Proud to Be A Democrat

In the movie “Network”, when news anchor Howard Beale shouts out “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore”, he could have been raging for almost every Democrat  – and increasing amounts of GOP – in our upcoming votes-instead-of-pitchforks midterms.

Wisconsin-6 Congressional District may be no exception.

According to Amanda Bell, a fierce candidate for the right to represent Democrats in the battle to unseat GOP incumbent Gregg Grothman, people in her district are worried, upset, and angry.

”The cost of living is crushing people.” Amanda reports. “People are working hard and still falling behind.”

And on top of soaring prices everywhere, “They’re telling me they don’t want this illegal war.”

Amanda describes her potential GOP opponent as “bending over backwards to make Project 2025 come true, and I cannot stand by and watch it happen. Glenn is not well liked in the district and right now he is even more vulnerable.”

Further, WIsconsin voters are “worried that the people in power won’t face any consequences for what they’re doing to our democracy.”

The wants and needs of people in Wisconsin sound like Americans everywhere.

Amanda lists, “Affordable childcare, support for public schools, and making sure their parents and grandparents can access elder care with dignity. These aren’t partisan. issues. These are kitchen table issues, and they’re what this campaign is about”

Maybe it’s the smell of GOP blood in the water, but there are 8 Democrats vying in the WI-6 primary. But Amanda is  “the only woman in this race, the only scientist, and the only candidate with federal leadership experience.”

 

Amanda grew up on a dairy farm. Worked multiple jobs to put herself through college and, eventually, made her way to a managerial position in the US Geological Survey

Only to have DOGE and the GOP destroy her life’s work. “I watched them fire employees without cause. People we had spent two years trying to hire.”

The Trunp/DOGE intentional stupidity was crushing, “I saw them removing federal publications simply because they contained words like “diversity,” which makes it nearly impossible to discuss the plants and animals in our rivers and lakes when you can’t talk about species diversity.”

The GOP response was infuriating. “And I watched our representatives do nothing, or worse, bend over backwards to help dismantle our public institutions while doing everything in their power to make themselves and their friends wealthier. I couldn’t stay silent. I had to act.”

 

Her front-row seat to the DOGE dismantling makes her uniquely qualified to hit the ground running in DC. ‘I am someone who has actually done the work, managed federal dollars responsibly, and led people through some of the hardest challenges our government has faced.

“ I know how Washington works because I worked it, and I know exactly what’s being destroyed right now because I watched it happen up close.”

When asked if she has noticed any shifts or changes in GOP voters, Amanda replies, “Yes, and it’s significant. People are realizing they were lied to…The promises aren’t being kept. The pain is real. And people are paying attention in a way I haven’t seen before.”

The current Congressional Representative won in 2024, with 61% of the vote. And we know that voters have lopped off bigger percentages than that across the country. At last report, GOP incumbent Grothman has half a million cash-on-hand. This is before the Billionaire Bucks show up once the primary is over in August.

The entire field of 8 Dem prospects has a combined cash-on-hand of less than a fifth of that. The two men with the most to spend have about 32K each. Amanda’s contributions are way below that. She may not, now, be rich in donations, but she is abundantly blessed with fighting spirit.

“I’m someone who will show up, listen, and fight like hell for the people of this district. That’s not a talking point. That’s how I’ve lived my entire life.”

Reporting on key Balloon-Juice concerns, Amanda has two dogs. “Copper, an Australian shepherd and blue heeler mix who has decided his true calling is herding our lawnmower.”

 

 

The other pup, Veta, a livestock guardian, “takes her job very seriously, protecting our goats and property from anything that comes around, whether it walks on two legs or four.”.

Yes, goats!

“We have 17 of them on our hobby farm in Pardeeville. And they are, simultaneously, the most entertaining and most stubborn creatures I’ve ever encountered, which, honestly, makes them good practice for Congress.”

 

 

Amanda further notes on the goats,“They each have their own personality, they have strong opinions about everything, and they will absolutely find the one gap in the fence you forgot to check. But they’re ours, and we love every chaotic one of them.”

Amanda was brought to Running in the Red by BJ commenter Trivia Man. Having run for Congress in WI, himself, in 2000, Trivia Man knows what it takes to represent the district well.

He gives Amanda Bell high grades. “I was impressed with her passion and grasp of the issues. I think Grothman is particularly vulnerable, he is an empty suit that only has I AM REPUBLICAN as a resume.”

We look forward to following Amanda out on the trail.

Amanda’s website

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Now it’s your turn! Bring us your candidates. We want to meet such warriors and say hello.

We are welcoming primary candidates to Running in the Red. We are open to any Democrat brave, or foolish, enough to step up to bring the GOP down.

Contact either TaMara, at the Balloon-Juice sidebar link, or MazeDancer at PostCardPatriots at g-mail or BlueSky

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TaMara again: I’m really looking forward to hear more from Amanda’s campaign experiences. Let’s make this an activism open thread. Let’s hear about efforts in your community or your own personal efforts. How are you maintaining  your sanity?