We started DWT a dozen years ago... the spring of 2005. Back then we used to do one post a day. But that only lasted a few months and since then we haven't had a day with just one post in over a decade-- not while I was in a jeep driving around the trackless wastes of Mali on the way to Timbuktu nor while I was laying in a hospital bed (blogging while I was drugged up and attached to industrial speed machinery), getting an experimental full stem cell transplant, and irrespective how big and crucial any one news story ever was. But rules are made to be broken. Today's the day woke iron worker and union activist Randy Bryce becomes candidate Randy Bryce... as he announces his run for Wisconsin's first congressional district, the seat Paul Ryan has held since 1999. And today there will be just one post-- this one.First, a little about the district: WI-01 is the southeast corner of Wisconsin, a traditionally Democratic seat that Les Aspin help from 1971 until Bill Clinton appointed him Secretary of Defense in 1993. The district stretches from the suburbs south of Milwaukee Airport, basically, Franklin, Oak Creek and Caledonia, along the western shore of Lake Michigan through Racine and Kenosha to the Illinois border. The district then heads west through Walworth and Rock counties, taking in Burlington, Elkhorn, Delavan, Lake Geneva, Milton and Janesville. Once the Republicans took over the legislature, they sawed off some Democratic parts of Rock County and added on some red areas of Waukesha (Waukesha town, Muskego, Genesee, Ottawa, Mukwonago and Vernon).The district is 81.7% white. Obama beat McCain there 185,855 (51%) to 176,152 (48%) and Romney beat Obama 195,835 (51.6%) to 179,872 (47.4%). Last year Trump won the district 52.6% to 42.3% for Hillary. She was the wrong candidate with the wrong message for this very blue collar district. She lost both Kenosha and Racine counties, both of which Obama won both times he ran. Democrats don't win in WI-01 without Racine and Kenosha counties.Last Monday night we quote a NY Times story about trouble roiling the Democratic Party. The Times writers couldn't have been more excited to announce that a Democratic candidate in another state had "bucked the left" by saying he "he would not support raising income taxes, even for the wealthy, and opposed 'any move' toward a single-payer health care system." They couldn't have been happier to announce that candidate had been captured by the DCCC and the Democratic establishment and-- now that he'd collected$23,000,000 from the grassroots-- was moving towards some kind of Republican-lite center. That's never going to happen with Randy Bryce, a values-oriented candidate with mature and well thought-out principles he's basing his campaign on. Randy isn't trying to appeal to the working class; he is the working class. And his campaign is based on a platform that calls for making life fairer and more sustainable for Wisconsin's working families. Below is what he told us last night; if you want to help, please consider tapping on the Stop Paul Ryan ActBlue thermometer on the right:
I’m now officially “on the clock.” To be honest, since Scott Walker led the extremist incursion into what was once the proud progressive state of Wisconsin into a petri dish for every imaginable anti-worker bill, I’ve never been “off the clock.”I’ll never forget the Friday afternoon pulling into my driveway after working at the Nestle plant in Burlington, Wisconsin. It was cold that Winter. The iron was epoxy coated which made it slippery as it was coated with ice. I was glad to finally be home for the weekend. My phone rang. It was Graeme - the Democratic Party of Wisconsin Comm Director. He made us aware that Scott Walker was about to introduce Act 10-- the bill meant to kill public sector workers.The following Sunday we had hundreds of people meeting in Horicon, Wisconsin with the intent of marching to the Republican Assembly speaker-- Jeff Fitzgerald-- and letting him know that we were opposed to that taking place.The iron workers weren’t affected by Act 10, but, we knew we would see our own attack. (We later did when “Right to Work” passed-- even though Walker assured the state that it would never make it to his desk.)Since that time in 2011 the attacks have become more invasive, and, more politically motivated.With Trump elected, what took place in Wisconsin has now been exported to the federal level. The people of Wisconsin have already seen how a single election can completely change an entire state. Americans are now seeing on a grand level what we saw on a smaller one. Gerrymandering and voter suppression are keeping people with bad ideas in office. Representatives are choosing their voters instead of the way it should be-- us choosing them. The glowing fiery eye of Mordor has been relocated from Madison, Wisconsin to Washington D.C.It’s been ugly (ugly being a kind word).Aside from the years spent in the U.S. Army, I’ve spent my entire life in southeastern Wisconsin. When Paul Ryan was first elected, even though we disagreed on just about every topic, he at least could be found. He came across as kind of a nice guy.Notorious Wisconsin Jellyfish has no spineThen he came up with some horrible idea that we referred to as “Ryan Coupon Care.” He talked about “Takers vs. Makers.” He called African American males “lazy.” Something happened to Paul Ryan that was not good. He completely changed (aside from having the same bad ideas).He forced his way into a soup kitchen for a photo op and began washing clean dishes. He refused to discuss jobs during a Labor Day parade.He did however, get to be really talented in a few areas.He could raise some serious cash. Lately, he has attended over 50 fund raisers raking in all kinds of cash. In that time, he has not held one town hall. He’s been so brazen about ignoring the constituency that news outlets cite “Breaking News” when he is seen in the area.This post could go on ad nauseam with negative issues that try to describe all that is wrong, but, it won’t solve any of the problems.The United States is the wealthiest nation on the planet, yet, more than 43 million people live below the poverty line.We have homeless veterans. Too many people can’t afford medical care, and, I have personally heard stories of some who are planning to die because they can’t pay to stay alive. We have people who need to work two jobs just to make ends meet. (How much time does that leave for taking care of any children?) Those of us who literally build the country are told that we are the problem. We have huge student debt that requires modern day indentured servitude.Does any of the above sound like the America that you heard about?Well, put me in, coach. I’ve had enough. The other team has been running up the score for too long. Luckily, their coach isn’t the most competent, and, most of their plays fail.I’m not running in order to just represent working people. I AM one of us working people.My blood, sweat, and tears have been exchanged for pieces of paper that have allowed me to trade them in order to keep a roff over our heads, and pay bills. I work hard for my money, and, I know that those reading this do as well. We earn what we have. We donate the best years of our lives to what we have. We also deserve our latter years to be able to rest and enjoy.We need to insist that every American is allowed health care. Health care is a basic human right. Taking care of each other is my definition of “pro-life.” I find it tiresome for people to demand a baby is born only to see them mistreat that baby and their parents if they live among poverty. Let’s move from pro-birth into truly being pro-life in it’s highest imaginable form.It’s time for Main Street to take over the steering wheel. Working people aren’t the ones who cause Depressions, or, Recessions-- that would be Wall Street. We need to insist that we are protected from Wall St. gambling with our future. Let’s not call them “regulations,” but, what they truly are-- “protections.” (By the way Wall St., you can keep your money-- I don’t want, nor will I accept, contributions from you.)The United States is made up of SO many different types of Americans. We need to understand that our differences in a united manner give us strength. We have the best opportunity to learn about the rest of the world from within our own borders should we choose to accept those differences and realize that we are all on the same side.We have so many opportunities ahead of us if we only refuse to give in to the fear that is being thrust onto us with the sole purpose of division.All that working people want is to be heard. We want decisions made that will help us grow into better people. That doesn’t happen when we look for a scapegoat.It doesn’t take a law degree or doctorate to be able to listen.This country is already great. It is filled with great people of every shape and shade of humanity. The United States has more than enough for all of us. I don’t have a problem with rich or poor people. I have a problem with greedy people. All that we need to do is to realize that when we light someone else’s torch with our own, our torch doesn’t lose it’s light. It’s makes things brighter for all of us.Paul Ryan exemplifies what is wrong with our Federal Government.It’s well past time to repeal and replace the problem.It’s time to have someone who WANTS to hear concerns and be part of the solution making decisions for us.Our campaign is a joint effort that will be made up of all kinds of people from all walks of life who want to put the “united” back into “United States.”Join us.
