Shows›The Todd Allbaugh Show›Happy Anniversary, WFHR! (Hour 1)›Transcript

Transcript

Happy Anniversary, WFHR! (Hour 1)

The Todd Allbaugh Show · Wed Aug 20, 2025

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location, 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.

We are live on location at the studios of WFHR and WIRI and beautiful Wisconsin Rapids.

It is Wednesday, the 20th of August, 2025, and it's a great day to be a Wisconsinite, and it is... Pump Day!

That's right.

The camel is made all the way here to Central Wisconsin in Wisconsin Rapids.

Welcome everybody.

Aaron Zomer is our producer and engineer back at the world headquarters of Civic Media in downtown Madison.

Zomer is I'm not sure what it's like back home, but here in Rapids, it is a party overcast skies.

We had a little rain on the way up here coming up on the interstate, but that has since cleared up.

It is a beautiful day.

We got the music of WIRI in the background, some country music.

I've got news director.

Melissa K is sitting next to me.

Melissa, how the heck are

you?

I'm great.

How are you, Todd?

couldn't be better.

I can't thank you enough for inviting us up here today.

This is great.

It's just when the second time we've done the show here and why don't we bring in our co-acres for the for the hour here this afternoon?

He was with us last year at this very spot.

He is from originally from the River Falls area.

Graduate of UW Eau Claire.

Now a senior advisor with the Lincoln Project in Washington DC.

Trigby Olson, much, much warmer than when we were here late October of last year.

last year.

But now we can't hear you.

It looks

like he accidentally muted himself.

Trig V muted himself, which is a rarity.

We told him to turn his volume up and the

rebel that he is.

All right.

Well, until he gets that figured

out, our other I'm unmuted now.

I'm back.

I'm heating up.

I need to get my battery powered stuff out like I was wearing last time I was in Rapids

Reed Galen president of the Union and I were traveled with Trig V and we were sitting here freezing poor Melissa was in a snow suit Being the human anchor for our canopy tent because it was so windy and terrible way and Trig V is over there like in a turtleneck because he bought himself a $200 battery operated vest No, it wasn't

$200 honestly.

I've had that thing for a long time.

I used to deer hunt near

happens and if you're going to go deer hunting, you got to have battery powered stuff to

keep you

warm.

Who wants to be freezing?

No, nobody wants to be freezing.

And speaking of being warmed up or ready to go, he was on the mound from six until nine this morning, throwing heater after heater.

And now he's all the way back to Lake Wissota, joining us from his studios there, the one, the only, Mr. Pat Crite low Patrick.

that that place looks so much nicer now with the sun up as opposed to you know pre 6 a.m.

in the dark where I worried people might think I was an intruder there the WFHR studios but but I got there the crew there could not have been more hostile I mean hospitable they they rolled out the red carpet as if I were Vladimir Putin in Alaska

No, it was they were they were wonderful and I'm sorry to be missing the party But I am happy as always to be your warm-up act for for the for the real kegger just now getting under

way I'm just here for cleanup duty.

That's what I'm here for but you can for those watching the stream YouTube Facebook Twitter X the like you can see right over my shoulder right over right over there is the authentic Mexican food truck Let me tell you I had a carnita street taco along with

my Mexican Coke here

a glass bottle.

Melissa, I'm not just making this up.

Those are the best tacos I've ever had and I've had a lot of

them.

That's why I invited them.

El Sambrador, they make fantastic food.

I had a tortoise that was just, yum.

It was great.

Well, there's always a reason for a party and all of us, Pat, Trigby and I, we love a good party, but tell folks the real reason that we're here.

You guys have a big, big anniversary.

We are gearing up for our 85th anniversary.

anniversary in November, so we're kicking it off with the parking lot party because we want to appreciate our listeners.

Well, it's warm out.

And we've invited a lot of as many of our nonprofit groups in the city as we could invite down here.

We've got the Family Center.

We've got ADRC, ODC, all of the acronyms, the Humane Society, the VFW.

We also have a couple of businesses that are a little newer in town that we invited to come down to hopefully bring the kids out.

Edge VR is here.

and then evolution throwing.

So if you wanted, did you try the axe throwing?

Not

yet.

There's axe throwing guys here.

There's axe

throwing today.

Sarah's sweet trucks is here.

Peeps just pulled up.

They got Chicago hot

dogs.

We don't want to celebrate the Cubs today.

Okay,

sorry, my bad.

We also have brats and hamburgers and, you know, all the good stuff.

So many delicious things.

And of the dessert taste test inside, did you get in there?

I did, guys.

There's the staff here.

Everybody made different desserts and there's a table.

You can go around.

Anybody can come in.

If you're in the Rapids area, come on down to WFHR, WIRI Studios.

You can do a suite.

dessert tasting, and then you vote for your favorite one.

Yeah.

Should I say what my vote was?

Yeah, I want to

hear.

Was it the grasshopper or the mint?

The mint dirt cup?

The dirt cup, that was very

good.

Yeah, they're good.

We also have like a banana, chocolate chip, crazen cookie.

That was

also very

good.

There's a, oh gosh, what was it?

A cinnamon toast crunch cheesecake.

Chocolate covered fruit.

Yep, chocolate covered blueberry with some dried strawberry sprinkles on it and a rhubarb juice.

It was awesome.

I mean, I had a tough time, but I'm a sucker for mint.

So I guess that's why I went with that.

You got a

good stuff out there.

I know.

You should have stuck around.

I got half of a dated glazer with some purse dirt that Laura pulled out of a bag.

Sorry

about that.

We tried.

No,

no, it

was great.

We chilled the water for you.

Yes.

Oh, you give Pat chilled water.

Is that is that his thing?

Did he send a request and like some stars want like only red M&Ms?

Pat have chilled water.

Oh,

yeah.

I'm real.

I'm real demanding that way.

You can tell what a high class operation this is.

Well,

he was on television.

I think they still talk

about that at W-E-A-U.

I'll bet that's why there's

ice in his water.

Uh, guys, I mean, you both have been here before today.

Of course, Trigby said you hunted over here and Pat, you've been in the area.

But, uh, I mean, one of the things that really strikes me about this station is the focus on community and also just the variety of groups as Melissa ran through them.

You have the VFW folks here sitting right next to an ecumenical church group that has a pride flag that says we accepted love everyone with acts, throwing with Mexican food.

I mean, I think it's

as Terry Barr would say, it's a slice to Wisconsin showing how diverse Wisconsin is, but at the end of the day, if we focus on community, we can all get along Pat.

Yes, and Melissa was wonderful this morning talking about that that you know the similarities between Wisconsin Rapids and Eau Claire where the big you know industry in town You know really down sizes or closes up and then you have to essentially reinvent the local economy they've risen to the challenge out there and Have come out, you know stronger for it more diverse not just in their population, but in their in their employment opportunities Melissa you talked a bit about you know the

the technical college education that people are getting there for all the various trades

and

making sure that Wisconsin Rapids doesn't just, you know, wither there on the river.

No, our technical college here is doing a great job.

Mid-state technical college.

We've got branches in a lot of our, our, um, outlying areas as well.

Marshfield's got one, um, even as far out as almost to Abbotsford they have.

And then of course in, um, Clover and Stevens Point, Wausau, and then the Meta Center that they just built.

that just opened within this last year is an amazing hands-on opportunity for them to do some of the bigger, like the welding and the technical jobs that we need.

We need people in those positions and you can get that.

career opportunity with a technical education.

Don't have to go to a four year college.

Right.

Trevi, give us a minute here.

Give us your thoughts on the Wisconsin Rapids of the area just from our trip here last year.

But as you said, you spend time here deer hunting as well.

Well, if I only talk about Wisconsin Rapids when I was deer hunting in the rear there last year, I'd just say how cold it is.

But Wisconsin Rapids, I've been there in the summer too, Todd.

It's not like I haven't ever been to Rapids when the weather is good.

It's like all the central Wisconsin when the weather is bad, not necessarily the greatest place to be.

But Wisconsin Rapids is a fantastic town in the summer.

And in fact, they have a great summer festival in Wisconsin Rapids.

I might have once drank at a beer tent in Wisconsin Rapids.

shocking.

I know.

Very shocking.

No, it's

it's just a

great town.

Yeah, it really is.

Melissa, tell us a little bit more for those that might not be familiar.

If you don't live in the central part of Wisconsin, you can listen to FHR and WIRI on the Civic Media app anytime.

Tell us a little bit about the programming of both the stations.

Well, we have our morning shows on both stations on the country station 1055 FM WIRI.

We have a morning show from 7 to 9 and then a morning show on WFHR from 9 to 11.

And then we have

What we've now kind of changed it to become the Rapids Report.

It was our midday magazine, but now it's just in podcast form, but that's where our listeners are.

So the Rapids Report is where a lot of these nonprofit groups that are here today come and update us on what programs they're working on or what they're doing.

The mayor comes, actually the mayor was in this morning and gave an update on the city.

And then, you know, we just, we also have great music programs.

We've got voices.

Katie Cruz is here today.

Did you meet her?

Yeah, just briefly.

Yeah,

she's on a one does voice over voice tracking on WIRI Seth and Laura and Beth all have shows that they do

trail tunes and burn before listening is one I think you would really appreciate.

Burn before

listening.

Yeah.

Yeah

in the surrounding area, your cover in the school board, your cover in the high school sports, you're bringing people together.

That's one of the big things too, I didn't mention, is the high school sports.

We have a lot of, and we also have our local rafters and our river kings, so those are, I'm sorry, I'm not a sports person, but those are not, you know, major leagues, but whatever, that other level.

Yeah, no, that's so my

pro stuff.

Yeah,

absolutely.

Yay sports.

But yeah, we focus on that a lot in bringing community and our listeners.

You know, we wouldn't be here for 85 years without all our listeners.

And that dessert cook-off that we were talking about, our Stapp sweet-off, is kind of also playing into what we're planning for our 85th anniversary, which is a cookbook.

Oh, really?

Yes, we're putting together an 85th anniversary cookbook because that is something that we used to do.

And the most recent one for the 50th anniversary, Milt Steele, who was here earlier and met

him.

Yeah, he was our celebrity judge and he was on the cover of the 50th anniversary one.

Yeah, that's fantastic.

I just think it's a it's a great community station.

You guys, Pat and Trigby have both been here and and Trigby, you remember last year where the same spot, the parking lot.

I think you would read or just

really impressed with the amount of community people that we're stopping by to give lost and found notices to bring in food.

This station is really a part of this community.

I think I said it then, you know, it's like it's it's one of the things it's kind of thing that makes towns like Wisconsin Rapids great.

It's like the high schools in all these places, right?

Like it's nice.

The community that you just don't find in other places.

Yeah, also, Todd, I want a copy of the cookbook.

OK, sounds good.

Stay to will come back with more on the other side with the pack quite low.

Trigby also were live at the FHR Wisconsin Rapids across Wisconsin on the Civic Media radio network.

I'm guessing it will have a good meat, though.

I'm guessing

it will have a good meat.

You're

listening to Civic Media.

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Welcome back to the Taliban show.

We are live on location here and to be FHR to be IRI and beautiful Wisconsin Rapids is a parking lot party now until six o'clock.

If you are in the area or hey, maybe you want to do something this afternoon.

Get in your car.

It's a lovely drive here to Central Wisconsin.

Stop by.

We have.

great food trucks.

As I said, I stopped by the the taco truck and honest to God, one of the best street tacos I've ever had.

Well, Mexican Coke as well.

We've got desserts here.

We've got a nice sample.

The the.

Elephant ears, the all kinds of great stuff here behind us, and we have some great community organizations as well joined by Pat Crite low of host of up north.

Pardon me, host of mornings powered by up north news radio every morning from six until nine joins us here.

He was here earlier.

He's already back in his studios in Lake Wissota in the Chippewa Valley and Trig V. Olsen senior advisor at the Lincoln Project, which joins us from the outer suburbs of the occupied region better known as Washington DC these days.

Glad to have you along and here at the table.

honored to have one of the great hosts of WFHRI here at Central Wisconsin, James Mailoff.

He is here at the table.

James, how in the heck are

you?

I'm doing all right.

My eyes started to water as soon as I came outside though.

Oh man, I don't know what happened.

I got all emotional, I guess.

It happens

to us around Todd too.

Don't worry about it.

When

you're with the

most popular man in Wisconsin from three to five every day, I can have two to four every day.

I can see how that happens.

You see what I have

put

up with?

Lots of people get

emotional.

It's

meeting Taylor Swift.

It's

tough.

It's tough.

You know, I already got emotional earlier, and I thought I'd be OK the second time.

And no, all over again, it hits me.

That's

weather.

It's nice for him to get a taste of his own medicine, because that's what people in rapids.

They come to the station.

James is going to interview them.

First, there's some genuflecting.

And then the show goes on.

for

those that haven't heard you before James and other parts of the state tell us a little bit about where you grew up and how you got into radio and here at IRI FHR.

I am a fib I was born and raised in Illinois moved around a lot as a kid I had 10 different addresses before I was 10 and ended up

I was a knucklehead as a kid I'll say it that way and got kind of sent up here to Wisconsin to kind of straighten out and I did oddly enough but

This area has given me and my family a second act, a second home.

I've really appreciated this area.

I spent a lot of time, my high school years here, kind of grumbling about being in a small town and everything and some of that.

When I moved out to California and I came back, I had an appreciation of this area.

And I never thought I'd get back into radio and Bob, look, gave me a job.

I was just going to run sports.

I was just going to produce those and everything.

I never thought I'd be talking on the air again or anything.

In the time of doing that we had some losses around here with Carl and and some others and it was kind of next man up and I was the last man standing so somebody had to keep the station float somebody had to keep things going and so I just I would there were times a years there where I would be on the air from six until one you know usually just non-stop doing shows just making sure that we were still on the air we were still able to keep things afloat and the hope was during all of that time okay one day

There's going to be an owner that comes around.

There's going to be a business that comes around.

They're going to pick up this station and it's going to be in good hands.

We were fortunate to have a heart of Wisconsin media by us for a little while there, put us in these new digs and invest in us.

And because of that investment, I think we were seen by civic media as an possibility.

And I know that talking to Sage about this in those early days, it was very important to him to have a central station, a station in the middle of the state.

And for him,

Well, you could talk to Sage more about this offer, but he was going to take no for an answer.

He wanted this particular station, and a big part of what he wanted was Pam, Chuck, myself, and a lot of that.

And just saying it out loud humbles me in thinking about it.

this area, I've had all three of my kids are born in this city.

My brother was born here.

Being able to do this job and give back to this area that has given me and my family so much, it's one of the more humbling things I'll ever experience.

I hope I didn't ramble too much.

I feel like I already did that earlier in the past.

I'm not used to being on this side of things.

It's a little almost uncomfortable.

ahead, Pat.

I got a lot of feedback on that going, he was really good.

That was one of our best segments, which was their way of saying, at what point can he replace you?

But

was very

thankful to have him there.

So no, thank you, James.

I think it's great that people continue to hear the stories of local radio and the importance of it, but also that it can be a little ragtag behind the scenes sometimes.

But

that's

part of the magic.

in the end.

One of the things that I appreciate about modern radio and the free-form nature of it and everything is when we share these most people I don't think in general especially people in radio necessarily want to talk about themselves but when we do share these stories we find that we connect with our audience that much more.

It's one of those things I'm a pretty private person and it took me a while to push through that and the way I look at it as I kind of share it

I have a PG-13 version of me that I put out there.

The R-rated version, very few people get that and very few people want it.

But as far as putting yourself out there, it's a part of how we connect with our audience and how we do those things.

And so I share my background a little bit and everything.

Well, that gives more credence to when I'm on the air and I'm giving breaking news or I'm giving stories or important information that they can trust me.

I've built that relationship already.

It's very important, especially when we were going through the pandemic.

And you know how information was at that time and how so many people were struggling about what is real, what isn't.

They were able to trust us.

They were able to trust us because of that bond that we built early on by sharing personal stories and all that.

30 seconds left, James.

How long can people hear you and what's your program like here at the show?

Well, our morning show, I kick off with the sunrise show.

We go do that from seven to nine on 105 five and then I go right across the hall from 97 five and do two hours over there.

We have the rapid support that you can catch on.

our podcast, our sport sho from four to five monday, on the station.

I'm proba

a lot.

Thank you so much for appreciate you and congratl the 85th anniversary.

Tha for

having our pleasure.

James a can you stick around for m because I want to get yo

yeah, James is the

best.

James is absolutely.

All right, t and trivia nine discussed politics.

Don't go anyw we're gonna come on

live in Wisconsin Rapids, the home of the FHR and WIRI on their 85th anniversary.

It's the title ball show across Wisconsin on the civic media.

Ready Network?

Welcome back to the title ball show live on location here in Wisconsin Rapids, the home of the FHR, which is celebrating their 85th anniversary this year.

They're having a big street parking lot party stop on by for the Rapids area at WFHR WIRI.

We're all out here.

here.

There's food trucks, there's vendors, there's local community people.

It's really a true party.

So stop on by and please say hello.

You will find all kinds of friends here with you on the show today, including our very own friends that join us every Wednesday.

Pat Crichtlow, host of mornings of Pat Crichtlow from six until nine who joins us from his Lake Rosetta Studios doing extra time and we appreciate that.

And also Trig V. Olsen, a River Falls boy who now is out in Washington, D.C., a senior advisor.

at the Lincoln Project.

Guys, really fun to be here.

And again, besides the community, lots of important politics.

And I know most people, do you think the third congressional district in Wisconsin, they, well, runs along the Mississippi River.

And that's true.

But some years ago, it was redrawn, use the word gerrymandered, and I think a lot of people forget this.

And it was

original lines.

Pardon?

Because of me.

partly because of Pat Critello.

They didn't want him to be elected, quite frankly, and to Congress.

And so they have this tale that goes out from Western Wisconsin and it picks up Rapids and it picks up Stevens Point.

And part of that was, quite frankly, to keep Pat Critello out of Congress.

But the other part was to protect Ron Kind, who was the incumbent Democratic U.S.

Congressman in the Third District.

And it also protected at the time of our Paul Ryan.

the Speaker of the House in the in the first and Tammy Baldwin, who was a Congressperson at the time in the second and so on and so forth.

So that's kind of why you have this weird tale I call it that comes out into Central Wisconsin.

Nonetheless, guys, we're here in Wisconsin Rapids, part of the third congressional district.

And I wanted to have thanks for sticking around, Pat, because I think it's really important not just to have two former Republicans takes, but a Democratic take on this as well.

incumbent congressperson Derek Van Orden, the Republican, who was in his second term here, is an interesting guy to understate it, has had lots of problems.

The three of us have talked about this on our show.

On the Democratic side, last time around, you had a really tough primary between Katrina Shanklin that represented this part of the Third District and the State Assembly.

And Rebecca Cook, a political newcomer, she calls herself a waitress, a server from the Eau Claire area.

and grew up on a farm.

Cook won that even though kind of the the main folks like Mark Polkan, a lot of the Madison Democratic Party people were shanklin.

And now Cook is back and trying to win politics.

We call it clearing the table and the National Democratic Party has endorsed Cook already and my question to you.

Let's start with Pat and we'll go to Trig V.

And I've given Ron Johnson, Republican U.S.

Senator Ron Johnson a lot of grief because he said, hey, we don't want a primary on the Republican side for governor.

We should just have this over with now.

But Pat, on the Democratic side, look, there's Emily Berg, the president of the Eau Claire City Council, and Laura Benjamin also from Eau Claire announced candidates for the third congressional district.

Shouldn't Democrats also be willing to have primaries and let the voters decide instead of the party?

The short answer is, yes, at least there will be a primary here.

The Republicans, the primary is a primary and name only.

There is only one primary now and its name is Donald Trump.

And whoever Donald Trump says he wants as the Republican candidate for governor is going to win that primary.

Full stop.

Period, end of sentence.

So, you know, for there, the primary is a sham.

The other candidates who don't get Trump's endorsement will move forward.

They'll try their hardest not to upset Donald Trump, and it won't matter one bit.

Whereas in the third congressional district and in other races, Democrats will compete in primaries.

And specifically to the third district, I would direct folks to come listen to my show tomorrow morning at 6.30.

because I'm going to replay part of yesterday's interview with Dan Schaefer from the Reconbobulation Area.

We had him on at 8.30 yesterday, so sometimes we'll play something back at 6.30 a day or two later for people that might have missed it.

And I asked Dan all about the fact that here's Becca Cook positioning herself as the moderate.

She literally filmed a commercial with herself standing in the middle of the road, which is smart politics overall for the third district.

but in a primary where you've got people on the left just chomping at the bit for a candidate who's shall we say more aggressive you know that was very frustrating to them and yet who is Bernie Sanders coming to Wisconsin this weekend campaign for but for Becca Cook

And you'll hear me laugh at poor Dan.

He used the word interesting many times because there's no other way to put it.

That Bernie Sanders coming here on Becca Cook's behalf when there's two other candidates that want to run to her left for Emily Berge and Laura Benjamin, that's interesting.

you grew up in the third, you've run congressional races in the third district.

What do you make of the Democratic Party in DC anointing Rebecca Cook a year out from the election?

And what about bringing Birdie Sanders to Verrocco, Wisconsin and Southwest Wisconsin between Madison and La Crosse where we did this show with Reed Galen and you last year?

So what I would say from a.

It depends on what hat you have on right like if you have the national hat on and you're sitting at the Can you hear me guys?

Yeah, I turn my mic off because I got stuff

behind the block party going on there, you know

I know if you have the if you had the hat on you're sitting at the D triple C

You want to try and get these things settled as fast as possible because it helps with national fundraising.

And that's critical because that race against Van Orton is going to be really expensive.

So I get why they did that if you're sitting with that on.

If you're sitting in the third congressional district, you're probably not happy about that because it really puts up obstacles, which is kind of the point from a national strategy is just standpoint puts up obstacles for anybody to challenge her.

So now as far as Bernie Sanders coming in.

If I were Derek Van Orton as campaign manager, I would be pleased as punch that that's happening.

I would hang that around her head.

And I just wonder if Bernie Sanders really is going to raise enough resources in Verroqua to offset the tactical...

ramifications long term of her palling around as Bernie Sanders and I will tell you I've told this story before my buddies in River Falls you know did not vote they voted for Ron Johnson a lot of them rather than Mandela Barnes in large part because he was palling around at Bernie Sanders and it just said to them not one of us they also all voted for Tony Evers for governor so there's that

So what about this Pat from Pat Crite Low?

You were a former state senator on the Democratic side.

You ran for Congress in this area as a Democrat.

I mean, what's your take on bringing Bernie in?

Because to trigger these, I grew up, my family farm is 20 miles from Veracruz.

I lost a primary for state assembly on the Republican side because I was too moderate in Veracruz.

When your take on that I

was gonna say just say it's interesting because it is it's very interesting.

Um, I think it's a mistake You can act and like Trini said you can totally see why that might be the case But let's again, let's put our strategist hat on here Becca Cook's hesitancy with our the voters who are hesitant to vote for Becca Cook right now

in the third congressional district are people who believe that she's too much of a blue dog, that she's too moderate, that she will not fight for them.

So she's bringing in Bernie Sanders, figuring, well, he's gonna vouch for me that while I'm moderate and that's what the third district votes for, this guy's still showing that I'm gonna stand with you when the going gets tough.

And you just wanna make sure that it happens.

very early in the campaign, like it is right now, so that by a year from now, the Bernie Sanders visit will be old news.

Let me ask you each this question.

I would do it a different way, Pat.

The way you do it is you have Bernie Sanders and her do something outside of the three congressional district that you can get on tape and send to those people.

I just think,

and some of this gets

into the difference, gets into the difference between how Republican strategists and Democrat strategists look at it.

I mean, I come out of the Mitch McConnell school where you would just be like, you know what, where are they going to go?

What you lose in potential with the voters who are really going to decide it, those who vote for Evers and Ron Johnson or Tammy Baldwin.

and Donald Trump and a lot of them are in the Third Congressional.

This is quite

frankly.

Yeah, it's just not worth it.

It just isn't worth it.

Let me ask you this question.

A quick answer.

If I can, I want your opinions.

Start with Pat.

Then Trig V. Let's break this down into a state Senate district.

All right.

Take the Third Congressional District.

Every state Senate district, who in your opinion, Pat, is the most influential, most powerful elected official in each state Senate district?

Tony Evers and Mark Pocan, but you're talking in terms of, you know, locally and I'm

talking about local voters in each state Senate district.

Yeah.

And who do you think the most powerful politician is in each one of those?

I'm not talking about names.

I'm just talking about position.

Oh, no, I'm not.

I'm not sure.

I'm not sure I follow you because it comes with familiarity because in the Eau Claire part of the district, you know, you've got Jeff Smith in the lacrosse part of the district.

You have Brad Paff.

in the central Wisconsin part of the district, it was Katrina Shanklin before that.

I'm not trying to be, I'm not trying to play gotcha.

I just want to ask Trigby quick.

What would your answer be to that, Trigby?

In Wisconsin, 10 probably Tim Walls in

32.

I'm going to do it John McLaughlin style.

You're both wrong.

The correct answer is the local sheriff.

In each county, the most powerful position is the local sheriff.

They're the most respected.

They usually get the most votes.

They're the most powerful.

And you know who has most of the local sheriff's endorsement in the Third Congressional District?

Derek Van Orton.

And if Democrats or Rebecca Cook of the eventual Democratic nominee want to actually beat Derek Van Orton, they better get on law enforcement side and start courting local sheriffs and getting these endorsements.

Look, Derek Van Orton just was in the news.

he helped save a kid's life in a major accident in Iowa.

And you know what?

I'm thankful he was there.

I'm thankful he had the training and I'm thankful that he saved that kid's life.

But it's just going to go to help his image of, hey, here's a guy who helps people.

And I don't think that just calling them names and he and Pocahont having a Twitter war, that ain't going to work.

And trying to bring Bernie Sanders in, that ain't going to hunt in Verroqua and Vernon County.

That's my opinion.

Well, I will disagree with you.

I don't think what the sheriff thinks in your local area is as relevant, especially with Democratic voters.

I think that Derek Van Orden's good Samaritan, that he and about 10 other people did.

I think that's laudable, but that too is gonna be old news by then.

Really, Derek Van Orden just needs to have his feet held to the fire, and Becca Cook and the others are looking for ways to do that, because Donald Trump's name is not gonna be on the ballot next year, and Republicans have not done well when Donald Trump's name is not on the ballot.

But Pat, you remember Ron Brown, that represented what, Trampolo County in that area?

He got elected, or he got endorsed

by local shares, what he was in Democratic.

He was the fire chief, yeah.

I mean, I'm not saying that it's for nothing, but he won, he narrowly won a race there, and he served with distinction, but that's not what today's Republicans are.

Ron Brown would not be welcome in today's Republican

party.

100% agree, 100% agree.

Here's how I think you gotta handle it if you're...

Cooks with the

van

Orton.

Oh, you

got 10

seconds.

Sorry.

All right.

Well,

you got a problem.

Todd's got a plane to catch.

All right, Pat,

I won't keep you.

Thank you, Pat.

Thank you for your extra time.

Thanks for your opinion every morning from six until nine.

Pat, quite low.

Come on back.

Drake, you and I talk about slavery and Trump as well.

Don't go anywhere with the title ball show.

You're listening to Civic Media.

Find the latest news, information, and archives of all your favorite shows on the Civic Media website, civicmedia.us.

Welcome back to the Towel Ball Show live on location in Wisconsin Rapids, the home of the FHR and WIRI on their 85th anniversary.

Many congratulations to them, more on their great stations in Wisconsin Rapids and hour two.

We're going to talk to more of their great staff.

Right now we're joined by Trig V. Olsen, Senior Advisor to the Lincoln Project.

He picked out the song choice.

I love that song, Trig V. Don't Get Fooled Again.

Great moniker maybe for third district congressional voters in the state, but also what a

CBS's all-time best shows, in my opinion, the theme song to that CSI Miami.

You ever see that show?

No, I never watched CSI Miami.

I didn't watch any of the CSI shows.

All right, fine.

I don't watch that much television.

You

know what I watch on

television, Todd?

What?

Only one thing I watch really on television.

Packers.

Packers and?

Packers and we don't watch the Brewers.

Ice

hockey.

Oh, ice hockey.

All right.

Well, yeah.

Exactly how many things to pack quite low for sticking around because I love his I love his voice on this I love his opinions love his takes and and trivia I think this is really healthy to have these honest discussions on the third congressional district of both Republican and Democratic side and I thanks Pat for doing that and it should be noted that we reached out

to Rebecca Cook's campaign directly to have her on day.

We invited her to come on the show and we have yet to hear back.

And, and, and Trigby, I just don't think this is healthy to my knowledge.

Rebecca Cook never came on one civic media show, her entire campaign last time around, and so far is playing the same thing.

I'm not saying this show is a make or break type of thing, but you would think a network that covers basically the majority of her district, she would want to come and have a discussion on.

I mean, my goodness, Josh Showman, Republican candidate for governor came on this show, and he was great.

And Pat and I didn't bite

him.

I don't understand it either, but whatever.

It makes her a little bit like my Badger Voice state buddy, Scott Walker.

Scott, if you're listening,

which I

know you have your lackeys listening, anytime.

Any time we love to have a governor, former governor, come on.

All right, Craig, I want to take a turn here.

By the way, you're sticking around a little bit for a second hour or no, you're going to go today.

Well, if we're going to play this or that, I'm definitely

sticking around with that.

But then

I have an important, I have an important task I have to take care of.

Kaia is making dinner tonight,

so I have to take her to

the store.

Let's start this discussion and we'll finish it up in the first part of our two president Donald Trump put on his true social media Yesterday and he went on after the Smithsonian Institute museums, which I have been to a number of times I'm sure you have taken your daughter's tube living in the outer parts of DC and he said he wanted to Unwoke them and specifically said you know all they talk about are these down these these depressing things you know like slavery and never talk about a

our successes.

I found it particularly offensive for the record slavery is bad period and full stop and I just think that there's a larger context here that people need to think about historically and before I use words that are going to throw people off the wires I would like to

have you give us, and we got what, about three minutes here before the break, start us out with a little historical context, your work in Eastern Europe against authoritarian governments.

This is really dangerous when leaders start trying to change history in museums, is it not, Dravy?

Well, it isn't just history in museums.

I mean, the thing you got to understand about people with autocratic personality disorder

And it was true not just in Eastern Europe, it was true all over the world where I work, quite frankly.

They all want to rewrite history because they want to put themselves at the center of everything and they want to rewrite history to a narrative that puts them in the best possible light.

Putin's done this, Chavez did it, Hitler did it, Mussolini did it.

Every autocrat goes about doing it and they want uncomfortable truths to never be spoken about.

You know, I just think that's what he is trying to achieve with this is it's again Anything that's uncomfortable for Donald Trump he wants to make people afraid to talk about and that starts by going after academic institutions museums culture media, I mean The playbook is the same everywhere.

So it doesn't really surprise me.

I do think

Most Americans probably those who pay attention to what he's saying if they actually spend some time thinking about it Rather than rather than just reacting out of habit are gonna be like what is he talking about?

Of course slavery was not a great moment, but here's the thing all these people who love to cite we the people Forget what comes after it

in order

to form a more perfect union people on the left do it now people on the right have started to do that

And the reality is a democracy that doesn't understand, or an America that doesn't understand, that what the founders put together in Philadelphia is an idea in the form of a nation.

And that idea and idealism is ever evolving.

It's to be more perfect.

And we still are evolving from slavery to get to that point.

I think that's such an important point.

And as someone who's gone through many, I won't say all, but many of the Smithsonian Museums, they make you think.

They unlock something.

Oh, wow, I didn't know that happened.

I didn't know this sequence.

And it puts in context current events.

And it makes us think about the future.

I don't know too many museums who are saying, hey, here's what the future is going to hold.

It's to know our history so that we can hopefully learn from it to your point, Trevi, to make us grow and learn.

And I think that's one of the keys to American exceptionalism.

It's not that we're better than anybody else, but we've always been willing to look at our past and to learn from our mistakes.

Yeah, and to try and, you know, better ourselves in terms of what we're trying

to achieve.

I think it's really dangerous what Trump is doing because the fact is,

Adolf Hitler, the same thing in Germany before World War Two, which was to change history to make the German race look like the superior race.

And we all know what happened there.

So I think this is a very, very dangerous place for America to go under the Trump administration.

Come on back more in our two Dring v. Olsen, more politics and what's worse for today.

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