14,500 --> 00:17:16,078
Supreme Court decision involving

578
00:17:16,079 --> 00:17:18,039
national parties and how much

579
00:17:18,040 --> 00:17:20,358
they can raise and spend.

580
00:17:20,359 --> 00:17:21,659
You said it would export the

581
00:17:21,660 --> 00:17:22,439
Wisconsin model.

582
00:17:22,440 --> 00:17:23,259
What do you mean?

583
00:17:23,260 --> 00:17:25,118
Well, so here in Wisconsin, since

584
00:17:25,119 --> 00:17:26,979
about 2015, we have had a rule

585
00:17:26,980 --> 00:17:28,759
on the book that says that our state

586
00:17:28,760 --> 00:17:30,639
political parties can raise and

587
00:17:30,640 --> 00:17:32,539
spend as much money as they want in

588
00:17:32,540 --> 00:17:33,579
political races.

589
00:17:33,580 --> 00:17:34,819
You've actually reported on the fact

590
00:17:34,820 --> 00:17:36,699
that this was a Republican law that

591
00:17:36,700 --> 00:17:38,419
in recent years Democrats have made

592
00:17:38,420 --> 00:17:40,399
very good use of, in particular in

593
00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:42,319
our enormous Supreme

594
00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:44,299
Court races, right, Democrats,

595
00:17:44,300 --> 00:17:46,139
for example, for the election of

596
00:17:46,140 --> 00:17:47,919
Janet Protaseo, it spent $10 million

597
00:17:47,920 --> 00:17:50,039
on that campaign and that sort of

598
00:17:50,040 --> 00:17:51,139
unleashed these floodgates.

599
00:17:51,140 --> 00:17:52,959
Well, now, as of this

600
00:17:52,960 --> 00:17:54,779
Supreme Court decision, this will be

601
00:17:54,780 --> 00:17:56,499
the case at the national level, at

602
00:17:56,500 --> 00:17:57,799
the federal level. So the national

603
00:17:57,800 --> 00:17:59,679
political parties, RNCC,

604
00:17:59,680 --> 00:18:01,639
DLCC, these kinds of organizations,

605
00:18:01,640 --> 00:18:03,419
they can spend as much as they want

606
00:18:03,420 --> 00:18:05,739
on these races in coordination

607
00:18:05,740 --> 00:18:07,599
with campaigns.

608
00:18:07,600 --> 00:18:09,139
And so essentially, it's doing away

609
00:18:09,140 --> 00:18:11,159
with a major cap on

610
00:18:11,160 --> 00:18:13,559
campaign finance regulations

611
00:18:13,560 --> 00:18:15,339
that people I've spoken to have

612
00:18:15,340 --> 00:18:17,239
said, as in Wisconsin,

613
00:18:17,240 --> 00:18:18,949
so now we'll go the nation.

614
00:18:18,950 --> 00:18:20,389
Yeah, and I know the Wisconsin law

615
00:18:20,390 --> 00:18:21,729
everybody thought for sure this is

616
00:18:21,730 --> 00:18:23,029
going to help Republicans that ended

617
00:18:23,030 --> 00:18:25,209
up being helpful to Democrats here.

618
00:18:25,210 --> 00:18:26,969
We'll see what happens with this

619
00:18:26,970 --> 00:18:28,059
change at the national level.

620
00:18:28,060 --> 00:18:29,679
And opened the floodgates for us to

621
00:18:29,680 --> 00:18:31,459
have record-breaking, expensive

622
00:18:31,460 --> 00:18:32,999
elections, it seems like every year.

623
00:18:33,000 --> 00:18:34,599
It certainly did.

624
00:18:34,600 --> 00:18:35,599
That's all the time we have for

625
00:18:35,600 --> 00:18:37,019
today. Thanks for joining us.

626
00:18:37,020 --> 00:18:38,319
Our colleague Zach Schultz will be

627
00:18:38,320 --> 00:18:39,659
back next week.

628
00:18:39,660 --> 00:18:41,059
This has been Inside Wisconsin

629
00:18:41,060 --> 00:18:41,859
Politics.

630
00:18:41,860 --> 00:18:42,939
Be sure to follow us on

631
00:18:42,940 --> 00:18:45,379
PBSWisconsin.org, WPR.org

632
00:18:45,380 --> 00:18:47,219
YouTube or wherever you get your

633
00:18:47,220 --> 00:18:48,220
podcasts.