Issue 2

Written By Perry Govier

Dec. 26, 2023

Quote to Note

Fear never builds the future, but hope does. And building the future is what America does, what we’ve always done.
Joe Biden
(21:59 in transcript)

Kindness is (Still) a Show of Strength

By Steven Beschloss
Dec. 22, 2023
(including reprint of 2021 essay)
Excerpts

 

President Biden and his beloved dog Champ in the Oval Office in 2021. White House photo 

The toxicity of the body politic—particularly fueled by the GOP’s leading presidential candidate—can undermine our belief in the basic decency of people. Donald Trump’s use of dehumanizing language like “vermin” to describe political opponents or Hitlerian concepts like “poisoning the blood of the country” to describe immigrants can make us doubt that America and its leaders are capable of better.

 That’s why I offer this uplifting reminder of positive leadership, originally published June 21, 2021, two days after the death of the Biden family dog, Champ. This essay remains one of my favorites, and I hope you find it inspiriting, whether it’s the first time you’re reading it or a repeat experience.

 Even as we must aggressively confront the worst among us who are drawn to cruelty and dictatorship, we can and must continue to appeal to our better angels. In the year ahead, I hope voters will back more caring leaders capable of kindness, compassion and empathy. Read the full essay.

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Ten Topics and Myriad Questions
for Tom Tiffany
Part 2: Covid

By Jim Bootz, Vice Chair, Sawyer County LCO Democrats

When the pandemic struck, Tiffany had some very specific ideas of his own about how it should and should not be handled. In 2020, Tiffany introduced his first bill in the US House, in which he proposed pulling federal funding from schools that didn't open for in-person classes by September 8th of that year. That alone prompted the first question I wished to ask him on the topic, "Did you, at any time, even briefly consider a different approach, in which Congress would provide the funding necessary for schools to re-open safely?"

One media outlet did ask him if he thought rushing to open schools would cause a second wave of the virus. His response was, "I think its clear children aren't affected by this and we should work to get them back at school." How is it clear, Tom? What specific information do you have, or level of expertise do you possess, in the realm of public health and in particular communicable diseases, to support that? Even if it were true that children couldn't catch COVID or die from it--and it obviously isn't--do you understand how the lives of teachers, staff, their family members, and the family members of all of those schoolchildren would be put at risk?

The rationalization Tiffany offered was, "It's so important to get kids back to school this fall, we saw them lose nearly a semester's worth of learning with many kids home, some of them without any broadband connection." I'd like to hear from Tom what he's done to help expand broadband access to all of Wisconsin, or at least all of his district. He could have voted for that, but he chose to vote "no" on the bill that brought over $1 billion in broadband expansion funds to Wisconsin.

There's a theme that seems to run through Republican approaches to governing these days. The governors of Florida and Texas have, with the enthusiastic help of their Republican-dominated state houses, used their offices to wage a culture war and to pass laws that seem to have just one purpose, to stifle the constituencies that don't vote for them. Tiffany's almost gleeful threat to punish schools is consistent with the animosity towards educators frequently demonstrated by Republicans. And this leads me to ask Tiffany, "Do you feel it's the role of an elected official to punish constituents with whom he disagrees politically? Do you feel that punishing anyone is part of holding elected office? Do you see it as the role of a congressman to serve only those who voted for him?"

If Tom were to answer that last question with a "no," I would then want to know why he continues to use his town halls and emails to traffic in conspiracy theories and groundless accusations. While there's clearly an appetite among Republican voters for that sort of thing, those who don't share it have to endure having their intelligence insulted repeatedly by Rep. Tiffany. Does he have anything else to offer the people of CD-7, or is it all just red meat for angry right-wingers?

And finally, even if it were accepted as a norm that members of Congress use their votes to reward certain constituency groups and harm others, can Tiffany justify his punishing votes when they end up punishing many of his strongest supporters? He voted against the American Rescue Plan Act and against the Restaurant Revitalization Fund which would have provided restaurants with funding equal to their pandemic-related revenue loss when it was so badly needed. What, in Tom's mind, was more important than to help small businesses in his district who were struggling to stay afloat through no fault of their own? Was there some higher principle he was serving, and could he please share with us what that was?

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Joan Cervenka, right, treasurer, Sawyer County LCO Democrats, presents a donation to Joey Johnson, Executive Director, Hayward Senior Resource Center

In Case You Missed It
Local Edition

Sawyer County LCO website
Dec. 11, 2023
Excerpt

Meals on Wheels and related non-profit food programs in Sawyer County recently received a boost thanks to the Democratic Party of Sawyer County and LCO Reservation. The party presented $500 to five area sites offering food-related services to seniors and others in need—$100 each. Full story and more photos

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In Case You Missed It
State Edition

Recent News Releases from WisDems

DPW on Supreme Court Taking Up Abortion Medication Case

Dec. 14, 2023
Excerpt

“Make no mistake: as Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans push this country toward a national abortion ban and the Supreme Court hears this case, Wisconsinites’ freedoms are under threat. If the Supreme Court restricts access to mifepristone—a safe and effective abortion medication—it will be an alarming step towards Trump and Republicans’ ultimate goal of stripping away Wisconsinites’ reproductive rights after Trump-appointed justices helped overturn Roe. Read full news release.

DPW on Falling Inflation

Dec. 12, 2023
Excerpt

Today’s CPI report is yet another clear example that Bidenomics is working for Wisconsin families. Under the Biden-Harris Administration’s leadership, inflation continues to fall, wages are rising, thousands of new jobs are pouring back into our state, and hardworking Wisconsinites are reaping the benefits.

MAGA Republicans like Donald Trump, on the other hand, continue to push failed trickle-down policies that would roll back President Biden’s transformative progress for America’s middle class. As the GOP continues to put the pocketbooks of the ultra-wealthy and big corporations ahead of Wisconsin families, President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Democrats remain focused on building our economy from the bottom up and the middle out. Read full news release.

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Gov. Evers Statement on Wisconsin Supreme Court Ruling

Dec. 22, 2023
Excerpt

MADISON, Nov. 27, 2023—Gov. and First Lady Kathy Evers today shared a video message encouraging Wisconsinites to take care of their mental health during the holiday season.

Earlier this year, in recognition of the troubling statistics seen over the past few years regarding mental health and the growing demand for mental and behavioral health services providers have seen across the state, Gov. Evers declared 2023 the Year of Mental Health, calling mental and behavioral health a “burgeoning crisis” affecting the state and Wisconsin’s kids, families, and workforce. See full press release.

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In Case You Missed It
National Edition

Excerpt

In 2023, President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda Delivered Results for American Families

White House Briefing Room, Dec. 22, 2023:

During his first two years in office President Biden worked with Congressional Democrats to pass historic laws that form the basis of his Investing in America agenda — a key pillar of Bidenomics. The American Rescue Plan, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, and Inflation Reduction Act are transforming lives across the country by lowering costs, creating good-paying jobs, revitalizing American manufacturing, and empowering workers.

This year, the President and the entire Biden-Harris Administration have worked every day to quickly and effectively implement these laws and invest in communities that have too often been left behind. And we are showing Americans how President Biden’s agenda is benefitting their communities: we deployed Cabinet and Administration Officials across over 40 states through four Investing in America tours, holding hundreds of events to highlight the impact of the President’s agenda. And we launched a new website — invest.gov — where Americans can see how President Biden’s actions are reaching their own communities. Read full statement.

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In Case You Missed It
National Edition

Liz Cheney: We’re seeing ‘a sort of a sleepwalking into dictatorship’

‘CBS Sunday Morning’ interview
Dec. 3, 2023
Excerpts

Liz Cheney on '“CBS Sunday Morning”

From interview

John Dickerson: “If a person is a member of Congress and they’ve sworn an oath to defend the Constitution—can they defend the Constitution and also endorse Donald Trump?”

Liz Cheney: “No. They’re inconsistent.”

John Dickerson: “So they’re breaking with their oath by saying they would like hm to be the next president?”

Liz Cheney: “In my view fundamentally there is a choice to be made. You can’t both be for Donald Trump and for the Constitution. You have to choose.”

 Liz Cheney’s statement from Jan. 6 committee

“Tonight I say this to my Republican colleagues: You are defending the indefensible. There will come a day when Donald Trump is gone. But your dishonor will remain.”

From interview

John Dickerson: “You say Donald Trump if he is re-elected, it will be the end of the Republic. What do you mean?”

Liz Cheney: “He’s told us what he will do. People who say, well, if he’s elected, it’s not that dangerous because we have all these checks and balances, don’t fully understand the extent to which Republicans in Congress today have been co-opted. One of the things we see happening today is a sort of a sleepwalking into a dictatorship in the United States. . . . The things he has said and done in some ways are so outrageous that we have become numb to them.

What I believe is the cause of our time is that we not become numb—that we understand the warning signs, that we understand the danger, and that we ignore partisan politics to stop him.” Watch full interview.

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Compare and Contrast

Christmas Greetings from President Biden and the Twice Impeached, Multiply Indicted Former Guy

Sources: Twitter and Truth Social, via MeidasTouch TV
Dec. 24, 2023

Communiques from President Biden and Donald Trump during the Christmas holiday speak volumes about what kind of people they are.

President Biden

Excerpt: “This Christmas Even, Jill and I got to speak with some excited young Americans who happened to be very curious about the whereabouts of one Santa Claus.”

Donald Trump

Excerpt: “Merry Christmas to all, including Crooked Joe Biden’s ONLY HOPE, Deranged Jack Smith. . . MAY THEY ROT IN HELL. AGAIN, MERRY CHRISTMAS!”

President Biden

Donald Trump

Perry Govier
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