Protecting Kids Shouldn’t Be Partisan (Hour 1)

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 Rating Network.

and streaming worldwide on the Civic Media app.

Good afternoon, everybody.

Title of all along, Mr. Aaron Zommers, our producer and engineer on the board.

It is six minutes past the hour of two o'clock on this Wednesday, October 29th, 2025.

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

That's right.

Made it to the middle of another week.

for their old world headquarters in downtown Madison, the intersection of state and fair child.

Mr. Zabers, let's look at that beautiful day.

For those watching on Facebook, YouTube.

Twix, Twitter, Twix, whatever you want to call it.

They've, I'm not sure what's happening.

They've cordoned off the 100 block of State Street.

For those watching, you see the barricades there at the intersection right outside the studios.

Is tonight like a big Halloween party at Zomers?

What's going on?

Is Trig V there?

That's normally when their parking is limo.

They normally...

Yes!

That is the voice of the anchor, the host of Morning to Pat Kraitlo every morning from six until nine across the network.

He joins us as he is so kindly done as every Wednesday from his beautiful Lake Wistosa Studios, Pat Kraitlo, and joining us from our nation's capital outside of Washington DC, former advisor or former Republican like myself, now senior advisor to the Lincoln Project, Trig V. Olson.

Gentlemen, how are you?

Pat, you're right.

Normally, Trigby travels in style, so maybe it is.

I know.

I

know.

Must be some other VIP there, I guess.

I don't know.

Some big shots got to get over to Ian's Pizza.

Right?

Exactly.

How are y'all?

It's Halloween.

Growing up in your neck of the woods, guys, were you big Halloweeners?

Is that something that was big in your part?

Halloweenies?

Yeah.

I grew up in a very large.

large apartment complex.

And so it was the greatest night cause you would take your pillowcase and it would just get the shock full of candy from these, you know, it was like 500 units, something like that.

And yeah, there's, there's a reason like I can pick up shortwave radio in this mouth.

There's so many feelings in it.

So it, it was worth

it though.

Triggy and River Falls, were you a big Halloweeners there?

Yeah, they just gave out seed corn.

Yeah.

Seed corn.

Seed corn, actually.

Yeah, I think.

I mean, it was the 70s, right?

So, you know, people dress up.

Yeah.

Dear, dear girls now, are they still, are they a little too old or do they still dress up?

They are gonna dress up.

My older daughter is going as Lady Macbeth.

I'm

not

quite sure what that says in

the

younger one.

I'm not quite sure.

You know, I can tell you a really good Halloween story, though.

Give

it to us.

It

is

a very quintessential DC story.

So when my daughter Oula was in...

Second grade, I think she comes home one day and she's like daddy I know how much you love taking me trick-or-treating in the neighborhood But can I go trick-or-treating at the White House with my friend Sajal?

Uh, you know, you, you can't really go to the White House.

So I don't think the Obamas will ask.

And, you know, I don't think you can do that.

And she's like, well, daddy, Sejal said I could come.

Her mom is deputy something or other.

And

I

had known the woman for a long time.

Turns out she was like Obama's deputy chief of staff.

So

I was like, yeah, you should, you should definitely go trick or treat at

the White House.

You should pick daddy along.

Yeah.

No, yeah, daddy didn't get to come along.

But yeah, so she.

She got to hang out with Michelle Obama and get M&Ms with

the White House.

Wow.

Wow.

That's pretty cool.

But it is a quintessential deal.

But actually, it's a great story.

Kind of has to pertain where I want to lead off with you guys.

You guys both know, but Trigvie, you spent more time there than Pat or I. It is a very small town.

People know all this.

I mean, everybody kind of knows each other.

You know, it's hard to have too big a secret in DC.

Is it not, Trigvie?

Yeah.

Yeah.

I mean,

it's all connected.

Well, you know, the thing is, though, like at schools and like socially, you don't spend a lot of time asking people what they do when you're having kind of those kid connection things.

So, you know, we after that, we invited them over and we were hanging out and with kids because.

I wanted to have them over and then, you know, we got talking about what we do.

And I there's a piece of it.

I mean, at the time I was helping run McConnell's political world, right?

I think that it just isn't something I didn't.

I wouldn't bring that up when

I wouldn't bring that up either.

Exactly.

Probably now.

I apologize.

No, I

mean, it's just not.

Yeah.

People

people are kind of more around each other more just people and that's where I want to start guys in Northern, Wisconsin, which the two of you know very very well It's where you've grown up and spend time a couple of new candidates in the 7th district Congress congressional race up there of course Tom Tiffany is now she's gonna seek the governor's Nomination on the Republican side that leaves the seat open and now courtesy of our own Dan Schaefer the civic media political editor and founder of

population area, a couple of new people.

Michael Alfonso, who is Sean Duffy's son-in-law, says he's now in the race, as well as Paul Wasgren, who is an attorney in, I believe, Ashland, Wisconsin, up north.

And here's the context of Pat, then Trigvie.

I think a lot of the political class, the pundit class in Madison and Milwaukee,

Would be want to say because you look at there.

They're both of the releases of these two guys It's just a big suck up to Donald Trump and a lot of people would just say Oh, you know, it's those northern Wisconsin people are riding around the trucks are all a bunch of rednecks And you know, they're sucking up to Trump We spent time there for our show in Hayward and in Amory and in Wausau and in Park Falls and in butternut

And I think that the chattering class in Wisconsin better take a look at who these people are and how they relate to the values of Northern Wisconsin and be a little nuanced about this path in Trigvie.

Well, I would say when you hear about those two, I'd say, don't forget about Fred Clark, the Democrat candidate in there, the Democratic former state assembly rep who is going to appeal to a lot of people.

who have traditionally voted Republican and are looking around and going, really, this is what we get, especially from a guy like a corporate attorney, Paul Waskren, whose statement reads, and I quote,

I'm running for Congress because we need more successful businessmen like Donald Trump and Ron Johnson to shake up the status quo and revitalize our communities.

If that doesn't disqualify you thinking that Ron Johnson and Donald Trump were successful businessmen, I don't know what else would, but you know, good luck to them.

I couldn't agree more, and Trig V in Alfonso, Sean Duffy's son-in-law, he states right out there that he's running to help Donald Trump.

And to pass point, I know Fred Clark from his days in the legislature, you can't find a more true hunter conservationist forester than Fred Clark, and I hope people up there in Northern Wisconsin take a look at all these candidates and say,

Who actually is like me and not trying to suck up to somebody else?

Well, yeah, but the reality of Republican politics is such, you know, the Trump endorsement at least has been, you know, the 30 pieces of silver for people to take.

I would remind people, you know, it's during the pandemic that...

Tom Tiffany ran for the first time in that special election.

His first ad was I want to go to Washington, DC to support Donald Trump and his mega agenda.

I mean, all these guys, that is what they're going to do.

They're going to pander to to Trump because as Pat likes to point out and I think there's a lot of truth to it is is an endorsement of one.

I do think there's some consternation that I've been hearing in the within certain Republican circles that.

that they need another candidate and it will be interesting to see how that plays

out for governor yeah i've heard that too and that's that's again these i i don't want to put it miss misinformation out there

But there's some line of thought I've heard rumbling around the halls of the building, uh, either cap state capital that maybe Robin Voss who's talked about, uh, resigning or, or not running again next year, that part of his thinking may be looking, looking at the situation in the governor's race and make it in for governor.

Oh, I don't know.

I mean, look, most people don't know that, you know, their legislator, they don't know who Robin Voss is.

But I think that he is a classic case of the more people learn about him, the less they like him.

And he has been one of the most polarizing figures for those folks who do, you know, pay attention to Wisconsin politics.

And it would not take much to outline all the reasons why if you're dissatisfied with the direction of this state, of this country and this economy, because of Donald Trump, Robin Voss is not going to be the thing that cures it.

I agree.

I

mean, I think the other thing about that is I always take it with a grain of salt too, because having lived through, you know, in the late 90s, like you had McCallum and Kluge and all these guys, Margaret Farrow that were thinking about, you know, the post Tommy era.

Running for governor and wanting to run for governor.

I think just about every state legislator looks in the mirror and sees a governor when that's reflecting 100%

I can speak from experience

but the the reality of it and the the hypothetical within the building is not

really necessarily aligned with the blocking and tackling that it takes to actually do it.

Running

for governor of Wisconsin is a big state.

It's a lot of time in cars.

Let's let's switch gears just for a second and we're talking with Pat quite low host of mornings of Pat quite low every morning six until nine in civic media network and Trigby Olson senior advisor of the Lincoln project looks shift over to the Democratic side and earlier today Democratic US senator from Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin put out a video endorsing Rebecca Cook one of the Democrats in the third congressional Democratic primary Pat as the Democrat here on the panel

I just think back when, like, I was running a race on the Republican side for John Sharpless in the primary in 98 when my former boss, Scott Kluge, decided not to run for the district that includes Madison.

Tammy Baldwin was one of at least five or six people in a Democratic primary.

And as an openly gay woman representing the Isthmus of Madison, she would not have been the party favorite to win that because it included a lot of rural area, former state senator Joe Winneke.

would have been.

And I just don't understand why Democrats are a year out coordinating people.

I don't know if it's about a coronation in this particular case.

There in the third congressional district is a contingent of Democrats who simply

don't believe that, you know, Becca Cook is is going to do better than the way that she fell just short last time around.

And so that's why they've turned to Emily Berge, the Eau Claire City Council president and why some of them embraced Laura Benjamin before she got out of the race.

And I think this is Tammy Baldwin's way of essentially saying

guys in the congressional district, those Democrats, you're gonna have to get over this.

She has the fundraising, she has plenty of other endorsements, she has the drive, she has the momentum and anything else that's done at this point is simply going to divide the party and fractured in a way that makes it less likely to defeat Derek Van Orden.

I think she's looking at it from that very narrow

insider way of trying to make sure that a primary does not get super divisive.

I don't know that it's necessarily going to work because there are people who feel very strongly about you know supporting Emily Berge, but I think Senator Baldwin's trying to be

the the state's person in this in this case.

We'll hear from Trig V. Olsen on the Republican perspective.

All these primaries should parties be endorsing flash coordinating this early.

We'll ask him and more with packed right and Trig V. Olsen for a Wednesday edition of the title of all show across Wisconsin on the civic media.

Ready network.

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He joins us every Wednesday from his beautiful Lake with soda studios mr. Pack quite low and from the Tony suburbs of Washington DC trig v. Olson joins us former former Republican like myself and now a senior advisor and Lincoln project guys before the break Talk a little bit about US senator Democrat Tammy Baldwin doing a video endorsing Rebecca Cook one of the two

Democratic candidates for the Third Congressional District against Republican Derek Van Orden, and Trig V, your thoughts on if this is a healthy way for either party, but in this case, Democrats to go, basically saying this is our person a year before the election, and kind of, in my opinion, is somebody who lost a couple of primaries for an assembly seat, stiffening the other candidate.

You know Todd, I got a phone call about this from a mentor of yours and mine.

Oh, yeah, I Was being lobbied about what I should say it's you know It's really hard for me because there's that I have two hats that I've worn in my life There's the hat of the activist who can't stand when the national party gets or national figures get in the middle of primary races because I I do think that

that the local people should get to decide who's the candidate.

But there's also the hat that I've worn professionally where I've had to kind of make resource decisions about house races.

And you have to remember there's 435 of them.

Democrats are probably looking at about 50, given where Trump's numbers are.

And, you know, primaries...

When you have that hat on you think in terms of resources and so I understand why they want to clear the field and make it a Have a long period to adjudicate Derek van odd ones service as the representative of the The Maga wing of the third congressional district versus all the people But I also get where the activists in the district who sport the other candidate are

Not very

happy about it.

The other thing keeping in mind though is again, they're all adults here and Congressman Mark Pokan Did not hesitate to endorse former state representative Katrina Shanklin last time around Katrina Shanklin fell short in the primary to Rebecca Cook and Mark Pokan did not you know take his ball and go home He was very active and again.

I'm sure it was more active about getting rid of Derek Van Orden, you know

But he played nice.

And that's exactly what Tammy Baldwin will do no matter who wins this primary.

So, you know, again, I understand the whole thing about, you know, coordinating or anointing somebody.

And it's in a primary, it's easy to get, you know, your feelings hurt.

But at some point, you have to look at the strategic reasons why people do some of these things.

And then after the primary, you just have to keep your eyes on the prize.

Pat, before we go to the bottom of the

hour, we talked about this a bit last Wednesday.

Department of Public Instruction Superintendent Jill Underly has come under fire from liberal leading newspaper here in Madison, the Cap Times.

It is a story on how that department has handled allegations of grooming and sexual assault and abuse.

But now, in my opinion, the story has grown well beyond what the Cap Times reported because last Thursday, Dr. Jill Underly

blew off a assembly committee hearing in which they wanted to ask her questions about this so she could attend her alma mater at the Indiana University to receive a Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Pat, not a good look at my opinion.

Agree or disagree?

That's not a great look, but again, I think it distracts from the real issue here of, you know, the things that may have been done by these teachers to children and what the department has got to do.

And I would turn this into shameless self-promotion by urging everybody to go back and listen at 7.30 this morning.

We talked to State Representative Angelina Cruz, Democrat from Racine, who is on the Assembly Education Committee, and who had a Facebook post about this.

eviscerating the Republicans who are suddenly concerned and parachuting in, you know, some of the same people who are voting no on releasing the Epstein files, and now suddenly wanting to make hay at Jill Underly's expense.

Jill Underly was wrong not to talk to the reporter and arguably wrong about not showing up for a committee hearing that threatened to become even more of a sideshow than it already was.

But Representative Cruz is right to say, whatever your feelings on Dr. Underly, let's get to the issue of how you make sure the Department of Public

move forward so that you do not have situations like this in the future.

I don't disagree with you, Pat, but again,

I've been shocked at the amount of, instead of the Democrats doing similar to what you did and calling what Underly has done out and saying, look, this isn't right.

She needs to do this.

All they're doing is defending her and trying to say it's misdirecting and how terrible Republicans are.

Well, last time I checked, you don't get to choose

when you testify before an assembly

or senate committee.

No, actually, I disagree with that.

I disagree with that because it is quite possible.

I'm not claiming this, but that you know how short notice these committee meetings are set up sometimes.

It was five days.

And I would not be the least bit surprised if they already knew what Dr. Underly's travel schedule was.

Come on, Pat.

How

many times did your staff... My former boss missed anniversaries with his wife, kids' birthday parties, because he had to go do his job.

When you're a state legislator, when you're elected official, it doesn't matter.

If that's when the

thing is, you show up.

It was before you got some of the most recklessly unprofessional management of a legislature that I've ever seen anywhere in this bunch and they're not doing those kids any favors.

Reschedule if you have to and keep at this till we get it done right but stop trying to turn it into political gamesmanship.

Well, we'll ask Trinkvee on the other side about this.

I think that Jill Underly is a big loser, but as far as politically speaking, but Pat Kratlow is a big winner, and you can see

his big

winning show every morning from six into nine.

Thank you, Patrick.

We'll talk to you next week.

Thank you, guys.

See you later.

Come

on back.

Trinkvee

and I

discussed this more on the other side, a little Trumpster as well.

It's the All Bull Show for Wednesday on the Civic Media Ready Network.

Farm News is next, and pay me on.

the Civic Media Radio.

We're 35 minutes now past the hour of two o'clock and a Wednesday, October 29th, 2025.

Glad to have you along.

Many thanks to Pat Crite Low for making time for us each and every Wednesday.

A little spicy.

Trick me today.

You know, a little, a little, I like that.

You know, it's, it's, it's fun.

You got

Pat fired up.

Trigby Olson, Senior Advisor at Lincoln Project, a former Republican like myself joins us from the outskirts of Washington, D.C.

Talking.

I just want to put a pit on this, Trigby.

Again, this whole issue, the story of the Capitol Times, a week ago Friday, and it had some very serious concerns about how the Department of Public Instruction handles allegations of grooming and sexual misconduct over 200 cases, which we should remind people represents .003% of the overall teaching population, educational population in the state.

Very, very small percent.

But I think that for those alleged victims, that's certainly serious, right?

I just simply think that the story, and I think Pat was more or less in agreement with me, but you keep me honest, I think the story has gotten so much bigger in a negative way for Underly and all the great folks that are doing a good job at the Department of Public Instruction because she wasn't transparent.

And whatever you think about Chris Matthews, not you trick me, but the general you,

uh i like his writing and i think it was in his book uh now here's what i really think he tells or maybe it was on heart in the hard ball itself kind of the rules of politics and as somebody who's worked in dc trick v you know this better than anybody else one of the rules of politics is if you have a problem hang a lantern on it don't wait for it to come to you and i think that underly has as

hurt herself, her department and her profession by not being more transparent.

Yeah.

And, and to a degree, it isn't a good look for the party either.

I think.

Well, I mean, an old adage in politics is if you're explaining, you're losing, right?

But she's not just explaining that she's, she seems to be avoiding.

And if you're avoiding, you're getting clobbered.

Right.

And.

And on an issue like this, she needs to, I just think she needs to be aggressive.

I'm not sure she's being staffed right.

That's

right.

They need to find a friendly reporter that she can go to and sit down and lay out the entire reality of it.

And then...

In that story, make sure that they're getting across the points that they want to make and talk about, and then stay on that message, whether it's in front of legislative committee hearings.

But the more you look like you're coming up with excuses not to talk about it, and she's no longer in a position where she's going to get the benefit of the doubt because it keeps happening over and over again.

Agreed.

Jim in Appleton listening on WISS, we're on a great station there in Oshkosh.

We have the call of Transponder in Appleton, so you can listen to it as there.

Says, come on, Todd, spread some of the victory all around.

How about Howard Markline, state senator, holding back funding to investigate these allegations.

Give under Lee a rest.

You've been on her for over a week.

Thanks, Jim always appreciate lists or ship and the and the opinion here.

Yeah, I mean I But I think that's What what interests me is the fact that I spend I don't know zombers can keep me honest I I probably spend 90% of this show Calling out our former party trippy Republicans of things.

I don't think including I've nobody's been tougher on Howard Markline on this network than me

And particularly when it comes to lack of funding for higher education and public education.

Yeah, absolutely.

But I think to have any sort of trust with our listenership, I also have to apply that same lens to the Democratic side.

And I would feel, I mean, how many, when Republicans refused to go before the bipartisan January 6th committee, well, what are they afraid of?

Why aren't they sitting there?

When I joined Democrats and saying,

Republicans released the Epstein file.

You have to apply that same lens to Democrats or I think you lose trust in people.

Well, yeah.

And in addition to that, you know, there's something liberating, which, you know, the first time the way back when you started this show, you asked me to come on and I said, you're like, would you come on again?

And I'm like, I'll come on whenever you want.

You're like, how about every Wednesday?

Part of what I loved about it is.

You know, it's the opportunity in which is rare when you're on one of the two political teams and you're entrapped in our politics the way

it

is.

You have to defend your side.

Even if you're saying, what about, what about, what about, what's liberating about this show is we can just call them as we see them.

And, you know, Chris and Madison,

you can

agree or disagree.

We don't care.

Chris and Madison, WMDX don't agree.

Underly was set up like Pat suggested.

Agree with the caller drop it already.

It says Chris is that

Chris is that Chris with

a No, it's not she was not set up.

I mean, that's just I mean Wasn't it the cap time?

Yes, the cap time is the most liberal newspaper in Wisconsin is the one that brought

this

story is hours

Also, the article did not just sit there and attack under Lee and everybody it did

Explain okay, there are reasons for these problems.

It said there is one and a half full-time people so one full time

one

and a half time To investigate all of these cases that is entirely inadequate and a bunch of other reasons they talked about yeah, there are a lot of problems So why didn't like why won't they talk about

them?

Agreed why wouldn't she go on the attack and put it back exactly?

Exactly why you call these people

up?

I

mean

Honestly, since we have no Fs to give and can say what we want, I'm just gonna be honest here.

The truth of the matter is, you become Secretary of the Department of Public Instruction, not because you're a world-class politician, right?

We're not talking about top-level political skill sets here.

Burt Norquist.

No, Burt Grover.

No, Burt Grover, not outstanding.

I forgot about him.

Yeah, exactly.

See, my case in point.

But she's not being served well by whosoever advising her, but at the end of the day, the buck stops with her.

And if one and a half people, the state legislature has...

partial responsibility for this, the governor, the governor's plural past.

Like there's a lot of people, but she's taking the entire brunt of it in part because she is not doing a very good job politically.

This is why this is why I've burned all my bridges.

Politically trick me because I can't go back to our former former party and that's a funny thing when I when I was the whistleblower So to speak and came out and talked about closed caucuses and and how Republicans were Suppressing a voting.

Oh my gosh Democrats and liberals and progressive love me Oh, they wanted

to hail

me and then when I point out things on on the Democratic side when I tried to get a job Helping a Democrat get elected to the assembly.

They didn't want anything to do with me because I had betrayed my former party and why would I

not do it to them.

They were suspicious of me.

And I said, I don't know, because I've always been told Democrats don't lie.

They didn't like that.

Right.

Yeah.

So,

well,

I

mean, that's the problem with being in the middle between.

I'm

like

two extremes.

I'm like a dial this absorbers.

I'm like the dead skunk in the middle of the road stinking to high heaven.

I'm not left.

I'm not right.

I'm in the middle of the road.

Kurt in Madison and WM DX.

Thanks for holding Kurt.

What do you want to say about this?

Yeah, I have to challenge that on this.

You know, we're adults.

We're professionals.

We can chew bubble gum and walk at the same time doesn't take a lot of skill sets.

The failure that

The failures that you have pointed out of her has now taken whatever career she has and she's literally trashed it and thrown it down the toilet because anyone that would look at a person who is in a position that she's in with a very sensitive topic that any parent would immediately become alarmed with.

She demonstrates she doesn't care whether she's in the center or not.

And I don't think this has to do with anything with politics.

This is about the integrity of the individual.

Exactly.

And if she would have taken it on by the horns, head on and sat down saying, listen, I'm here to answer any questions.

I want to clear up the confusion, but she didn't do that to hell with Indiana.

That's just a weaseling way out.

It's like, yeah, whatever.

So yeah, she deserves the heat she's

getting.

Thanks, Kurt.

I appreciate

your opinion.

Appreciate

your illicit ship.

Look, our former colleague, our friend, Kristen Brie, who writes for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, has a great opinion piece on this.

I encourage everybody to go to the Journal Sentinel online.

Google up Kristen Brie.

She wrote a great piece on this.

And Kristen is no right-winger.

I mean, she is a, she is a, and she is getting eviscerated right now by liberals and Democrats because

And in her op-ed, she literally says, this shouldn't be political.

We need to find solutions.

And it isn't going after underly, personally at all.

And liberals are losing their mind over this.

It's tribalism, Triangvi, in my opinion.

It's political extremism, right?

Yeah.

Like, I say this all the time.

Political extremism has four pieces, psychological distress, acceptance of simplistic answers.

overconfidence and the rightness of those simplistic answers, and then ultimately intolerance for anybody who doesn't share them.

And if you're at that point, it's my team always right, other team always wrong.

And the truth of the matter is, if you're in politics where we were, and this is a case, like there's lots of things that are gray areas, but in this case, when it comes to the actual issue, it isn't even gray.

It's pretty binary and she's just botching it and I don't I don't know what kinds of I guess you can be

state superintendent of public instruction and run for governor.

Tony Evers proved that.

I don't know if that's which she maybe looks at herself in the mirror, but like she's ended any potential of her ever running for governor.

So at this point, just start doing the right thing.

And the crazy part is this was an opportunity for her to have a sister soldier in moment.

Yeah.

I don't

know.

Chris Madison says, Todd, get a grip.

on WMDX.

Brett in Kiwani says, W-I-S-S, sounds like you're feeling to hurt.

Nothing new has been said on today's show yet.

Oh, you know what?

Here's the thing, if he really wants to make our day, he'll invite us up to Kowani to go to a fish boil sometime.

Right?

Kowani has great fish boil.

He

could do the show live from a fish boil in

Kowani.

My neighbor's

throwing up the Lipskis, aka the lipsticks.

They are wonderful people.

Wonderful people.

They were from Kowani and we used to go over there and we camp at Potawatomi State Park and we'd always go to the fish boil in Kowani.

That's the thing, you could disagree on subjects or whatever and still enjoy a fish boil together or a fish fry, whichever it might

be.

Well, I bet we wouldn't.

Actually disagree with them that

probably no there's just a little salty, but that's okay people a lot of people are salty Trigby speak Trigby Olson senior advisor Lincoln project joining us as he does every Wednesday speaking of political extremism We'll move to Donald Trump who has said that repeatedly he wants a third term although the Constitution says he can't has Trump 2028 hats in the White House in the Oval Office although the Constitution says he can't Probably got to come back on the other cut right as I was well.

We have a cut

Donald Trump on Air Force One.

He's traveling around the world and Something's happened Trigby.

I'm not sure what it is, but he's suddenly changing his tune on the third term.

Is it for real 48 hours 48 hours later 40 hours later.

Is it real?

Or is he just kind of baiting us and making us feel better?

It's Memorax, Todd.

Memorax.

There's a little throwback to the past.

All right, Summer's out with a little Def Leppard to take us to break.

Come on back.

Warwick, Trigby, and the Hobbub Phyllis.

Love.

Love solves everything, especially over Aaron Rodgers.

Come on back.

We need his love, baby.

A long, long time ago I can still remember how that music used to make me smile And I knew if I had my chance That I could make those people dance And maybe they'd be happy for a while But February made me shiver

Welcome back to the Civic Media Ready Network.

Eight minutes for the hour of three o'clock.

No good time to cut into Don McLean on American Pie.

That's why you didn't want it to be played.

At least the music didn't die that time.

No, it worked, right?

You could hear it.

That's fantastic.

Trigby Olson, Senior Advisor at Lincoln Project, joins us every Wednesday.

Glad to have him along.

No Terry Barr.

She's busy.

She's a busy person.

I know how much you love to have her.

We love

having her on.

I know, but

doesn't she do the intro?

She's not live as pre-recorded.

Oh Does she think you think it's like old-time radio where Terry's comes in every day?

No,

I knew Terry wasn't coming in every day for your show.

All

right A lot of people are afraid

I

couldn't be that lucky when I'm in the studio We're gonna get you guys together though.

A lot of people afraid that the American dream is dying drink me when it comes to democracy Donald Trump

2028 Trump hats in the Oval Office.

He speaks about it all the time.

But yesterday on a flight in his Asian tour around the Asian countries, um, he, he had, well, he had to qualify after I said that, and I'm like, oh geez, you know, he's, it's, what else do you call it?

Asian tour around the Asian country?

I don't know.

Anyway, here's Trump, uh, play the cut summers.

Now it's just as you're trolling when you talk about a third term.

Are you

trolling

or are you serious?

I don't think he said that.

I don't think he used that term, but it's a very interesting thing.

I have the best numbers for any president in many years, any president.

And I would say that if you read it, it's pretty clear I'm not allowed to run.

I'm just stupid.

Donald Trump aboard Air Force One.

Best numbers.

The best.

Not even as good as Joe Biden's were at this point.

He's got 37% approval.

What is he talking

about?

Terry is now tuning in.

So Trigby is happy.

Terry Barr, the one and only co-host of Max Inc Radio every Saturday night at six o'clock on WMDX.

You can hear on the app as well.

And she's our, are she so kind enough?

She doesn't need this gig, but she's so kind enough that she allows herself to be used as our, not used, but I mean, she's kind enough to be our announcer for this show.

You know what?

She does have the greatest poll numbers, whereas Donald Trump's poll numbers are terrible.

They are not good like what is he talking about?

I don't know What what what do you attribute to this change tree?

That's I mean you're somebody who's fought authoritarianism

in

Eastern Europe I mean is he is he just trying to misdirect or they're gonna because Steve Bannon was on what 48 hours ago saying that Trump was gonna get a third term so get used to it

Yeah, well, I don't know I have no idea

Well, that's helpful.

Thank you for your analysis.

Here's the thing.

I will say this.

This is the thing that's hilarious about that.

There's a piece of me that's like, okay, sure, Donald, run for third term and let Obama, let Obama, you can get what you want.

Run against Obama and see what happens.

But of course they would not want Obama running because nothing would be worse for Donald Trump than losing to Barack Obama.

And I think Obama doesn't even want to run because like he actually took an oath to uphold the Constitution, but that not withstanding.

I mean, here's the thing, it does get interesting because there are a lot of people, Ted Cruz.

J.D.

Vance, there's a lot of people who, when they're looking in the mirror, see a future president reflecting back at them.

And of course, they are all walking a delicate dance because if Donald Trump does not run for a third term, the most valuable thing that you could get would be Donald Trump's support.

And there's a piece of me that thinks that these guys are all playing just a fool's game anyway because in truth, Donald will probably want Eric Trump or Don Jr.

or Ivanka or one of those people because...

Well, that's just the world we're living in

today

Uh, not a lot of time you left, uh, Charles Franklin, the great Charles Franklin, who runs, uh, uh, the Marquette Law School poll, came out with a new poll today, finds a large majority of Wisconsin voters not yet tuned in to who is running a major 2026 elections.

No, uh, candidate has established strong position in public favorability.

Good.

And either the governor, the state Supreme Court races or large majorities of voters are simply undecided.

So surprise, surprise, trick me, nobody needs to pay attention.

That's good.

That's good.

They got

things to do.

Their kids have hockey games.

Their kids have wrestling matches.

They have school.

Politics is not supposed to be all consuming entertainment.

NFL football is supposed to be all consuming entertainment.

And to that end, how about Jordan Love ensuring that Aaron Rodgers, unlike Tom Brady,

Will not have defeated every NFL team How

about that but thank you But I'm sure you heard DC our great sports reporter Mike Clemens actually got an interview with Aaron Rodgers and he was extraordinarily Complementary about the fans and the city and the organization of Green Bay and the Green Bay Packers I will give him that he was a class act this last week

Well, I can tell you that if I went and sat in a tent in the dark for a week

high on high waska or not.

I probably would be thinking about how great Green Bay and Wisconsin is myself most of the time.

So I

think I and I didn't take it.

No, I'm not sure there's a full moon.

It says there's a full moon a week away, but people are just there.

Something's going on right now.

Halloween, maybe quickly dick in Madison and MDX quickly dick 30 seconds.

Please go

ahead.

If you guys have been watching him lately, I'm talking

about Trump.

Did you see him in

that receiving line with the president of Japan?

He's bouncing around in that room like a pinball.

It takes him a half an hour to come down the steps of Air Force One.

My point is, I hate to be mean, but no.

He's looking a little bit like, he's looking a little like Joe Biden looked.

His gate is

not

very long.

Did you know that that there did you see the thing on 60 minutes with the doctor of the billionaires who helps him extend life and he said basically 75 years old is the point

Everybody should watch that.

We gotta make hay while the sun shines Trigby Trigby Olson every Wednesday.

We appreciate my friend find them on substack by the way Oh, I

got a banger.

I got a banger coming out today.

All right about to hit the scent All right substack

on trace.

Come on back.

I want you what's worse and more

on the Civic Media Network.

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, title of all, along with Mr. Aaron Zommerz.

On the board, our producer and engineer, it is Wednesday, October 28th, 2025.

It is a great day to be Wisconsinite, and it is Tom day.

That's right.

Camel has made the trip.

I wonder what camels go as on Halloween Zommerz.

I don't know, maybe they just try to disguise the number of humps they have.

That's good.

One or two,

you

know,

put a sheet over the top.

A bicameral, not bicameral, buy whatever.

The two-hump camel tries to make itself look like a one-hump camel.

And the one-hump camel adds a hump to make it look like a two-hump camel.

You know, the fact that we don't remember the names or the types of camels after they wrote us a sternly worded letter about, you know...

discriminating against different types of camels.

We're bad

hosts, bad

people.

But we love camels on this show.

We're pro-camel.

We're just forgetful, okay?

Don't write us another angry letter,

please.

Glad to have you along.

Many thanks to Trig V. Olson, Senior Advisor at Lincoln Project.

You can find them on Substack.

It's Trig V. T-R-Y-G-V-E.

Olson, O-L-S-O.

O N dot sub stack dot com Says he has a hot new sub stack drop on this afternoon.

So check it out trig v. Olson dot sub stack dot com and Patrick Jerome Crite low better known as Pat Crite low over the air That's one thing I love about Pat is so many people broadcasting they make up names third They don't use their real name.

They wow.

Oh, I have a radio name.

Uh, I just

I guess I patterned about Johnny Carson was not by the way Not that I think I deserve to be in the same breath of these people But as people that I looked up to and said wow if I could be even a portion of what they would be in broadcasting Johnny Carson's Johnny Carter David Letterman David Letterman Bob Euker Bob Euker Bob Euker Peter Jennings Peter Jennings although he was Canadian.

I can't be Canadian as much as you try So yeah, I mean that's

That's what it is.

Yeah.

So you just go with that.

You know, if you don't have a fake name, it's easier to be yourself.

Exactamundo, my friend.

So Pat Critello is just Pat Critello.

And that's enough, by the way.

You don't need to make up anything else.

It's Pat Critello.

And you can listen to him every morning from six until nine every morning across the Civic Media Ready Network.

Now, I'm sorry I didn't say this earlier, Zomers.

Too late.

We can't see it.

But what I love about this time this week, particularly being here in Madison on State Street,

is it's kind of a, you know, somebody's, I don't, I don't subscribe to this by the way, but a lot of people are all, ooh, it's my birthday week.

Hey, we've gone from birthdays to my birthday week.

Now it's week.

Oh, it's my birthday week.

And people want to do things.

Or in our month.

Uh, I don't, I look, one day is fine.

It's great.

But now here in Madison, ooh, it's Halloween week.

And so there's, and people, so in the midst here on state streets, if you look out the window, most people are dressed.

as they would normally be, but every once in a while, you get somebody in a costume.

It's a little bit like downtown New York, where you see the Spider-Man or the Cookie Monster or Elmo or whatever, but you get these kind of people just dressed up and you think, well, is it a costume or is that what they really are wearing?

Well, here they're just doing it for fun, whereas in New York, they'll try and take a selfie with you and then force you to pay for it.

Don't I know it?

I think I told the story before but my sister and I were in New York a couple of a couple not the costume But some guy came.

Oh, hey, dude.

I just made a new CD You want to listen to it and being the Midwestern nice guy?

I'm like sure I take one.

That's great.

And he's like that's 15 bucks I don't I don't need it They get you coming and going as they say all right ten minutes past the hour of three o'clock tie it once again for another Wisconsin

Fun fact.

That's

right.

Wisconsin Land of My Dreams.

Wisconsin's official state ballot.

All right.

Wisconsin Fun Fact for October 29th.

On October 29th, 1926.

Milwaukee County purchased the land which would become General Mitchell Field.

Special attention was paid to ensure parking would always and forever be a nightmare.

And that's another Wisconsin fun fact.

Ever tried to park in General Mitchell Field?

Yeah, it's not great.

Not great

at all.

Fine airport.

And by the way, whenever you go to General Mitchell Field, you go through the TSA line, and then by the thing about a boom, you put your pants back on in the recombobulation area.

You had to remove your pants?

Not fully.

But you're beltin' sometimes.

Oh,

that's fair, that's fair.

As the kid is sagging, you don't, you don't want to sag.

You put your shoes back on?

Yeah.

So you get recombobulated at the recombobulation area.

Casper asking me I request that you guys play that entire song from now on please it's so lovely It's a lovely song, but we do it's time.

It's like five minutes.

It's time Casper We went that we're out of time.

We just we always it's kind of like Matt Damon making an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel live.

I'm sorry.

We've run out of time All right lots to get to today Should we should get right into the thing or should we do a little bit more news summers?

What do you think your call?

Let's do what's worse.

All right, very good.

It's almost 13 past the hour of three o'clock time once again for what's worse.

Let's go

Time once

again for what's worse nothing to give away no prize money involved But it is your chance to have your voice heard on all ten news talk stations Sports as well across the civic media radio network.

All right I talked about this on the show

Week before last, Lukester, the great Luke Mathers, our immediate boss, he took himself a well-deserved vacation with his lovely, intelligent wife, and they took their dogs with them.

That's a whole another segment we could do.

And so while I was gone, people who know me, I tend to be a nester when it comes to my desk.

And it's a filing system.

It's like a top-year desk filing system.

And my former boss, Dale Schultz, one time just went off on me.

And he said, that looks like a nest.

It looks terrible.

He goes, that's a rat's nest.

He goes, you couldn't find anything in there if you wanted.

I said, what do you want?

And he, whatever it was, he said, find this.

I went, boom, there it was.

And he just shook his head and walked away.

And he said, well, it still doesn't look good.

It doesn't look good.

But if it's effective,

you know, whatever.

So anyway, and I know this about myself, it's one of my, uh, I live with ADHD and dyslexia.

It's one of the things we do, but still no excuse.

And I share the space with you and with Parker Olson of, uh, of the mornings of pack, right?

Let's show it and Luke.

So I thought, okay, I'll, I'll clean up my desk while Luke was on.

And I did.

I mean, it looks much better.

It does.

If I do say so

myself, the nest is pruned back to a great degree.

But I got a couple, there's so much paper, I got a couple of paper cuts.

As does happen when you handle lots of paper.

So today's category, what's worse?

Paper cut or a sliver?

Paper cut or a sliver?

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

What's worse?

A paper cut or a sliver?

Also text us on the civic media app if you don't have it Get it because rumors are whoops.

I just ran into the microphone.

Sorry about that rumors are flying around a lot of people are saying a lot of people are saying that there is another holiday edition of civic media's text to win contest coming up shortly and the only way that you can Participate is through the civic media app.

So get yourself prepared and then you can

Interact with us as well go to your Apple or Android device go to your app store.

That's a pp store and The search bar you put in civic CIVC media it'll pop up a cute little Cm logo you click on that and Open first ten stations are the ones that we're on so check us out civic media app Text us on there also you can text us on the YouTube channel on Facebook on what used to be Twitter on the civic media or at

All ball show pages.

What's worse paper cut or sliver 8 5 5 7 5 2 4 8 4 2 8 5 5 7 5 2 4 8 4 2 Let's go to the phone lines back in the old drift lists on to the RCE and Richland Center whistler calls in whistler paper cut or sliver.

What's worse?

Paper cut Paper also what what what's your rationale whistler?

That's my rationale.

Well, I can pull it out.

Okay.

I still have a sore spot.

But that thin slice of the skin, you get anything in it, it hurts.

That's

a great point, right?

Like if you're trying to eat, I don't know, anything from a corner of the cob in the summer to an orange, right?

Yeah, you got that open paper cut and you get a little acid or whatever in there.

That's no

fun.

Especially if you're eating pickles.

Pickles.

All right.

I did not know I make sense

very acidic.

Yeah, very acidic.

All right.

Thank you.

How's the by the way, Whistler?

How is the weather out there?

Beautiful Southwest Wisconsin today?

Well, I was starting to shine in windows coming out of the Northeast.

I should blow all these could tell police the way, but it'll be tomorrow.

The wind will do

it.

I like

that.

Thanks.

What I figured out and do it.

Well, I like the procrastination.

Just let the wind do it.

Right.

Thanks.

Well, we appreciate it.

Listen.

Have a great day out there, Richland Center on W R C E. What's worse, paper cut or sliver 8 5 5 7 5 2 4 8 4 2 8 5 5 7 5 2 4 8 4 2 Jim listening on W. A U. K. A beautiful Brookfield, Wisconsin.

A U. K. Milwaukee, Waukesha.

Jim and Brookfield.

Paper cut or sliver, what's worse?

I would say sliver and I take the opposite than the paper cut because a paper cut, it's clean.

You just put antibiotic ointment with it.

You're done.

The slivers, you got to get a tweezers, try to get them out as I'm getting older and need glasses.

You need a magnifying glass.

Sometimes you got to dig around with a

tweezers and getting it out and sometimes it breaks off.

So I definitely say slivers worse than a paper cut, which just, you know, put antibiotic ornament on a paper cut bandaid, you're done.

I think you brought up a great point, Jim.

A great angle on this because this is real now because I used to work in a restaurant.

They're literally called finger condoms.

They're like a rubber thing goes over your, so you put like the ointment and the bandaid, and then you put one or two of those over your finger.

You have to, according to health standards, because obviously you can't have any blood or anything if you're working a restaurant.

So you put these finger condoms on to stop the bleeding.

That's like a compression thing as well.

So that's a great point, Jim, with a paper cut.

You can do that with a sliver.

It just kind of festers.

I think that's a great point, Summers.

Yeah, also, slivers are weird because even if you pull it out, sometimes it still feels like it's there.

Did I get it?

Were there

two?

Did part of it splinter off?

Right.

Yeah, I know somebody who went in to have it removed at the doctor because he couldn't find it.

And they like peel it open his hand and they're digging around

in there.

What?

And they're like, well, must already be gone.

No.

Yeah, it's, that wasn't a fun time.

So,

I mean, it wasn't me.

Not a good time had by all.

Lend in Madison on WMDX says, assuming this sliver can be simply

pulled out.

The paper cut is worse as it opens up more skin surface.

All right.

But I think that's the key there, Lynn.

Has to be safely pulled out.

Brett in beautiful brown deer listening to W. A. U. K. Milwaukee walkie shot says crazy glue.

A paper cut.

Yes.

I've I've done that before, Brett.

That's a great tip you can use.

Come on back.

We'll take more of your calls and texts.

What's worse, paper cutter sliver on the civic media.

Ready to work.

media ready to work 22 now past the hour of three o'clock Zomers on the board when you dial up there is ours wrapped around your finger by the police by the police that's I couldn't think of who did that always on top of it with the song selections wrapped around your finger I don't think you want either one of these I guess you need a band-aid wrapped around your finger right finger

condom to keep your blood on

the blues exactly what's worse category today paper cut or sliver

Paper cut or sliver what's worse 8 5 5 7 5 2 4 8 4 2 8 5 5 7 5 2 4 8 4 2 You can also text us on the civic media app on your Apple or Android device or on YouTube Facebook Twitter Twix X whatever you want to call it Roger Audi and beautiful Stevens point listening on WF HR

In Wisconsin Rapids, Roger says, a sliver is worse.

It can be a beast and painful to remove.

I haven't had a paper cut since I last worked at Staples 11 and a half years ago.

Thank you, Roger.

We should have done what's worse, a staple or a paper cut in your head.

You ever done it for staple, a finger or a hand?

I have not.

I came close once.

That's a whole other story.

By the way, Bret Brown-Deer on AUK had a great tip.

Be careful, be careful.

I'm not giving up medical advice.

I'm no Dr. Liarly here.

But yes, a little bit of crazy glue can help to paper cut.

There's actual also, I think there's also actually a legitimate medical gum or whatever liquid gum that it's...

It's like a medical version of crazy glue to like seal it on.

I mean, super glue originally was developed for medical purposes.

So there's

stuff on the

battlefield and stuff.

Yeah, there's stuff you can buy that's less intense than that, but will

work.

I mean, don't consult a medical professional.

Don't just go support nowadays in your home.

I heard on Todd's show that you put a little super glue in my kid will be fine.

I mean, but I'm good tip.

Thank you, Brett.

Len in Madison.

We already said that one.

Oh, then let's see here.

I guess Brett Brett and brown deer said sliver is worse, especially if it's deep or in your dominant hand Well, that's true, too, right?

Hands you're right with her or whatever Julie up in beautiful wassau WXCO We were just up there a couple weeks ago great Chad Holmes up there Bull Falls radio WXCO Julie says a sliver that you can't

get out easily is worse because you're going to have to deal with it in some way.

I never tell my husband I have a sliver as he'll try to pull it out.

As he'll pull out his knife.

Oh, I see a finish is down there.

Yes, as you play out.

You don't, don't be digging around in your hands with your knives.

Well, I know what you can do is like use the back of it kind of like using a credit card and push it out.

Oh, yeah.

You know, where if you have the hole for the sliver, you go from the opposite side with a credit card or something and

push it up.

Again, again, the message is the 12th floor.

We are not giving out the medical advice.

Yes, legally.

This is just friendly suggestions.

Please consult your local medical professional.

Entertainment purposes only.

That's it right there.

855-752-4842.

855-752-4842.

We have witches at a school bus and something else now crossing the intersection down here.

This is fantastic.

Kids, they must be downtown trick-or-treating in Madison.

A firefighter.

Look at that.

You love to see it.

All right.

Let's go to Ollie up the Northwoods.

Ollie, paper cut or sliver.

What's worse?

Today you have the contractula.

I say this sliver is much worse, especially if it has a big one where a paper cut will give you the blood.

Thank you, Count Dracula.

We appreciate that call for the North Woods.

Now see, that's fantastic.

Now we have listeners calling in as characters for Halloween.

Getting into the spirit, getting into the Halloween spirit.

Thank you.

Yeah, well, I'm sure that Dracula's would really like a paper cut.

You can sink your teeth into it.

What's worse paper cut or a sliver that I think that's the what's going on here is ours This Halloween week people are just I think so.

I think they're not saying I'm just an approving it's just 8 5 5 7 5 2 4 8 4 2 8 5 5 7 5 2 4 8 4 2 what's worse paper cutter sliver Tom calling in from wassauce on WXEL a newer newer listener up there We appreciate that Tom.

Thanks for checking in Tom from wassauce says slivers are worse

I had one that I could not remove.

It was there for months until the pressure buildup and it burst out through the side of my finger.

What?

That doesn't seem fun.

The old line, you really should see a doctor about that.

Because you don't want the infection, you understand?

Yeah, absolutely.

Again, not medical advice, but closer to real medical advice.

If you got a sliver that's not going away, you should probably see a doctor so it doesn't get infected.

Uh, lovely and talented, uh, Megan are, uh, by the way, she got a promotion.

She's now the, uh, executive assistant to our CEO and, and COO of the president, Megan, who's on top of everything.

She runs this place, uh, like a general.

And Megan says, trick or treat on the square.

That's what's going on.

So thank you, Megan.

I appreciate that.

Uh, it's good to know Megan listens.

Because oftentimes you're wondering, does anybody listen to the show?

But no, Megan, we appreciate that.

Yeah, they do the trick or treat on

the square during the week.

to avoid run-ins with people on Friday, so that they can still keep all the businesses open for all the adults.

I wonder what they're giving away for imagination.

Age cheese, is that what they're giving away?

I don't know, baby Swiss?

Nicely done, Zauberts.

Baby Swiss.

All right, Zauberts, what's worse?

Paper cut or sliver?

I don't know.

I know a sliver is probably technically worse, but paper cuts are one of those things that, for me, are like...

Nails on a chalkboard or

like

rubbing styrofoam that just give you the heebie-jeebies.

For some reason, thinking about a paper cut just, I'm not a fan of it.

When we started this segment, I was leaning towards paper cuts, but now are worse.

But now if you're listening to our listeners, they brought up some great points.

The fact that the sliver confessed her and is in there longer.

Paper cuts are much like my dating life.

They're done and over quickly.

And so I think the sliver is worse.

So I'll say sliver is worse.

All right.

Casper, by the way, checking in from our fine engineering department says paper cut is way worse.

Come on back.

We'll discuss some serious news after this.

First, a farm reporter, Pam Yankee on Civic Media's radio network.

It was a one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people leader.