Good morning.
Welcome.
Welcome to Matt and Air on Air, Jane Matt and Air, Greg Bach and Calvin Butenoff coming to you live from our studio here at Radio Park in Racine.
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on Facebook, YouTube, and what used to be Twitter, Dan Schaefer, Civic Media's political editor, and the creator of the multi-award-winning re-combobulation area.
We'll be here for hour number two.
He has a new column.
What do you think we're going to talk about?
Yeah, he's got a new column in the re-combobulation area.
And it's making some waves.
Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
Should governor evers run for a third term?
We talked about it a little bit yesterday But Dan Schaefer will be joining us after the 10 o'clock news We will talk about his latest column if you don't subscribe I highly encourage you to do so.
It's really pretty inexpensive.
It's very expensive
and you're getting multi award-winning journalism opinion columns It's great.
It's
great.
It like I've said before
If they never won an award before this year, they'd still be a multi-award because they weren't like four or five this
year.
Yeah, it's it's pretty impressive.
So yeah, Dan Schaefer joining us in hour number two, also in hour number two as we tend to do after the 1030 news.
It's a good rhyme.
We like to do a little audio sorbet segment.
It's what we call it anyway.
It's a chance to get away from the news and take a breath and just
talk about the sillier things, lighter things.
Whether or not this is going to be light or not, because you and Calvin got into it pretty good, what, last week?
I think we were talking about this off the air.
Today's audio survey will be day versus night weddings.
Yeah.
When should we be celebrating weddings?
Yeah.
Daytime only according to one person that's sitting across from me or at night time.
According to the person sitting in the producer's booth.
Day versus night weddings.
That's audio sorbet after 1030 and we'll wrap up the show as we always do.
With this shouldn't be a thing around 1051.
Today it's the you dirty rat edition.
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with Friday's tickets and those are four packs.
Yeah, absolutely.
Yeah.
Okay.
This, we did want to start off with this because wow, this is quite a, uh, quite a reversal.
Donald Trump yesterday in a press conference, our president said this quote, our great farmers and people in the hotel and leisure business have been stating
that our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good longtime workers away from them, with those jobs being almost impossible to replace.
In many cases, the criminals allowed into our country by the very stupid Biden administration are applying for those jobs.
This is not good.
We must protect our farmers, but get the criminals out of the USA.
Changes are coming.
Obviously we're talking about the immigration crackdown mass migrate or mass deportations now.
That's what he campaigned on.
They had big signs at the nomination here in Milwaukee.
Mass deportations now.
They wanted to get, get rid of all the criminals, get rid of all the murders, get rid of all the, the, the, what you think immigrants are when.
Yes.
Get rid of the criminals.
Fine.
No one is against that.
Get rid of them.
Cool.
But the problem is, is that people who are here legally, people who have done the work, people who have
done it... And even people who are currently in the process of applying for permanent status, they're showing up at their court hearings in some instances.
The judge is dismissing the case.
They walk outside and they get arrested.
They are trying to use the process that we have in place.
Yeah.
We've said this before, and the battle cry from the right has always been, well, if you just did it the right way, if you just did it the legal way, people are.
And I'm thinking actually of the students who are here on student visas who all of a sudden have their visas.
pulled for no reason.
There was no explanation.
The universities couldn't tell these.
I have a friend who's here on a student visa, getting their PhD.
And the look on her face when I saw her the day after was white as a sheet.
Cause she had no idea what was going on.
The university couldn't tell her anything.
She was getting no answers for the government, but she's here legally.
She's got a visa.
She's paying all the taxes she needs.
She's doing the, doing exactly what you said they need to do.
And they're still
Getting rid of these individuals people who are protected by the courts people who are have I mean They now want to throw they want to throw immigrants from Britain and France into Guantanamo Bay So how are they gonna make that distinction?
What are they gonna do?
Well, and I
that's the big concern is that these Arrests seem to be happening pretty willy-nilly mm-hmm with a lack of
Evidence say that these people's that they're the people that they're grabbing are criminals.
Yeah, and what really amazes me about all of this Project 2025 and the Trump people Have been working on this for more than two years Mm-hmm and the mass deportations now they've been working on this for a long time This was a pillar of the of the of the campaign.
Well, yeah, it never crossed
Anybody's mind that this would have an impact on industries in the United States, like our farmers, like hospitality, like healthcare aides.
Nobody that never came up in two years, and I go back to again, does no one in this administration play things out to the end?
No, I don't think they do.
Or they just, I believe they...
that they think that the people are going to love it so much or just accept it.
And there won't be protests.
There won't be blowback.
There won't be apparently.
And also it's not been two years.
I mean, it's part, yes, project 2025 has laid out the plan and we've been talking about it since last year.
But there's a guy next to Donald Trump who's been talking about this for over a decade and that is Stephen Miller.
He goes to bed every night praying to the God of immigration, whatever that may be saying, please let this plan go through.
Cause he wants nothing more than
Uh, I, I believe a white ethnic state, but whatever.
I, but he, he wants immigrants out so bad in this country that this has been all he's been working on.
And just spitting the most vitriolic venom bile at people about, about immigrants lying about it that wants now, now that it is in place, now they've gotten their way because they're not just getting rid of the criminals.
which is, by the way, you would think they would talk about that.
They would say like, hey, we got rid of like,
today, where's
your wins?
Where are the big wins?
They think anything's a win until we say, but this person's here legally.
Why are you doing this?
And then they get all, oh, and now we have, we have president taco here, caving in again, saying, well, the farmers and the, and the
hospitality industry and the leisure people.
If you, if you pick a vegetable and you go to a hotel, we need to make sure.
Now you care about farmers.
Now you care about these people.
What's going
on?
Well, and again, I go back to this never crossed anybody's mind when they're talking about mass deportations, that this would affect the economy of America's farmers, America's restaurants.
It's yet another sign to me of the massive incompetence.
of this administration to think about ramifications, to think about consequences when you do these things.
And it's interesting that you brought up why the administration is not touting all of these horrible criminals that they had been arresting.
Representative Tony Gonzalez, the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Conference, they have numerous Republicans on this panel.
They have actually sent a letter to immigration asking for specifics of the 100,000 individuals who have been deported since January.
How many are convicted criminals?
Please give us a breakdown of their criminal offenses by category of those 100,000 people.
How many are from ISIS docket from last year?
Of those 100,000 people, how many have ties to criminal groups, organizations, or gangs like Tren de Agua, which was the Argentinian gang that got referenced so often?
What obstacles have you faced in repatriating those individuals?
What resources do you require from Congress to improve these actions?
What policies from Congress
would help you in pursuing convicted criminal aliens.
But again, we have Republicans in Congress who are going to immigration saying, where's the proof that of these 100,000 people that had been deported since the beginning of January, that they're criminals?
Show
your work.
And I don't usually do this.
But before the show and on, somebody texted about this topic.
I'm assuming that Pat was also discussing this matter.
Of all the things they said, one thing that really stuck out to me, they said, why even bother having a process for residency and citizenship at all, if this is your opinion, your opinion being that we as a show, or as a network, or as the Libs think that people should be able to walk in the country and stay forever, and that's it.
No, but that's not the thing.
None of us believe you should be able to just walk in the country without going through the process.
I mean, I shouldn't say nobody.
I personally, I'll speak for myself.
If you come to this country and you want to stay, there's a process and we have a process for residency and citizenship.
The problem is to this person who texted in, is that we're snatching up people who are abiding by that process.
In the midst of the process.
We
are arresting and deporting people who are doing exactly what you want them to do.
And now that they're gone, you have nothing to say.
Well, they must have been a criminal.
Well, then show me their rap sheet.
Well, they must have been done something wrong.
Then tell me what that was.
But if they're going to court to go in front of immigration judge to do what they're supposed to do, and it's a trap, then this process was never really, I shouldn't say that.
The process is real.
Your desire for them to follow the rules, quote unquote, was never real to begin with, because now that they're doing it, you didn't even like that, which just says, you don't like these people and you don't want
them here.
Well, whether or not anything is going to be done about this seems unlikely.
Tom Homan, who is the borders are, told the Washington Post he is not discussed with the president any changes to prevent, to protect rather farm or hotel workers.
And he has not been part of creating any policy to protect certain types of workers.
Quote, I have not seen any instruction, anything that changes in the near future.
My vote.wi.gov.
Call up your congressmen and your senators.
Tell them how you feel about this.
If they think they're going to do a good job, whatever.
But if you don't, tell them exactly what you're feeling.
Cause if they don't hear from you, they don't know that, that they might be voting for things you oppose for, especially those guys up North.
Senator Alex Padilla from California in the news will explain why on the other side, stay close.
You're listening to Matt Nair on air.
This is the civic media radio network.
Good morning and welcome.
Welcome to Matt and air on air Jane Matt and air Greg Bach.
Dr slide on the board coming to you from our studio at Radio Park in Racine.
You can always join us, call or text.
The number is the same 855-752-4842.
You can leave a comment if you're watching in the live stream on Facebook, YouTube and what used to be Twitter.
Dan Schaefer from the recon population area and civic media's political editor joining us after 10 o'clock.
to talk about his latest column, getting some traction.
About whether or not Governor Tony Evers should run for a third term as governor in Wisconsin that's coming up after 10 o'clock.
Right now though, if you joined us at the top of the show, we were talking about President Trump yesterday saying, oh my goodness, I didn't realize.
We were snatching people from farms and businesses and hotels with immigrant workers that they need.
So he says we're gonna do something about that Tom Holman the boarders are says we're not gonna do anything about that
Yeah,
and this goes back to one of my main gripes about this as administration is I think they are massively incompetent
Yes,
I do.
Yeah, I think the lack of foresight about what these mass deportations now we're going to do To various industries across this never crossed anybody's mind.
Yeah up to this point
that this might affect some industries in the U.S.
is mind-boggling to me.
Well, because every time you, every time, I mean, they sort of have, if you remember their, the responses to these questions.
I mean, I'm not even thinking of someone like Howard Lutnick in front of Congressman Dean.
where we were talking about like, you know, there's always a, we can do it here instead.
Get Americans do it, build it here, grow it here, manufacturer here.
Get Americans to work
in the
farm.
Get farmers, not farmers, get people to work in the hotels.
That's fine, just do it in America, America, America, America.
That's the solve.
That's always the solve.
It's never, and that is such a brain dead version of isolationism where they think that America is the fix.
When it's when America alone when we are we are a country when first of all we're a country of of immigrants Here on very very not our land sorry to get a little political there, but also we are a country built on partnerships We have never thrived in isolationism.
We have thrived in partnerships and to just say well We'll just we don't need we don't need that we don't need immigrants here
We'll get young kids to do the work.
They're not doing it.
We'll get auto workers to build iPhones in America.
That's not going to happen.
So every time you confront them with logical reasoning, and with very simple questions, honestly, like you were reading before, does 100,000 show us how these individuals are criminals?
What are they accused of?
What are the crimes?
Let's see it.
Lay it out.
They're not going to answer.
And Howard and Thomas Holman's like, no, we're going to keep going.
Yeah, he said, I've heard nothing about this.
And again, this just goes back to what I think I think they are massively incompetent as evidenced by this from the Washington Post, the Trump administration races to fix a big mistake.
Doge fired too many people.
Whop whop across the government officials are rehiring federal workers who were forced out.
or encourage to resign, the FDA, in spring, fired almost 50 workers in the Office of Regulatory Policy, only to turn around and order them back into the office in a day, in one day.
Oops.
Oops.
You know, we've...
Who runs a
business like this, much less a country?
Jane, you know who runs a business like this?
A guy who bankrupted casinos.
Oh, there's that.
You know, um, that's just what I'll say to that.
But you know, it's the notion of we've lived with this, this notion.
And I think a lot of us have bought it.
And I think there's some truth to it.
That bureaucracy is slow.
It costs a lot of money and government can get nothing done.
Well, what we're seeing from Doge and specifically a person who used to work for Doge coming out and saying it is that the government actually runs
fairly efficient.
It's not perfect, but it's not the swampy cesspool that we've been led to believe
at least for the
past 10 years with the whole drain the swamp junk.
This from my NPR former Doge engineers as federal waste and fraud were relatively not existent.
Yeah.
Yeah, he was working for Doge.
Sevilla Vengea told NPR I was personally pretty surprised actually at how efficient the government was.
He said the overall message of Doge was a vibe of ask for forgiveness, not permission.
And that right there again?
So just go and do it.
Yes.
That right there
first is the answer to the question you've been asking with regard to why did they not have foresight?
I don't think they cared about foresight.
They wanted forgiveness because this is also a society that with at least with Trump when he screws up,
And he says, well, we'll fix it with the farmers in the hotel.
People are going to say, oh, well then, OK, cool.
Now it's done.
So all they do is ask for forgiveness.
Gene from O'Claire is on the line.
Gene, we got about 90 seconds before we got to go to the news.
Thank you for joining us.
What does you want to say?
I just want to remind people that Trump hired these kind of people the first time he was in.
They hired Carl Icahn, who was a corporate raider who almost shut down Uniroil with the workers' pensions.
years ago and I saw him in that office.
Thank you very much.
Have a good day.
I appreciate it, Gene.
You cut out there a little bit, but thank you.
I always appreciate from hearing from you.
You can always join us as well at 855-752-4842 or leave a comment if you are watching on the live stream.
We have news coming up next and then when we return, Senator Alex Padilla from California
A little run-in yesterday during a press conference with Christy Nome.
We will kick that around on the other side.
Stay with us.
You are listening to Mattnair On Air on the Civic Media Radio Network.
Good morning and welcome, welcome to Matt and Air on Air.
Jane Matt and Air, Greg Box, Sweet Calbee on the board, coming to you from our studio at Radio Park in Racine.
You can join us, call or text.
at 855-752-4842.
Leave a comment if you're watching on the live stream, on Facebook, YouTube, and what used to be Twitter.
Joining us after the 10 o'clock news, Dan Schaefer, Civic Media's political editor and creator of the multi-award-winning Recon Population Area.
Dan, out with a new column this week on whether or not Governor Evers
here in Wisconsin should run for a third term.
Should be a very interesting discussion.
You are more than welcome to take part that is coming up after 10 o'clock.
And just a reminder too, we got some baseball action coming up later on today.
The Brewers.
Hosting the Cardinals are broadcast starts at 6 35.
You can catch the game tonight on Terrestrial Radio on W R C E and Richland Center W I S S and Ashkosh W R J N here in Racine and Kenosha W C Q M in Park Falls and W B Z H in Hayward.
They have lumberjacks next month.
They do.
So be listening to the crew, host the Cardinals, our broadcast starts on those stations at 635.
Can you hear that, Jane?
It's the sound of the brewers going to second place in the division.
Ha!
Or second place in the division.
That sounds great.
That does sound great.
Oh, that's a wonderful sound.
Let's keep it going, boys.
You're very excited about that.
Very
excited.
And Nuke.
I'm going to call him Nuke now, the new kid on the mount for the Brewers.
The Miz.
That's his nickname, The Miz.
He had
a good showing, but then they had to pull him out.
He had a no hitter going.
Yeah, he did.
And that's what we always, when there's always
a no hitter,
we're like, Hey, let's stop this.
Yeah, pretty exciting.
So go crew, hosting the Cardinals later on today.
Our broadcast starts at 635.
Did want to spend a little time on this and I'm curious to hear your comments.
Again, at 855-752-4842, this from the Washington Post, Democratic Senator forcibly removed from DHS News Conference as tensions flare.
I was scrolling, I was home doing some work yesterday afternoon when this came across.
It looked really bad.
Yeah, this was all
across from there.
The visual was not good.
No, I mean, visually looks awful.
But I think that they don't care, you know, I'll give you that, you know, because, because, I mean, we're going to listen to, we're going to listen to him talk about it, but it was all across the news.
And it was, I mean, it was everywhere.
Every station was carrying it.
And it was just this image of a US Senator being forcibly shoved shoved and thrown to the ground and detained and handcuffed for asking questions, you know, and they're going to paint the narrative.
They're going to paint the narrative that he rushed.
He rushed.
He rushed the podium.
Yeah.
No.
There's,
once again, no
proof, none whatsoever.
Well, and after he was cuffed, he met with Kristi Noem for like 15 minutes.
And there was also Corey Lewandowski, who was a big part of the first Trump administration, who apparently follows Kristi Noem around like a puppy now.
But he was running down the hall saying, do not do this.
This is a sitting U.S.
Senator Cory was Cory was
Wow.
Yeah, they're probably gonna fire him for having such, you know, right vision and
We do have a clip from Senator Alex Padilla again from California after yesterday's incident Calvin.
Let's play that clip, please
So here's what happens.
I mean, in the conference room, a couple of doors down, waiting this briefing with representatives of Northern Command.
We learn almost on the spot that there's this press conference going on down the hall.
Now my briefing is delayed because of the folks in that press conference.
From the moment I entered the building, I'm being escorted by a member of the National Guard and an FBI agent.
I ask, well, since we're waiting, can we go listen into the press conference?
They escort me over to the press conference.
They open the door for me.
in the back behind the reporters behind the cameras just listening in and at one point the rhetoric the rhetoric just got to be too much not the first time but the second time the secretary takes it upon herself to say that the Trump administration wants to liberate the people of Los Angeles from the governor and the mayor it was just too much and so yes I
said who I was, I began to ask a question and it was maybe half a second later before there was multiple agents on me.
They shoved me outside.
I was trying to both get my question out and not lose my balance.
You know, one is telling me, get down on my knees and other ones pushing me in a different direction.
There was no resistance.
To the contrary, I kept asking, why am I being detained?
Get down on your knees, turns into flat on the floor.
I'm trying, but I'm being pushed and pulled in different directions and finally down to the floor.
they handcuff me multiple times.
Why am I being detained?
No response, no response, no response.
Finally, minutes later, I guess somebody around the secretary realizes this
is
the United States sender and they come running down the hall and finally say, let him go.
So again, the point is if it can happen
to
me in that setting, imagine what they're doing to people all around the country and then you also underscore this.
It's not just about
immigrants rights, which so many peaceful protesters are shouting about in Los Angeles.
It's about all of our rights.
It's about all of our rights.
That's Senator Alex Padilla speaking to the media after he was at Kristi Noem's press conference yesterday.
One of the ask a questions, has he identified himself at which points?
I think they were Homeland Security.
I saw
FBI as well.
shoved him out of the room, got him down on the ground, cuffed him.
And then, as you just heard, someone apparently said, yeah, don't do that.
It's a sitting US senator.
And then he met with Christine Ohm for about 15 minutes, apparently, after this happened.
But I think that's a really good point that he makes.
If they can treat a sitting US senator like this in public, on camera, what are they doing when they're not?
in those conditions.
How are they treating people when they're not being surveilled?
Well,
let's just look at what's been happening.
I mean, we see ICE agents walking in unidentified, wearing masks, arresting people willy-nilly, throwing them in jail, deporting them.
We see... And I want to believe, and I do believe that when Senator Padilla says,
If this can happen to me as a senator, it can happen to all of us.
He's not talking about all of the people who voted for Kamala Harris.
He's talking about every citizen in this country.
Absolutely.
And as
we have put out many, many times on this show, there comes a time when you're not good enough for them.
When you are just expendable, you're not patriotic enough.
They'll
come knocking on your door.
You will not have the luxury of someone standing over you going don't do this They are a US senator or a congressman or a judge or I mean I see videos of FBI agents undercover getting arrested by cops and They're saying them I'm an FBI agent and they have to pull the wallet out and get identified That's after they're in cuffs and they've treated them like garbage like this is happening all the time on the streets
And if it can happen to FBI agents, if it can happen to the US Senator, it can happen to any one of us.
And there will not be a person shouting, hey,
Jane's
innocent.
She's just here.
She was just getting like,
she was just
asking a question.
Or she was just walking down the street and she wanted to get some groceries.
Like it's literally, we don't have those advocates next to us.
And even if we did have someone who says, we could, we also see videos where people say, hey, they're not involved.
They're innocent.
They're this, they're that.
The authorities don't care.
855-752-4842.
Curious to get your reactions to what happened yesterday with California Senator Alex Padilla.
Tony on the live stream says, which side likes these optics more?
Dem's getting to clearly show the overreach of Trump.
Or does Trump like looking like a strong man?
Well, he certainly loves looking like a strong man.
Absolutely.
There's no question about that.
I've seen the AI.
imagery that's generated, that he posts himself.
Yeah, this is all about looking USA strong, beating the chest and being all freedom-y freedom.
Well, and I think Senator Padilla brought up a really good point as well in that Christie Noem is trying to go in there saying, we are rescuing Los Angeles.
The governor, the attorney general, the chief of police, the mayor.
None of them have requested this additional help from the federal government the federal government has decided This is what they're going to do.
What happened to states rights?
Oh, they love states rights until until they don't until they don't I mean that's that goes I mean just as a side example, they love they love the individuality and of the states and the communities and the the Municipalities to have even thinking about Wisconsin here.
They love they love to not be in the way until they want to be in your way
And then they're gonna, they're gonna tell you, well, you need to do this.
You need to spend money on this.
You need, we're gonna send troops your way because, you know, we don't like these people trying to express themselves bound by the constitutional rights to do so.
Alex Padilla, again, yesterday, taken to the ground.
Yeah.
Trying to ask Department of Human Services Kristi Noem a question during a oppressor.
She was holding oppressor.
The Trump administration has encouraged federal authorities to exert power over protesters in LA.
The Trump administration says they're rescuing Los Angeles, even though Los Angeles hasn't asked.
for a
rescue.
Didn't someone use the term liberating?
I feel like someone
used the term.
Yeah, I think she said liberating.
Yeah,
yeah.
Kristi Noem did.
Steve on the text line says, talk about how Trump has taken us back a hundred years attacking civil rights, stealing from Americans and doing impeachable things with doge cuts and breaking the emoluments clause.
They need to be more, there needs to be more pressure on these Republicans in Congress.
They're actively dismantling the Republic.
They better get some spines soon or we the people won't have a Republic.
And there is truth to that.
And let's
Also, I don't, this isn't a squirrel.
This isn't a distraction, but it sort of is too.
People protesting is important.
People showing up and assembling and speaking their voices that is protected by this constitution is important.
But the sending of national guards to Los Angeles, to a small, by the way, to a small portion of Los Angeles.
A
very small portion actually.
The governor of Texas deploying 5,000 troops throughout the state to protect the way that
Florida is talking about this.
This is all to distract from the fact that they are gutting Medicaid, gutting Social Security, gutting Medicare, gutting SNAP, taking from us, getting rid of, they're going to raise our taxes like they did, and they're going to walk away with humongous tax breaks.
Millionaires and billionaires
are going to do
that.
They're doing this.
They're doing all of this stuff and saying it's about America while they are stealing from your pockets, your children's pockets, your grandchildren's pockets.
That's the important part to remember, too.
And we have a comment on the live stream that seems to go along with what you're saying.
D.D.
Cougie says this is a huge problem.
I think Trump just wants to get his big, disgusting bill passed in the Senate.
This will allow him to get away with all of this stuff.
He is pushing on U.S.
immigrants.
He will go after U.S.
citizens next.
Absolutely.
Yes.
And I.
Oh my god, I apologize for my spiciness right now because I feel like I'm one step away from tin foil having this thing but the way they are leading this game right now That is what it feels like because they are slowly gutting it Freedoms that we never messed with even ten years ago.
Well, and
we and we don't have time to get into this We'll probably do it next week the whole masking issue now.
They're saying protesters cannot wear masks, but ice is perfectly justified
in being masked.
So are we teaching our little kids now that if a white unmarked van drives up and someone in a mask in a flannel shirt says, I'm with the federal government, get in my van.
Is that what we're teaching kids now?
Well, I mean,
we're certainly not teaching them accountability, that's for sure, because when we ask these questions, Jane, why are you masked?
Why aren't you identifiers?
We get no answer.
We're told to shut up, and this is what we do, and this is how we work.
No, that's not how this works because there'll be no one left.
You can always join us at 855-752-4842.
Stay close.
You are listening to Matt Nair on air.
This is the Civic Media Radio Network.
We'll be right back.
Good morning and welcome.
Welcome to Matt and Air on Air.
Jane Matt and Air.
Greg Bott, Dr. Slide on the board, coming to you from our studio at Radio Park in Racine.
You can join us, call or text.
The number is the same, 855-752-4842.
You can also leave a comment if you're watching on the live stream on Facebook, YouTube, and what used to be Twitter, Friday, that means Dan Schaefer, Civic Media's political editor and creator of the Reconpopulation Area.
He is going to be in studio with us after the 10 o'clock news to talk about his latest column.
Getting some attention.
Talking about whether or not Governor Tony Evers should run for a third term here in Wisconsin.
So I hope you can stick around for that when Dan joins us.
Also, a reminder today is our last day for the statewide text to win that Scotty summer contest after 11 o'clock.
Listen for the keyword.
You want to text it in using the Civic Media app up for grabs either $100 and
cash
or
bearer Milwaukee Brewers club level tickets.
And then everyone is in the running for one of two grand prizes, either a getaway to Dork County or a bearer boo and gas money to get you there.
So be listening after 11 o'clock for that keyword and get ready to text in and win just like Cheryl and Muskaday.
listening and WRCO.
A lot
of winners in Muskadash.
Yes.
It's a hotbed of winners.
And also Park Falls too.
Yeah.
Lots of winners in Park Falls.
And Chris from Edgerton, listening on WMDX, congratulations.
You could be a winner as well.
Be ready after 11 o'clock.
Gonna spend just a little bit of time on this before we go to the news.
And we did spend a little time on it yesterday, but it still makes me laugh.
Republicans,
This is the headline from MSNBC.
Republicans struggle to defend Trump's parade as tanks roll in to DC.
Many GOP officials appear to have no idea what to say about the president's parade, and some won't be there either.
Most of the Republicans in Congress are not going.
to his big ego parade tomorrow.
His birthday party.
He's throwing himself a birthday party.
Yeah, a birthday party, which just happens to coincide with the 250th birthday of the army.
We pointed this out before the Navy's got their 250th anniversary coming up in fall, so do the Marines.
Marines are turning 227 this year.
I have not seen anything about birthday parties planned for them.
Just...
This one, which coincides with the president's 79th birthday.
Is he only 79?
I thought he was turning like 200.
God, he seems so old.
Yeah, I mean, I am really surprised that they're not being told they have to attend or else.
I am too.
But it really, there's also no like real good reasons either.
Like, Oh, there's a, you know, I got to catch up on the show poker face.
I got a peacock for the seven day trial and I can only, so I can't.
Don't you wonder what their excuses were though?
Oh my gosh.
You know, I mean, Brian's Glenn growth man.
You're too busy.
There's a pancake breakfast that needs to be pancaked.
Derek Van Orden has kids he has to yell at.
Derek Van Orden of all
people you would think would be there.
He's too busy keeping us up to speed on what's going overseas in Israel and Iran.
He's, I mean, he's all over that.
Oh, there's tweeting about.
It's like so hot and fresh.
It's like just smoke coming off that phone.
But you may want to call our local Republican representative.
How would they do
that?
You go to myvote.wi.gov.
Ask him, gosh, if we're going to shell out.
at least $45 million for this vanity exercise tomorrow, you'd think they'd have the courtesy to show up.
Even Ron Johnson, Wisconsin senior senator, said, well, you know, it's their 250th birthday.
I guess it's kind of a splurge.
Ask our Republican representatives about this little $45 million splurge when we're talking about kicking people off Medicaid and
the Affordable Care Act and we can't afford to feed kids.
So we got to cut snap, but $45 million for this.
This is a good use of American money.
Do you know, I would say this, if they were saying, we're going to throw a parade on Saturday, it's going to cost $45 million because we're going to announce that day that we're going to spend $10 billion over 10 years to help veterans.
I'd be like, all right.
Let's celebrate that
yeah, wouldn't that 45 million dollars be better spent actually doing something directly for our veterans
absolutely because Something is better than nothing.
That's exactly what they're doing for them and not only that they're making it worse by gutting Access to the VA good.
I mean I've heard Was it Derek Van Orton said he looks forward to the cuts proposed to the VA whether I don't know whether it's cutting it completely or just the cuts but he said
to someone in a hearing that he looks forward to the cuts.
Now, just because your event doesn't mean that you want to make a lot of VA, I know vets.
It's not perfect.
No, it's not.
But I think the reason why it's not perfect is because we don't properly invest in it.
So yeah, $45 million on Saturday to watch the troops march up and down the street
and rip up the streets of DC.
And by the way, I want a
I want like three months.
I want a report showing how much it
actually costs.
It's gonna be more than 45 million.
John from Oshkosh listening at WISS says, so much for the appropriate appropriation of government spending.
Who approved this?
Good question, John.
It's a very valid question.
And I think the one big takeaway from this is that the major networks are not carrying this.
Nope.
Not even Fox, not even Fox, the network, not the news.
I'm sure the news station will have it in Fox news, but Fox itself as a network will not have it.
And I want to make a point on this too.
This is something he wanted to do in his first term.
And if you want an example on how there are no guardrails, it's this right here, because when he got in office the first time, the generals, the military, the Pentagon said, no, we're not doing this.
This is a waste of resources, waste of time.
No.
Now it's happening because there are no guardrails the generals are silent because they're afraid for their jobs or they removed them already Exactly.
So yeah, this is a perfect example on why guardrails and checks and balances matter
And I think there's gonna be a whole lot more attention tomorrow on all of the other protests
that are
happening around the country
as opposed to what's going to be rolling down the streets in DC.
And there's a 45% chance of
rain
in DC.
Oh, that would be a real shame.
News is coming up next.
And then Dan Shaffer will be here to help us recombobulate.
Stay close.
You are listening to Matt Nair on air on the Civic Media Radio Network.
Good morning and welcome welcome to Matt and air on air Jane Matt and air Greg Bach and Calvin Butenoff coming to you live from our studio at Radio Park in Racine.
Join us caller text at 855-752-4842.
You can leave a comment if you're watching on the live stream on Facebook, YouTube and what used to be Twitter coming up later on today 635-4842.
Our broadcast starts as the Brewers host the Cardinals, and you can listen to the game on Terrestrial Radio, on WRCE in Richland Center, WISS in Oshkosh, WRJN here in Racine and Kenosha, WCQM in Park Falls, and WBZH in Hayward the Crew, hosting the Cardinals.
Our broadcast starts tonight at 6.35.
He joins us every Friday at this time to do some recombobulating.
Eucidic Media's political editor, Dan
Schaefer, in studio with us.
Good morning.
Good morning, Greg.
Thank you so much for having
me.
Always a treat to join you on Matt and Air on Air.
What do you guys think we should talk about today?
I don't
know.
We can just talk
about
weekend plans.
I am going to probably clean my
garage.
It's going to be really great.
No, you have a new column in the recombobulation area.
It's true.
That kind of is getting a lot of attention.
It's
getting
some attention.
opinion column
it's opinion column in the recon population area a little a little bit stirring the pot a little bit this week I would say so yeah yeah
so why
not
right in your column Dan Schaefer what do you
opine about well
my the opinion did the headline for the opinion column
is past the torch.
Tony Evers should not run for a third term as governor.
Obviously, we are in this moment right now where the governor has not yet made a decision.
He has said repeatedly that he will make this decision about whether or not he will run for a third term after the state budget process is completed.
We know that is ongoing.
It is stalled in certain ways.
But I think this is an enormously consequential
decision and as I write with a variety of reasons in this opinion column, I think it is time for Tony Evers to pass the torch.
He has served the state well.
He has been a good governor.
This is not an argument based on, you know, particular ideological differences or policy
disagreements or
that he's been corrupt or there's been any kind of regrettable actions while he's been in office.
He has served the state well.
Job well done by two term Tony.
I just think that at a certain point We have to recognize that Democrats have a problem
with their inability to pass the torch to the next generation of leaders.
And I think running a candidate who is in his mid-70s, Tony Evers will be 75 in November, 2026 when he is on the ballot for reelection, meaning he will turn 79 while in office where he to be elected to that third
term.
And I think that would make him one of the oldest governors in the country.
And at this moment when, after everything that happened with Joe Biden,
catastrophic 2024, with so many people wanting more of a fight from Democrats in leadership, wanting some new faces, wanting some new blood in leadership, I think not only would this be the right decision for Wisconsin to pass the torch at a reasonable time, I think this is something that would have ramifications nationally as well, because everybody knows, you know,
Everybody is always watching Wisconsin in the spotlight
get a lot of attention Yes, we do and it is
one thing when you have somebody like Dick Durbin who is a safe in a safe blue blue seat in Illinois He's 80 years old.
He announced he's retiring.
It's another when you have a fairly popular swing state governor who at age 73 right now
Would decide to retire and step aside and pass the torch to the next generation so that is what I think he should do again this this is
I wanted to start this conversation.
I think this is an important one to be having.
I do think there are plenty of reasons that I've heard from people this week that are, you know, other opinions.
This is an actual both sides conversation, not one of the fake both sides conversations
that I know you guys
talk about
a
lot here on the show.
So I think this is a genuine discussion that we need to be having.
And I think refusing to have it, you know, we're going into the Wisconsin Democratic Party's convention this week.
that they're talking about the road to 2026.
Are we going to bury our heads in the sand and not have this conversation about who's going to be at the top of the ticket and whether that person is too old to be running for office?
And I think two things to point out.
First of all, I don't believe Dan in all of your reporting that you've done and all the words you've written and all the time you've poured into various topics on this state.
You didn't come to this.
this point of view lightly.
You didn't just wake up one morning and say, yeah, I'm gonna write this and see what happens.
You think about these topics.
You put the information into your brain and you decide.
And I'm sure it wasn't an easy decision to both come to and to put out there because as we've been talking about it, network-wide, you're getting pushback on it, which we will talk about a little bit later.
But the other thing too is, I think the Dick Durbin example is a very good one because
We've been hearing from and this is there's no denying this.
We've been hearing from Democrats liberals and progressives It's time for the old guard to step down and I know and we're and I'm talking about the Dick Durbin's the Chuck Schumer's
the Nancy
Pelosi's They're getting up there in age and and you can hate me for saying the word age But it is it after the discussion with Joe Biden and the one people are having about Donald Trump.
It's part
of the point and Sanders needs to kind of pass the torch in his realm too.
You know, so yeah, stop saying Bernie Sanders can be president everybody.
I'm tired hearing about that one.
But yeah, I mean, these are all points that brought you to your place, your decision.
And I think that and, and, and, and Democrats come at me.
I worked in county politics.
One of the hardest things we had was the hardest times doing is was getting the
upper echelon of that party to find new blood and not only that but not just take their money and get them to like come to the meetings but also
support them
but both support them and look at them and say hey so and so I see you as a leader we're going to mentor you into a place where we want you to serve on this board or do this and it's people holding on to power and this is not a this is not me talking about Tony Evers right now I'm talking about the party because my bigger problem actually is with the party I think Tony Evers
has a huge, wonderful heart.
He loves the state.
He loves the people, and I think he wants to do more good.
But there comes a point, Dan, that you were correct, where we have to look at who's next.
Because while the Democrats have a bunch of names in the state, you can name five, six, seven people who could run, but...
Do any of them have the juice to run against one of the, I guess now, three, possibly four Republicans who want to run for next year?
You have to look at it and say, we need to do some long-term
planning.
And look at the bench.
Exactly.
And look at the bench.
8-5-5-7-5-2-4-8-4-2.
Dan Schaefer is here from the Reconpopulation Area talking about his latest column in which he posits that it's time for Governor Evers
To pass the torch, Carmella from Milwaukee has been waiting on the line.
Good morning, Carmella.
What do you think about this?
I have a lot of opinions about this.
The other day when Dan, Matt, and Angela were on, I tried calling in.
So my gut reaction was, I don't want to say offended, but I was like, really?
Every time, like, I feel like the Democrats, like, want to move forward and with their messaging.
And that was the big thing we got from the last election that
mega and Republicans, they all had the same messaging, and then we seem to take a step back.
And I understand everything that Dana said, and I have that low respect, and I even, you know, I can see that, but that's not how it is now, and I understand the fear of it, but he's been an effective governor, and I think we can move forward, and I did have a question.
Let's say,
He gets elected and he dies in office.
Isn't it the I believe the lieutenant governor who would take over maybe temporarily.
I don't know how it works, but then the That's how it would work is elected separately So we've elected that person so I I'm just like I just feel like our messaging always seems so we take step backwards and we're not united and that's what what my gut reaction was when
I heard you drop this article the other day.
So I
appreciate
it, Camarillo.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Really appreciate it.
Yeah.
I mean, definitely a lot of good points made there.
I would say that like.
After 2024, I think the Democrats needed to do a little bit of soul searching on where the party needs to go next.
It's like, you know, I'm, I'm a big sports fan, right?
Like
if your team loses, doesn't make it to the Super Bowl, doesn't make it to the championship, you want to make some changes to maybe you'll have a better chance to win next season.
And when I look back at what the biggest problems were for Democrats in 2024, there are some messaging problems.
There are some, you know, certain things, certain policy problems out there.
But I think one of the biggest problems is.
The fact that Joe Biden was running for a second term when he shouldn't have been running for a second term.
And that Democrats more generally just refused to have the conversation when it was the right time to have the conversation, right?
In 2023, early 2024, it became so late that Kamala Harris only had 100 days to dig out of a huge hole that Joe Biden had left for her.
And, you know, I think there were some good aspects of her campaign, some that you might want to do differently, but also at the same time, I think Joe Biden had he stayed on the ticket was on track.
to have the biggest blowout loss for president since Barack Obama's 2008 election.
I think, you know, I think if he had stayed on the ticket, I think Tammy Baldwin loses in Wisconsin.
I think a number of Senate and assembly seats go a different direction.
And
I think he probably, I think Trump could have won like the next wave of, you know, kind of purplish states like Minnesota, Virginia, New Hampshire, kind of that next next group there.
I think this would have been like a 350 electoral.
vote wipe out that would have led to a handful of more Republican senators.
It would have led to a real more down ballot disaster for Democrats.
And so I think you look back to that.
I think that is the biggest thing that Democrats need to correct.
I think, you know, when I was when I was in college and Barack Obama was having his rise in 2007 and 2008, I think part of what was so thrilling about that is because it seemed to signify
the next generation of American politics
that we are turning the page, a new generation,
and that Democrats were positioning themselves as the party of the future.
I don't think anybody's saying that about Democrats right now.
I don't think you could even reasonably make that argument about Democrats right now.
If you're just joining us, we are talking to a civic media political editor, Dan Schaefer.
And we are discussing his newest opinion piece.
I want to say opinion piece in the recombobulation area, discussing whether or not Tony Evers should go for a third term.
And I think a couple of things to that, what you're saying, I agree with his is one, I think the one of the biggest problems Democrats had was that Joe Biden said in during
in his first campaign, he was going to be a bridge
to
the next president.
And when he started talking about a second term, nobody in there was like, wait, hold on, what now?
Immediately.
It wasn't far after he won election where he started talking about a second term.
Also, I think with Barack Obama, I think he was a transformative figure.
He changed the way people campaigned.
And I think that's wonderful.
And I worked for the campaign.
I was employed by him.
But also, he wasn't
I don't know what the word is.
He showed up.
He ran for office.
He came in and he said, this is who I am.
And the Democrats embraced him.
They love it.
But they weren't looking at the prospects like you do in baseball.
And
people thought, well, we have Barack Obama.
So everything's going to be different now because we had Barack Obama and all the other candidates will be exactly.
No, they're not.
And then finally, in the talk about what could have happened in the 2024 election, if Joe Biden would have stayed on,
not only did Tammy Baldwin, not only would she have lost most likely, she barely won this time.
She barely won reelection against Eric Hovde.
And I think that does make a good point that if Joe Biden was on the ballot, he would, it would have been worse.
And also.
whatever wind tone Evers got in 2022, that doesn't guarantee a blowout victory next year anyway.
So third term is tough.
Yep.
Third
term
is tough.
We're going to continue our conversation with Dan Schaefer, Civic Media's political editor and creator of the Reconpopulation Area.
Gene and Andrew, I see you there.
We will take you on the other side.
Stay close.
You are listening to Matt Nair on air.
This is the Civic Media Radio Network.
Good morning and welcome back to Matt Nair on air.
Jane Matt Nair, Greg Bach, Dr. Slide on the board coming to you.
From our studio at Radio Park in Racine, you can join us.
Call or text at 855-752-4842.
You can also leave a comment if you're watching on a live stream on Facebook, YouTube, and what used to be Twitter.
He is Civic Media's political editor, the creator of the multi-multi-award-winning recombobulation area, and we are talking about his recent column, Opinion Column, to which we are all entitled.
an opinion on whether or not Governor Tony Evers should seek a third term.
I'm going to take a couple of phone calls for people who have been very patient.
Jean, thank you for waiting.
Jean, what do you want to say about this?
I've been following our government for years and years and watching the globalization of the word Democrat, liberal, and crap like that on all the radio stations.
Now, I have to say, Tony Evers.
Everybody knows Tony Evers.
Everybody likes Tony Evers.
I live on a side where we don't get all the news.
That's why I thought it was such a great thing when civic media came on and people were getting the news.
Tony Evers has been on our side of the state more than ever in our history, working on roads.
visiting with groups, seeing the kids.
I mean, everybody knows Tony Evers.
And we know what those guys do.
Cammy Baldwin may have almost lost before because they were putting the most notorious rotten ads that I've ever seen in my life on Cammy Baldwin.
Now, Tony Evers is supported by Independence,
like myself, Democrats, and Republicans.
I have not heard anybody run down Tony Evers.
I appreciate it, Gene.
We got a couple more phone calls that I want to take before we get to Dan's response.
Andrew from Madison, thank you for waiting.
Andrew, what did you want to say about this?
Hi, Dan.
First off, thanks for rocking the boat.
I really appreciate that.
I don't think enough people do that.
Doge cuts just passed the House a day or two ago by a smaller margin than the amount of Democrats who have died in the House in the last four months.
And Joe Biden, by not stepping down, probably just condemned us to at least four years of Trump, maybe worse.
And I just can't believe that we're still having this conversation.
How many times do we have to make the same mistake before we change course?
Thank you.
Appreciate it, Andrew and John from Green Bay.
We're going to take you right now, John.
Thank you for calling, John.
What do you want to say about this?
Hey, thanks for letting me on.
Quick question for Dan.
I enjoyed the list that you put the other day.
But when we look at, you know, you created a list of Democrats.
How did you come about that list?
Because I kind of feel that we need people that are going to be more prominent, right?
I mean, Sarah Rodriguez, yes, is Lieutenant Governor, but when was the last Lieutenant Governor to ascend to the governorship elected?
Was it Gaylord Nelson, maybe?
I think it's been a while, right?
Josh Call certainly has won a state race, but Josh makes Jim Doyle look like Mr. Personality.
What is your thought process on how do you get these people into an active role statewide?
I'm up in Green Bay.
We feel like we're left out.
Yeah.
I appreciate it, John.
Thank you so much.
Really appreciate it.
Yeah.
So the list that I ran through, uh, and this is based on some reporting and some, you know, based on, you know, who I think would be most likely people to run.
So the list that I had, uh, of potential democratic candidates and I think these are all more than qualified candidates.
I may favor some over others, but I think the point of this also is to let the voters decide and not.
you know, have a handpicked candidate because
I think
Democrats have avoided primaries to their own detriment as well.
So the list I had was Attorney General Josh Call, Secretary of State Sarah Godluschi, Lieutenant Governor Sarah Rodriguez, State Senator Kelda Royce, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, and soon to be former party chair Ben Wickler, and then undoubtedly a few more.
So I think that would be kind of the short list.
And you can kind of see it with Wisconsin Democratic Party's
Most of these candidates on the list have hospitality suites at the Wisconsin Democratic Party's
convention this week.
So it doesn't
exactly seem like a coincidence that Sarah Rodriguez and David Crowley and some other folks have these hospitality suites set up for the weekend.
And I think they would be on the shortlist
of
people who would run, would Tony Evers not seek a third term?
I just think that the automatic assumption of Tony Evers as the next person to also
One of the big complaints last year during the presidential election was the the the handing of the torch directly to Kamala Harris
with no primary
no chance for anyone to uh to stand up and say I would like to be elected as well and I think by saying uh Tony Evers needs to be the guy and you know we need to stand behind Tony also detracts from that point or adds to that point that there are other people out there they're if Tony Evers wants to run again that's fine but we should in no way shape or form
be upset about what happened last year and say that people should sit down next year.
Let people run.
If anyone on that list wants to run, they should run.
There should be a primary.
We should hear from the people because a primary will tell us if the side who's voting for, if the state who wants to employ him likes him, he will make it through and he will be the guy
or he'll
be the person on the ballot.
But we need to have the process as well.
You can't complain about what didn't happen last year.
and be okay with shirking it off next year.
That's how I've seen it too.
And I think the donor class and the consultant class likes to avoid primaries because then they don't have to spend any money on them.
But I think there's also this iron sharpens iron quality of these primaries that makes the candidates stronger.
The example I used in the piece is the 2022 Senate race where all the candidates dropped out before in favor of Mandela Barnes.
You know, I think Barnes still probably overperformed expectations in that race, but also right after he won that primary, he seemed really flat footed in responding to the attacks that came from Ron Johnson and his backers.
So I think.
I think it would be a good thing to have primaries, and as so many people are talking about, oh, what do we, what's next for the Democratic Party?
Where should the party go from here?
It's not the consultants who should be making this decision.
It's not people who are looking for the next Joe Rogan of the left.
It's the voters.
It's the people who should be deciding what's next for the Democratic Party, what's next for the country.
We have news coming up next, and then when we return, we will lighten it up with a little audio sorbet.
Day weddings versus night weddings.
The important issues of our day.
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Stay with
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We're looking for something dumb to do.
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Good morning and welcome back to Matt and Air on Air.
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You can join us, call or text.
The number is the same, 855.
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Dan Schaefer is here as he is every Friday.
Civic Media's political editor and the creator of the multi-award-winning Reconpopulation Area.
Dan out with an opinion column this week on Governor Ebers running for a third
term and I want to share a couple things that came in on the text line as we were in the news break.
Steve from Green Bay listening on WGBW says I'm 26.
What I've noticed is that most people my age that do vote Democratic only do it so Republicans don't win not necessarily because they agree with Democrats.
I myself feel that Democrats don't represent
or the contradict positions that they were strongly for before I was born.
Maybe it's time to pass the torch a little bit to connect with that younger generation.
They're losing Gen Z voters.
Democrats are
and we need to make a change there.
Julie from Wausau, I agree the Democrats need to work on passing the torch.
Biden's legacy would have been great if he had done so instead he ended it poorly.
Evers has been a fantastic governor.
He can keep that reputation if he's a bridge now and that would look good for our party.
Steve from Milwaukee, I can see Godluschi or Crowley, but Wisconsin has a lot of issues with racism.
So I'm not even sure about David Crowley.
Those are all fantastic points.
And I think that, you know, the notion that Democrats thought they owned the Gen Z vote simply because they're young, all those, I mean, I'm an idiot.
When I was watching the 2024 election and those weeks before, you saw those students lining up to vote early.
Oh my
gosh, the energy is there.
And you're like, oh, they voted for Donald Trump because they love Joe Rogan and, you know, what for whatever else reason.
And some of them probably also have political opinions.
I'm not discounting that, but it was that notion of, oh, they're young or they're from a city or they're a person of color or they're whatever.
They assumed they
were voting.
And they
must be Democrats.
Wow, were they wrong?
Yeah, boy, were they wrong.
So you've taken some heat from all kinds of directions
about this.
It's been an interesting week.
So I wanted to respond to a couple of things that had happened in media in response to this.
So one was from Dan O'Donnell, a talker on conservative talk radio.
He talked about my piece.
He actually had some complimentary words for me in the re-combobulation area, which I don't really know how to take very frankly.
Just accept the compliment.
Thank
you.
We'll just move it along there.
But he made the point that my piece was part of a larger...
shadowy efforts to launch a coup against Governor Evers and install Ben Wickler as the next
candidate.
And he insinuated that there had been people whispering in my ear about this column and that I am just a guy writing an opinion column and behind some sort of palace coup to move Evers out and have
Wickler installed
as the next candidate.
You don't even recognize your own power dam shaker.
Isn't that something leading a shadow coup to install Ben
Wickler?
Wow.
And Wisconsin right now has talked about this on their Twitter feed as well as saying that this is some sort of canary in the coal mine to test what's ahead.
No, I am not taking, to be absolutely 100% clear.
There's nobody whispering in my ear about this column.
There is no shadowy force behind this.
This is just a guy writing an opinion column on an independent newsletter called the Reconpopulation Area.
That's all it is.
It's not that complicated.
It's just a guy with an opinion.
That's all.
Well, and I do want to point out as well that because it is an opinion column, one rarely goes to other people to ask for quotes.
in an opinion piece.
Yes, and that's the other thing I wanted to respond to.
So, Joseph Peckie, who was a candidate for chair
of the Democratic
Party of Wisconsin, friend of mine as well.
He was on mornings with Pat Crite low yesterday.
He was not thrilled with my view on this, which is fine.
We can disagree without being disagreeable.
I have those types of conversations with folks all the time.
But he said that as a working journalist, I should have gotten people on the record.
or something like that, and he said that he noted that I didn't quote anybody in this story.
Well, you know what, it was an opinion column.
Which is why.
I
do reporting, I do original reporting, and I do opinion columns.
This one is an opinion column.
I wanted this to be my view, not Civic Media's view, not even necessarily the editorial viewpoint of the Reconbibulation area.
This opinion is mine and mine alone,
and so
that's why I wanted to write
it that
way.
He is a human solo person.
Additionally, Mr. Zipecki also said that this conversation is happening only in Dan's own head.
and that it is not a conversation that is largely happening.
I think that is absurd.
I think the conversation about what Tony Evers is doing next absolutely is a conversation.
He is asked about his political future every time there is a public media availability.
This comes up all the time in conversations.
And so I think Zopecki is kind of echoing much the same as the consultant class that he is a part of and the Democratic Party establishment that he is a part of was doing in 2020.
in 2023 and 2024 when they were putting their heads in the sand and refusing to have the conversation about Joe Biden then too.
I think we need to have this conversation right now.
And I think it is happening now as well.
Well, there is no point in just saying, well, we can't talk about this.
I mean, that is not, that doesn't help anybody.
It doesn't help anybody.
If you just stand there and don't move, maybe no one will notice that Tony
Avers is old.
Yeah, we're just gonna hide.
No, for heaven's sake, so let's at least talk about it like adults.
I don't see a problem with that.
I think that, you know, we know from personal experience watching even like a couple not talk about it is not healthy for the relationship and this is not a healthy way of doing things.
And I will say this too, with response, with regard and in response to Joseph Pecky's statement about it only happening your head, we had the caller.
previously who was talking about this.
So it's not just you.
And if it's you and him, that means other people are talking about it.
And here's the other thing too.
It's not just a statewide issue.
It's a nationwide issue because what you said earlier, what happens in Wisconsin has ripple effects for the country.
And if Governor Evers were to step down and say, no, I'm going to be a bridge, we're going to work together to find the best person to run.
We'll have a robust primary and we will work together and have a solid message for the people of Wisconsin that says loads more than him saying I'm going for a third term and everyone being low-key frustrated and saying nothing and Possibly not winning.
There's no gear and I think you pointed out too in the article third terms are hard to
win.
Yeah
How could we not be having this conversation?
I
think it is political malpractice to be, I don't know, running for the chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, talking about the road to 2026 and not talking about who's gonna be on the top of the ticket.
I think
what we're doing here is we're having the conversation.
The three of us aren't gonna tell Tony Evers what to do.
Of course not, like he's gonna listen to us anyway.
And he'll make his decision with his family and ultimately it's up to him.
to say yes or no, but just to say we shouldn't even have the conversation I think is irresponsible, to talk about it, let's just talk about it.
But yeah, to, yeah, sorry, I'm a little frustrated with it.
Do we maybe need a little sorbet?
No?
I mean, honestly, I like that.
We got a phone call.
I want to take 855-752-4842.
If you would like to join this conversation, Troy from Mount Horrib on the line.
Good morning, Troy.
Thank you for joining us.
Hi, thank you for having me real quickly.
What's the drop dead time frame for Tony to make this decision?
Good
question,
Troy.
Appreciate it.
Thank you.
I mean, he said he would make it after the budget process that typically wraps by July 1st.
I don't know if that's going
to happen.
That's not going to happen this
year.
I think sometimes candidates will announce later in Wisconsin.
Ron Johnson typically announced
announces his reelection bids after saying he's not going to run for reelection later in the process.
So, you know, there is no real, you know, drop dead date.
Our
primaries, the problem, part of the problem with this is the primaries in August, which is not the best time to have a primary.
I wish it was part of the April spring election.
That's a different conversation for a different day
though.
I think that if he doesn't announce before a full year.
beforehand, that's going to be detrimental for everybody.
Because then you're going to have people on this list who talk about who are going to be waiting.
And they're going to be wasting their time, their money, and their resources.
And then if he announces, then they're like, all right, I'm not going to announce.
But if he doesn't announce by fall, people are already a couple steps behind.
Because I think there's a...
With Tony Evers, I still think they'll be a primary.
Without Tony Evers, it's going to be a big primary.
A lot of people are going to run from the very ridiculous to the very, very competent and able, but they're still going to be, oh, I think a lot of people running then.
And I think that'd be a good thing.
Yes.
Yeah.
Well, and I think it will be interesting to see who the Republicans decide to bring back.
I know that we have a couple, at least two, I think here in Wisconsin, but they're going to bring Eric Hovey back.
You think so?
Absolutely.
Because
Eric can pay for part of it.
They want someone who's got some bank so that they don't have to shell out any money and the candidate can do it.
at least by them, partially by themselves.
I think that that's one of
them.
The GOP field is bleak right now.
Right?
I mean, Josh Schoeman, terrible candidate.
Tom Tiffany.
Tom
Tiffany, not a strong candidate himself, not a good fundraiser.
He's raised his profile on right wing media, but I don't know if he has a crossover appeal outside of a deep red district at all.
I
would be curious.
You're gonna get like
a blue Ozaki County if Tom Tiffany runs.
Well, and I would just be curious to know outside of his district, how many people are even familiar with him.
Yeah.
I mean, he is just, Tom Tiffany has just started talking recently.
Like he was
quiet like he was he was Ron Johnson in his first term Ron Johnson didn't say a peep in his first term and Tom Tiffany didn't say a word and then all of a sudden he just it really it really came up last year he started popping up more
and more in interviews and
and you you said it to me is like oh he wants to run for governor and I'm like that makes total
sense well you gotta you gotta you have to increase your profile you have to start at least getting some name recognition
And, and that's why I think partially they will bring Havdi back because he's already got some, he's got some name recognition already.
And I understand what has he shaved now so he can start a whole new series of really searing ads.
There
are lakes that have not yet been set upon within, you know, and, you know, the axes which need
to
be thrown and crazy, crazy, crazy statements to make.
So we did have a Steve from Milwaukee mentioning Chris Larson.
I agree with almost everything Larson has been saying about the budget.
I would love to see him run for governor.
He's run for things before.
He wouldn't wouldn't surprise me to see him run.
But I don't think he would be at the top of the list though, because I mean, it's sometimes you see people run for different offices and then not win or whatever.
I think that complicates things to a certain extent.
Also, how much success do Milwaukee politicians have running for governor?
Because Tom Barrett lost twice.
Tom Barrett lost twice.
I think I think when you come from Milwaukee, nothing else.
Chris Larson, I think it's everyone on your list and also.
I like Tony Evers a lot, by the way.
So don't think I'm sitting here going, get him out of here.
But first line of my column is Tony Evers has been a very good governor.
There you go.
Yeah.
But like, I think with Chris Larson, I think there is a thing of Milwaukee.
I agree with you.
When you come from Milwaukee, it's like, oh, you want to come from the big city and tell me what to do?
No.
So I think if he's going to run, he has to work really hard to shake that image off of his brand.
I mean, that would be an
issue if David Crawley were to run, if Kevlar Johnson were to run.
I think there would be, you know,
And then if you get a bunch of Milwaukee people, does that split Milwaukee vote complicated primary?
I'm getting way too ahead
of myself.
Interesting days ahead.
But we're having the conversation.
Yes.
We can talk about hard things.
Subscribe to the multi-multi-award-winning re-combobulation area.
Dan Schaefer joins us every Friday.
Civic Media's political editor.
Thank you so much.
You troublemaker, you.
Yeah, well, somebody's got to do it.
Somebody's got to do a change.
Stay with us when we return.
We're going to wrap up the show with this shouldn't be a thing.
You dirty rat edition.
You're listening to Matt Nair on air.
This is the Civic Media Radio Network.
We will be right back.
Welcome back to Matt and Air on Air, Jane Matt and Air, Greg Buck.
Calvitini on the board, coming to you from our studio at Radio Park in Racine, where you can always join us.
Call her text at 855-752-4842.
Leave a comment if you're watching on the live stream.
on Facebook, YouTube, and what used to be Twitter.
Our thanks to Dan Schaffer, Civic Media's political editor and creator of the Recombobulation Area for joining us, as he always does.
A great, great conversation.
Great conversation.
Worth having.
Yes.
Definitely.
Yes.
Yeah.
It's okay.
We need to talk about things.
We need to talk about things.
Also, just a reminder, don't go too far away.
Make sure you have the Civic Media app on your phone.
Coming up after 11 o'clock, you want to be listening for the keyword.
It is our statewide text-to-win Scotty Summer Contest.
After 11 o'clock, we will give you a keyword that you want to text in via the Civic Media app only.
Spelling counts.
Yes, it does.
You gotta spell the word right.
And then you're in the running for a hot $100 cash or a pair of brewers, club level tickets, and then everyone in the running, whether or not you win an hourly prize, everyone is in the running for one of two grand prizes, a little getaway to either Dorr County or Baraboo with gas to get you there.
You could be a winner just like Rhonda.
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Congratulations,
Rhonda.
Well done, Rhonda.
And again, that word coming up after the 11 o'clock news or somewhere in the 11 o'clock hour.
And then Todd Alba with a word, Maggie Dawn with the final one at four o'clock today, the final day of our statewide text to win at Scani summer contest.
Coming up next week, busy, busy, busy week.
Yes.
Randy Manor, retired major general.
is going to be joining us on Tuesday to talk about
So much.
There's so much.
And he's been all over cable news.
Yes, he has.
He is a wonderful resource.
He was in the Army for more than 30 years and really just gives us some interesting perspectives and some insider perspective, especially when we see the Trump administration sending in the National Guard, sending in troops into Los Angeles, into a state that did not request this.
He's the kind of guy, he's one of the, you know, we don't generally have a guest on for an hour, but he's one of those guys we could because you could talk to about so
many different things.
There's
so much.
Yeah.
So Randy Banner joining us on Tuesday, Dr. Kristen Lyrely will be here with us next week and so much more right now though.
10.55 getting late Calvin.
That means it's time for
this shouldn't be a thing.
If you ever have a thing you think should not be, send it into Greg and me at janesaysatcivicmedia.us.
This from wideopenspaces.com.
Matthew Wilson with the byline, the headline reads, Tiktoker thought she was feeding a beaver.
It turned out to be a water rat.
Tiktoker, Nissy Sharma traveling in Europe when she encountered an animal she thought was a beaver turned out.
It's a rat.
Sharma told Newsweek magazine I was in Prague for a trip exploring the city.
I had never walked down near the riverbanks before.
This time I decided to take a walk down the riverbanks up to the water.
I saw an animal coming close to the rocks where people can stand.
She thought it was just a friendly beaver approaching her.
That wasn't it.
Here's her quote.
I assumed it was a beaver.
As to me, it looks pretty similar and I don't know much about beavers, apart from they live in rivers.
I thought since it was a beaver, we could feed it.
Although I'd never seen a beaver in real life before, they're often portrayed as friendly in the media, so I started feeding it sandwiches.
Cartoons, she means cartoons.
Weeks later, she learned that it was actually a nutria, which is...
water rat or a river rat sounds like a drink you drink when you get old for protein Said it wasn't a few until a few weeks later.
I discovered I was feeding sandwiches not to a beaver But a rat I had showed my parents the video and they corrected me I Went close to thinking it was a beaver because they are portrayed as friendly When I did a little research afterwards, I found out beavers are actually quite hostile and can be dangerous
On the other hand, most people would hesitate to get close to a rodent, like the one in the video, because they have a bad image, but she says the Nutri-O was super friendly.
Okay.
There's nothing, and there's a photo in this article that Greg will put in the show notes.
There is nothing beaver-like about a water rat.
No.
Nothing.
The biggest tail is the tail.
Yes.
Beavers have the big flat tail, you know.
Yep.
And they don't look like something out of Ratatouille.
If she's a tiktoker, right?
She is a tiktoker.
She must have posted this to her tiktok page.
And there has to be at least one, if not 50,000 comments.
That's not.
Young lady, that is not a
beaver.
That's not a
beaver.
That is a rat.
A water rat.
A nutria.
A nutria.
I like that name.
I mean, I'm glad it was nice to her.
I'm glad it got.
She didn't get bit.
Got a sandwich.
That's good.
But just the notion that it took her parents correcting her, which I'm sure one or both of them had their head in their hands going, that's not a beaver
love that
is.
Oh, we've so failed as parents.
That wraps up today's episode of.
This shouldn't be a thing.
Wow, careful.
Thank you, Greg and Calvin and all of our engineers because without you absolutely nothing works.
And thank you most of all for calling and for texting and for listening.
It means the world.
I hope you find some joy over the weekend.
Even it's just a teeny little bit and you have the chance to share it.
Keep it right here.
We got news coming up next, followed by Tom Hartman 11 to 2, Todd Alba 2 to 4, Megadon 4 to 6.
Shwaba 6 to 8 p.m.
with nightlight.
Keep it right here on the Civic Media Radio Network and we will see you on Monday.
Good morning and welcome, welcome to Matt and Air on Air.
Jane Matt and Air, Greg Bach and Calvin Butenoff coming to you live from our studio here at Radio Park in Racine.
You can always join us, call or text the number is the same, 855-752-4842.
You can also leave a comment if you're watching on the live stream on Facebook, YouTube and what used to be Twitter.
Delighted to be joined.
by our next guest.
He is the principal at Winskill Elementary School in Lancaster, Wisconsin.
Principal Brad Sturmer is here.
Good morning, sir.
Thank you so much for joining us.
Yeah, good morning to you guys.
Glad to be here.
Happy to have you here.
Really looking forward to talk about this.
I found this in WPR from Corrine Hess.
And the headline says this Wisconsin school excels at teaching math.
Can its approach work statewide?
So.
My co-host Greg Bach and I are both mathematically challenged, which is why we do what we do.
And I'm really fascinated by this.
What is it that you are doing differently at your school that is helping change these numbers?
Well, there's definitely a lot to it.
But it all starts with the people.
We have great people in place here at Winskill, teaching staff, sports staff.
Whenever I talk about...
Things like this and you know, how do you have the successes you do I talk about people structures and systems.
But it's definitely people first.
You really got to build a strong culture.
I started here seven years ago as elementary principal and that was the focus year one.
Because we had we had a strong team in place but culture and climate really needed to improve.
So that's kind of where I start with that conversation.
Jane is, you know, people first, culture first, and that's got to always be the focus.
Brad, what is your background personally?
I was a high school math teacher for 15 years.
I'm just growing up.
I loved math.
And it was a math major in college and decided to teach because I wanted to help others with, you know, with my math skills.
And
Yeah, so 15 years in that, the last three also did some administrative work as an assistant principal.
And then the elementary job came open in my district and kind of felt like what I was called to do.
And so now I'm here and I love it.
Good for you.
Thank you for doing that.
And I think teachers are heroes.
I could not do your job even for one day without losing my mind.
So I have so much respect for teachers.
Is it?
I always thought, Brad, and hopefully I'm wrong, that there are just some people who get math and others who don't.
Or is it really about the way that it is presented to people that's more of an issue?
Definitely the latter, you know, how it's taught to kids, because all kids can learn math and how to do it.
And it's, you know, unfortunately, the way that...
A lot of us were taught math, probably you guys and myself included.
It just isn't the way that it should be done.
You really got to focus on the why behind mathematics and building the foundational knowledge at these early ages is absolutely critical.
I mean, sometimes people overlook the importance of the early ages and education for some reason.
But yeah, the reality is if kids don't, if they're not at grade level by the end of third grade with regards to mathematics at grade level or higher, they're very, very likely to always struggle with math.
And therefore, what ends up happening is if kids struggle at math and then you're getting taught fourth grade, fifth grade, the subject that's very challenging for you, you're going to end up
basically hating it at some point.
Um,
well, and you feel like you feel like a failure.
You feel like you're at least I did.
It's like, there's something wrong with me that I don't get this and everybody else gets it.
Yeah.
And that's unfortunate because that's just not the case.
Um, and, you know, along with that, what comes, what comes with that too, that I hate math, I can't do math.
A lot of times behaviors will come up too.
Um, you know, because, and just think of us as adults, like if
If somebody's asking us to do something that's really hard for us, and we can't do it, and it's every day, right?
Every day, you know, we need to do this, you need to do this, like it's hard, I can't, I can't do this.
Well, eventually, you know, kids are going to have, they're going to have behavior problems
because they want to get out of
class or whatever it might be.
So.
Well, yes, thank you for making me show up every day so I can fail is essentially what it feels like, right?
Right and you know, can we blame kids for that?
I mean as think those as adults What would you do if you were asked to do something really really hard every day?
And and then you start feeling you know, like like you're just not like like you guys were saying like What's wrong with me?
So we really need it we nearly need to put the ownership on ours on ourselves as educators and leaders in education that it's our job To make sure that we do our job very very well, especially at an early
at an early age.
Well, so something that we've, you know, I've heard people speak about and I don't have children.
So I've never had an experience with it, but is, is quote unquote, the new math, which I think has been around for a long time anyway.
So it's not so much new.
It's just a different way of doing math in what you have created and being a math major, a person who enjoys math.
What was the process of changing this program for you?
Was it something you brought from your teachings, or did you sit down with teachers and say, hey, let's put together a program that will enrich all, will raise test scores, and will benefit all?
What is the history behind how you changed your approach to teaching math at your school?
I think it creates a sense of urgency.
When you look at data and you see that 40% of your kids are proficient,
Advanced and math like that's not good enough and you start throwing things at your teachers who really really love their kids and if you you know tell them that.
Which again this is the truth of kids are behind mathematically after third grade they're always gonna struggle at it.
And then you might be closing doors for kids so like if you have a third grader who wants to be a vet tech someday.
And, but they need to go to college for that.
And I, and I talked to my staff about they got to take algebra two, a lot, a lot of colleges need you to pass algebra two.
Well, that's a really hard class.
And especially if kids struggle that math through all the way up to that point, you create that sense of urgency, like this is really, really important.
And then this is how it's done, you know, like this is how we need to teach math.
And there's good resources out there.
You know that then we had we happen to have a good one in place When I got here, so then it's just a matter of doing it to fidelity And and when I say fidelity I'm careful with that because sometimes people think that means you do everything the textbook tells you which is just not true It just means you do it the right way all throughout the school in every grade in every class
And that's where it comes down to the structures and systems that I mentioned to you before.
And I can get into some detail with that, but I'll see where you guys kind of want to take
that.
Yeah.
Honestly, I'd love to know the detail because I think there might be teachers, principals, parents, and kids who might be listening because who want to know how to maybe implement new...
No techniques, best practices, things like that.
So please give us some details.
If you're just joining us, Brad Sturmer is our guest.
He's the principal at Winskill Elementary School in Lancaster, Wisconsin, and they're having success with the way they are teaching math and improving math scores.
And also we're going to talk about your literacy program in just a little bit.
But yes, Brad, if you wouldn't mind going into a few more specifics about how this works, what are you doing?
Yeah, and I'll start with quick reminder.
It's people first culture first always it's got to be the forefront of every conversation that anybody listens to This because without strong people without strong culture none of none of the structures and systems.
I'm going to talk about work One so one of the key structures is your your schedule, right?
You got to you got to have 90 minutes of math at every grade level and and there's a lot of
A lot of schools that don't have that.
I mean, our school, when I first got here, I kind of did an audit of the schedule and how much time you're putting towards math.
And I mean, some grade levels were doing 45 minutes a day, which is just unacceptable.
It's got to be 90 minutes.
You got to put at least 60 in there for core, just like what you're delivering to all students.
And then 30 minutes of some time that you can use to enrich your kids, the kids that need to be pushed in math.
And sometimes people lose focus on that, but there's a lot of kids that get bored with math because they learn it rather quickly or they already know it.
So that 30 minutes, you got to have time to enrich those kids, but also time for some interventions for the kids that it's a little bit more of a struggle for and you got to give them a little double dose of what you're doing.
So that's an easy structure to fix.
You got to have 90 minutes.
And then one big thing we did here at Winskill was we departmentalized.
And what I mean by that, so at fourth or fifth grade, we have three sections.
And right in the first year, I made a schedule where we have one teacher that teaches math all day, and then one teacher that teaches literacy and one teacher that teaches social science.
So our math teacher will teach all three homerooms in a 60-minute block.
And then later, I'll share my schedule with anybody who wants anybody that's asked.
So without getting into a lot of detail there, because there's more to it.
But just that departmentalization is big, because then your teachers can become experts in that field.
And they become, you put people that are passionate about math in those positions, and they can
all their professional development and all the books that they read over the summer and you know everything that they they because teachers love their kids and they have a lot of passion for what they do and if you put that passion towards one subject that can be really beneficial and it works so well in those two grades the first couple years we did it that we ended up moving moving it to third grade and we have a little bit different format for that but still it's one teacher teaches math all day we have third grade math teacher
And then it worked so well that we moved it down to second grade.
This past year, we departmentalized in second grade, and the teachers loved it.
Kids thrived.
My daughter was in that grade.
It was fantastic in second grade.
So that's been two big pieces there.
Well, that makes so much sense, Brad, to allow teachers to specialize in an area that they're really good at because I think
Our teachers are asked to do so much and to be so many things to our kids, their counselors and their peacemakers and their, you know, and then educators seems to be tagged on the back.
So it's nice that they're able to concentrate their efforts in an area where they excel.
Right.
And, you know, the reality is that elementary education, there's a lot of
teachers that got into teaching for great reasons.
They love kids.
They want to help kids.
But there's not a lot of teachers that get into education at the elementary level because they love math, like they're passionate about math.
For people like me that love math, went to college, got a math degree, teach, a lot of those people teach high school math, typically
high
school, middle school math.
But we can change that.
We can change where schools are built, passionate.
math teachers at the elementary level and departmentalization is one way that you can do it so they can have that focus.
Because those are a couple of the structures, but then, you know, just the how you teach math is really important.
You know, the tricks, the math tricks, you got to throw out the window, you know, like something as simple as solving for proportion, you cross multiply and divide, like that's the way you're taught, but why does that work?
And even when you're doing two digit addition and, you know,
five plus eight, three, carry the one.
Like all of those things, you can't talk about math that way.
And that's the way a lot of us were taught.
Absolutely.
So we have to teach it differently.
And it really boils down to the why behind mathematics.
Why does this work?
We're going to continue our conversation with Principal Brad Sturmer, Principal at Winskill Elementary in Lancaster, Wisconsin.
Stay close.
You are listening to Matt and Aaron here.
This is the Civic Media Radio Network.
We'll be right back.
Good
morning and welcome back to Matt Nair on air.
Jane Matt Nair, Greg Bach, Calvinator on the board, coming to you from our studio at Radio Park in Racine.
You can join us.
Call her text at 855.
752-4842.
Leave a comment if you're watching on the live stream on Facebook, YouTube, and what used to be Twitter.
Our guest is Brad Sturmer, principal of Winskill Elementary School in Lancaster.
Nearly 80% of the students at Winskill either advanced
or meeting expectations in math, according to the latest report card from DPI.
So we were talking to Principal Sturmer about that and their successes.
One of the things you alluded to before we went to the break, Brad, was just about how
the importance of math and Greg and I were talking about this off the air during the break.
Math is in everything.
I mean, if you want to go into astronomy, if you want to go into science, if you want to go into the trades, if you want to be a musician, math is as much as people like me might want to avoid it.
Math is everywhere.
That's for sure.
So yeah, I would totally agree with you on that.
Uh, one of the things also, uh, sir, you wanted to talk to us about what you were going back and forth on, uh, getting you on the show was you also have a literacy program in your school that you, uh, wanted to discuss.
Can you tell us more about that as well?
Yeah.
You know, it's in the act 20, something that came out a couple of summers ago and.
There's a lot of good behind it.
There's some things that maybe a little flawed with it too, but there's a lot of focus on literacy right now in elementary education and as there should be.
But just saying that and you know, you guys maybe saw a little or heard a little bit of my math passion come out.
I could sit and talk about mathematics all day long.
But anybody that wants to
you know, when we talk about how we teach math, they got to talk to my teachers here.
They're just phenomenal.
We have a great staff, just an NA team, an all-star team.
It's amazing what my teachers can do in this building.
But, you know, with all the focus on literacy, which there needs to be, there does need to be a focus on mathematics still.
So, like, we got to keep that in mind.
But, yeah, with regards to literacy, we made some big changes.
with how we do things here Right after it was about 2020 And it all boils down to really having our teachers get dig in deep to the science of reading and really learn how kids learn how to read and what was fascinating about it was When I came down to the elementary level, I didn't have a clue how kids learned how to read not a clue
And obviously, I needed to learn fast because I'm an elementary principal and a leader.
Well, I was fortunate enough to have some people in my building.
My brother-in-law was actually one of them.
His name's Jim Addison.
And he's a literacy savant, really.
But he pointed me towards we need to dig into the science of reading, Brad.
And we, I did first, um, and at strange, I got quarantined and I just had some time.
And I, and I dug deep and I was like, holy cow, this is fascinating and makes a ton of logical sense.
And just my,
my
math brain is, I just think very logically, my brain works.
And I was like, wow, this, this makes sense.
And then my team, we, we, we dug into it together and then we just, we.
We did two years of professional development with letters, and it's a resource teaching about the science of reading, which unfortunately a lot of universities, now they're kind of forced to with Act 20, but they weren't teaching.
There's kind of a little debate with this, but they weren't teaching the science of reading to teachers that were going to teach kids to learn how to read.
So anyway, long story short, our teachers bought in, dug in, learned how to do it, embedded in the science of reading, and we're seeing a lot of positive gains, a lot of positive gains.
I'm curious as well, and I don't know that there's anything quantifiable about this, but do you believe that it makes a difference if parents read to their kids when they're very small?
Does that matter?
If they're what, I'm sorry,
something.
If parents read to their children when they're very small before they even get into school, do you think that matters?
100% yeah, just there's so much that goes into those those pre school You know birth to school that that we can as parents can help our kids with learning how to read and yes reading to them as one of them but just exposing them to a lot of vocabulary and Background knowledge is huge with learning how to read, you know, and it's kids on phones is just yeah, that's
It's really been detrimental for a lot of things.
Speech, you know, numbers are going through the roof.
So just like exposing your kids to rich, just things so they build that background knowledge and vocabulary.
Those are definitely backbones to learning how to read.
Well, and I just think for me, I have very fond memories of being very, very small and sitting on my dad's lap while he read to me.
But I think it is those kinds of
emotions and that gave me an affection for reading because of that because of that bonding I had with my dad so I think sometimes if you can instill that in your kids that will give them an affection for it then.
Absolutely just seeing your parents enjoy reading and
Um, and that goes, I'll go back to the math side of things.
How many times parents will tell their kids, I hate math.
I was no good at math.
Like, Oh, don't, don't say that.
Yeah.
My mom used to say, you got your, you got your, like your love for math for me.
And we both hate math.
I don't hate actually, I don't hate math.
I love math.
It's just unfortunate.
I can't wrap my brain around certain concepts because of.
the teaching thing.
But
you need to develop a remedial course for adults at Winskill Elementary for math, Brad, for the mathematically challenged adults in the world.
We could do that.
You catch on really quick.
He is the principal of Winskill Elementary in Lancaster, Wisconsin.
Brad Sturmer has been our guest.
It's been so interesting, Principal Sturmer.
Thank you so very much for joining us.
Yeah, no problem.
I enjoyed.
I love talking math.
Anybody that wants to reach out to me, I've had some people do that via email or whatever.
I'm happy to help because if I can help even one teacher out there, one leader out there, then it eventually helps kids, which is why we're all in this business.
Thank you so much.
We'll include a link in our show notes to Winskill Elementary.
We have news coming up next.
Stay with us.
You're listening to Matt Nair on air.
This is the Civic Media Radio Network.
Good morning.
Welcome.
Welcome to Matt Nair on Air.
Jane Matt Nair, Greg Mock, Sweet Calbee on the board committee line from our studio at Radio Park in Racine.
You can join us, call or text the number is the same 855.
7524842.
Leave a comment if you're watching on the live stream on Facebook, YouTube, and what used to be Twitter.
Thanks again to Kathleen from River Falls.
We were talking to her right before we went to the bottom of the hour news.
We were talking about the protests that are scheduled for this Saturday pretty much across the country.
And we will have links in our show notes.
Kathleen provided with some links.
If you are going to be attending some of these protests.
on Saturday, how to keep yourself safe.
Yeah.
There will be the link to the actual website and then there'll be the link to the rundown of what you need to do to protect yourself and others.
So thank you very much, Kathleen,
for getting that to
us.
Appreciate that.
And make sure you check out Todd Alba later on today, his show from 2 to 4 p.m.
across the network.
He will go over the day's headlines in the two o'clock hour at 3 p.m.
Todd Alba will have a pizza edition of What's Worse.
It's such a good segment.
No, no.
There's no bad pizza.
There's no bad pizza.
There's an old saying, even the worst pizza is great
pizza.
It's good pizza.
You'll have to check it out.
And then at 3.30 on the Todd Albus show, they'll talk to Brian van Hooker from cracked.com to talk about Muppets and Rodney Dangerfield jokes.
I'll be listening you should listen to Todd all by today from 2 to 4 p.m.
A PM across the civic media radio network that song that we played the Cal and played as we were coming in is from sly and the family stone sly stone passed away yesterday at the age of 82 I didn't know he was still alive.
I yeah, I honestly I mean I knew he was a well I Had no idea recently, but like
Like years ago.
I was like, well, he's been he probably died in the 70s because no one Interviewed him.
No one he was I didn't know he's or he was a recluse.
Yeah, he really became he did become a recluse and but very very instrumental in the R&B soul sound In the early, you know late 60s early 70s, so that's got us talking about
Songs we like to just kick back to
yes
kick back and relax like everyday people from sly and the family stone So what is your kickback song 8 5 5 7 5 2 4 8 4 2?
What do you like to listen to?
Sitting in the backyard.
You're in the hammock Perhaps a little cocktail
Dog on the right on the ground next to you.
I miss my dog right now
What is your kickback song as we remember Sly Stone 8 5 5 7 5 2 4 8 4 2 leave a comment on the live stream on Facebook YouTube and What used to be Twitter Mike in Green Bay Calvin do we have that for Mike?
I don't think it loaded up correctly.
It did
not.
Unfortunately,
no.
We're working on it.
We're working on that.
Listening on WGBW, Micah, we're trying to get that one for you.
Quentin, where's your treasure?
I've never heard
that.
I have never heard that.
I
have never, ever heard that song.
But I just, you know, for me, there's two kinds of kickback.
There's the kickback at the house, like you were describing, but then there is a kickback song of like driving home after, especially like a loud, like we've both been to like events, concerts or
Work events where there's a lot of people, there's a bar, and then you're like, it's noisy.
I either need to drive home and make a complete silence, which I've done before, or you play a song that's just so relaxing and just gets you breathing and allows you to.
So what do you
listen
to when you're on the way home from the club?
Oh, when I'm on the way home from the club.
So there's a band called Zero Seven.
that I like, it's in English, it's two producers and a bunch of, there's a singer named Sia, who's very popular now, and she collaborated with them.
And I was looking through, I was looking through their catalog and trying to pick a song.
And I'm gonna have Calvin just pull one up because it's just the best driving home, especially at night music.
But yeah.
I'm intrigued.
And I just love it very much.
I love a good, especially in summertime.
Windows open windows open nice warm night driving when I used to live in Milwaukee driving into the city You have like this real lo-fi music a slow beat and you feel like you're in a movie like I'm just gonna There you go just drive into this.
It's just so wonderful It's so chill exactly that's kickback.
It's
really
chillin
Yeah, yeah, it's my my kickback can't be like or it can't be everyday people
Oh, see, that would be mine.
Because
I won't relax.
Kickback for me means I have to let my body relax, let it
breathe.
Taking a
breath.
Taking a breath and just taking my moment.
What is your kickback song 8-5-5-7-5-2-4-8-4-2 Casper in Madison feels so good by Chuck Mangione.
Please, Calvin, get that
song.
That is a great song.
That song is... So much.
Just Chuck Mangione in general is kickback.
I do not enjoy when people make fun of Chuck Mangione.
There are people who make fun of Chuck Mangione.
Because he's a guy who got famous on playing the flugelhorn.
Was it the flugelhorn?
I think you're right.
Yeah.
And
so...
He made flugelhorn sexy.
Yeah,
he did Which they need it needed
it needed it needed a refresh.
Yes.
Oh, yeah If you were alive in the 80s and the late 70s,
oh,
yeah, this song was
everywhere a good song
So
Well, this song is playing in the background, Jane.
You obviously have a different idea of what a kickback song is.
So what for you is a kickback song?
There it is.
Oh, here it
is.
There's a sale on pants in
aisle seven.
No, I'm on my patio and I'm having a drink.
Fourth floor menswear.
Watching for my hummingbird.
What is your kickback song?
8-5-5-7-5-2-4-8-4-2.
I don't ballad very much.
Ah,
so your kickback song is a little more
rock.
It's a little more.
Yeah, it's it would be a little more feisty.
Yeah, like I imagine you kicking back to like Boston.
Oh, I'm kicking back to like the pointer sisters.
Oh, are you so excited that you
just can't hide it?
I am.
I am.
It looks like you're about to lose control.
And Jane, I think you like it.
I see what you did
there.
That's an interesting.
That's interesting, though, is our versions of what a kickback song is.
Because to me,
That song, just pointer sisters or non-ballad is what I'm listening to on the way to the thing.
On the way to the party.
To get myself up.
There's a song by LCD's sound system.
It's called Daft Punk is Playing in My House that I listened to before I do comedy shows because it's just like, it just gets you.
It's up and it's
driving.
Exactly.
That's so interesting.
Okay, so folks, are your kickback songs?
a relaxing ballad?
Is it something to pump you up and get you ready or be done?
I mean, I've never heard anyone kicking back with a upbeat song.
That's yeah, absolutely.
Caesar from Madison listening on W. A. U. K. The almond brothers.
Can't you see?
Oh, good song.
Excellent song.
Great song.
Tom from L. A. Games.
People play by the spinners.
If you skip the intro.
Oh.
Roger from Stevens Point loves theme by Love Unlimited Orchestra.
Oh
man.
That's a classic.
That's a great one.
Calvin, if you want to pull
any of these up, especially the
Love Unlimited Orchestra.
Yeah, that one right there.
I just, I think if
I think I'll look at it.
I can't make any promises right now, but if I can make it work, maybe we can even make a mat and air on air kickback playlist taking all the suggestions.
That's a great idea.
That's a great idea.
Steve from Milwaukee says Jack Johnson on and on.
All right.
Christy from Eau Claire, Fleetwood Mac rumors, secondhand news.
That whole album is fantastic.
Yes.
That is, I think that a whole album is just one hit song.
pretty much played the whole record
at one after another 8 5 5 7 5 2 4 8 4 2 what is your kickback song we are remembering sly from sly and the family stone who passed away yesterday at the 80 age of 82 got us talking just about music and what we listen to and kickback to as it were ollie from the north woods has been weaning good morning ollie thanks for your patience
hi well i have actually two
about Cocoa Mole or Margaritaville.
Oh, those are perfect.
Yeah.
Those are classics, Ollie.
Thank you so much.
Those are great.
I would put those on too.
I'm not going to, I hope Pat Kratlow is not hearing me because I'm not going to say those are yacht rock songs.
What kind
of are
they?
But I
would say, yeah, but I would say definitely songs you put into the boat mix.
You're getting on a boat.
Kokomo and Margaritaville are like...
It's
gotta
be
in the rotation.
Yeah, it's gotta
be in the rotation.
That's a good question for Pat.
Is Kokomo a yacht rock song?
Does it qualify?
Exactly.
Thank you, Ollie.
Really appreciate it.
You can join us as well.
855-752-48.
For two, what are your kickback songs?
Go ahead.
Tammy from Eau Claire bestill my heart listening on WCFW.
Jesus built my hot rod by ministry.
Calvin, can you just cue that one up and just bring it to like 20 seconds in?
I have never heard that song.
It is definitely it is it is more in the realm.
I will say of what you're talking about.
It's a song I would listen to to pump myself
a
little more upbeat because it is ministry and I know a lot of people aren't feeling ill with them, but there Yeah Yeah, just sitting on the porch
Now
this would make me really anxious.
Yeah, totally.
Thank you very much, Calvin.
But
I mean, I love
that.
Whatever
works
for
you.
Yeah, whatever gets you to kick back.
That's what I say.
Exactly.
Jesse in Dane County.
Listen, I'm WAUK, almost any Sturgill Simpson song.
Sturgill Simpson, in my opinion, is one of the great savers of country music nowadays.
He sounds, I don't want to say he sounds like the old days, but there is a definite tradition in his voice and his music that people really hook on
to.
All right.
Calvin,
what about?
Oh, sorry.
Oh,
yeah,
yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
Well, I'll suggest something from this century.
Oh, okay.
Fine resident young person.
Wow.
Take it away.
Well, I will pick Electric Feel by MGMT.
Okay.
It's almost become a meme because it's really popular, but here's what it sounds
like.
Oh, yes.
Oh, I could, I could kick back to
this.
This, you know what?
This song, Jane, Calvin and me, it fits all the criteria for all.
So, so Jane, it's a song that gets you bopping.
It's
a little upbeat.
I could listen to the song driving home because it's got, it's, the beat is slow enough where I'm like, I can relax.
And Calvin, it's from this century
as you put it.
I will, I was kidding.
I did enjoy and do enjoy most of the songs that were played.
Well, thank you, young man.
Would you like some?
A little fun at my young age.
Would you like a hard candy?
I kept
it in my pocket all day.
That's hilarious.
Todd from Oshkosh, listening on WISS.
Aventura Highway by America.
Oh my god, that song is amazing.
I love that.
And a classic.
It just always reminds me too of like California.
It feels like the song was written on a California street.
Kickback songs.
Mozart's music, best night driving music, Michael from Appleton, and we're just about out of time.
Ronnie from Horecon, any Van Morrison album any day.
Yeah, Van Morrison for sure.
Yeah, yeah.
I enjoy him.
It's hard to get past the whole anti-mask, anti-vax thing, but everyone has their opinion.
They all got their things.
Their music's still good.
And LA Tom also says anything from Karen Carpenter and Bred.
Oh.
Bread oh my 13 year old angst
oozing all over that album.
Listening to Karen Carpett in her bread while driving may cause drowsiness,
so we
do not suggest you listen
to those groups.
Thank you everybody for taking part.
Kickback music, Sly Stone, you will be well remembered and missed.
Sly Stone gone at the age of 82.
All right, TisBat coming up next.
Bad boys edition.
Stay with us.
This is Matt Nair on air on the Civic Media Radio Network.
Good morning and welcome back to Mattnare on Air, Jane Mattnare, Greg Bach, resident young person Calvin on the board coming to you live from her studio at Radio Park in Racine.
You can always join us, call or text the number is the same 855.
7524842 leave a comment and a live stream on Facebook YouTube and what used to be Twitter tomorrow is Friday so Dan Schaefer Civic Media's political editor and the founder of the multi award-winning recombobulation area gonna be here He had an op-ed out this week Causing some
kerfuffle
We got some kerfuffle about it, too.
We did.
There was
kerfuffling everywhere.
Yes, so he will join us tomorrow to talk about why he thinks Governor Evers should not run for a third term.
And many, many more things.
Also, just a reminder, after 11 o'clock, be listening for your keyword with Tom Hartman.
You want to text that in using the Civic Media app.
You have an hour to do that.
Then you're in the running for either $100 cash, a pair of Milwaukee Brewers club-level tickets, everyone who enters in the running for one of two grand prizes, a summer getaway to Doric County or a Baraboo with gas to get you there.
Hot cash and gas.
Hot cash and gas.
Hot cash and
gas.
Hot cash and gas.
Hot cash and gas.
That's so good.
Our statewide Scotty summer text to win contest.
Be listening for that keyword.
Coming up after 11 o'clock, then at two with Todd Alda, four with Becky Dawn.
Tomorrow, the last day of the contest, four shots in the seven, 11, two and four PM hours.
All right.
I can't enter, Lou.
No, none of us can enter.
We cannot play.
10.54, Calvin.
That means it's time for...
This shouldn't be a thing.
If you ever have a thing you think should not be, send it in to Greg and me at janesaysatcivicmedia.us j-a-n-e-s-a-y-s janesaysatcivicmedia.us This from the Associated Press.
No one claiming this byline.
It's probably Ben Hooper sure why I headline reads not so hot pursuit a burglary suspect Sees police cars chase tractor excavator at walking pace Police in South Carolina engaged in a not so hot pursuit as they chased a tractor excavator down a main highway for more than an hour
The chase reached speeds of three miles an hour.
Hey, Myrtle, get
out here.
It's a car chase.
Don't worry.
You can finish the dishes.
You're not going to miss it.
Officers on a different call say they actually saw the big piece of construction equipment go across the highway about 3.30 in the morning.
A few minutes later, they got a burglary call from a business.
So somebody went and stole this excavator and then drove away.
Several cars immediately joined in the very slow speed pursuit.
The excavator was going so slowly, the cruisers would have to briefly stop several times so they wouldn't pass it.
Don't pass him don't pass him don't pass.
Yeah, they had their blue lights and sirens on they told the excavator driver over loudspeakers He was under arrest and needed to pull over Other cruisers blocked traffic the chase went on for an hour and 12 minutes
Why did they even have to use like it like they could have just walked up to the thing
and said hey jumped on board
Steve
get out
Chase went on for an hour and 12 minutes before the excavator drove onto the local county fairgowns property where it got stuck.
The driver then tried to run.
He was followed by a drone until a police dog and handler finally caught up with him.
Wait, I'm sorry.
Okay.
We start off with a three mile an hour chase.
Cops are as Todd Albusay turned their cherries and berries on.
And then it goes high tech running the fugitive.
Yeah.
He's trying.
They could have jumped on board the excavator.
I would
just say, would just jump on board the excavator, open the door.
It's probably going to have a door.
And say you're under arrest.
Just stop.
This is embarrassing.
But somehow a higher speed foot chase ensues.
This is where it gets truly...
confusing, and honestly doesn't make the cops look that
good.
No, it doesn't.
Driver tried to run, was followed by a drone until a police dog and handler caught up.
The 53-year-old was charged with failure to stop for a blue light and two counts of malicious injury to property.
He is in the Charleston County Jail on a $22,000 bond according to jail
records.
There was no charge of theft.
Not in this.
Grand Theft Excavator.
That's
the next movie.
The list page is going to do
Grand
Theft Excavator.
Two-thirds are just going to be the chase.
Then diesel.
Exactly how it
went from start to finish.
That hour chase.
This is, this might be, this, this is all amazing.
I love this story.
Why did nobody take credit for this story, huh?
Calvin that rips up today's episode of.
This shouldn't be a
thing.
Oh, I like that one.
That's one of my new favorites.
Thank you, Greg.
I know.
It's a quick jump on board.
Get him.
Okay.
Thank you, Greg and Calvin and all of our engineers because without you, absolutely nothing works.
And thank you most of all for calling and for texting and for listening.
It means the world.
I hope you find some joy today.
And you have the chance to share it.
We got news coming up next, followed by Tom Hartman, 11 to two, Todd Alba, two to four, Maggie Dawn, four to six, Pete Schwabba, six to eight PM.
Keep it right here on the Civic Media Radio Network, and we'll see you tomorrow.
