>> From Washington politics to
Wisconsin politics and some
"Capitol Insight,
" as the partisan firestorm
rages in Washington,
party politics in Wisconsin gets
down to business with the annual
state party conventions.
Last weekend Republicans
gathered in Wisconsin Dells.
Early next month state Dems
convene in theirs in Madison.
Between the conventions we
thought it was a good time to
take stock of the parties'
strengths and weaknesses as a
midterm election year
approaches.
Here to help with that,
Capitol Consultant's managing
partner and Republican Bill
McCoshen.
Democrat Scot Ross is the
executive director of One
Wisconsin Now.
Thanks to both of you for being
here.
>> Thanks for having us.
>> Our lead describes what's
going on in Washington right now
as a firestorm.
What do you guys make of
everything that's going on?
First to you.
>> I don't think we've ever seen
-- I mean as bad as we thought
things would be,
I think that they're
exponentially worse.
Every single day we--
you ask yourself this has gone
on, this has gone on,
this has gone on. Oh wait.
It's only Tuesday afternoon.
It's been a disaster.
Most importantly for I think the
Republicans,
they're not able to get their
agenda going.
That's the trouble with what's
going on with Trump is that they
can't get and execute the agenda
they promised both their base
and independents that they'd be
able to deliver.
>> I would agree with Scot on
that.
I wouldn't call it a disaster.
I'd call it a distraction and a
significant distraction.
The one thing we learned about
Donald Trump during the election
last year was he's unorthodox
and unpredictable.
There were times where guys even
like me predicted he was done in
the primary process and proved
to be wrong time and time and
time again.
So that strategy or model worked
for him as a candidate.
I'm not so sure it's going to
work governing.
And so far it's been a fairly
significant distraction.
>> But is this as bad as all of
that or is this as much about
the 24-hour news cycle flogging
this every minute?
>> I'd say this, I mean,
if you look at the S.S. Trump,
which, really,
the only difference between it
and the Titanic is there were
life boats on the Titanic.
Look at what's happened to the
golden god of Wisconsin
politics, Paul Ryan.
This was a guy who was not only
unchallenged by opponents for
the most part or Democrats in
his own district,
but this is a guy who was
considered the intellectual
firestorm,
the intellectual giant of the
Republican Party.
He's now considered--
>> The mistakes Democrats have
made in the first 120 days of
the Trump administration is
everything is a 12,
a fever pitch against him and it
just rallies Trump supporters.
They got to choose their battles
a little more carefully then
they may have an opportunity to
make some inroads.
>> What about the way, though,
that Wisconsin Congressional
people are having to respond to
this?
Like Paul Ryan.
I mean this puts people in a
really difficult spot.
>> I think they've learned not
to respond.
They've basically said I'm going
to wait and see what the facts
are.
That's the better model.
Back in the campaign cycle,
Congressman Ryan,
Congressman Grothman,
others did have comments on
every issue of the day.
It's just not a good strategy.
You might as well wait for all
the facts to come out and be
sure before you make a
statement.
>> I think that -- again,
I think you say some salient
things,
but I think there are three
politicians in Wisconsin tied to
Donald Trump.
Paul Ryan,
Reince Priebus and Scott Walker.
And Scott Walker's on the ballot
in 2018, as is Paul Ryan.
I think that's where the real
challenge is.
How do they distance themselves
in a way that doesn't alienate
the base,
but recognizes that there are a
lot of people out there who have
real concerns about what's going
on every single day in
Washington D.C.?
>> We know this.
Typically the party in power
loses seats during the midterms.
That's been the historic
precedent.
Whether that happens in 2018
remains to be seen.
If they get health care done and
they get a major tax package
done,
I'm not so sure they couldn't
actually add seats on the
Republican side.
>> You think this kind of
controversy in Washington would
be in the rear view if that were
to happen for the 2018 election?
>> He's got to get his agenda
done.
And that's why these other
things are such a distraction.
If they can get health care done
this fall.
If they can get tax reform done
this fall,
I think 2018 could actually be a
very good year for Republicans.
>> And yet those investigations
will keep on going, right?
>> Hopefully, you know,
I wasn't a Jim Comey fan.
Truthfully Democrats weren't
fans of Jim Comey last October
when he came out against Clinton
with eight days,
ten days to go in the election,
right?
So I think it's probably good
that he's gone.
Robert Mueller is above
reproach.
High integrity guy.
Hopefully these things will
happen expeditiously and get
them behind us.
Whatever the facts are,
they are.
>> So what about that,
about Comey?
As a Democrat you didn't like
him and you still don't like
him?
>> I mean I thought it was
outrageous.
But what Donald Trump did is
unprecedented.
That's the thing.
The Democrats can do a level
four and Donald Trump comes and
does a level 13.
And that's where I think that's
where-- you know,
the comparison level for
alternatives do not exist at
this point,
120 days into an administration
in American history.
>> We've never had a president
that's this accessible to the
press either.
He's had how many press
conferences in the first 120
days?
At least one a week.
It's stunning how open and
accessible he is to the press.
And it creates problems for his
staff, frankly.
They're out there saying one
thing and then he oftentimes
contradicts them.
>> As for state party politics,
I'm going to ask you each to
describe the other party.
So Bill McCoshen,
how would you describe the state
of the Democratic Party?
>> I'd say it's in disarray.
They lack leadership.
They clearly lack an agenda,
and they're losing working
people.
This is a party that my mom and
dad grew up in.
They couldn't identify with it
today.
The Democratic Party of today is
all about identity politics and
that's not a winning strategy.
They need a different formula if
they're going to be successful
moving forward.
>> Let me have you respond to
that, your own party.
>> To my own party?
>> Yes.
>> Well,
as a Democrat I have concerns
about what's been the Democratic
economic message over say the
last 25 years.
Somebody who's a member of
Generation X.
It's been Social Security,
Medicare,
and is my employer-provided
pension under threat.
Those don't exist for post-Baby
Boomers.
What does exist for post-Baby
Boomers is student loan debt.
And I think that's where the
Democrats can make their
inroads.
43 million people have student
loan debt in the United States.
One million in Wisconsin.
They're regular voters.
So if the Democrats who have
embraced student loan reforms
can get that into the campaign
debate,
I think they're going to have a
good time on 2018.
>> How would you describe the
state of the Republican Party in
Wisconsin?
>> Well, I mean, again,
they're tied to that Trump
thing, which is a real problem.
And I just look at where Scott
Walker is now compared to where
he was at this time in the 2014
cycle.
He's nine points down in terms
of popularity from the Franklin
polls at the same time.
And he's got a heck of a lot
less money than he had then.
And he has to make the case to
be -- I think -- maybe I'm wrong
on this -- would be the only
governor to ever serve more than
two terms.
How does he make that case?
Wisconsin deserves the best.
If you don't feel you're getting
the best,
Scott Walker is to blame.
>> Your response.
>> My former boss,
Tommy Thompson was elected
governor four times so there is
another one.
I'd say this,
Scott Walker has built probably
the strongest grassroots GOP
organization in the state's
history.
And that includes the campaign I
ran for Governor Thompson in
1994.
Even though his poll numbers are
not great today.
He's got a lot of time to
improve those and I'd say he's
the heavy favorite in 2018.
>> All right.
Bill McCoshen, Scot Ross.
Thanks.