THANK YOU.
>> OUT WITH THE OLD AND IN WITH
THE NEW.
BUT THE YEAR NOW IN THE REAR
VIEW CAN NEVER BE FORGOTTEN AND
WILL BE FELT TO 2021 AND BEYOND.
FOR PREDICTIONS OF WHAT'S AHEAD
WE TURN TO OUR POLITICAL
PONLISTS TO REVISIT WHAT THEY
SAID LAST YEAR AT THIS TIME AND
WHAT THEY SAY IN THIS YEAR'S
CRYSTAL BALL.
REPUBLICAN BILL MCCOSHEN AND
DEMOCRAT SCOT ROSS.
SO THIS TIME LAST YEAR YOU BOTH
MADE PREDICTIONS BEFORE THE
WHOLE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN
BECAUSE OF COVID.
YOU PREDICTED, BILL, AT ODDS
WITH WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
LET'S LISTEN.
>> TRUMP WINS WISCONSIN.
HE TAKES THE TEN ELECTORAL
VOTES.
DEMOCRATS ARE ON THEIR WAY TO
NOMINATING WHO WILL KEEP A
PORTION OF THEIR PARTY HOME JUST
LIKE HILLARY CLINTON DID.
>> SO WHOOPS.
BILL, WHY IN THE END DO YOU
THINK BIDEN DID BECOME
PRESIDENT-ELECT?
>> WELL, HE'S MORE CENTRIST AND
HE HAD APPEAL TO WISCONSINITES.
UNION FOLKS LIKED HIM HERE AND
HE WAS ABLE TO TURN OUT THE
SECOND HIGHEST VOTE TURNOUT FOR
A DEMOCRAT IN WISCONSIN
ELECTORAL HISTORY.
NOW, IN FAIRNESS TO ME,
PRESIDENT TRUMP TURNED OUT THE
HIGHEST FOR A REPUBLICAN
CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT IN
WISCONSIN HISTORY.
HE HADED 205,000 VOTES TO HIS
LAST TOTAL.
HE CAME OUT 20,600 VOTES SHORT.
>> SCOT, I'M GOING TO GO TO YOUR
LAST YEAR'S PREDICTION NOW.
YOU SAID WISCONSIN WOULD ELECT
THE DEMOCRAT.
>> DEMOCRATS ARE NOT GOING TO
TAKE WISCONSIN FOR GRANTED THIS
TIME.
THEY'RE ALREADY DOING
COMMUNICATIONS, ATTACKING TRUMP
ON A DAILY BASIS IN THE LOCAL
AND STAYED MEDIA, IN DIGITAL AND
AT THE DOOR.
WISCONSIN WILL BE A DEMOCRATIC
STATE IN 2020.
>> THERE YOU GO.
YOU WON THAT ROUND.
BUT DID YOU EVER EXPECT THAT THE
TRANSITION WOULD BE QUITE THIS
FRAUGHT?
SCOT?
>> NOT EXACTLY.
I MEAN, WHAT ARE WE AT EIGHT
LAWSUITS THE REPUBLICANS HAVE
LOST HERE IN THE STATE OF
WISCONSIN TRYING TO OVERTURN THE
WILL OF THE PEOPLE.
TRUMP MAY BELIEVE THAT HE DIDN'T
WIN, BUT EVERYBODY ELSE ON THE
PLANET BASICALLY KNOWS THAT HE
LOST THIS ELECTION.
HE LOST WISCONSIN.
LIKE I SAID, WISCONSIN DEMOCRATS
DID NOT TAKE THIS STATE FOR
GRANTED.
THEY DID A GREAT JOB.
BIDEN WAS A GREAT CANDIDATE.
TRUMP IS GOING TO HAVE TO INVENT
THINGS TO MESS UP AND THAT'S WHY
WISCONSIN WENT BLUE.
>> SO, BILL, DID YOU EVER
PREDICT THAT THIS TRANSITION
WOULD BE QUITE THIS FRAUGHT?
>> WELL, REMEMBER, TEN WEEKS
AFTER WE MADE THOSE PREDICTIONS
COVID HIT AMERICA AND THE WORLD.
NOBODY COULD HAVE IMPACTED THAT
AND HOW THAT IMPACTED POLITICS.
I THINK THAT HAD AN IMPACT FOR
SURE.
AS IT RELATES TO THE TRANSITION,
I THINK THE PRESIDENT'S GREATEST
LEGACY WILL BE OPERATION WARP
SPEEFD
SPEED AND THE ABILITY TO GET
VACCINES, TWO OF THEM APPROVED
IN THE SAME YEAR THAT THE
PANDEMIC HIT THIS COUNTRY.
THAT'S NEVER BEEN DONE IN
HISTORY AND THAT WILL ULTIMATELY
BE HIS GREATEST LEGACY.
>> SO I WANTED TO TALK A LITTLE
BIT MORE ABOUT LAST YEAR, BUT AT
THIS POINT I'M GOING TO MOVE
FORWARD INTO THE CURRENT YEAR
AND TALK ABOUT YOUR PREDICTIONS
FOR 2021.
YOU SAY, BILL, YOU HAVE THIS
PREDICTION.
GERMANTOWN SUPERINTENDENT DEB
KERR WILL BE ELECTED
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC
INSTRUCTION IN APRIL WITH STRONG
SUPPORT FROM EDUCATION REFORM
GROUPS FROM ACROSS THE NATION.
SO THAT ONE KIND OF CAME OUT OF
THE BLUE TO ME.
MAYBE MY HEAD JUST WASN'T THERE
QUITE YET.
WHO ELSE IS IN THE RUNNING?
>> THERE'S A DPI SENIOR STAFF
MEMBER AND THEN ONE OTHER PERSON
IN THE RACE.
DEB KERR HAS ACTUALLY BEEN
SUPERINTENDENT AT BROWN DEER,
WHICH IS ONE OF THE MOST DIVERSE
SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE STATE.
80% OF THE STUDENTS ARE OF
COLOR.
50% ARE IN POVERTY.
SHE HAPPENS TO BE WHITE.
SHE'S A SCHOOL REFORMER.
THERE'S NO OTHER STATEWIDE RACE
ON THE BALLOT IN APRIL.
THIS IS ONE WHERE DEMS ARE GOING
TO MISS AN OPPORTUNITY.
SHE'S GOING TO BE OUR FIRST
NONTEACHER CANDIDATE TO WIN THAT
SEAT IN OUR LIFETIME.
>> WHAT DO YOU THINK, SCOT?
>> IT'S VERY CLEAR WHO THE BEST
CANDIDATE IS.
THE WORD REFORM IS JUST ANOTHER
WORD FOR PRIVATIZATION.
AND I THINK THAT PROGRESSIVES
HAVE HAD A REALLY GOOD TRACK
RECORD IN TERMS OF GETTING OUT
THE VOTE FOR DPI.
AND BY VIRTUE OF THE FACT THAT
OUR GOVERNOR WAS THE FORMER DPI
SECRETARY.
I THINK THAT DEMOCRATS HAVE
FIGURED OUT HOW TO GET PEOPLE
OUT TO THE VOTE IN THE SPRING
ELECTIONS.
AND EVEN THOUGH THERE WON'T BE A
HUGE INTEREST IN IT BECAUSE
THERE'S NO SUPREME COURT RACE,
THERE'S NO PRIMARY RACES, IT'S
JUST THIS RACE.
I THINK THAT GIVEN THE WAY THAT
PROGRESSIVES HAVE PERFORMED IN
GETTING OUT THE VOTE, USING
ABSENTEE, I THINK THIS SEAT WILL
REMAIN IN PROGRESSIVE HANDS.
>> WE'LL SEE.
OKAY.
SCOT, HERE'S YOUR PREDICTION FOR
2021.
QUOTE, THE REPUBLICANS WILL
PRODUCE AN IMMORAL BUDGET THAT
ATTACKS EDUCATION, HEALTH CARE,
CITIES, THE ENVIRONMENT AND
VOTING RIGHTS, CREATING THE
LONGEST BUDGET STALEMATE IN
STATE HISTORY.
SO HOW LONG DO YOU THINK THAT
STALEMATE WILL LAST?
>> THE LONGEST ONE WAS IN 1971.
IT WENT TO OCTOBER 28.
THE THIRD LONGEST ONE WAS WHEN
THE REPUBLICANS WERE IN CHARGE
IN 2017.
IT WENT TILL NEARLY OCTOBER.
I THINK THAT THE REPUBLICANS
WITH VOS ARE GOING TO CREATE A
BUDGET THAT'S UNACCEPTABLE.
THE ATTACKS ARE GOING TO BE ON
EDUCATION, HEALTH CARE,
CERTAINLY ON VOTING RIGHTS.
GOVERNOR EVERS IS GOING TO HAVE
A REAL DECISION WHETHER OR NOT
TO PROCEED WITH FINDING A WAY TO
MAKE THIS BUDGET EVEN TOLERABLE
OR VETOING IT ALL IN TOTAL.
>> SO WE ONLY HAVE A MINUTE
LEFT.
SO, BILL, I'M GOING TO SKIP YOUR
NEXT PREDICTION.
IT WAS GOOD.
NEXT TIME WE HAVE YOU ON WE'LL
TALK ABOUT IT.
AND GO DIRECTLY TO SCOT'S, WHICH
WAS THAT DEMOCRATS WILL WIN BOTH
GEORGIA U.S. SENATE RACES.
TALK ABOUT THAT FOR A MINUTE.
YOU GO AHEAD, SCOT.
>> I WILL.
YEAH.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S TWO INCUMBENT
REPUBLICANS WHO ARE CROOKS WHO
USED THEIR OFFICE AND
INFORMATION IN ORDER TO PROFIT
AND TRADE STOCKS WHEN THEY WERE
TELLING THE PUBLIC THAT NOTHING
WAS WRONG WITH THE PANDEMIC.
I THINK THE DEMOCRATS HAVE A
HUGE ADVANTAGE IN NEW
REGISTRATION.
I THINK THAT THE WIN IS FOR THE
DEMOCRATS ON THIS ONE.
>> WE GOT TO GIVE BILL THE LAST
WORD.
>> REPUBLICANS WILL TURN OUT.
VOTERS IN GEORGIA UNDERSTAND AND
LIKE DIVIDED GOVERNMENT.
WE WILL LIKELY HAVE A DEMOCRATIC
PRESIDENT.
WE CERTAINLY WILL HAVE A
DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS.
THEY LIKE THE CHECKS AND
BALANCES.
BOTH REPUBLICANS WILL BE
REELECTED AND COME BACK TO 52
SEATS.
>> WE WILL SEE.
BILL AND SCOT, THANKS VERY