What is more important right now than:
- Having a person of integrity on the Wisconsin Supreme Court in the critical next few years
- Making sure the Wisconsin gains of the past few years aren’t wiped out
- Punching Musk in the (virtual) face
- Sending the loud and clear message that Musk’s money can’t buy elections
Because if we don’t do that, we are going to see a lot more critical elections being purchased, just like this.
If you’re not calling, ask yourself – why not?
We don’t need to outspend Musk to defeat him. We just need to outvote the people he’s motivating. Join our phone banks and chip in some dough to help us do it.
Volunteer: wisdems.org/call
— Ben Wikler (@benwikler.bsky.social) March 26, 2025 at 10:32 PM
What a powerful statement:
We don’t need to outspend Musk to defeat him.
We just need to outvote the people he’s motivating.
Totally open thread.
RevRick
The latest poll by SoCal Strategies has Crawford leading Shimmel by 50-42. I don’t know how reliable this outfit is, but if Schimmel doesn’t release a counter poll, then chances are it’s fairly accurate.
First!
brantl
Let’s hope that pulls on money it would be nice to stick a metaphorical shiv to Elon Msk Sciatica
rikyrah
Tell that truth, WG👏🏾👏🏾
rikyrah
Schimmel is a scumbag. His malpractice with those rape kits ..
UNFORGIVABLE 😡😡
Trivia Man
Yesterday JC shared the ad about kneeling and groveling- i heard that unexpectedly on tv last week and it blew me away.
I check in on wingnut AM radio periodically, my impression is Crawford ads are 3:1 to brad. Wow! Some of them are like the groveling ad.
Second observation- last night i caught some of Mark Levin. He had a full segment with the FL-06 wack job. Running scared! Begging, pleading to vote early and drag all your friends.
JML
Please WI, bury Brad Schimel like the trash that he is. He’s not Satan, he’s the sycophant who runs into the gas station to buy Satan a pack of cigarettes, hoping to get a pat on the head. he’s the vanilla face of evil, a soulless bastard who will tell you often what a wonderful Christian he is and so forth, while skipping past any of its tenets whenever convenient. He has no spine, no morals, no ethics, but will certainly get very upset at anyone who tries to call him on his fecklessness.
I can’t think of any place worse for him to be than on the WI Supreme Court.
Trivia Man
Side note about WI SC races…
For at last 15 years 90% of the ads are all about soft on crime and specifically child SA crimes. It used to be that many (most?) were paid for by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce. Seem to better at hiding now and most are “sane government PAC” or some nonsense.
Thought experiment: does WMC really care about child safety or maybe its anti union, anti regulation, anti oversight they are after.
rk
Who on earth is motivated by Musk?
French Onion Soup
@rk:
Musk.
Steve LaBonne
@French Onion Soup: And senile Trump, who enjoys a Théoden / Wormtongue relationship with him.
Harrison Wesley
Just got a text from a friend with a news item about HHS cutting a big chunk of money originally for state and local grants to fight Covid. The pandemic is over and all is well.
H.E.Wolf
In that case, let’s phonebank until it’s 70-22 in Crawford’s favor. Work for a landslide!
By the way, phonebanking is a perfect opportunity for men, because (whether we like it or not), men’s voices are perceived as more authoritative and trustworthy.
CCL
Slightly off topic: In the ACLU town hall with Sen Murphy and Joy Reid, Murphy said to “raise the volume” of calls and texts and letters to congressional critters. He said the effort to repeal the ACA was stopped by the intense volume felt inside the walls of congress – the noise and temperature got through to just enough Reps that they didn’t back the repeal.
He acknowledged that each of us faces some risk.
He said to do something every day, whether it be a postcard, a call, attending a protest, visiting your congressional critter’s office, attending a town hall. Each time we do, someone notices, and,
to quote both him and Joy Reid:
“Courage begets Courage.”
RevRick
@H.E.Wolf: Ten percent + is a landslide. Protasiewicz won by 11 last time. It is closely divided Wisconsin. But a bigger margin would be nice.
NutmegAgain
More horrifying news of people kidnapped in braod daylight by ICE: A Turkish PhD student at Tufts (just outside Boston) was grabbed off the street by masked men and “detained”. She has a valid student visa. The kidnappers only identified themselves as government agents after she was detained. Her name is Rumeysa Ozturk. Video at this CNN link shows her being grabbed. I just feel like it’s important to mark & document these events/kidnappings.
pacem appellant
Looking at the bsky thread, it’s part of larger discussion of how Musk is trying to bribe voters, which is, of course, illegal. People are upset that WI law enforcement isn’t shutting that shit down, which is a) indicative of our sluggish, pro-corporate law enforcement, and b) contra-ops to demoralize our side. So remember: he’s desperate. Win the election, prosecute him for election crimes next. Stay focused. Let’s sink this ship.
PS How can I contribute to the phone bankers? Is there a pizza or coffee fund?
WaterGirl
@rk: The point is, they are motivated by the ads or the organizing or whatever it is this sleezy guy is doing with those millions of dollars from Musk.
WaterGirl
@pacem appellant: You can donate to Wisconsin Dems, which I am guessing is sponsoring the phone banks.
If others are sponsoring the phone banks, I am still confident that Wis*Dems will put the money to good use.
Wisconsin is one of the front lines in our battle.
Donate
Belafon
@Harrison Wesley: This is more about RFKJr’s belief that the vaccines are worse than the disease.
XeckyGilchrist
Because I’m on call for work. I totally support this calling action and have donated. Can we not with the guilt?
Belafon
@NutmegAgain: She’s currently at a holding facility in Louisiana. There was also a protest within six hours that drew over a thousand people.
WaterGirl
A win in Wisconsin will also engender a whole lot more action and hope and enthusiasm for the upcoming special election in NY.
And it will put the MAGA-supporting but not all-in for MAGA on their back foot – all we need is a small number of elected people to vote against something – or be absent from the vote – to stop some of the worst that is coming our way.
Eunicecycle
I just read the most amazing article, based on the writings of a man named Cipollos, about how dangerous stupid people are.
bonpote.com/en/the-5-basic-laws-of-human-stupidity/
It was so clarifying to me. It’s based on game-theory, or rather how stupid people don’t use game theory at all so they are very difficult to deal with. You can’t predict what they’re going to do because they are irrational, so it’s very hard to fight or defend against.
WaterGirl
@XeckyGilchrist: If I had asked people to explain to anyone else why they aren’t calling, then I would accept your “guilt” accusation.
I asked people to ask themselves that questions.
Maybe it’s because they hate talking to people. Could they try to get over it?
Maybe it’s because they’ve never done it before, and they don’t think of themselves as someone who does phone banking. That person may decide there’s no harm in trying.
Maybe it’s for some other reason. I am asking each person to ask themselves the question. The answers could be personally illuminating.
Lyrebird
@NutmegAgain: Yes, horrifying for sure. (Saw that maybe in last night’s open thread) I hope as more options to take action on that come up folks will keep posting them. I know of a couple groups protesting Mr. Khalil’s case, and joined one of them – this is horrifying stuff, indeed.
Belafon
@Eunicecycle: So we need a half-game theory to deal with only one side playing by the rules?
chemiclord
But why would I do something when I am so close to the Great Revolution I have sought to lead for years!
I remember my forebearers and their clarion call:
“First them, then us!”
zhena gogolia
OT, but
WaterGirl
I don’t understand how you can yank back grant funds after you have already received the letter saying that you have them.
Steve LaBonne
@WaterGirl: The little known “what are you gonna do about it, peasant?” rule.
frosty
@WaterGirl: I just sent $100. Thanks for making it so easy!
zhena gogolia
@WaterGirl: I don’t either, but Congress would have to do something about it, I guess.
Can you IMAGINE if Joe Biden had tried to pull something like this?
Belafon
@WaterGirl: You shouldn’t be able to, but Republicans want to break all the things so they’re letting the Executive do it.
Changed a little.
Ruckus
@French Onion Soup:
@Steve LaBonne:
Both spot on. The only person shitforbrains thinks is ahead of him in humanity is elongated dick. And that is ONLY because of money. shitforbrains (and elongated dick) both think that money is the linchpin of everything, no matter what that thing is, the grocery store, the entire country, their bank accounts. I used to know a fella who bought a tesla when they first came out, before we knew who and what elongated dick really is. I wasn’t sure it was worth the money but now I’m positive. The cars (and shitforbrains and elongated dick) are not worth the zero change currently not in my pocket.
Ruckus
@pacem appellant:
Also remember that for some people, money is what makes the world go round. Not good, not joy, not peace, not humanity. MONEY.
It is of course somewhat true because it takes money to do good as well as bad but it is what the people do with the money that is what counts. shitforbrains has done nothing positive in his entire life, nada, zip, zero. His buddy, elongated dick, made electric cars in production numbers. Granted they are expensive, full sized cars, (and the wankpanzer) but still the concept had to be brought back by someone. And other companies are doing that.
Miss Bianca
@WaterGirl:
Just donated, finally got some spare $ even if it is tax season. Go Dems – Smash State!
They Call Me Noni
@Eunicecycle:
I live in southern Indiana and am surrounded by red hat wearing critters. I haven’t read the book you reference but I can probably confirm everything in it. And no, you cannot talk them down from the ledge.
RobinS
I just spent an hour phoning for Susan Crawford and talked to a couple of very enthusiastic voters. Most calls were hangups or wrong numbers but those good calls leave my heart full