According to the New York Times Wisconsin is the canary of American democracy’s coal mine. It can only be saved if everyone votes for one party (the Democrats). As Election Day approaches, this is the confusing, but ideologically-compelling argument from the paper.
Saturday’s frontpage featured Reid Epstein’s campaign reporter’s “Wisconsin Republicans Stand On the Verge Of Total, Veto Proof Power” report. A corner of Wisconsin is in danger of electing Republicans to the state legislature. Democracy is at Risk
These three counties are located in Wisconsin’s northwest corner and represent one of the few remaining areas of rural America that remained loyal to Democrats during the Obama-Trump years.
The area could now defect to Republican Party after having voted Democratic in every presidential election since 1976. They also sent the party’s candidates to State Legislature for longer periods. The ripple effects would go far beyond Lake Superior.
Epstein warned that if seats are lost, possibly due to new and more gerrymandered electoral maps…Those seats in the northern part of the state would allow Republicans to reach veto-proof supermajorities that would make a Democratic governor completely irrelevant.
Oh no! The Times is again extremely concerned about one party’s political prospects, and Epstein has been panicking about Wisconsin for several weeks. Epstein stated earlier that “Republicans have such control over the levers of Wisconsin power that voters are almost irrelevant.”
Epstein suggests that Democrats are almost the same thing as Democracy.
Although Wisconsin is still a 50-50 state in statewide election, Democrats would be on edge of obsolescence.
John Adams, a Democratic candidate in the State Assembly from Washburn , stated that “the erosion of our democratic institutions which Republicans are looking to down should be frightening for anyone.”
Epstein was also concerned about GOP plans to abolish the state’s bipartisan election commission and take direct control over voting procedures and certification of elections. The paper concludes that either democracy is dead or we vote how we like.
Epstein took sides and lamented that “the picture is similarly bleak für Democrats in the State Assembly where President Biden won the state by approximately 20,000 votes”
He quoted the Democratic State Assembly leader who was clearly objective and said: “When you win a majority of votes and have close to one third of the seats, it is not true democracy they see how rigged this system is against the people in favor of Republican politicians.”
Perhaps Wisconsin voters like Republican governance at the local level?
The Times tried again to convince readers that crime is something that happens only to certain people.
The Democrats described a difficult battle against more-funded Republican opponents. They also noted the political atmosphere that was influenced by inflation, concerns over faraway crime, and a unpopular president.
Jonathan Weisman, a reporter from La Crosse, Wisconsin, made a similar pleading for lost democracy in his October 23 front page report. He was mourning that Derrick Van Orden might flip that district Republican.
….Ms. Ms.
