We are not helpless

It's now been a full month since our fellow Americans saw fit to elect a felon, sex offender, and con artist to be the next President of the United States. The outrages have begun and it's tempting to react with our own outrage to each one: let's protest the militaristic idea to take Greenland and/or the Panama Canal by force; let's protest the suggestion that Canada become the 51st state; and so on. But there are other and better ways to work on preserving and strengthening our democracy here in Wisconsin. Two important virtual meetings are a good way to start.

First, on Monday, January 13, from 7:00 - 8:15pm, North Shore Fair Maps — now doing business as Worth Fighting For Wisconsin (WFFWI or wiffy) — is holding its monthly meeting. Judge Susan Crawford, candidate for the Wisconsin State Supreme Court, will speak and take attendees' questions. Then the keynote speaker, Michael Podhorzer, will discuss "the pluto-theocratic takeover of the judicial system from the top down" and how a resurgent union movement may provide us with "our best hope to recover our civic health." Podhorzer is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and the former political director of the AFL-CIO. You can read his substack, Weekend Reading. And sign up to attend.

Then, on Sunday, February 2, Grassroots North Shore will be holding its Annual Fundraiser: Preserve the WI Supreme Court Majority!. Our two speakers — Nick Ramos, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, and Jeff Mandell, Founder and General Counsel of Law Forward — will discuss the stakes and our opportunities in the upcoming election for Supreme Court Justice. RSVP for the program and donate to our cause online. Your donation will be matched, dollar for dollar, up to $4000! (If you would prefer to donate by check, please send it to Grassroots North Shore, PO Box 170684, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53217-8056.)

As you know, Grassroots North Shore is an all-volunteer organization. But we do have expenses — like renting the software that allows us to send you this newsletter every week, keeping our website going, and buying postcards and stamps to send to progressive voters to alert them to important issues and to help turn out the vote. In 2024, we made a measurable difference in defeating two proposed constitutional amendments, helped re-elect Senator Tammy Baldwin, elected Jodi Haybush Sinykin to the state Senate, and flipped enough Assembly seats to seriously impact Republican control of that body. But to preserve our gains with fairer voting maps, with voting rights, and many other progressive achievements, we really need to work hard to elect Judge Susan Crawford to replace the retiring Justice Ann Walsh Bradley. The funds we raise this winter will undergird that work and will help prepare us for the FOUR elections Wisconsin will hold in 2026. We're grateful for your generosity. (But just so you know, contributions to Grassroots North Shore and its election activities are not tax deductible.)

In a recent email, our own Ben Wilkler wrote, "Wisconsin’s state Supreme Court majority is once again in the balance. A state Supreme Court justice is retiring, putting the tie-breaking vote up for grabs once again. And, there are two candidates vying to take her place: a far-right extremist, Brad Schimel, who drove the lawsuit to repeal the Affordable Care Act when he was Scott Walker’s Attorney General… and Judge Susan Crawford—a fair and impartial judge who will reject efforts to politicize the constitution to undermine our most basic rights. All of the progress in Wisconsin in the last few years could be erased if a Trump-loyal right-winger like Schimel wins this seat." Dispirited and exhausted by our politics though we may be, it is imperative that we pick ourselves up off the floor and engage is this vital fight. Grassroots North Shore is sending out 4700 postcards right now and will send a second round after the February 18 primary (more about that event below). We will need your help to make phone calls to voters as soon after the primary as possible. So sign up to volunteer! The election is on April 1.

Right now, our 2025 Elections pages are still in the early stages of development. But we do have pages devoted to the Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate we are endorsing as well as pages for the candidates for Superintendent of Public Instruction. Because there are three candidates for the one position, there will be a state-wide primary on February 18. For information about the election and to request an absentee ballot, visit MyVote.WI.gov. Your municipality and/or your local school boards may also have primaries. According to that website, you will be able to see a sample ballot keyed to your address about 21 days before an election with state and local contests.

Within the next two weeks, we will have information about municipal and school board elections. There will also be yet another ballot question (aka a constitutional amendment). We don't yet have the exact language that will be on the ballot, but the full text of the constitutional amendment is pretty clear: "This constitutional amendment provides that a qualified elector may not vote in any election unless the elector presents photographic identification issued by this state, by the federal government, by a federally recognized American Indian tribe or band in this state, or by a college or university in this state, that verifies the elector’s identity. Acceptable forms of photographic identification must be specified by law. The amendment authorizes the legislature to pass laws establishing exceptions to the photographic identification requirement. Additionally, if an elector is unable to present valid photographic identification before voting on election day, the elector must be given the opportunity to cast a provisional ballot and present valid photographic identification at a later time and place, as provided by law."

Once again, the Republican-controlled legislature is simply trying to make it harder to repeal the current voter ID law by putting the requirement into the Wisconsin Constitution. We will be urging you to contact all your friends to encourage them to vote no on this ballot question.

Turning now to some key political news, Ben Wikler, chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, has decided to run for chair of the Democratic National Committee. If he wins, the loss for Wisconsin will be sharply felt but he will bring his organizing and fund-raising chops to the national scene. I don't know a thing about the others in this race. I do know that Wikler is probably the best state chair in the country. We've been fortunate to have him. To see what he's envisioning for the national party, watch Jon Stewart interview him on the Daily Show recently.

Also of note in Wisconsin, Governor Evers has let it be known that he "plans to include a measure in his next budget that would allow Wisconsinites to enact statutory and constitutional changes through a majority vote at the ballot box, which could put decisions on issues such as abortion and marijuana legalization in the hands of residents instead of lawmakers." The Journal Sentinel story, published on January 6, goes on to spell out how the process would work: "Evers' proposal would require the Legislature to create a statewide binding referendum process through a constitutional amendment. Voters would then be able to file petitions with the Wisconsin Elections Commission to hold a vote on proposed state laws and constitutional amendments or to repeal current state laws." Such an amendment is unlikely to pass as long as Republicans continue to control both the State Senate and the Assembly. But the day may not be far off when that condition no longer pertains!

Big rallies and marches formed important actions during the first Trump administration, but they may not suffice now that he has been elected a second time, by a slim margin of the popular vote but by a bigger portion of the Electoral College Vote. If you're like me, you are wracking your brains for what to do to resist and to oppose. Much depends on exactly what we are opposing, of course, but Malcom Nance, frequent guest on various MSNBC programs and an expert on national security, has some ideas. In December 2024, he wrote, "The job of my new model of resistance is not to run massive protests and mobilize millions to hit the streets so Antifa can cause riots and Trump will suspend the laws to crush us. We must harness the rules of psychological warfare and strike Trump in a way to cause personal psychic injury. Our tactics must be deep enough to escape notice till the moment they happen and then have news media driving impact." He proposes creating a new SuperPAC called FAFO: Focused Action with Focused Objectives. And he provides some practical actions.

Two in particular tickle my fancy. First, he proposes a National Inauguration Blackout. Most of us, I suspect, will not tune in on January 20 at noon to watch Trump take the oath of office he has no intention of honoring. But Nance's proposal is much more far-reaching (and also harder for news junkies to carry out): "Do not watch any inauguration or news media events for 100 hours. Read a book. Participate in a hobby. Enjoy time with family. Do ANYTHING except watch cable news or read any online or print news about the inauguration. This includes social media. ... Encourage all others in your family and social circle to just not participate with a tyrannical regime and its compliant news media that intends to do us all harm." The blackout is to begin at 8:00am ET on Monday, January 20, and end at 8:00am ET on Saturday, January 25. The Focused Objective: "financially impact the news media for a period of time they want all eyes on the inauguration. This will in turn show them that their advertising bottom line can be damaged and that complying has consequences."

The second is more fun. He proposes a National Imperial March on a Kazoo Day. "In Luke Skywalker's (Mark Hamill's) honor, let every person spend the next [two weeks] buying a kazoo and the moment after they delete their Twitter accounts [at noon on January 20, naturally], they play the Imperial March on their kazoos. It’s what the Orange Vader deserves." You can hear the Imperial March rendered in kazoo at the end of his admittedly long post.

To take a break from the nausea and headaches induced by the political news or the horror produced by the firestorms in Los Angeles and the snow and ice storms in the middle of the country, I recommend visiting the Webb Telescope Latest News page. I know nothing about astronomy but I am in constant awe of Webb's discoveries and marvelous images. Try it.

EVENTS

Saturday, January 11

Stand for Peace, 12:00 - 1:00pm
92nd and North Ave, Milwaukee

Every Saturday, Stand for Peace advocates gather on a specified street corner with signs to advocate for peace.

Monday, January 13

Worth Fighting For Wisconsin (formerly North Shore Fair Maps), 7:00 - 8:15pm
Virtual

With the passage of (relatively) fair maps in the previous legislative session, the issue necessarily takes a smaller role in the work of this group. So we are transitioning to Worth Fighting For Wisconsin, also known as WFFWI (pronounced "wiffy"). In our first WFFWI meeting, we will discuss the new direction and will hear from Judge Susan Crawford, candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The keynote speaker is Michael Podhorzer. His latest substack, This is NOT a Year-End Appeal, turns a keen eye on "the pluto-theocratic takeover of the judicial system from the top down" and how a resurgent union movement may provide us with "our best hope to recover our civic health." Join us.

Thursday, January 16

Waukesha Dems Meeting, 7:00pm
Southminster Presbyterian Church, Waukesha

Join us for our monthly meeting to kick off 2025. We will be joined by local candidates as well as presenting our 2025 proposed budget and priorities for approval. This will be a great time to get involved, shape our year ahead, and meet the candidates we are going to elect in April. Once the holidays are over, its time to get to work.

Friday, January 17

Forum on the Wisconsin State Supreme Court Election, 9:30am
ThriveOn Collaboration, 2153 N MLK Drive, Milwaukee

The League of Progressive Seniors and Souls to the Polls invite you to a forum on the Wisconsin State Supreme Court Election on April 1, 2025. Our two speakers — Judge M. Joe Donald (Milwaukee Circuit Court Judge for 13 years) and Attorney Walt Kelly (widely known for work in labor, employment, civil rights and liberties law) — will address what the WI Supreme Court does and why this election matters. Light refreshments will be available. for more info, email [email protected]. Please let us know that you plan to attend. If you are interested but cannot attend, also let us know. We hope to see you there.

Saturday, January 18

Stand for Peace, 12:00 - 1:00pm
King and North Ave, Milwaukee

Every Saturday, Stand for Peace advocates gather on a specified street corner with signs to advocate for peace.

Tuesday, January 21

LWV Lunch and Learn Series, 12:00pm
Zoom

Lunch and Learn now meets on Zoom quarterly. Our Lunch & Learn will focus on Where do we go from here with new voters? What lessons have we learned in Getting Out The Vote? with Bria Burris. Lunch and Learn follows the lead of women and the communities most impacted by racism and inequity. We focus on what we can do to make things better for humankind. Registration is not required. Link to event. Meeting ID: 963 9818 8822.

Thursday, January 23

LWVWI Civic Education Seminar, 6:30 - 8:00pm
TBD

LWVWI member, Joan Schwarz, is offering a virtual Civic Education Seminar this spring. She is an attorney and former university academic. Beginning on January 23 this virtual seminar will meet every other Thursday. Throughout eight meetings, Joan will lead group discussions about the Constitution, the rule of law, our democratic institutions, federalism and the tensions on our laws and norms. Many premises have been assumed and predicted for generations – the stability of our democratic republic, the optimism of the 20th Century about the inevitability of democracy, the invincibility of progress, the decency of human nature and the coming reign of reason and peace – but are now surely being tested and questioned. Registration is required.

Friday, January 24

LWVMC League Café, 10:00am - 12:00pm
TBD

League Café meets monthly and welcomes League members old and new, as well as community members. In a small group setting, we get to know each other better, share knowledge and have interesting conversations. In rotating months, we meet as a general discussion group, and in opposite months, convene as a book club to discuss noteworthy books on racial equity, immigration and/or voting.

Saturday, January 25

Stand for Peace, 12:00 - 1:00pm
KK and Lincoln, Milwaukee

Every Saturday, Stand for Peace advocates gather on a specified street corner with signs to advocate for peace.

Monday, January 27

Democratic Party of Milwaukee County Monthly Membership Meeting, 6:00 - 7:00pm
Fiesta Café, 1407 S 1st St, Milwaukee

Join us for the First Monthly Membership Meeting at Fiesta Cafe!

Tuesday, January 28

Brennan Center: Do the Police Care About White Supremacist Violence, 3:00-4:00pm
Virutal

After more than two dozen current or former law enforcement officials participated in the January 6 insurrection, what has been done to address extremist sympathizers within these ranks? Mike German explores such timely questions in his new book, Policing White Supremacy: The Enemy Within. Drawing on research and his experiences as an undercover FBI agent infiltrating white supremacist groups, German offers unique insight into domestic extremism and argues for a better way to combat far-right violence. Link to event.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Election: Ethics and Money, 6:00 - 7:30pm
Virutal

Join the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin for a virtual webinar at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, January 28. The program "Wisconsin Supreme Court Election: Ethics and Money," will provide voters with all the information they need for the next Wisconsin Supreme Court Election this spring. Speakers include: Jay Heck from Common Cause; former Supreme Court Justice Janine Geske; Attorney Doug Keith from the Brennan Center; and Attorney Rob Yablon from the State Democracy Research Initiative. Registration is required.

Sunday, February 2

Preserve the WI Supreme Court Majority! GRNS 2025 Fundraiser, 5:00 - 6:30pm
Virutal

Our Next Mission: Saving a Fair and Forward-Looking Majority on the Wisconsin State Supreme Court. On April 1, 2025, we need to protect an open seat of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, to keep us moving forward and to preserve our rights. Find out the stakes and the opportunities from our knowledgeable speakers: Nick Ramos (Executive Director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign) and Jeff Mandel (Founder, General Counsel and President of Law Forward, a nonpartisan, nonprofit law firm protecting democracy in Wisconsin). Donate to our annual fundraiser (GRNS membership included in your donation). (If you prefer to donate via check, please mail your donation to: Grassroots North Shore, PO Box 170684, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53217-8056.) Every donation will be matched dollar for dollar up to $4000. Register for the event.

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