LIKS
ELECTION DAY AND FOR ANALYSIS,
"HERE AND NOW" POLITICAL
PANELISTS BILL MCCOSHEN AND SCOT
ROSS.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
SO FIRST TO YOU, SCOT.
WHAT'S YOUR REACTION TO THAT
INTERVIEW THAT WE JUST AIRED?
>> WELL, I THINK IT SHOWS THE
REAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO
CANDIDATES.
JILL UNDERLY BELIEVES THAT EVERY
STUDENT DESERVES A HIGH-QUALITY
PUBLIC EDUCATION EVERY DAY NO
MATTER WHERE THEIR ZIP CODE IS
AND DEB CESH IS KERR IS TRYING TO COBBLE
TOGETHER A WAY TO WIN ON
ELECTION DAY.
IT'S BETWEEN AN EDUCATOR AND A
POLITICIAN.
>> BILL, WHAT DO YOU THINK?
>> WELL, I THINK WHERE I
DISAGREE WITH SCOT IS I THINK IT
WAS TWO QUALIFIED INDIVIDUALS
RUNNING FOR THIS POSITION.
DEB KERR HAS BEEN IN PUBLIC
EDUCATION FOR 40 YEARS, JILL
UNDERLY FOR A LITTLE OVER 20
YEARS.
SO THEY BOTH HAVE BEEN
SUPERINTENDENTS OF SUCCESSFUL
SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
DEB KERR, MAJORITY/MINORITY
SCHOOL DISTRICT.
JILL UNDERLY, IT'S ONLY 1% BLACK
OR BROWN.
WHERE SCOT AND I WILL DISAGREE
IS ON THE ISSUES PEOPLE DISAGREE
ABOUT.
PEOPLE WANT THEIR KIDS BACK IN
SCHOOL.
DEB KERR IS BACK FOR THAT.
THEY WANT ACHIEVEMENT GAPS EE
LIMB KNITTED.
-- ELIMINATED.
DEB KERR HAS DONE THAT.
>> WHY IS THIS RACE FOR SCHOOL
SUPERINTENDENT SO ANGRY?
SCOT?
>> IT'S THE TENOR OF THE
TIMESMENT WE HAVE A REPUBLICAN
PARTY THAT HAS GONE FULL QANON.
THEY CONTINUE TO TRIEF TO
PREVENT PEOPLE FROM VOTING.
THEY'RE ATTACKING TRANSGENDER
STUDENTS.
THAT'S WHY THERE'S A NASTINESS
TO THIS.
I THINK DR. UNDERLY HAS SHOWN
HERSELF TO BE NO DRAMA,
COMPETENT, REEF RELIABLE.
THAT'S WHAT THE VOTERS ARE
LOOKING FOR.
>> SO, BILL, HE'S BLAMING THE
REPUBLICANS.
I TRUST YOU BLAME THE DEMOCRATS.
>> WELL, THE DEMOCRATS THREW THE
MUD FIRST HERE.
DON'T FORGET, THE DEMOCRATIC
PARTY OF WISCONSIN HAS PUT
ALMOST A MILLION DOLLARS IN THIS
RACE.
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY HASN'T PUT
ANY MONEY IN DEB KERR'S RACE.
CLEARLY JILL UNDERLY IS THE
DEMOCRATIC FAVORITE AND TEACHERS
UNIONS' CANDIDATES.
IT GOT MESSY EARLY ON TERTIARY
ISSUES.
I WISH THEY WOULD HAVE TALKED
ABOUT SCHOOL CHOICE.
JILL UNDERLY WAS A HYPOCRITE
ABOUT THIS.
SHE SAYS SHE'S FOR PUBLIC
SCHOOLS, BUT SHE SENT HER OWN
KIDS TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS.
>> SHE SAID THAT WAS ABOUT
FINDING A PLACE FOR 4-K AND
AFTER-SCHOOL CARE.
THAT CAME UP IN THIS CAMPAIGN.
BUT, SCOT, WHY DID THE DEMS PUT
SO MUCH INTO THIS RACE?
>> WELL, I THINK IT'S BECAUSE IT
SHOWS THEY WANT TO SEE A GOOD,
COMPETENT DPI SECRETARY.
THE FACT IS IS THAT WHEN WE DO
THESE SPRING ELECTIONS, THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY IS ALWAYS THE
LARGEST FUNDER OF THE
CONSERVATIVE CANDIDATE.
SO I'M GLAD TO SEE DEMOCRATS
JUMPING INTO THESE RACES BECAUSE
PEOPLE DESERVE A FULL
UNDERSTANDING OF THE ISSUES.
DEMOCRATS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO
THAT BY TALKING ABOUT DEBORAH
KERR'S FINANCIAL MISMANAGEMENT.
THE FACT THAT SHE HAD TO TAKE
DOWN HER TWITTER FEED.
THAT'S PRETTY BAD.
SHE LOST HER CAMPAIGN TEAM.
THESE ARE ALL SIGNS OF SOMEBODY
WHO IS NOT UP TO THE TASK OF
MANAGING THE STATEWIDE EDUCATION
OF OUR KIDS.
>> IT BEGS THE QUESTION, BILL,
WHY DIDN'T THE BETSY DEVOSS OF
THE THE WORLD POUR MONEY INTO
KERR WHEN THEY SAW THE DEM
EXPENDITURES?
>> I DON'T THINK THEY SAW THE
SHARP CONTRAST THEY WERE LOOKING
FOR.
THERE WERE SOME MISSTEPS BY THE
KERR CAMPAIGN.
THE SHARP CONTRAST BEGAN TO
APPEAR, PARTICULARLY ON THE
SCHOOL CHOICE ISSUE AND THE
REOPENING OF ALL SCHOOLS.
WE KNOW THAT URBAN SCHOOL
DISTRICTS IN MADISON AND
MILWAUKEE, FOR EXAMPLE, STILL
DON'T HAVE THEIR HIGH SCHOOL
STUDENTS BACK IN THE CLASSROOM.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT DEB KERR
IS FOR.
I THINK IT WAS A MISTAKE BY THE
CHOICE PEOPLE AND FRANKLY THE
BUSINESS COMMUNITY NOT GETTING
MORE INVOLVED IN THIS RACE
EARLIER.
>> BILL, HOW BADLY DOES DEB
KERR'S FORMER EMPLOYEE AND THE
SUBJECT OF UNDERLY'S AD HURT
KERR?
THIS IS THE FINANCE MANAGER IN
THE BROWN DEER SCHOOL DISTRICT
AND ALL OF THAT.
DOES THAT HURT KERR?
>> NO.
JUST SO WE'RE ALL CLEAR ABOUT
THIS AND YOUR VIEWERS, THIS IS
PREACT 10 AND IT WAS MUCH HARDER
TO FIRE A BAD EMPLOYEE IN THOSE
DAYS.
HAD THAT OCCURRED AFTER ACT 10,
DEB COULD HAVE ACTED MORE
QUICKLY TO GET RID OF THAT
PERSON.
>> JILL UNDERLY SAYS THAT GOES
TO JUDGMENT, THAT KIND OF THING.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
BILL'S POINT ON THE CHOICE
COMMUNITY NOT GETTING INVOLVED
AS MUCH, THE DEVOS FOLKS, I
THINK IF DEB KERR HAD STARTED
HER CAMPAIGN ATTACKING TEACHERS
OVER AND OVER AGAIN, I THINK
THEY WOULD HAVE COME IN A LOT
EARLIER BECAUSE THAT'S SEEMS TO
BE WHAT SHE HAS TO SAY, THE
TEACHERS ARE THE PROBLEM.
THAT'S NOT WHAT VOTERS BELIEVE.
>> THE UNION IS THE PROBLEM, NOT
THE TEACHERS.
I THINK DEB KERR BELIEVES THE
TEACHERS WANT TO BE BACK IN THE
CLASSROOM, BUT UNIONS ARE
PREVENTING THAT.
JILL UNDERLY IS HAVING AN EVENT
WITH THE UNIONS TODAY IN MADISON
TODAY WHILE THE HIGH SCHOOL
STUDENTS CAN'T BE IN THE
CLASSROOM.
>> I DON'T THINK THE QUESTION IS
WHY JILL UNDERLY IS GETTING THE
SUPPORT OF THE HARD-WORKING
TEACHESSERS.
THE QUESTION IS WHY DIDN'T DEB
KERR.
IT'S BECAUSE SHE'S ANTIPUBLIC
EDUCATION.
IT'S BECAUSE OF HER JUDGMENT.
IT'S BECAUSE SCOTT WALKER
SUPPORTS HER CAMPAIGN.
>> LET'S FACE IT.
SHE'S A FIRST-TIME CANDIDATE.
YES, THERE WAS A CHANGE IN
CAMPAIGN TEAM.
YOU KNOW, UNDERLY'S HAD THE
BENEFIT OF A PROFESSIONAL
CAMPAIGN TEAM AND LOTS AND LOTS
OF MONEY.
BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY ON
TUESDAY, THIS IS GOING TO BE A
LOW TURNOUT ELECTION AND
ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN.
TYPICALLY IN A SPRING ELECTION,
THE VOTING POPULATION TENDS TO
BE OLDER, THEY TEND TO BE MORE
WHITE AND THEY TEND TO BE A
LITTLE BIT MORE CONSERVATIVE.
DESPITE BEING OUT-SPENT 16-1,
DEB KERR IS VERY MUCH STILL IN
THIS RACE.
>> THE KINDS OF PEOPLE THAT
WOULD BE MOTIVATED TO VOTE IN
THIS KIND OF RACE WOULD BE
SCHOOL CHOICE ADVOCATES AND
TEACHERS.
SCOT, WHO DO YOU THINK HAS MORE
OOMP IN THAT CROWD?
>> I THINK THE TURNOUT COULD BE
LOWER THAN WE'VE HAD IN THE
PAST.
I ALSO KNOW THAT TEACHERS ARE AN
ACTIVE PART OF THE VOTING
POPULATION, ESPECIALLY IN A DPI
SPRING RACE.
IT IS AN OLDER DEMOGRAPHIC.
A LOT OF THEM GET THEIR
INFORMATION FROM TWIST TELEVISION NEWS
AND THAT'S BEEN SHOWING ADS
AGAINST DEB.
SO I THINK EVERYBODY HAS TO DO
WHAT THEY NEED TO DO TO GET
ACROSS THE FINISH LINE.
MAYBE THE TURNOUT WILL BE A
LITTLE BIT HIGHER, BUT I THINK
IT'S WITHIN THE REALM THAT JILL
UNDERLY GETS ACROSS THE FINISH
LIGHTS FIRST ON ELECTION DAY.
>> WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
BILL AND SCOT, THANKS