Do we like the path we’re on? Yes! let’s keep moving FORWARD!

Hello, this is Attorney Mark Thompson. This is your Paul Revere show. Folks, Lieutenant Governor

Sara Rodriguez is with us today. Thanks so much again, Lieutenant Governor. You know, we're

talking about that we have new maps and that there is a hope in the air that we can have a purple

state actually look purple in Madison and you know, maybe get some legislation passed and you

know, there's surpluses sitting around that haven't been sent back to the people. I know you and

the governor wanted to get the money back out to the people, but we're tied up there. So one thing I

wanted to touch on before we jump back into the state issue. You know, we have so many farms and

family farms that rely on immigrant labor to milkhouse. And you know, we've had that we had this bill that

Democrats had in Congress and Biden was ready to sign it of the Senate would have passed it. I mean, Trump

killed it that really would have addressed immigration reform in a way that would have moved things

forward. As you go around the state, and especially in farm country where people rely on immigrants to

milk the cows, what what are what are you hearing out there? It's just not top of mind for them, right? So this

is not something that they put as number one on their list of why they're voting a certain way. It's

really about making sure that their rights are respected, making sure that they can take care of their

families financially, making sure that there are good access to either schools or broadband within the

area. And farmers understand that a lot of their labor comes from immigrant labor. And so they and

they know that these folks are hardworking people who keep these these farms afloat. And they don't see

them as the the awful rhetoric that we're hearing out of the Trump campaign. You also know as well, my

husband is an immigrant from Mexico. You know, it's personal for me when I hear this really vile, very violent

rhetoric coming out of the Trump campaign about immigrants. It is it's scary to me for my family. And it's

something that really shouldn't be tolerated within the political discourse.

Yeah, well, thank you for that. I mean, it's to me, it's always really, you know, a mystery how I mean,

I go by and I see some big Trump signs on farms. And I know that they're milking cows and I go,

you know, you wouldn't be milking any cows. If if Trump got elected and he had the army come in and

you know, arrest everybody that doesn't look white like me. I mean, you know, it's like

a very, very unhealthy. So here, what are young people saying as you go around the state?

Yeah. So it is it is interesting. So if you talk to younger folks, they are, you know, they are

politically active. And I know they don't vote in the same percentages that perhaps older folks

but they are really interested in making a difference within their community. Again, reproductive

rights. I said this before, this is top of mind for young people. It's something that is really

motivating them. The other, the other, the one that I hear a lot from, from individuals is the

environment that they're going to have to live in the world that we leave them. And they want to

make sure that we are taking care of our environment that these, you know, that these storms that you're

seeing in Florida that you're seeing in North Carolina, that's real to them. Climate change is

real to them. And so trying to make sure that we are addressing those issues is a top

priority for younger people as well. They're going to want to have families. They want to leave

their children in a place that's habitable. And we need to make sure that we're addressing

those concerns as well. You know, it seems to me that folks on our college campuses and we've,

I mean, you know, UW's got a lot of campuses. Do you see the level

ticking up there? Do you see people participating? We do. The last election we had, I would tell you

that many of our campuses has lines around the corner with students voting. We have really

fantastic organizers on each of the campuses trying to make sure that people know how to vote,

how to register to vote, how to make sure that their vote is counted. And we are seeing,

you know, record breaking of voting participation. We still want more. We want every single person to

use their voice. And we just need to make it easier for students to be able to vote. They shouldn't

have to wait hours in line to be able to vote. This is a right that we have. It is a right to vote

and it is responsibility of citizens of the state of Wisconsin and United States citizens. And so

we need to make sure that we are addressing any barriers there are to voting as well.

So as you go around the state, what are you telling folks they should be doing?

Well, I'm telling these to talk to their neighbors. Talk about how important this election is.

Make sure that they're having those difficult, difficult conversations. If they're interested

in volunteering, connect with their county party because we will put you on the doors and make

sure that you can knock on doors and talk to people, connect with candidates. You know, look at

what they have out there. What are their values? Do those values align with your own? What do you

want to see for the future? And so making sure that you are participating within this democracy

that it is very, very important that you vote in this election and every other election after this.

Not just the big ones, right? The big presidential ones, but I just talked about the state assembly.

That their state assembly folks are up every two years. They're not always on a presidential

election. We need to make sure we're voting for people who represent a tier in Wisconsin too.

You know, the you and Governor Evers are there and have been the protector of the public

in this gerrymandered time. Where should the focus be in terms of the assembly and the Senate?

If you're telling people where to get busy, where should they get busy?

So we are running candidates in 97 out of 99 assembly districts, right?

That's new, right? That's new. That's new. We have never done that before. And that is because

we have fair map right now. We have an opportunity to have our assembly and our Senate look purple.

And this should be something that Democrats and Republicans should be concerned about.

Because, and I say this all the time, when you have deep red and deep blue districts,

the only thing you're worried about is a primary from your right or your left. And there is a

disincentive to work across the aisle. Now that we're going to have purple districts,

there's going to be incentive to work across the aisle. We're going to be able to get stuff done.

Folks. So making sure that you are able to be able to do that, I think is going to be really exciting.

Thank you, Lieutenant Governor Sarah Rodriguez.

Register to vote vote and vote blue down the ballot folks.

November 5th, 2024. Let's go Wisconsin.

Thank you. Thank you.