The divide in politics these days is not still as much left vs. right, it’s become the informed vs. the uniformed or downright ignorant, and by the flyers politicians put out, you can see they are catering to this predilection. So I propose a solution, though radical, as long as these days we’re throwing that word around all over the place even when it’s not merited, and it’s mentioned literally hundreds of times in Republican flyers across the state: If you are not going to educate yourself, don’t vote. If you think about it, this is very Darwin-ish.
Another division, and it’s long. The problem is that in politics these days, unless you play dirty or play hardball, or are loose with the truth or cut corners, you can’t win even if your cause is righteous, because of the liars you are up against. Enter in, all the vaguely named entities spewing out dis-information, and after carefully analyzing over a hundred local flyers received in the last two months, I can safely say the Republicans, and much more their ilk, are several times more to blame than the Democrats about attack ads and bending the truth to their desires. I will hit on some of the key talking points, but it’s impossible to deal with them all. Some of these entities are from out of state, and they cite sources as iffy in reliability as Fox news and even Facebook, and one even said the brochure was at least partially AI generated, and looking at the voting record of certain Republicans … They don’t do a good job of explaining their points, leaving out the reasons why the other side needed to vote the way they did, often dissing a bill because of the riders stuck in.
Easiest to decipher case in point: Governor candidate Tom Tiffany, a Republican, after quickly rising through the ranks, is as a family joke pilloried because of his pitch to his base that he grew up on a family farm; he and his brothers, some of whom are known to my family, also farmers, were there at least through their teen years. They are thought of as hayseeds. But Tom soon got weighed down with money and it is safe to say has barely if at all turned a plowshare or even a shovel in many a decade. Yet his early governor campaign flyers show a present-day Tom with a shovel in hand (the spade is blurred out) and there is a badly shaded backdrop, obviously a separate photo, in the background of cows at their stanchions. It is far too badly gray to have been done by AI, and use of the (obviously doctored like health care policies) image has since been withdrawn. It attempts to paint a man who is a bigtime corporate executive running what’s basically a trendy resort Up North as a common man and still farmer. Anyone who cannot see through this charade has no business voting. The last time he had much to do with food production is likely riding herd on a chef making a fancy dinner boat entree — I’m sure priced out of reach of the average voter.
(And by the way, how on God’s Green Earth, for now existing, can a farmer vote Republican? What party do you think pushed through the annual Farm Bill and other such pro-agriculture policies? Just going on family-values and the other tired tirades that don’t have merit in the first place, is a sham. Although I do have to finally admit, Democrats like to spend money, most of it badly needed, but other times …)
And then we’ll jump over to AI executive and incumbent assemblyman Shannon Zimmerman, who you will note conveniently forgets to mention that this is his Private Sector job, when he far from abstained from votes on data centers, instead basically supplying them. This is where the dirt, like manure, starts to harden. (More on that race after we deal more with the Gov. Stuff.)
Tiffany centers his run on economic relief, energy policy, and regulatory reform, and his platform addresses property taxes, healthcare pricing and far-away border security. At least at the start of that sentence, so far so good.
He promises to reduce costs for residents and foster business growth across the state, and promises an audit of every department under its jurisdiction, which is going to cost plenty of money, not saying where he is going to get it from. Tiffany likewise advocates for freezing property taxes, repealing what he describes as Gov. Evers’ 400-year property-tax increase, which would create an education-aiding, per student fee from taxes that would go nearly permanently. Bartenders and servers take notice, he’s for eliminating state taxes on tips and overtime. His platform proposes gutting business and manufacturing regulations (can be an ouch) while ending state subsidies for data centers.
By targeting property assessments and overtime wages, the campaign aims to put more capital directly back into consumers’ pockets. Sounds a little like trickle down.
Tiffany would take the sting out of utility costs by expanding reliable baseload power. (How so, with that payment?) His campaign emphasizes protecting Wisconsin farmland from being destroyed by wind and solar projects. Tiffany’s approach prioritizes affordable and reliable energy (vague) over specific emissions-reduction mandates. The platform explicitly notes that as the state’s leader, he’d keep Wisconsin farmland from falling into the hands of Communist China, (like so much else has), reflecting a broader goal to plow under foreign ownership of agricultural acreage.
His proposals include making medical-procedure prices available upfront, increasing market competition, and reducing regulations (possible ouch) that he deduces drive up medical costs. Simultaneously, his record includes backing stricter work requirements for programs such as Medicaid and voting for federal laws that reduced federal Medicaid funding, according to legislative tracking.
Back to the reducing regulation part. He got statewide notoriety in chairing the Senate’s mining committee, which helped pass the new law aimed at helping Gogebic Taconite open a controversial iron ore mine in two counties. Hey, do I hear the whimperings of Minnesota and its ore problems? Can I say Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, and now with some voters, possibly Tiffany?
Back to the beginning. The following info will show that Tiffany has been off the farm for at least 35 years. Tiffany does not currently own a resort. He previously ran Wilderness Cruises, a business that included a cruise operation on the great big Willow Flowage (our family took it once, nice) and later on the Wisconsin River. Tiffany and his wife ran this business for 20 years before selling it in 2012. Can he still bale hay while baling in cash? With all that profit, there are issues with him paying little or nothing in state taxes. It is not clear how many years that is the case, but for sure it’s a few.
Democratic candidate David Crowley said his experience as Milwaukee County Executive has prepared him for governorship. Opponents have taken aim, again and again, at an increase in property taxes there, when in fact he inherited a problem that left little other option.
He pointed to his work, as a counterpoint, in balancing that county budget and pushing for changes, which he called helpful.
Crowley, in his second term as county executive, said communities statewide are facing what he called an “affordability crisis.” (Duh.) He said one step he’d back to combat it is eliminating the minimum markup on gas.
That will also bring food costs down, he argues, because when farmers are hauling their product, they currently have to pay that cost as well.
Crowley also said he is focused on investing in public education, making childcare and healthcare more affordable, and protecting women’s reproductive rights, keeping politicians out of the doctor’s office, and having those decisions be made between the patient, the health care provider, and their God.
When it comes to data centers, Crowley said he is in favor of regulation to protect the environment and residents. He criticized Tiffany’s record on the issue, saying he voted for $70 billion in tax breaks to the tech companies constructing these data centers, and was a deciding vote to put a ban on AI regulations for a decade, voting not to allow residents a seat at that table.
If elected, Crowley said something echoed by various Democratic candidates, that he’d work with lawmakers on both sides at the Capitol, as he’s done in Milwaukee County.
He’s made his pitch most often, when it comes to flyers, in the highly urban areas, (and a few stumpers have come to my mom’s door), not sticking one in my mailbox until just the other day, and it was pumping all of the Dems who are running in my area.
Shannon Zimmerman’s legislative priorities focus on economic growth, healthcare and education. He stresses protecting regional industrial interests while balancing environmental stewardship, (sounds iffy). His approach suggests a commitment to fostering economic growth in Wisconsin’s 30th Assembly District. He has actively participated in discussions regarding healthcare policies, although famously missed more than 120 total votes last term including at least one to be at an AI conference, but indicating a focus on improving access and affordability for constituents. Zimmerman also prioritizes educational initiatives, aiming to enhance the quality of education in his district, and among them is a need for more special education funding. He promotes sustainable economic practices, (again sounds vague), and despite his typical Republican mantra of don’t raise taxes, he has voted for spending packages for certain programs, tossing money their way.
One local family was not impressed, saying Zimmerman blew them off when approached for a need to help out strapped day care centers, especially the ones that take care of special needs children.
Kevin Knoke’s aims to reduce the cost of living by lowering healthcare expenses and combating the corporate price gouging that’s everywhere, (gotta have that.) He emphasizes the need for principled leadership that collaborates to solve pressing problems. Veteran Support: As a U.S. Army veteran, he is likely to advocate for policies that support veterans and their families, such as attacking their homelessness.
For his part, Knoke in the last few weeks especially, has run a campaign nearly devoid of questionable attack claims. While he is a retired teacher, and thus strongly supports educational initiatives, another Democrat also in the legislative running, for the Seventh District that takes in most of the northern part of the state, Fred Clark, is most known for being a forester.
Getting back to Tiffany and his love affair with monied people. For years, billionaire Republican donors Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein have given a lot of monetary love to right-wing Republican politicians. The Washington Post reported they rank runner-up to only Elon Musk among the biggest donors in the current election cycle.
The Uihliens upped the ante, as Tiffany launched his campaign for governor, giving more than chump change — totaling about $34.8 million. The staggered total amount makes the alleged Somali fraud in neighboring Minnesota seem like the pennies that are now in disuse everywhere. Although Republican backed businesses don’t need to worry about such small coinage.
Using a long-ago, Republican-created loophole, almost all of the money Tiffany raised in the most recent reporting period came from the Uihleins and one other billionaire, Diane Hendricks.
When in the Wisconsin state Senate, Tiffany’s district included Manitowish Waters, the tiny town nearby nearly washed away, so to speak, where the Uihleins opened a resort, restaurant, spa, condominium complex and other businesses, such as a space probe. No wait, that was Musk.
Tiffany, who lived 30 miles away in Hazelhurst, was very helpful to the Uihleins and their water-level-affecting actions when the DNR was asked to study the alleged damning damage caused by a dam, to form a private lake. Tiffany slipped a select few sentences into the 2015-17 state budget, dampening the regulation of the dam.