Transcript
Will Wisconsin Democrats Get Trapped Into Populism? (Hour 1)
The Todd Allbaugh Show · Wed Jun 25, 2025
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Good afternoon, everybody.
Everybody, I'm Todd Hopple.
Still suffering from allergies, apparently.
Here along, Mr. Aaron Zomers, our producer and engineer on this Wednesday, the 25th of June, 2025.
It is a great day to be a Wisconsinite, and it is pump day.
Yes, the Campbell does not suffer from allergies.
You ever had that summer as we go to say something?
You kind of like.
Definitely
one individual who is a the quintessential broadcaster who does not make stuff up like that.
It's not not have those problems And he also has a secondarily a great head of hair and all the promos we were talking about this So I suppose you should bring it up Trig me also and I who we expect to be joining us a little bit later
enormously jealous jealous of our of our next guest.
He joins us every Wednesday.
He's the host of mornings of Pat Crichtlow every morning from six until nine.
The talented, the lovely and the quaffed anchor himself, Pat Crichtlow.
Later.
Trig V's
later again.
I guess he's a very can
he not
like can he not get like guest hosts?
Can he get like Joey Bishop to show up on the stuff or John Davidson or.
There's a lot of people that do get guest hosts, but no, apparently he can't get one for himself.
I mean,
if Carson can get one every time, it seems like Trig V should be able to get somebody like
that.
But no, you're here.
You're here and accounted for, and we
appreciate
you.
I'm
here.
Absolutely.
How you
doing?
Well, I'm OK.
I will say, and I've posted this, I am not a lawyer.
I did not go to law school.
It's true.
But I was rather, oh, look, you can, it turns out you can in fact shame Trig Vilsen.
You don't have to say his name three times.
If you
do
shame him enough, he
will appear.
Yes, appearing from nation's capital senior advisor, Lincoln Project Trippy Olson.
Pat, finish your thought.
That I didn't go to law school.
Yes.
And so I have to admit, I was a little puzzled at this morning's state Supreme Court ruling.
Unanimous, seven-nothing that struck down Governor Evers' partial veto dealing with literacy funding for, you know,
a new literacy mandate that was essentially an unfunded mandate when Republicans on the Joint Finance Committee refused to release the money.
Now, again, not being an attorney and I have much respect for the for progressive justices on the court.
So I was rather puzzled and I dug into this and I think this is where you and Trigviet, I would be curious as to your thoughts.
I know you haven't read through the opinion and everything, but my the point of it is this.
I believe that the justices fell into a trap that is set by originalists.
The you know, the originalists believe that whatever was first written in the Constitution, Wisconsin, US or whatever wise, you've got to follow that to the letter or the justices refer to it as as the four corners of what is an appropriations bill.
Well, there's a parallel to Trumpism here.
Okay.
I don't believe that the framers
could foresee every circumstance.
That's why I'm not an originalist.
And in this particular case, without trying to get too deep into the weeds, the Republicans kind of split that new literacy mandate into two different bills.
And because the money wasn't part of one of the bills, you know, the short version is that the justices said, well, Governor Evers couldn't partially veto that because it's not an appropriations bill.
I would contend the Republican lawmakers have figured out a way to basically rig the system in a way that
founders you know did not foresee and they have created in the joint finance committee what's called a supplemental fund it's a slush fund and I would I would think after today's decision you may see a day when the Republican caucus just puts all of the money.
into a slush fund and says, you know what, we'll appropriate all of these things as we see fit.
So that's where I'm a little bothered.
I'm sure there's people that went to law school that cannot wait to pick a fight with me on it.
But that was that was my take when I go, how does the how does Governor Evers get a seven nothing ruling against him on partial veto powers?
And I think that's part of is they could not foresee the games that some politicians would play in the year of our Lord 2025.
Pat Crite will come in hot out of the gate.
I love every minute of it to give a little context here.
The story being released by the Milwaukee Jural Sentinel a little while ago here.
And first couple of lines, as Pat said, cover Evers, inappropriately.
used as veto power and making changes to a bill intended to fund the state's quote unquote science and reading law the wisconsin supreme court unanimously ruled a little while ago the court's ruling is a loss for efforts by the governor of the department of public instruction to shift nearly 50 million with an m to k-12 school so they can implement literacy programs as required keyism passed as pat said by act 20
that money has gone unspent as a legal battle unfolded with Governor Evers, the DPI, asserting the court should follow its allocation.
However, the Supreme Court ruled how convenient, as Dana Carvey once said, quote, it has no constitutional authority to override the legislature's choice and appropriate the money.
to DPI, unquote.
The nearly 50 million in unallocated money is expected to return to the state surplus if it goes unspent after January, pardon me, after June 30.
That's
your technicality is that the bill for the literacy program, they allocated the money to themselves to the joint finance committee's, quote unquote, supplemental fund, which is supposed to be used for emergencies.
Now, any common sense reading of the legislation would tell you there's only one place literacy money can go that mandates DPI do this, this and this, and that would be to DPI.
The justices are saying, well, they allocated it to the joint finance committee to themselves.
We're kind of powerless to do anything about it.
I just think that opens up a Pandora's box for huge abuse of that authority to create a supplemental fund for the Joint Finance Committee.
So there's your Nerd 101 for the state budget for this week.
And I think it's great.
And just to make sure we understand correctly, keep me honest, this is different than what Evers did in the last bill with his creative vetoing and ensuring there was a 400 year funding for a little bit of a, what was it?
I don't
know it wasn't that really they
basically took took a boost in school aid and he crossed out some numbers in the years and the boost in school aid now lasts for 400 years and the justices there on a split decision said yes that was a proper use of the the governor's veto powers in both of these cases by the way in both of these cases this is a great lesson for the legislature that that
Legislation is never static.
The Constitution is never static.
And when you see either one of these instances, you should immediately follow it up and go, okay, how do we fix this so that this kind of shenanigans can't happen next time?
Unfortunately, I you don't see that very much anymore, because each party thinks, well, we'll just wait till we're in power.
And then we'll do the thing that we don't like that they're doing right now.
And it's what makes people kind of cynical about politics unless
you read Trigvielson's sub-stack, then I feel much more hope about democracy with each issue.
I think it's
your ear blood microphones instead.
He literally didn't have it plugged in.
He
shows up late and then he doesn't have his microphone plug in.
Great job drinking.
This is fantastic.
That's that's I love it.
So well, while he gets that microphone plugged in and set up there, Todd, I apologize
Hey, buddy.
Now he's now he's all set.
Mike Tyson back in the
was fighting.
He's like George Foreman because you know, Foreman's dead.
quick.
No, that's not it.
Do you guys realize I just learned I had my whole show this morning and only now am I realizing that for folks watching on social media
growing
out of the top of my head is a gumball machine.
And there's oh
my
gosh.
This is, of course, is the palatial bookshelf that I built with my own two hands.
It's beautiful.
I've seen
it.
Thanks to IKEA, of course.
And I have this gumball machine, but it's filled with M&Ms.
And that's long been my candy dish at any workplace I was at.
People
would
stop by.
They'd turn the knob.
They'd get a bunch of M&Ms.
I'd get to make small talk with them.
Well, now it's here at home.
And then the three-year-old and the six-year-old were here visiting last weekend.
And they kept going to that thing over and over again.
So I finally had to put it up on the top shelf, not realizing to have this moment where the bubblegum machine full of M&M's is now on top of the bookshelf coming out of the top of my head.
It looks like a crown.
Just the camera.
A teeny, tiny
little crown.
There we go.
Now we just see past the beautiful quaff of hair that Trigby and I are, in fact, jealous of.
Let's go on the phone lines quickly, eight by five, seven, five, two, four, eight, four, two.
Which justice is it?
No justice.
Rebecca Dallett, you're full of garbage.
right well great listeners jack amir mack jack you want to talk about this a supreme court decision wisconsin pat was talking about
yeah i understand i'm not a lawyer and i don't even play one on tv but uh i i really think that we need another constitutional amendment a useful constitutional amendment in this case and it has to say something like that any money that are allocated
in the budget or by any other means have to be spent for their intended use.
And the intended use for those that $50 million is very clearly the reading program.
So we need something like that.
And until then, Ebers needs to use the statement, grow a pair, and he needs to start line item videoing things like this flush fund for the joint finance committee.
I'm getting sick and tired of this garbage.
And especially as an educator, it just really acts me off.
That and, of course, the minor detail, the $87 million that they're trying to steal from the UW system in order to pay off and give tax breaks to their biggest contributors.
Thanks, Jack.
Always a pleasure.
Thank you very much.
I appreciate the call.
By the way, related to that, and I agree wholeheartedly with him, let's get a whole reform agenda because here's the other thing that needs to be reformed.
The way the state Senate has been sitting on well over 100 of Governor Evers appointments by not confirming them.
We need to clean that up saying, hey, look, the Senate has the power of it to advise and consent.
But only in the very beginning of his term he nominates these people.
If you nominate somebody to run a cabinet office, give them 60 days, 90 days, whatever.
And if you don't hold a vote by then, you know, they get to stay.
You don't get to hold this over them for four years or longer.
and then hold the confirmation vote when you want to fire them, that again, never the intent of the original writers of, you know, how we confirm cabinet appointees here.
This legislature just proves over and over again the need for constant reform because there's always somebody trying to get, you know, rig things a little bit more for partisan advantage.
Trig Wilson, what's going on with our former party?
I mean, most people recognize this name, but you had a guy, Joe Leon.
Ran the joint finance committee was Republican co-chair for years and years Powerful guy, but but a sensible guy.
He there was no slush funds back when Joe Leon was running JFC and You know holding not that voting on up or down on on gubernatorial Appointments, what's up with our former party these days?
and you know it's all about owning the other side and there's an element of cruelty with some of them and and there is no plan like it is just performative.
at the end of the day.
And I, I don't know, you know, Pat was, was mentioning my sub-stack, which I can, I know that Pat is a loyal, a loyal reader because I can see how often he opens my emails.
Thank you, Pat.
I'm proud of the fact that you read it every day.
But did you see what I wrote on, on, I wrote about, you know, going to the University of Virginia campus with my daughter.
And I was thinking
about
That's a great, that's a great tease.
When we come back to the other side, Trivia Olson will tell us what was on this.
sub-stack today, going to the University of Virginia, and how it relates to Wisconsin.
Quite low.
Trig V. Olsen, Zommer is an all-ball backup for this on the Civic Media.
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show?
Les Mis.
Les Mis.
It is Les Mis Day at Ampham Field in Milwaukee.
The Miz taking on Paul Skeens of the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Brewers.
We can tell you on many of our stations are up for nothing.
Get that for nothing.
I think in the third year, Pat, I'm not sure you can hear the games.
Don't tune away from us.
But if you really want it, if you want to if you want to hear the Brewers, they're played live over the air.
Remember, we cannot put it on the app.
Major League Baseball has that.
But if you want to listen to the Brewers.
They're on WRCE and Richland Center, WISS and Ashgash Bagash, WBZH and Hayward, assuming that the signal is still working up there.
They're working on the towers.
Racine and Kenosha, WRJN and WCQM in beautiful Park Falls.
You can hear that on the Brewers Ready Network.
Huge game.
And Crite Law, you were watching or listening earlier.
been watching and and and you know, Miz had had a no hitter through three.
He gave up a single in the fourth inning, but then got a double play.
So, you know, he's he's still still facing the bare minimum of batters here.
This this guy is just so incredible.
It's so incredible.
Paul Skeens is much more immortal this year than last year.
And the Brewers were bringing up.
nine batters in the second inning it was and scored four runs.
So
I
know that a lot of folks want to see that game and they're getting to see a good one so far.
Not the 0-0 pitchers duel that we may be expected, but a good game nonetheless.
Absolutely.
Before Luke Mathers left on his little vacation, I texted him and said, hey, have you got any extra tickets for the Wednesdays game?
He goes, yeah, but it's during your show.
So which
you should have said, yeah, your point is,
right?
I
should have.
That's
when your next call is, hey, Trig V, could you guys tell us?
He is busy writing a sub stack.
And before the break, we left you hanging Trig V in a sub stack today, talking about going to looking for his oldest daughter in college tours.
And Trig V, you were about to say what?
means to democracy.
I
with these things.
We run a daily, not a weekly over here,
It is.
That's the literal name of it.
Searching
for hope.
I know.
Literally my name.
I wish I had the time to write like Trigvie does every day.
He put so many hours into this and I'm jealous that he's that talented and can set aside those large portions of the data right.
But go ahead, Trigvie.
Yeah.
So, no, what I was going to say is, you know, the thing with the University of Wisconsin system, it just gets more outrageous all the time.
Because I and so University of Virginia, right the public school system and I would say I don't know about what you think but like I would say UVA and Wisconsin are known as two of the best big public universities in the country and the the difference in Attitude between the two states both, you know Both of you know, they have a Republican governor here, but but the reality is that
Glenn Yonkin, maybe because he's a business guy, I don't know what's wrong with the president of the University of Wisconsin system.
Well, he's a lawyer.
But Glenn Yonkin, they're investing.
They're building buildings.
They're here, not.
No, because education is a convenient punching bag for certain folks who don't have any other way to win an argument on its merits.
And so they get into class warfare and they say any kind of an education is, you know, an elite class that they, they want to take a punch, you know, take a punch at.
And that's not a recipe for growth in this state.
of Wisconsin system.
But Trigvied, they know that.
That's why there was that letter with more than 800 business leaders saying, you've got to give a big boost to the UW system.
And to those 800 business leaders, Robin Voss and the others gave those business leaders a big middle finger and said, no, no, no, we're going to do what we want to do to stay in power.
You guys will be fine.
How is it that Mitch McConnell put it about Medicaid?
Like, oh, people will forget about it.
You'll get over it just fine.
It's just humorous.
He is.
Last week it was Trigvie coming in hot.
Today it was quite low.
I love every part of it.
Pat, I want to give you a chance here before we leave this at the bottom of the hour.
New Marquette Law School poll out today.
According to the law poll on Milwaukee Journal sent, no, 55% of people polled in Wisconsin said Governor Tony Evers should not seek a third term, but Democratic support is high.
Thoughts?
Again, parlor games, they're fun to talk about now.
And it really is, you know, the governor can make his decision and have, you know, not complete, but near unanimity behind him one way or the other.
This is not a Biden cognitive situation.
Republicans will try to make it one.
Don't get me wrong.
But this is not something where people are
you know pounding the doors of the governor's mansion saying governor you can't do this you can't do this there's just i mean there's dan schaefer making
putting out the rhetorical case out there, but there's no overwhelming public demand at this point.
So
that's a
worthwhile survey topic, but that's about it.
I think it's more than that because what happened last night in New York, I want to come back and talk about that.
You had a socialist Democrat winning the Democratic nomination last night.
I think that's not happening here.
It'll happen in Madison for the mayor's race, but not for Wisconsin governor.
The way that it's set up now in Wisconsin, Pat, you know this, Democrats in the primary only have to focus on two counties, Dane and Milwaukee.
You get a Democratic.
Socialists
do
not do that, but that's all they would have to do in a democratic primary They've
got a
democratic socialist and a Katie bar the door.
It's Scotty Walker style politics back in the capital
everybody now.
It's Todd's turn to come I'm
just saying
Is that true?
Let's talk about this on my show tomorrow morning at 7.50.
All right.
What do you
how smooth he is.
I would not love that.
No.
All right.
7.52.
You can't do that on a morning.
I'll be there.
I'll be there tomorrow morning along with Pat and Parker.
Parker is doing our show tomorrow too.
Parker has a busy day.
He is.
He's at
the ball game.
No good deed goes unpunished.
Here's
some tickets Parker, by the
way.
Double duty.
All right, the Lamiz is still on the mound.
This is still on the mound.
Thank you, Pat Kierman.
Every morning, six until nine.
Trigvie is back after this.
Don't go anywhere.
Midwest Farm Report updated next on the Civic Media.
Ready to welcome back to the title of all show of the Civic Media Ready Network.
And it's 35 minutes now past the hour of two o'clock on the Civic Media Ready Network Wednesday, June 25th, 2025.
Glad to have you along.
Zommer is going to the Trigvie Olsen Spotify playlist.
Trigvie did not like my Les Mis soundtrack.
But that's fine Trigby also
it's a little play on words Trigby the lame is a Rob and the
because it's because the Miz is on the mound for Milwaukee right now big huge game against Paul schemes the pitcher for the Pirates the Brewers are up right now for nothing Brewers are up for nothing.
What
He's a Twins fan.
That's one of one of the few bad strikes against Trig V. He's a Twins fan, but that's all right.
We'll, we'll forgive him.
Trig V also Republican, former Republican like myself worked for people like John McCain in Washington, DC.
Now at the senior advisor.
of the Lincoln Project joins us every Wednesday.
Always so glad that you do treat me.
Let's let's talk about this a little bit right before we went to break here with with Pat Crite-Lowett.
Again, I'll be joining his show tomorrow morning between six and nine.
Always appreciate Pat coming on.
But the Marquette Law School poll came out.
There's been a lot of talk.
Our own Dan Schaefer, political editor and founder of the Reconpopulation Area been getting a lot of play on his column, his op-ed, saying that Tony Evers should not run.
for a third term, saying that basically Evers has gotten to the age where he shouldn't push it any further and get into a Joe Biden situation, not suggesting that he currently is, but Schaefer's point is basically it's time to pass the baton.
Marquette Law School poll came out just a few minutes ago.
55% of voters polled, said Marquette Poll, said Evers should not run for another term, while 42%
said the governor should run again.
Governor's overall numbers stay pretty, pretty high.
But what do you think?
What do you make of this?
Do you agree with Pat that me bringing this up is just parlor games?
Let's look at Wisconsin first, and then I want to get your take on how and if it ties in to what happened in New York City last night.
let's talk about New York City.
What are
numbers first?
Yeah, the 55 percent Marquette numbers.
Yeah.
So I think here's the thing.
So so the Marquette numbers show what you're seeing in a lot of places.
There is some erosion in mega brand.
OK.
Generally, this is my deep dive on the Marquette numbers.
All right.
And, you know, I pull in Wisconsin pretty regularly, too.
So we're seeing what Charles is seeing.
And when I when I.
First thing I saw when I saw the Marquette polls, right?
You're seeing energy on the left, the far left.
You're seeing, and you saw that in New York City with what went down in the mayoral race.
That's that in Cuomo.
I agree.
Cuomo is a bad candidate.
Terrible candidate.
Like they're
But so, Wisconsin, you are seeing some erosion in the brand identification of mega.
Mega's brand isn't great right now.
Trump's brand isn't great right now.
You're seeing this energy on the left that...
I think the left is taking the wrong lessons from this.
It is not that they have suddenly become popular or their policies have become popular.
It's that there's a whole set of people in the middle who are just like, this is not going well with Donald Trump.
And there is even some of Trump's base that's starting to get tired of the chaos.
That doesn't mean that they're going to vote for progressives.
And I kind of agree with, I actually agree with you.
In terms of if you have a Democrat primary the problem with the Democratic primary in Wisconsin for the governor's race is gonna be Matt the outweighted Role in a primary that Dane County plays primarily Milwaukee County to a degree versus the rest of the state when it's the rest of the state that you have to win in a general election It's that simple and if they're taking the wrong lessons from it and they're arcing progressive
They will lose.
I read a lot of stuff.
No matter
I read a lot of stuff on social last night, and I'd credit the person.
I just can't remember it in my old age.
But somebody was making the point, and I agree with this.
Let's get your take, Trigby, as someone who polls nationally and knows these things.
The point this person is making was that maybe it's not so much parties that people are voting for, or even ideologies.
We've moved into this populist era.
where people are just voting for popular.
Donald Trump was a populace.
In other words, he, whatever people wanted, he said he was for.
And now it appears, I'm not saying I know New York City politics well, but from what I read and see and witness, it seemed like this guy that won last night was at Mondani, who won last night.
Yeah, Zora Mondani, who is a calls himself a democratic socialist that he, I saw him on Colbert a couple of nights ago.
He is good-looking.
He is smooth as far as like Obama-esque in his oratory.
He makes jokes.
He's self-deprecating.
But he also has some pretty extreme political ideologies.
At least some would say that.
But he's a populist.
He goes out there.
So is populism in regardless of party tricky?
In Europe, there was all this conversation about the rise of populism, right?
And they're very anti-populist because they like elites running things in Europe because they're European.
Um, and I got asked to go to Brussels to speak about populism and I, I made the point that, you know, Wisconsin has long tradition of populism, right?
Like, and not in a bad way.
Like
Robert and
we're, you can argue with Tommy.
Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy was a populist.
You totally.
So that isn't necessarily a bad thing.
I think what you're seeing though is there's the populism based on extremism is a different beast than just populism.
Populism to me is kind of La Follette or Tommy, you know, but where they crossed the line, there was not Tommy Thompson's populism, La Follette's populism wasn't based on intolerance.
Bill Proxmire was probably a populist too.
Bill
But when you have populism that is only
And all about the other side is where you get the Donald Trumps or, you know, to a degree.
I mean, it's yet to be seen what you're going to get in New York.
But there were elements of intolerance.
There was also elements of economic populism, and it remains to be seen what this guy truly is, I think.
Yeah.
The danger for Democrats in that in the primaries all across the country, including in Wisconsin, though, is.
There is an anger amongst a big enough chunk of the Democrat base that wants intolerance, wants that fight, and I think, again, probably reads the wrong...
It's funny too because there's I mean I say this they can take it for what it's worth because it's coming from a former Republican But one who was pretty successful at times that beating them in places like Wisconsin and other sort of purple states It kind of is playing into the hands of the right because the more the truth of the matter is is that left-wing populism And intolerance is less popular in a state like Wisconsin than right-wing populism
Say that again, please make sure we understand that say it again
left-wing core populism is less popular than right-wing populism is in part because you've got a the country in a state like, Wisconsin is slightly right of center when it comes to cultural issues Or center but depending on how far you go so and but they certainly are on economic issues and and so
Cultural populism is a track to lose.
And to your point, people are going to say, well, Trigby, what do you mean by that?
I don't want to put words in your mouth.
You can say whatever you want.
But just the Marquette Law School poll, to your point, Trigby, in this poll released today, said favorability of political figures and organizations.
For the MAGA movement, 43% said it was favorable, 53% said unfavorable.
Black Lives Matters movement, only 37% favorable.
53% unfavorable.
Is that what you're basically talking about?
So that's a that's a that's a tangential example and data to back up what we just said.
I
I asked the question all the time for people to score Black Lives Matter versus MAGA zero to 100 force for.
So it's from from from force for basically like bad to good, right?
How people see it.
It is defining in the sense that while MAGA has traditionally been pretty unpopular, the truth of the matter is amongst people in the center.
Black Lives Matter, if it's modeled on the rhetoric of the two, MAGA rhetoric is slightly more popular with those in the center or less toxic than defund or abolish the police is.
And that's exactly, I'm glad you said that because that's exactly, we're not talking about whether, we're not talking about equality here.
We're not talking about equal rights.
We're talking about the rhetoric of both of those things.
And I think that's an important distinction to make.
855-752-4842, 855-752-4842.
Let's go quickly to the phone line.
Cindy, thank you so very much for holding Cindy.
You wanted to comment on how this translates into the gubernatorial race of Wisconsin next
year.
Well, you know, I don't have a problem with Governor Evers because he's a critical thinker.
And I think in this state right now, we need somebody at the helm who's a critical thinker.
And I really think, though, if he steps down or decides to step aside, that Ben Wickler is going to take his place in line because I think that's why Ben stepped down from the DPW so that he could run for the role of governor.
That's just my perspective.
Thanks, and I appreciate it trig me
thoughts Well, I mean that's the thing right it the the the the challenge First of all, I'm a huge fan of Ben I just come out and say and there's a part of me Ben and I probably if you sat us down I don't know Todd you'd have a better sense of this if Ben and I were to sit down and talk about what we believe politically Pretty sure Ben and I wouldn't be in the same place
On some things yeah, but we're on the same we're in the same place on democracy We're in the same place on I would I wish we lived in a world where people like Ben and I could have civil debates about What's the appropriate level of funding for the University of Wisconsin or how much?
Yeah,
The the risk isn't Ben I mean at the end of the day what people in Wisconsin are really hungry for I think is somebody who's a cheerleader somebody who gets out there and starts calling BS on on a lot of this stuff and is telling it like it is and if that person Tends to be a little bit more to the left on certain issues and I think Ben could is somebody who
could potentially do that.
But I think there's probably a lot of people.
Sarah, the Lieutenant Governor, I think,
could do that.
But
And that's why I think I agree with you and I think it's kind of dangerous.
Let's go to the YouTube channel real quickly.
Jim, watching on YouTube says, I wish you guys would stop referring to people who want universal healthcare and living wage jobs and taxes for billionaires at a comparable level to us working stiffs as the radical left.
The last six presidential elections have demonstrated one unquestionable fact.
People want to change in the status quo.
Sadly, not all change is for the better.
I appreciate the viewership, Jim.
We're gonna come back and answer that on the other side.
I think we need to clarify that, because I think we're probably closer to Jim than he thinks, but it's a really great question, and we'll address it on the other side.
Don't go anywhere.
Trigby, Todd, Civic Media Ready Network across Wisconsin on a Wednesday.
Stay with
us.
Welcome back the Taliban show on the civic media ready to work eight minutes now before the hour of three o'clock an hour number two little what's worse for you and much more don't go anywhere Brewers right now playing across several media civic media stations around the state can tell you that the numbers are in and today's game has the largest attendance of the season at American Family Field 42,774
As they said on He-Haw, salute.
The Miz brought him in.
And we can now update speaking of the Miz on the mound for for Milwaukee.
The Brewers continue that lead and the numbers are in here so far through, I believe, five innings pitched.
And the Miz, hang on, I got it right here.
Don't go anywhere.
So this is what happens when you try to do things on live radio for your phone.
Five innings pitched so far for Jacob Mizorowski.
five inches in the books, two hits, no earned runs, no runs, two baseballs, and eight strikeouts so far.
His first pitch across the plate, 100 miles per hour.
So through five, it is still the Brewers for the Pirates, nothing.
Trigby Olsen, Senior Advisor at the Lincoln Project joins us as he does every Wednesday.
Trigby before the break there, Jim, watch you on YouTube.
Great question and our great point.
Glad we can explain this or dig into it.
He said, I wish you guys, Trigvie and Todd, would stop referring to people who want universal health care and living wage jobs and taxes for billionaires at a comparable level to us working stiffs as the far radical far left.
The last six presidential elections have demonstrated one unquestionable fact.
People want to change the status quo.
Sadly, not all change is for the better.
Trigvie?
I don't think that that's what we're saying, but no one is saying that that's radical, that those are radical positions.
But when Democrats, I say this often, Republican and coming up in Republican politics, you're taught to build narratives.
They build narratives.
They build narratives primarily around cultural issues.
And the truth is that if men were actually going to be able to play women's sports in high school, that would in fact be a pretty radical position.
Republicans have convinced a whole bunch of people that that's in places like Wisconsin, that that's in fact what the left wants.
And there are people on the left who actually hand them battering rams to help them reinforce that notion.
And so.
And so Democrats want to have these esoteric policy debates about these things while Republicans are building narratives.
If the Democrats should get out and talk about a living wage, no doubt they should talk about what's going on with billionaires in this country.
I wrote my piece today on AI and sort of gets into around the edges, which I think I'll write more about sort of that billionaire tech bro class, right?
They don't have the common person's interest at heart.
That isn't radical.
But Democrats have to do a better job of getting out and making the case and not be falling into the trap of letting them be positioned.
And I think the big lesson of the 2024 election, and Tammy Baldwin's a great example of this, they have to come out and call it straight.
She went straight onto camera and said, he's lying.
Democrats have to do that and they can't.
play this game where they fall into a fight on narratives, particularly about cultural issues they need to, or even they have to push back harder.
economic issues.
Speaking only for me here, I would give the example, Jim, last time the Democrats controlled everything in Washington, both Houses of Congress and Joe Biden was the president the first two years, instead of taking up meaningful and thoughtful immigration reform, which they could have done, instead of taking up solidifying or codifying, I guess the word is, renewing the Civil Rights Voting Act, they took a powder on that.
What did they make their line in the sand, the Democrats?
Free education, free college for everybody and forgiving everybody's student loan.
I mean, that's one of those, one of those things that wouldn't be lovely if you could say people, you could have say Pell grants, but they go after the whole enchilada.
And in my opinion, Trigvie, what you talk about all the time is this zero sum stuff.
Either we're going to have free education for everybody or not doing anything.
Either we're going to defund the police or not doing anything.
Those to me are extreme left positions.
And it isn't even really about, I mean, it is about you, but what it's about is you times, you know, it's really.
45,000 use across places like Richland Center, where I'm from in River Falls, across on Highway 29, maybe 100,000 of people who are like that, who are sitting in the center saying, I've got to choose between two things that I'm really not 100% behind on either, and which is worse.
And to
Jim's point, I don't think universal health care, if the narrative is right, is a bad thing.
And this is what frustrates me with Democrats in Wisconsin, instead of going around the state,
and having a tour around the state by Democrats and Democratic officials talking about Medicaid and about what Republicans in the state legislature are doing to undercut childcare and undercut healthcare, they're going around the state, not recently, but they did it a year or two ago, they went around the state and did a tour on legalizing marijuana.
Now the Charles Franklin poll that was a 65% winner legalizing marijuana But we saw it last fall trippy you said this you have the data on this the largest amount of people correct me if I'm wrong that supported legalizing marijuana who they vote for Donald Trump
Yeah, because because here's the thing it wasn't it wasn't a decisive issue for those who were against marijuana Being legal it was might be something that they'd vote on for people who are in favor of it
It wasn't going to be a driver.
And the truth of the matter is, you know, some of that's just generational, right?
Yeah, absolutely.
I hate
o'clock.
He's a very
right.
Thanks, Trigby.
We appreciate it.
My friends, see you next Wednesday.
Trigby Wilson, senior vibes on Lincoln Project.
Come on back.
Play a little What's Worse in hour number two.
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