STRENGTHENED REPUBLICAN MAJORITIES AT THE STATE HOUSE
IN WISCONSIN LEAVE MINORITY DEMOCRATS EVERMORE DIMINISHED.
THE DEMOCRAT PARTY OF WISCONSIN TOOK A LASHING IN TUESDAY'S
ELECTION, FROM THE TOP OF THE TICKET ON DOWN.
BUT WHY?
FOR PERSPECTIVE ON THAT, WE TURN TO VICE-CHAIR OF THE PARTY AND
STATE DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVE FROM MILWAUKEE, DAVID BOWEN.
REPRESENTATIVE, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
- THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME.
I'M HONORED TO BE HERE.
- WELL, I DON'T HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT HILLARY CLINTON
SUPPORTERS COUNTED ON MILWAUKEE, AND IN MILWAUKEE TURNOUT WAS
60,000 FEWER VOTES THAN IN 2012.
WHAT HAPPENED?
- WELL, I THINK YOU SAW A NUMBER OF FACTORS.
YOU SAW SO MUCH SUPPORT FOR THE TOP OF THE TICKET ON THE
REPUBLICAN SIDE OF FOLKS THAT WERE COMING OUT TO VOTE,
SOME WHO HAVEN'T VOTED IN A WHILE.
BUT YOU ALSO SAW, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO,
EVEN IF THEY WERE ENGAGED TO VOTE IN THE ELECTION,
THEY WERE UP AGAINST
FACTORS LIKE VOTER I.D.
THEY WERE UP AGAINST A LOT OF FACTORS IN,
YOU KNOW, SEEING THIS--
THE ABILITY TO PAINT OUR CANDIDATE AS AN
ESTABLISHMENT-LIKE CANDIDATE, AS A CANDIDATE OF THE STATUS QUO
THAT WE COULD NOT GET OUT OF.
AND IT IS A YEAR THAT PEOPLE WERE FOCUSED ON TRYING TO HAVE
CHANGE.
IT WAS REALLY TOUGH FOR US TO GET OUT OF THAT
WITH OUR CANDIDATE.
- WHAT EFFECT DO YOU THINK THE FACT THAT HILLARY CLINTON DID
NOT VISIT HERE DURING THE GENERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN HAD ON
THAT TURNOUT IN MILWAUKEE?
- WELL, I THINK, YOU KNOW, IT'S POSSIBLE THAT DEFINITELY COULD
HAVE HAD SOME EFFECT.
WE SAW OUR REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUES ACROSS THE AISLE FOCUS HEAVILY
ON WISCONSIN, FOCUS HEAVILY ON RUST BELT CITIES, RUST BELT
LOCATIONS.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE MADE DECISIONS ON OUR SIDE WITH OUR--
THOSE THAT WERE LEADING THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS
OF A DIFFERENT STRATEGY.
AND WE CAN CLEARLY SEE THAT THEIR STRATEGY WAS TO FOCUS
ELSEWHERE.
- NOW, GOING INTO THIS, A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE TALKED
ABOUT POLLING IN THIS ELECTION.
GOING INTO THIS IN WISCONSIN, HILLARY CLINTON HAD A SIX-POINT LEAD.
DO YOU THINK THAT LED TO COMPLACENCY
ON THE PART OF VOTERS?
- IT'S DEFINITELY POSSIBLE THAT IT CREATED COMPLACENCY EVEN
AMONG THE CAMPAIGN TO THINK THAT WE JUST HAD IT IN THE BAG.
BUT I KNOW A NUMBER OF FOLKS THAT HAD IT IN THEIR MIND.
IT WAS HARD FOR THEM TO REALLY UNDERSTAND OR BELIEVE THAT
DONALD TRUMP COULD EARN THE VOTES OF THE MAJORITY OF THIS
COUNTRY, THAT HE HAD A REAL SHOT AT WINNING.
AND I DON'T THINK IT'S SOMETHING TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY.
I FOR ONE, I BELIEVED THAT HE HAD A CHANCE.
BUT THERE WERE A LOT OF FOLKS THAT THOUGHT THAT THERE WAS JUST
NO WAY, AND I THINK IT AFFECTED THEIR DECISION-MAKING.
- ARE DEMOCRATS NOT SPEAKING THE LANGUAGE OF THE CURRENT DAY
VOTERS IN WISCONSIN, GIVEN THE ROUTE FROM TOP TO BOTTOM?
- WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT?
I THINK THERE ARE SOME CHALLENGES.
AND I THINK THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, PEOPLE OF WISCONSIN, THEY ARE
TIRED OF BEING SCREWED OVER BY SOME FORCES THAT HAVE AFFECTED
THEIR LIVELIHOODS AND THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS AND THEIR
COMMUNITIES AND THEIR ECONOMIES.
I THINK ALSO AS DEMOCRATS WE KNOW THAT WE ARE CHAMPIONING THE
ISSUES THAT MATTER TO THEM, BUT THERE HAS TO BE A CONNECTION,
RIGHT, TO GET THE VOTERS TO UNDERSTAND THAT THOSE SAME
ISSUES THAT WE'RE CHAMPIONING MEANS THAT WE DESERVE THEIR
SUPPORT, THAT WE NEED TO RUN ON PROGRESSIVE AGENDAS OF CHANGE.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WAS REFLECTED
IN THIS ELECTION CYCLE.
- IN FACT, YOU WERE A BERNIE SANDERS SUPPORTER. - I WAS.
- DO YOU FEEL AS THOUGH HE COULD HAVE WON THE PRESIDENCY?
- WELL, I THINK BERNIE SANDERS, HE HIGHLIGHTED A PROGRESSIVE
AGENDA AND MESSAGE THAT REALLY RESONATED WITH FOLKS, ESPECIALLY
OF WORKING CLASS, WHO ARE REALLY SUFFERING UNDER THE
OBSTRUCTIONISM.
I THINK THAT ACTUALLY WENT UNDER THE RADAR.
WE DID NOT REALLY FOCUS ON THE FACT THAT IT IS THE SAME FOLKS
ON THE OTHER SIDE, THOSE SAME REPUBLICANS, THAT CONTINUE TO
OBSTRUCT AND CREATE A PROCESS WHERE WE AREN'T GETTING THINGS
DONE.
AND WE JUST HAD AN ELECTION WHERE THEY PAINTED US AS STATUS QUO.
AND THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN NO WAY
THAT WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN THAT CORNER.
WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN FIGHTING TO MAKE SURE THAT VOTERS UNDERSTOOD
THAT WHEN IT CAME TO BIG MONEY IN POLITICS, THAT'S SCREWING UP,
RIGHT, THE WHOLE PROCESS OF HAVING REPRESENTATIVES AND
ELECTEDS THAT ACTUALLY WORK FOR THE INTERESTS OF THEIR
CONSTITUENTS AND NOT BIG MONEY INTERESTS.
WHEN IT COMES TO ACTUALLY RECOGNIZING THE FACT THAT, YOU
KNOW, IF YOU DON'T RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE, IF YOU DON'T ADD
IN PAID SICK LEAVE, THAT PEOPLE WILL CONTINUE NOT TO HAVE THE
CHANCE TO REACH THE ECONOMIC LADDER FURTHER.
IT'S BEEN OUT OF REACH.
AND PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THEY'RE BEING SCREWED OVER.
AND I THINK WE REALLY SHOULD HAVE HONED IN, LIKE BERNIE
SANDERS DID, ON THE FACT THAT PEOPLE WERE BEING SCREWED OVER.
- WE NEED TO LEAVE IT THERE, REPRESENTATIVE DAVID BOWEN.
- THANK YOU SO MUCH.