Is A “Workhorse, Not A Show Horse” Enough In 2025? (Hour 1)

Live from the Civic Media World headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin, it's the Todd Alba show.

And now, pursuing truth wherever it may lead, here's your host, Todd Alba.

Across

Wisconsin on the Civic Media radio network.

And streaming worldwide on the Scenic Media app.

Good afternoon, everybody.

I'm Tom Allmott, along with Aaron Zommers, our fantastic producer and engineer.

It is six past the hour of 12 noon on this Wednesday, February 19th, 2025.

It is a great day to be a Wisconsinite, and

it

is hot day.

It's cold, but not too cold for a camel.

even the camel was able to get things up and get the engine started.

Across Wisconsin today, some school districts decided to wait another day to have classes or delayed classes by two hours out of concern for particularly young students while waiting to bus stops around the state.

It's supposed to warm up maybe into the 40s, and Mr. Zomers, I know you've run hot, but this is even a little cold for I bet you.

Yeah, it's a little bit chilly.

You

gotta crack out the hat and gloves, gotta have that nice windproof jacket.

That's right.

So be careful out there.

If you're driving yet today, temperatures will begin to warm, but many cold weather warnings across the state of Wisconsin.

As we said,

it's

going to warm up tomorrow.

We're going to get on the road.

It's getaway day for us as we're going to head up after the show to beautiful Hayward, Wisconsin, home of WBZH Buzz of the North.

We'll be broadcasting in Xamers.

This is my old broadcasting partner, Kevin O'Connor used to say, this has great potential.

and great potential for disaster.

It could go either way.

We are going to attempt a broadcast from outside in downtown Hayward tomorrow at the site of the 51st annual American Burkabiner.

So we'll be up there tomorrow, stop by and say hi in downtown Hayward.

We'll also be at our studios doing the show on Friday as well.

So should be a good time, hand by all.

Right now.

I think

you gotta follow Trig V. Olsen's lead and get a heated jacket, maybe a heated

hat too.

I'm gonna ask him.

where he found his because you're 100% right about that.

Lots to get to today.

In the news, we have a DPI Department of Public Instruction race set between a conservative and a progressive.

We'll talk about that for the results of the election last night.

And what influence will Elon Musk's money have on that race?

He's already pledged almost a million dollars in dark money for the state Supreme Court race.

We'll talk a little bit about that.

Speaking of dark, President Trump now saying that it is President Zelensky of Ukraine, who's the dictator and the aggressor after Russia was the one that unprovoked attacked Ukraine.

What that means for American international relations.

Trig V. Olsen, of course, has spent time promoting him and helping democracy in Eastern Europe.

We'll talk about that.

But we're going to start where Zomers and I left off last night.

What?

a little over 11 hours ago here at the same studio after Governor Tony Evers.

gave his budget address, his biennial budget address.

Not only that, it only happens every two years.

But Tony Evers was there to give the budget address.

And before I bring on, Pat Crichtlow, host of Up North News Radio, a former news anchor at WEAU in beautiful Eau Claire, also a former Democratic state senator representing the beautiful Chippewa Valley and Trigvielson Senior Advisor at Lincoln Project.

Let me set the stage and then I'll tell, we'll have Crichtlow tell me why I'm wrong.

Let me set the stage.

I've never written a budget address, but I've attended a lot as a longtime state senate staffer.

I wrote a lot of speeches for my former boss, Dale Schultz, when he was the senate majority leader.

Here's what happens when you do an off year, when you don't have a state budget due, your state of the state is kind of addressed is a combination between cheerleading for the state.

And then you pick one, two, no more than three things to say, hey, I want the legislature to do this with me before you adjourn and go campaign.

On years like this, where there's a budget up, your state of the state is largely a cheerleading event.

You have all kinds of people from across the state.

You tell people how great the state is, and then you identify two or three stories, and you say, come on back in a month, and we're gonna tell you how you get it done.

Then you have, what you had last night, your budget address where you lay out highlights, not a accountant litany of numbers, but a few highlights because what you're doing is you're trying to lobby, literally lobbyists, legislators, and the general Wisconsin public to get on board with your ideas.

I've said this before, I'll say it again, and this is a serious offer.

I would go and help the Evers campaign, the Evers not campaign office write speeches.

I don't know who's in charge over there.

I don't know if it's Brick Cutterback, their communication people over there.

That was one of the worst God awful speeches a politician, a politician has ever delivered in my years of watching political speeches.

It was rambling.

The governor seemed annoyed to be there.

I think he'd rather gone and watch the Badger basketball game where he has season tickets.

God love him for that.

There were no stories.

There was no narrative.

There was some meat in there.

We're going to talk about that.

But Pat Crightlow, I was deeply disappointed.

Somebody stayed up past their bedtime last night.

I did, actually.

Somebody, boy, make you work a little late into the night on a speech.

You got to take it out on the guy giving the

speech.

Well, come on.

I mean, I know you're a Democrat.

There are lots of good things that he put in there of substance.

But come on, be on his pad.

That was a terrible, he gave a terrible speech.

Who do you think he was speaking to?

I

don't know.

That's the point.

That's the point.

I don't know.

Do you think he thought for a moment

that somebody on the other side of the aisle would stand and applaud and say, you are absolutely right, governor.

After all these years of resisting, your words have convinced me and I am going to cross the aisle right now and join your democratic breath.

No, he wasn't talking to them.

He

was agreed to

them.

Yeah, I thought you should be talking to the Wisconsin people of Wisconsin and you've seen Tommy Thompson do it.

You've seen Jim Doyle do it.

People of

Wisconsin are tuning in for a budget address.

No, but it's the budget.

He

could

he talks it is the ultimate insider game.

It's it is the ultimate inside baseball.

The only nerd nicks watching it are people like you and me who have worked in the building or have covered the building or have any idea what you know, the policy process is of passing a budget.

And when you're talking to them, you are not in persuasion mode.

All right, you're looking like the fighter that you are for your particular flag, for your particular party, for your particular cause, and you are unapologetic about it because you know darn well that to show, to show any kind of conciliatory view in the opening of a budget negotiation is weakness.

You negotiate later.

This is where you're laying out your starting grid for the race.

I lost

track of how many times Governor Evers used this phrase last night.

The legislature should approve my plan, I feel in the blank.

Kids will perform better.

The legislature should approve my plan, my plan, my plan.

And some of the plan actually was good.

Much of it was good.

But you know what Tommy Thompson, Jim Doyle used to do?

Here's what he could have done on that.

He could have said, you know what, Speaker Voss, turn around and look at him.

I know he don't agree on it a lot.

But you know what?

I bet we could agree on this.

Didn't you graduate sixth grade from, you know, whatever, whatever, high school or elementary school in Burlington?

They do a great job.

Don't they have a speaker voice?

How many votes did they get together?

But you're signaling to the people of Wisconsin that you're not the jerk.

You're trying to reach across the aisle.

It's not the people

of Wisconsin.

It's you're

talking to your own

team going, here's what we're going to push for.

And these lazy bums are not coming along.

Alright, let's bring an arbitrator.

Trig V. Olson,

what say you?

Pass.

Keep going.

This is why he gets to travel around the world giving advice.

Right.

And I sit here and chip

real fast.

His literal motto is, if you've got a problem, I got a plane to

catch.

You are a genius.

I'm kind of in the middle, although, you know, so I read the clips of the speech.

I did not watch it to Pat's point,

which I think is fair, I don't think.

Most

people were watching it

and know if that's not, I

wasn't listening to the coverage.

That being said I do think he could have done a little bit better based on what I read with the theatrics and the building the broader narrative that I'm the one who's trying to fight for all people here and there are things we can agree on because it would have put the other side in that inside baseball game a little bit on the defensive.

The strategy should have been how do I divide and conquer Voss's

caucus which is not monolithic.

It's mostly but not entirely.

Which is exactly what the governor did when talking for example about extending Medicaid coverage to new moms for one year and he purposefully singled out Robin Voss not by name but said this is a bill that has more than 90 votes in this chamber and yet one guy is not letting it get passed.

And and people

should have been he I mean some of the Tony evers, right?

He's not Tommy Thompson or Jim Doyle Oh Tommy or Doyle would have literally gone at Robin or would have cited some Republican friends who I share this with and and Amped it up.

I would have oh, yeah, I would read up.

I would read out if you want to run for governor Pat.

I'm all I'm all in

until you've got a problem, then I'm going to have a

plane to catch.

See, he's reliable that way.

No, I'm just kidding.

I'll be there.

I'll be there till the pontoon boat goes down in Lake Wissota.

But, uh, but, uh, um, the, um, yeah, I just, you know, I

I don't, it was less the substance than the style, but I'm not sure that you can change that.

Tony Evers is who he is.

Right.

Here's my point.

You're right.

Tony Evers is not a dynamic speaker.

He never will be.

But the people writing that speech for him could have at least put the words in there.

So if people read it, well, you know, he didn't deliver it that great, but it was there.

They attempted to do it.

No

taxes on tips, no sales taxes on over-the-counter medications, middle-class tax cut, all those things that regular people want to hear are

in there.

Here's a question, Pat.

Tony Evers is 73 years old.

He'll be 75 years old when his next term is up.

Do Democrats in this state really want an old, white, 75-year-old guy who can't give speeches as their nominee for governor in two years?

Well, now we're back to that parlor game with Joe Biden.

Are you voting

for the person?

Are you voting for the person or are you voting for the figurehead?

Meaning it doesn't matter if he can't run 100 meter hurdles.

Does he still have the values that voters want and is he willing to push for them and not cave?

And the one thing that you know, Tony Evers can't necessarily be accused of is caving to Republicans.

There have been one or two times people have disagreed with his approach to getting a bill passed, but he's never had to veto a budget.

and then force state government to run on last year's budget for an extended period of time.

So he's always been forward active on the budget.

And that's something that makes him, you know, not a stubborn, you know, far left or far right governor, makes him a practical man who's getting things done.

All right, we're going to move on to the actual substance here.

A couple of cuts from last night's address by Governor Tony Evers.

It was National Wine Day yesterday, and I missed that, so I feel bad about that.

No, apparently we're catching it right here, pal.

Come on back.

It's quite low.

It's Olsen.

All ball and somers.

Pacific Media.

Ready Network.

Welcome back.

Your dreams were your ticket, I. Welcome back to that same old place that you laughed about.

Well,

the night's

all about you.

Lake Wissoda

is the kind of place where you come home after being in the Bahamas, and it snowed eight inches, and your neighbors did not shovel you a driveway because they're bitter that you went someplace nice.

Oh, this took a turn.

Welcome back to this show.

The host of Updorton News Radio every morning from 6 until 8, right here on the Civic Media Radio Network.

Pat Crichtlow, you were gone for a while.

You had a wonderful time down

south.

I spent a wonderful week in the Dominican Republic

on

beach with...

hardly any intrusion by news or real life or anything.

It was the perfect quiet way to recharge the batteries.

And I could not be more grateful to you for filling in for part of that along with Dr. Lirely and Greg Bach.

I enjoyed having the week off so much.

I'm doing it again next week.

Not by not by choice, just through weird coincidental scheduling that next week there is a courier newsroom event that I'll be attending.

So yeah, I'm I'm working an entire week this week, Todd.

And then I got I got to take another week off.

I'm sorry.

There's so many things I could say, but I'll just get

so

tired.

I can't.

I don't believe he's bagging on Chippewa Falls.

And honestly, like,

they're

arrival over her falls?

Give up falses in that kind of place.

We don't even like those dry high people if you're from River Falls.

I was joking around because, you know, Tommy used to say, oh, Wisconsin's a kind of place where you go away for a vacation.

You come home and your neighbor mowed your yard.

They come out with a bag of cheese curds of one hand and a six pack of Miller light the other and say, welcome home, friend.

And Crichtlow posted a picture that they got home and their driveway was full of snow and he had to motor through into the garage.

Which I, I, I quit.

correctly corrected the record that our neighbor who would have done it, we expressly told him not to, because he had just had hip surgery.

Oh lord, poor guy.

Do not,

do not

help us, we'll be fine.

So now I'm the one with, for, I'm now on day four of a really sore lower back, but at some point I'll need the surgery and you know, somebody else will take care of me.

I'm glad you were on TV when I was in college.

Was that a CBS midi series young and limber?

He got onto the stage and gave a biennial budget address last night.

Here's something I thought hit home talking about extending badger care for a postpartum of women.

Here's Governor Evers from last night's biennial budget

address.

In the year of the kid, let's finally do what's best for our moms and babies.

Let's extend postpartum coverage for pregnant women on badger care up to one year after giving birth.

Wisconsin and Arkansas are the only two states in America that haven't done this.

I mean, nothing against Arkansas, but come on, folks.

I have proposals in every budget.

I've been introduced as governor.

There's also a bipartisan bill to get it done that almost 90 legislators support.

One legislator should not be able to single-handedly obstruct the bill that's supported by a super much.

And that was what you referenced.

See

now at that point you know that's when in this day and age you would half expect Speaker Voss who was sitting directly behind him

to basically start picking a fight with them right there.

And, you know, because we're in that era of who is that guy's name, Joe Wilson, who, who yelled you lie at President

Obama during the

State of the Union.

We're, we're in that era now where I half expected Robin Vos to just.

interrupt him and go well I just think all Medicaid is welfare and then try to make Tony Evers you know look like Joe Biden on the debate stage.

I don't think we're far away from that unfortunately in this American political world but at least at this point a governor can still make a speech and take a shot at the speaker and the speaker she's got to sit there and take it because it's not his turn to give the speech.

Instead he was sitting behind Evers looking like he just ate a banana and drank a bunch of Sprite and it was starting to bubble up.

That's

a

new

one.

Boss was making a lot of faces on that.

He

should have turned to Robin and said Robin.

let's find something that works for the people of the state of Wisconsin.

No, because then

you invite them to yap back and it just gets,

it turns into Jerry Springer after that.

I don't think he's going to yap

back.

All right, here's Governor Evers proposing lots of tax cuts last night in the speech.

Here is one of them on property taxes, Governor Evers.

Wisconsinites wouldn't have to raise their own property taxes to keep school lights on and doors open if this Legislature invested in K through 12 education from the get-go and the budget I'm announcing tonight proves we can both make the investments in our kids that we need to and hold the line on prop prevent property taxes from going up All told

Our pro-kid budget will do its best for our kids by providing more than $3.15 billion.

All of it is spendable revenue for schools across Wisconsin.

And we're going to make those investments while holding the line in property taxes to ensure the average homeowner will not see a property tax increase.

My budget would create a new incentive for local governments to freeze their local property taxes.

If local governments agree not to raise local property taxes, they'll get a direct payment from the state.

This will ensure local partners can still afford to pay for basic and unique local needs alike without property taxes going up.

All right, Pat Crightlough.

I asked former Republican State Senator Rob Coles last night, current Democratic State Senator, Kelder Royce, Lieutenant Governor Sarah Rodriguez.

Can you talk to my former boss?

Nobody could give me an answer.

What does he mean by this?

If locals don't increase their property taxes, the state will pay for their needs.

Where does that money come from and who's the arbitrator that decides who gets the

money?

Here's, here's, well, take, let's go back a step here.

I'll try to be quick.

I know you're running short on time, but by Republicans short changing public schools for 16 years now, it means that property taxpayers have had to increase their own property taxes to make up the difference when it should be the legislature funding it through state taxes, which are, which comes through the income tax, which is the more progressive tax.

And so what Evers is saying is this is a backdoor way to get back to that, to say if you don't raise the property taxes locally, we'll backfill it with state funding, which is coming from a fairer, progressive pot.

And that way the Republicans don't have to, he's basically helping the Republicans say face, saying, oh, we like tax freezes.

Yes, we'll go along with that.

No, they won't really, but they'll

they'll do that better than actually making up for 16 years of shortfalls.

So it's, it's kind of a gimmick, but it's kind of one that would get the system back to where it should be and saves Republicans if, if they would choose to go along with it.

Best

explanation I've heard so far.

Don't quite get it, but great explanation.

Always appreciate you, Pat.

Thank you very much.

Pat Kratlow every morning, six to eight of Up North Use Radio.

Come on back.

Trivia Olsen and I, your phone calls as well right here on the Civic Media

Radio

Network.

Lake Gichagumi in Lake Superior.

We're not gonna be not too far from there tomorrow in Hayward, Wisconsin, all the way to the frozen shores of Lake Michigan off of Milwaukee to Green Bay.

the Mississippi River and everywhere in between.

Welcome back everybody.

34 minutes down past the hour of 12 o'clock.

Todd Albaugh along with engineer, producer Aaron Zommerz and per usual on a Wednesday.

He is a River Falls boy, a native of Wisconsin, a mean hockey player and like myself, a former Republican and now a senior advisor at the Lincoln Project.

Trigvielson joins us from his home in our nation's capital.

Many thanks to Pat Crichtlow for coming on today as per usual.

We always appreciate him as well.

Well, talking a little bit, we're gonna wrap this up and then move on to Ukraine.

But I wanted just to kind of put a point on this, Governor Evers' biennial budget address last night.

Look, he had some good substance in there.

I'm not begrudging him that at all.

But I guess I get so hung up on it because there are not a lot of things that I feel I do particularly well.

or have experience in, speech writing happens to be one of them.

And I guess it angers me because I've been in meetings with Governor Evers back when he was the DPI secretary with my boss, and he's a lovely person.

He's a sincere person.

He's a serious person.

And he can actually be pretty funny in private.

I just don't feel the people around him are serving him well and representing him across the state.

The way I see it, the biggest issue

is that whoever is doing his speech writing and preparing him for these things, even if he's not that great a speaker, they're not preparing him for the moment we live in today where politics are reality TV.

It does not matter if you have good substance in your speech.

It matters if you make a good TikTok out of it.

That's a great point, Zomers.

And one of our callers on the line says speech is also to create bites for radio and other media.

Evers just seems to be getting tired of the job.

So to your point, Somers, you're right.

People can say, well, that doesn't make sense.

Well, it doesn't, but that's the reality of the media that we live in today.

855-752-4842, 855-752-4842.

Let's go out to beautiful Los Angeles and LA Tom.

LA, I know you're a Wisconsin native yourself, but boy, the weather I'm sure is nicer out here.

It is frigid in Wisconsin.

Yeah, it's been 75 years today.

Good for you.

What do you got?

Yeah.

All right.

So, honestly, I thought Tony's speech was brilliant.

I felt like he's someone that understands the average person in Wisconsin.

I

thought he took away the whole idea of tax cuts from the Republicans.

I thought that if Tony were anything different than what Tony is, which is just a dull kind of person,

it wouldn't work with him being anything different.

He is very, very dull.

And I think that that's one way that the right wing really can't go after him because he doesn't really bring about excitement either way.

And I think that that's one of the reasons why he's been successful, especially when you had such a zealot like Scott Walker, that the Wisconsin people just

kind

of got

I think tired of the whole, you know, what do you call partisan politics?

And I think Tony just kind of is someone that gets Wisconsin.

He's a grandpa.

He understands education.

He is someone that, you know, cares about his wife.

He's someone that is just kind of a good man, I think.

And I think that's a lot of people look at him as.

No, I don't think you get no argument.

He's not a fire breather.

He's not a fire breather.

And I appreciate that, Antonio.

I mean, Zomers, keep me honest.

I think I complimented his speech in the last month of the State of the State.

I said, you know what?

For him, that was a pretty good speech.

And so, like, he has the ability to do that.

I guess as I listen to you, L.A.,

I think thanks for the therapy on the radio live.

I think part of the reason I'm so ticked off today is because I want a Democrat to be a leader.

I want to be inspired.

What's happening in DC right now, I'm looking for somebody to say, yes, that's my person that I can get behind.

And while he's everything that you said, kind, nice, authentic, all those things, it's just not inspiring.

And I guess maybe I'm too much of a whatever.

Maybe that's too much to ask, but I appreciate your call, LA.

Thank you so much.

A-5-5-7-5-2-4-8-4-2, Trigvie?

I mean, no one's going to dispute that Tony Evers is a nice guy.

Like, he's the guy you want as your high school social studies teacher.

He's the guy you want as your neighbor.

I mean, I make the point on this show all the time if I could.

move back to Wisconsin and had Tony Evers as my neighbor on the left and Robin as my neighbor on the right.

I'd be in pretty good stead in terms of my neighbors, not maybe so much in terms of them getting along politically.

But the bottom line is, you know, I've said this before, like I'm less, and I think most people in Wisconsin, what they're really looking for is a cheerleader for the state, somebody who's, and

Tommy Thompson was that Jim Doyle was that in a different way It doesn't mean that you can't be that and somebody that's gonna fight for for the things that make Wisconsin great And I I don't think people in Wisconsin I think people do in Wisconsin due to a degree get how special Wisconsin is but I don't think they fully get that and things like public education the University of Wisconsin system They're the hubs of our communities

We're good people who want to help their neighbors whether they're MAGA or they're on the far left and He needs to take that challenge straight at the people that are obstructing those core things conservation.

Yeah, we didn't get to the War Knolls Defend they want

somebody

who's a cheerleader and a defender of our way of life

Right and the governor to his credit proposed extending the Knowles Nelson stewardship fund and we're hearing now that Republicans want to do away with that.

I mean, I mean what what?

Take it take it straight to them.

Right.

Agreed.

All right.

Our phones are lit up.

We got to go quickly 855-752-4842 855-752-4842.

Let's go to Chippewa Valley.

Gene in Eau Claire listening to WCF WG and always a pleasure.

What's a you?

Hi guys, great show as usual, but I have to say that I love this governor and I've watched lots of governors.

He's a work horse, not

a

show horse, and it's up to the people and it's up to people who represent us to be speaking about speaking out instead of just their governor because he is working.

He's been, I've never seen a governor outside the state very often.

Boy, he's been over here filling pot holes, doing lots of work.

meeting with teachers, meeting with other people to meet with small business.

I mean, the guy is great.

What you see is what you get, and that's a guy who cares about the people.

So I'm a big mouth.

But I appreciate his quiet, serene, a big step.

So thank you very

much, you guys.

Have a good day, okay?

Appreciate you, Jean, as always.

You make it great.

Thanks, Jean.

Thank you, Jean.

She makes a great point.

Evers has been.

I mean, he does get out there to his credit.

And no, I think that's a great point.

Let's go quickly to Rob in Port Edwards, 855-752-4842.

Rob in Port Edwards, thanks for calling.

And Rob, what's up?

Thank you gentlemen, and I would mimic the young lady that called in from Chippewa Truthfully this gentleman does get it done, but in a different demeanor He's not a gaslighter is not a hooter and a hollerer But it doesn't mean that people aren't actually listening and following what he's doing and saying and more of the doing part than the same part he's a man of action and

And it's a breath of fresh air with all due respect to Tommy Thompson and Jim Doyle and Mr. Walker.

This guy's getting things done for the state or certainly showing, stand up showing that he's trying to.

So yeah, don't.

Speeches are one thing actions are an entirely different thing and I'll take it.

I'll take the actions any day Give a good

day gentlemen appreciate it Rob.

Thank you.

Great call.

Yeah, thanks 855-752-4842 855-752-4842 also text us on the Civic Media app You can download it at your Apple or Android device for free Kimber listening on WRCE and Richland Center living in the beautiful town of Muscatty the morale must room capital of the world Kimber in Muscatty says sad when being

exciting is considered for voters voting, but nonetheless, I agree with you both.

Also, we have Rob in Richland Center, on WRC East as I agree with L.A.

Tom, and Gene in Eau Claire.

Well, there you go.

And maybe Trig V, that's one of the reasons that Tony Evers continues to have the only major figure in Wisconsin, political figure that has a positive likability rating.

Maybe people, maybe in this era of sensationalism, maybe it's your nice grandpa who plays Yooker with you.

Maybe that's what people want in Wisconsin.

Maybe that's why he has been re-elected twice.

I can't, at the end of the day, it's about winning, baby.

But the reality is, I think he... No one's disputing.

He's a nice guy.

No one's disputing that he works hard.

I just think that he...

he could be more aggressive in dividing and conquering those, because there are, you know, 90 people, including Republicans on that issue of expanding Medicaid, right,

like

VagraCare, that are on his side.

So divide and conquer.

I think it's, you know, it's...

It's not tactical, but there's an element of the strategic politics that Tony Evers could do a better job of.

And I think that's where you and Pat agree, but disagree.

A quarter of a quarter till the hour, Trigby Olson, Senior Advisor at Lincoln Project joins me.

Let's turn the page, Trigby.

Go to some international issues now.

But as you always point out, they come to roost here at home.

Yesterday, President Donald Trump is talking, and now,

And you keep me honest on this because you're the only person you're the only person that I know who's been banned from Russia by Putin himself But it would appear that Trump is literally using Russian Kremlin propaganda talking points and now blaming the president of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky and Ukrainians for starting this war when we know factually it was Russia who was the aggressor unprovoked

who attacked Ukraine and Trump sending out misinformation yesterday on his true social and ex-Twitter saying that Zelensky has suspended elections as an unelected person with an all-time popularity rating of 4% in his country, which is factually wrong, incorrect, a lie.

Last credible polling in Ukraine had Zelensky at 52% popularity, which is actually higher than Trump.

Yeah, I mean, I don't know what to say about it I'm old enough to remember when when we had people like Reagan and George HW Bush and George Bush who Understood that you have to meet aggression with strength There is no doubt the Russians invaded Ukraine Ukraine Ukraine did not attack Russia I just think I don't understand it other than

Think about the things that Donald Trump has been talking about.

If he decides to send the 101st Airborne to Greenland, is that going to be the Danish attacked us and we had to invade Greenland?

I just think it's a worldview that is incredibly dangerous.

There is an element of this that is not dissimilar to what we had in 38 with Neville Chamberlain and appeasing

You know, Hitler and what that led to in Europe, the Europeans are panicked about it and justifiably so.

And this will have repercussions eventually for people in the United States.

It just will.

I'd be interested

to hear.

It's

sad.

It just, it makes me sad.

We're, it's not the kind of thing that it is.

It is literally the antithesis of the world that the greatest generation built and handed off to us.

And quite frankly, those of us who are Gen X, those of us, those who are baby boomers really should take a hard look at what kind of world we're leaving for our kids because it's not the world that we inherited from the greatest generation and we should all collectively.

Feel a sense of guilt and remorse for what we're doing and we're not leaving we're not leaving the country or the world

I'd be interested to hear what our listeners think of this just in terms of Ukraine and the sovereign people who were attacked by Putin somebody who is a War criminal he can't even travel the world there's a reason they're having these meetings in Saudi Arabia Because if he lands in most places in the world he'd be arrested

for his war crimes against Ukraine.

And yet, the president of the United States is going to fly to Saudi Arabia to have a dialogue with this guy.

855-752-4842.

855-752-4842.

We'll take your phone calls when we come back.

Trigby Olsen, Todd Albaugh, Aaron Zommer, this is the Albaugh Show on the Civic Media Radio Network.

Show the civic media ready network nine before the hour of one o'clock 99 love balloons somers will be dial up there.

That was the German version,

right?

Yeah, the German version.

Yep.

He said it 99 look belongs

Very good.

We got the 80s back, baby.

He's alive right here on the all ball show coming up an hour to little what's worse for you today's edition have you do with

Pet peeves around the house now, maybe trade we shouldn't stick around because I bet you his lovely intelligent wife or his daughters have complained about one of these two things about him before

probably

but what are

they?

Should we tell you now?

Why don't

we tell yeah?

What's worse leaving lights on or leaving the dishes in the sink?

Oh, I thought it was gonna be about toilets

Not dishes in the sink.

Okay,

would I get

more often?

Yeah.

All right We'll have more of that after the one o'clock hour was worse coming up at hour number two tomorrow We're going to be live from Hayward at the American Birk & Biner looking forward to having Trivials and fly out and join us outside for two hours and 10 degree weather

It's part of what makes Wisconsin great,

Trigby.

Dick's Sporting Goods, Todd.

Is that where you got your heated vest?

Electric gear.

All right,

I got to go.

Amazon, but you can

go to Dick's Sporting

Goods.

All right, maybe Farmer Fleet here in town.

I'll check that out.

I'm sure you can go to

Cabela's, Cabela's, like any of those places.

We'll talk more about Todd's clothing in

a minute.

Isn't

there a big Cabela's just outside of Madison?

Yeah, it's in

Sun Prairie.

Yeah, right.

Maybe I'll go

there.

They

got plenty of heated gear Come deer hunting season two

exactly talking about what's happening in Ukraine right now President Trump now blaming

Ukraine for the conflict that is patently false.

It is a lie.

We know that Russia that is completely unprovoked launched the attack three years ago.

And now Trump is icing Vladimir Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, out so far of negotiations to end the war.

that Ukraine had nothing to do in starting.

Where are your thoughts on this?

855-752-4842.

Let's go to the phone lines.

Tom calling in from beautiful Florida.

What is it today with all these people calling from warm locations?

I love it though.

Tom, hope you're staying warm down there.

What's up?

Well, Trump and Putin are meeting in secret to carve up Ukraine, but leaks are already emerging.

reliable sources say that Trump is conceding everything to Putin except what matters most.

The country's new name will be Trump Crane.

Trump Crane.

What a beautiful name.

No one else has any name like

it.

He reportedly considered changing Ukraine to Ukraine, but then he realized that Trump Crane has a beautiful ring to it.

And it's appropriate that he gives Trump Crane's rare earth minerals to his

billionaire buddies.

That's pretty good, Tom.

That's pretty, yeah, I mean, that's the way to get, just placate him, right?

If they would just give him, you know, make it all about him, he'd be more likely to be on their side.

That's good stuff.

Appreciate it.

855-752-4842.

Let's go to Mark, listening to Prayer to Sack.

Mark, thanks for calling.

Let's see.

all that's great for me but i mean it is just ridiculous what's going on to trump talk about this for ukraine it's just a complete lie on and unless fox news and the rest of the concert concert immediate call it call out for what it is it is just a complete lie i mean that you probably trumpified getting revenge because they didn't you know that uh... zolensky didn't help uh... trump out and then find a syrupy fake investigation of joe biden and his son in ukraine about that that's what he's still probably

gall the ball and for Donald, Donald Trump is just, uh, he's more or less sold us out.

I mean, I can remember, you know, Ronald Reagan is just, he's probably spun out of his grave by this point in time.

I mean, I thought it was unhelpful to continue to call the Russia, the evil, the USSR, the evil empire, even though they were, I didn't know if that was particularly helpful, but I mean, it is just discussing that Donald Trump and the Republicans are not calling him out on this.

How these people can sleep at night doing this kind of thing is just,

It's beyond me.

It's, you know, Marco Rubio should know better.

All the Republicans should know better.

He does know better.

That's the thing.

They

do know.

That's the piece.

They do know better.

And when the door is closed, they're saying as much.

That's the part that's most disheartening about it.

And they have to grow a set.

I mean, the fact that all our Republican legislatures in the State House and in Washington aren't calling this out for what it is that just a lie is just

It shows the moral cowardice that these people have.

Just a complete subservience to Donald Trump and to the lie.

I mean, it is just pure and simple a lie.

I mean,

thanks, Mark.

Appreciate the call.

Thank you so much.

Trigby, before we let you go, I want to get your quick take on this DPI race, Department of Public Instruction Race.

It was Dr.

Uh, Jill Underly for the Democrats coming through last night and Brittany Kinzer, the Republican back candidate, uh, Robin Voss, the Republican party.

Shimming have put a lot of money, a third party money into Kinzer.

Uh, she came through last night.

We had a story yesterday from Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Elon Musk backed group now putting in nearly a million dollars in two weeks for TV airtime in Wisconsin for the Supreme Court race Do you think that the race for Supreme Court is directly tied?

I just don't see this be a split vote.

I think a shimmer wins I think Kinzer the Republican for DPI wins

Yeah, a hundred percent.

I mean this Supreme Court race will drive the will drive the DPI race.

That's that's

Solid.

Can I just circle back, though, on one

thing

as it relates to Trump, Ukraine, and what context people need to put it

in?

So there's going to be

a hockey game.

There's a hockey game tomorrow night between Canada and the US.

Everywhere up in Canada, when they were playing the game, the US was being booed by our neighbors, by the Canadians, because

of

what is being said.

Imagine how you would feel if your neighbor were constantly saying, I'm taking your backyard.

Like, even if they weren't serious, you would find that very serious.

That's what's happening around the world.

We are going to have no friends.

Period.

That is so well put.

And that

matters.

Yeah, it absolutely matters.

So well put, Trevi, as you always do.

Appreciate it, my friend.

Stay safe, stay warm.

We'll talk to you next Wednesday.

Trevi Olsen, Senior Advisor at Lincoln Project.

Come on back, Little What's Worse, Household Shores, and more on this autonomous show.

Live from the Civic Media World Headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin, it's the Todd Alba Show.

And now, pursuing truth wherever it may lead, here's your host, Todd Alba.

Across Wisconsin on the Civic Media Radio Network.

and streaming worldwide on the Civic Media app.

Good afternoon, everybody.

I'm Tom Allvall, along with our producer and engineer, the fantastic Mr. Aaron Zommers on the board.

It is six past the hour of one o'clock.

Welcome into hour number two of the big program here in downtown Madison.

It is Wednesday, February 19th, 2025.

It is a great day to be Wisconsinite, and it is... Pump Day!

That's right.

A cold camel.

Now, does a cold camel give you camel ice cream?

I thought cold camel was a menthol.

Oh, that could be true too.

I'm gonna need something to keep me warm.

Heading out right after the show today, getting on the road.

Love doing this.

We continue looking and finding out what makes Wisconsin great.

One of those things is the classic ski race, the American Birkenbeiner, cross-country ski race, being held up at a beautiful Hayward once again.

And we are going to be there tomorrow broadcasting live from downtown Hayward.

We are going to attempt to do this outside.

So tune in.

If nothing else, it'll be entertaining.

So I'm putting on my Baxter State Parka.

I may have to find a heated vest or something.

Anyway, it's gonna be a lot of fun.

We have people lined up local folks are gonna stop by have some great sponsors as well So I'm looking forward to being in downtown Hayward tomorrow for the Birkenbeiner We're also gonna be there on Friday Do the show from there on Friday at the studios in downtown Hayward at WBZH the buzz of the north

I feel like my biggest concern if I were in your position would be my mouth because for me when it's really cold my face like I feel

the flesh around my mouth and my chin starts to freeze up and it gets harder to talk.

Really?

Yeah.

I guess because I'll be talking most of the show, obviously.

So I worry less

about that.

My toes.

I worry

about my toes.

Gotta get some toe warmers.

Anyway, those are first world problems for Todd.

Big hour this hour.

We're gonna be discussing a little bit of the lighter stuff.

You said we weren't me at my me by Packer.

I for those watching the stream, I have a Packers quarter zip on today.

Why?

And our friend, Tony Loreno, brought this up.

I said, I'm going to steal this.

The age old question, why is it in Wisconsin when it gets cold?

We put our Packers gear on.

So if we have Packer stuff, you know, they put the Packer stocking cap.

And anyway, we'll we'll discuss that

a little

bit.

And also we have a what's worse for you today, dealing with household chores.

Household chores, that'll be a lot of fun as well.

And give you a little quiz question on foreign aid.

See what you know about that?

Wanna wrap up the topic we were finishing up with Trig V. Olsen on last hour.

And then this made a lot of news overnight.

President Donald Trump negotiating.

meeting with Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, they're gonna meet in Saudi Arabia.

One of the reasons they have to meet there is because there's a warrant out for Putin's arrest for international war crimes, for the slaughtering that he has committed of human lives.

And they're meeting to negotiate the end of the Ukrainian war, which, A, was not started by Ukraine, but rather by Russia,

And B, as of yesterday, Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, said he has not been directly involved in these talks.

Now, pretty hard to bring both sides together without having both sides there.

Trump is now, and I know this is an overused term, literally, but is literally, in other words, taking talking points that the Kremlin has put out on Ukraine and spreading those lies and disinformation as truth

out of the mouth of the president of the United States.

855-752-4842.

855-752-4842.

If you'd like to check in with it, one of our longtime listeners, we always appreciate it when she checks in.

Joe, listing on WMDX in Madison.

Joe, thanks for calling in.

What do you want to say on the situation with Ukraine?

Thanks, Todd.

This is a really important issue, and I appreciate the time you spent on this.

I don't know if you've had Matt swim on recently, but I'd love to hear what his responses are.

We're going to work on that.

Yeah,

agree with you.

Yeah, yeah, really interesting.

You could do an hour or two with him.

Absolutely.

But I appreciate the fact that you introduced Putin as an international war criminal.

And it's important to remember that this guy is not just the leader of his country, he's former KGB.

And he's also a guy who's amassed a fortune, the estimate of $200 billion.

Gee, where'd he get the cash?

Was that his salary?

I doubt it.

So where'd the money come from?

Well, so who is this guy?

You know, he's all about reclaiming what he had had before.

And I think that Mark, in the last half hour, said it well that Trump is selling

us out.

He is going to sell out the United States.

All the prestige, the honor, the alliances that we built over these last decades are going to go right up the window.

And I don't think we can begin to imagine the damage.

I would point out to you that there was a recent story out of Poland that said the country of Poland is now making it compulsory for every child in Polish schools over the age of 14 to attend a weekly class.

that trains them in, quote, guns.

So it's how to load it, how to clean it, how to shoot it, but also first aid and other, quote, disaster information.

What are they getting ready for?

They're getting ready for Russia to attack them.

They're getting ready after the Russia attacks.

and kicks back the Baltics, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, and Moldova, all those countries, Poland's next, and they're making their plans.

And so their 14-year-old children are getting instruction in how to use guns.

And I'm sure it's going to be more than guns.

It's going to be, here's how you make an IED.

Here's how you make a Molotov cocktail.

Here's how you do whatever you can to salvage your country.

Everybody is watching.

They're watching and they're seeing a country that they had looked up to that's acting like a crazy person.

They're acting like crazy lying Trump and they are making other plans.

And it's across the world, whether it be Canada or Panama, you know, most of Central and South America sees that and goes, oh man, are they going to steal my country because I have lithium mines here?

What's ahead?

Man, we are losing what we had, which was alliances and respect and all that soft power.

And I would say to people that we are going to have a very different country if something doesn't stop soon.

I mean, all the alliances from five eyes, you know, that we've had for satellite.

That's going to be four eyes soon.

So nobody's going to be sharing with us information because they know that leaker boy is going to have it out immediately to Trump.

So a different world is ahead people.

And just because we've had stuff in the past doesn't mean we're going to have it in the future.

And Trump is about taking care of Trump and his rich pals, not us.

Thanks a lot, Todd.

I appreciate it.

Thank you, Joe.

Always a pleasure.

As Matt says, Matt Flynn, Joe nails it as she so often does on a couple of things, well, more than a couple.

But let me just.

pull out a couple of things that I really appreciate, Joe, bring it up.

Number one, this is destabilizing for the world and most especially for the United States.

If you break alliances like that, if you go against what has been the tradition, I mean, I still think American exceptionalism is a good thing.

I know some people don't like that, meaning that the United States for at least the last 75 years,

We've led the way on democracy around the world.

Hasn't always been perfect, hasn't always been pretty, but by and large, other countries have looked to the United States based on their wealth, their military strength, and their resolve to protect and extend democracy around the world.

Sometimes, many times imperfect democracy, but democracy nonetheless.

As Trig Wilson pointed out last hour, America's greatest generation

World War II veterans, both here at home and abroad, sacrificed greatly for the preservation of democracy when it was most in danger last against Hitler and Nazism in World War II.

And this what is going on now by Trump and the Trump administration is a disservice, a disrespect to all those who fought

and lost their lives to protect democracy prior.

Because this is not to Joe's point, when you have our allies like Poland training already their young people for a Russian invasion.

Because, I mean, French President Macron has said this recently, last couple of weeks, that Trump's actions and his administration's actions really raise questions of whether the United States can any longer be a reliable partner.

Take Trump the person out of the equation for the second It's the office of the president of the United States and all the trappings and the power that come with that office forget.

I know it's hard But set aside the person for a minute The fact that the occupant of the White House the president states is parrots talking points from a kg former kgb official in Vladimir Putin

a war criminal.

That's beyond disconcerting.

I'm 55 and never in my lifetime have I heard anything close to this.

And the fact that elected Republican officials in Washington who know better but are so intimidated and we got into this a little bit yesterday by Elon Musk being the most wealthy person in the world and is going around Washington according to Republicans.

and threatening people saying, I will use my vast wealth to take you out of elected office if you speak up against Trump.

Dangerous, dangerous times.

855-752-4842, Jim listing in Brookfield on WAUK.

Jim, you want to talk about Ukraine, what say

you?

I say, what do I ask?

What do Benjamin Netanyahu and Putin have in common?

And the answer is, international committees have recognized both of those individuals

as committing war crimes or war criminals.

And here, the president of the United States, that office is closing up to both of them, literally with Netanyahu sitting by the fireplace and smiling and laughing and saying, oh, we're going to turn God's or God's into the next Riviera.

And mirroring the talking points of Putin, XKGB agent, as you just said, I think it's unconscionable.

And the rest of the non-dictatorship world, the democracy-free world, will look at us from this day on, totally different.

And our standing has taken a huge hit.

And it'll take decades, I believe, to recover to once we had.

You mentioned, Todd, it's a disservice to the greatest generation.

Definitely, but also what about all the Ukrainian soldiers that have given their lives or wounded or whatnot?

And now they're going to get thrown on the bus and not even get a seat at the table negotiating in Saudi Arabia of all places in Saudi Arabia with the Russians with our new secretary of state who looks like a deer in the headlights.

Little Marco is Trump used to call them.

So we are definitely in dark times.

I'm sorry.

Appreciate it, Jim.

Thank you so much.

I agree with most what you said there, especially on Putin.

You know, I think there is a difference between Netanyahu and the Israeli people, but that's a discussion for another day.

Even Joe Biden said he did not agree with that war crimes assessment on Netanyahu, necessarily.

But that's another bottle of wine or a cup of coffee.

Welcome back with Jack and Merrimack on the phone lines.

And also, what's worse is the all balls show for a Wednesday on the Civic Media Radio Network.

We're having fun doing it.

Welcome back to the title of all show on the civic media radio network 21 now past the hour of one o'clock on Wednesday, February 19th, 2025.

Zomers on the board.

Glad to have you along with us here on a Wednesday.

Want to finish up this subject on Ukraine.

Donald Trump spreading lies cozy enough to a war criminal and Vladimir Putin saying that now Trump's saying that it was Ukraine's fault.

What's that what's that Scooby-Doo sound?

I mean, I mean what I mean complete not not even based in some sort of truth a complete lie Ukraine was the is the victim here it was Putin who unprovoked attacked Ukraine and now Trump spreading misinformation

and trying to quote, unquote, negotiate a settlement without having Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, involved.

A couple of quick updates here.

Number one, breaking across the wires about five minutes ago, Trump's former vice president, Mike Pence, just called Trump out for his pro-Putin propaganda, saying, quote, Mr. President,

Ukraine did not start this war.

Russia launched an unprovoked and brutal invasion, claiming hundreds of thousands of lives.

The road to peace must be built on truth."

That's Mike Pence.

Look, I give the guy credit for speaking out on that.

Also, a quick note here on the, let's go back to the text line, Mr. Zombers, if it could, please.

This is Mark Imperto Sack saying, quote, I can't thank my public school teachers and parents enough for teaching me critical thinking skills.

My parents had tons of history books around, and I still remember hearing about the Holocaust in fifth and sixth grade, and the history lectures in 11th grade of Mr. Tomzak.

at Superior Senior High School, unquote.

Thank you, Mark, appreciate that.

Also, we have, oh, Jim in Brookfield, check it in, saying hi.

I'll be in Hayward both tomorrow and Friday afternoon.

Will it be a time to be on the lookout for you and possibly say hi quick?

Yes, absolutely, Jim.

You and anybody else can stop in.

We're gonna be just off of Main Street there at our WBZH station.

about a half a block off of Main Street.

I'm my truck out there.

We're going to try to do the show outside tomorrow if we can, right outside the studios, and then be inside the studios.

But we have a window that looks right onto the road there in downtown Hayward.

So stop by either tomorrow or Friday, Jim.

or anybody else wants to stop by and say hi.

We're going to have a couple of giveaway items as well.

I think some bandanas, some civic media bandanas and whatnot.

So stop by.

It'll be a good time had by all.

Let's go to the phone lines, 855-752-4842.

Jack in Merrimack.

Jack, thanks for holding, my friend.

What say you?

This is pretty typical of an authoritarian regime, any place in the world.

Let's rewrite history to favor ourselves and our allies.

And very clearly, Putin is one of Trump's allies.

I mean, people ignored this fact.

When it happened, they ignored it all the way through Trump's first term, and they ignored it when they voted for him.

Now, the first time around,

Comey's report and and other information that I'd also read and I can't give you the direct references because it's a while back, but Comey's report basically said Russia is used their media influences to support Trump You're getting into the presidency and I mean that's that's pretty clear

Um,

and he invited it by the way remember that he said, you know, Russia, if you're listening to the go after Hillary for me, which they did.

But anyway, you know, he literally, literally, Russia did what Trump asked in the 2016 election.

But go ahead.

Yep.

That's, that's part of it.

Um, uh, I think there's, there's, uh, something else that we have to worry about.

And it's, it's the, um,

uh... in in the american administration now you've got uh... musk who is going after and trying to get and going to court to get access to everybody's banking and social security information now think about that for just a minute this is a country that is pretty much controlled by money if he's got that information he's going to have the ability

um damage people's finances severely if they don't agree with everything that trump is doing and you know people that are our high profile they're going to be first on the list people uh news organizations that are high profile they're going to be on the list it's just going to go on and on i first thought when when when musk wanted those numbers i thought

Yeah, I think it's both.

But it's a serious problem.

Yeah,

I mean, 100% anybody that opens their mouth.

I was in Russia early on during Putin's administration and people there were scared then about talking about negative things about the government.

I had a cage former KGB guy that asked me to sponsor him to become a US citizen because he wanted to get the heck out of that country.

Wow.

That's how bad it

Wow

And that's what we're looking at in this country, if we give those guys control over our financial information.

I appreciate the call, Jack.

Thanks so much, Jack and Merrimack.

Great point.

He's right about taking over the media as well.

We've talked a little bit about that on other shows.

But I want to get one more call in if we can quick.

Let's go to Ollie up the Northwoods.

Ollie, I'm going to be in Hayward tomorrow.

Are you anywhere close to Hayward?

uh... pretty cool yeah

all right well come on over to the high it

won't get a chance to won't get a chance to see you but you really would have loved to uh... i just want to say that two things i agree with the last caller uh... about the information that i remember uh... uh... you're so go my sister saying that trump had tried to get every the

what each person in the United States how they voted.

Hey, Ollie.

Hey, keep that thought.

Don't go anywhere.

I'm going to put you on hold.

I don't want to lose.

I want to make sure we pick this up.

I'm up against the clock.

Have a quick local news and weather update.

We'll come back, finish up with Ollie, and do what's worse next.

Stay with us.

This is the All Balls Show on the Civic Media Ready

Network.

wherever it may lead and having fun doing it.

Welcome back to the Town Hall Ball Show on the Civic Media Ready Network.

34 minutes now past the hour of one o'clock.

Join us tomorrow.

We'll be live from downtown Hayward, Wisconsin and our studio's WBZH Buzz of the North for the 51st annual American Birkabiner Big Birky Ski Race tomorrow.

Ty's gonna suit up.

I'm not skiing.

I will be there.

Gonna attempt to do the show from outside the studio to give you a flavor, a feel, a sense of what's going on up there.

Looking forward to that local guests as well.

And then Friday doing the show up there as well.

Friday's show, some of our regulars, Brady Ewing, gonna be here talking about, by the way, Badger Sports, basketball team, another big win last night, 20 point win over Illinois here at the Coles Center.

The Badgers are on a roll under Greg Gard, John Tanji.

Really some great plane.

Congratulations to the Badgers for a big win.

Talk to Brady about that and other things.

Also, Peter Rapine on the show as well with a week of a humorous look at the Week in Review.

So a big couple of shows next two days up in beautiful Hayward.

We are going to get to what's worse.

Don't worry in a minute, but I don't want to cut off this discussion.

Some great discussion, some great conversation here over what's happening with Ukraine.

I think Trig Vy Olsen.

Our friend from the Lincoln Project put it the best, right?

Imagine if your neighbor, when they were out watering their lawn or you guys were out cooking in the back deck together at the same time, kept looking over and saying, you know that backyard of yours belongs to me.

I might just file a lawsuit and take it.

Your backyard belongs to me.

What if your neighbor told you that all the time?

It would be disconcerting at the least and really tick you off at the most and then imagine if the guy if you woke up one day and or you went away like for a weekend you came back and the guy put up a fence and Fenced you out of your own backyard That's the context was happening in Ukraine Putin just took it without provocation

He's a former KGB official and a convicted war criminal.

And now the President of the United States, Donald Trump, says it was Ukraine's fault for starting this conflict, a complete lie.

8-5-5-7-5-2-4-8-4-2.

Olly, let's go back to the North Woods.

We'll be up there tomorrow.

Olly, thanks for holding through the break.

We were up against the clock.

I have no control over the clock.

So go ahead, start again.

You want to make a couple of points about Ukraine.

Yes.

Well, like I said, I was agreeing with Jack about the fact that Elon's thing,

can be very much more nefarious than imaginable, more than just getting people's bank account numbers, but about knowing who does what and who agrees with Trump and who doesn't.

I think that's very important.

But as far as you cringles, I can't believe that

We can't discount the fact that it's Trump, but it's hard to believe that President of the United States would get up there and do that Save that completely total lies that When everyone knows that Russia invaded Ukraine and then for him to say that to lie to people

like nobody is going to know just Makes the US look terrible and I can't help but wonder when he talks about the Russia wanting for part of their peace agreement is that there would be elections in Ukraine well, they tried that Ukraine had elections and

um in some of the areas that russia overtook already and people there were videos of people being forced to put ballots in boxes by gunpoint right from russian troops holding them at gunpoint while they voted is that what we want here in the united states is that what we want for the world people

to be forced by gunpoint to vote one way or another.

And I just can't help but wonder how strong the Russian Kool-Aid is that it only took a matter of a day or two of Trump drinking their Kool-Aid to come back with such nonsense.

You make great points, Ollie, and I think when you live up there in Northwood, God's country up there, just beautiful, a place on earth, and also just common sense people, right?

And I think it makes a great point, Ollie, that if you're sitting at a local bar in Northern Wisconsin and you just say, does that make sense, most people, regardless of who they voted for, would say, well, no, this whole, it just doesn't make sense.

Most people clearly understand that Russia attacked Ukraine.

And to Ali's point, the office of the president of the United States making all of us as Americans and America look like fools and now unreliable allies around the world is enormously destabilizing.

855-752-4842.

Let's go back quickly to LA Tom.

LA, you want to take a second kick at the cat?

What do you got for us?

Yes, Todd, I just want to ask you, you know, we can look at history and we can look at what's happened in the past.

Now, granted, the Republicans can really say if they want to, they own the lives, they beat us, all of that kind of stuff, but do they really want to go through all of this pain?

I mean, do you think we're going to get to a point where we can stop this bleeding?

Or do you think we're going to probably have to go through all of the pain that we have in the past?

At this time, it'll be, you know, so Nazi Germany will be the United States of America with no FDR in sight.

I mean, what do you think?

I mean, I'm like,

I appreciate the question.

I don't know that I'm qualified other than like everybody else.

I have an opinion.

And what am I?

high school football coaches, Ken Lewis, I'll clean it up for radio.

You know, said opinions are like, you know, buttholes.

Everybody has one and they all stink.

So I mean, I can give you an opinion.

But, you know, based on people like Trig V. Olson, other people that I know, they're smarter than me.

And having been in politics for a while, having been part of the old Republican party for almost 30 years and left in 2011.

I don't see any profiles encouraged right now.

I don't see a John McCain in the Republican party, the current iteration of it in MAGA.

I think they're intimidated.

I think they're too afraid not to be US Senator or US Congressman.

They're intimidated by Elon Musk's wealth and being primaried and taken out.

And so I'm not prepared to say this is, you know, the equivalent to Nazi Germany, but I do think that it's going to get worse before it gets better.

I think that it's going to take, we just heard about this, that the United States Department of Agriculture offices in Wisconsin are laying off people and that farmers and landowners are not going to get their payments for things like conservation reserve program and forest management in some cases.

That Elon Musk is just canceling those contracts and he can.

And I think it's going to take people feeling real pain.

And I don't wish that on anyone.

Let me make that clear.

But I think people are going to have to feel real pain in their own lives before the chickens come home to roost.

I just pray that it's not too late when that happens.

855-752-4842.

Let's go quickly to Dick in Madison on WMDX.

Dick, what say you?

Well,

That was one of the most surreal moments in my whole life.

I gotta tell you This guy threw away 80 years of this country yesterday threw it right in the trash every president since Harry Truman forward and I mean this morning I saw Truman speaking about NATO then through the year and then you thought they moved on to every president and Holly You know

administered towards Russia, the former Soviet Union, whatever you want to call it.