GOP candidate for Wisconsin governor says he will rig future presidential elections if he wins

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

When Wisconsin gets back on the right track with lower taxes, better schools, uniform election laws and safer communities thanks to the Michels Administration, voters will reward the Republicans at the ballot box. 

Oh phew, I'm sure that's exactly what he meant. What a load off my mind.

Well, this is actually exactly what Michels' campaign spokesperson said when asked about the comment.

A five-second clip posted to Twitter by a liberal activist group is what got this story started (I thought you said Twitter wasn't news, JD?)  In more complete remarks, Michels spoke for about two minutes but offered little context for what he meant about elections.  Most of his comments focused on campaigning in the Democratic stronghold of Milwaukee and trying to win the votes of union workers.  If Republicans improve with those two groups, then Wisconsin *would* become a permamently Republican state.  His statement is rhetorical.   

So we're just ignoring this bit, huh?

Michels is seeking to unseat Gov. Tony Evers (D), who over his four years vetoed a string of Republican-backed bills that would have changed voting rules in a battleground state that Donald Trump narrowly won in 2016 and narrowly lost in 2020.

Michels has promised to sign similar legislation and has said he would restructure the state’s bipartisan elections commission.

Wisconsin has one of the unfairest election regiemes in the country.  The state's 2020 election was administered contrary to state laws duly passed by the Legislature.  Evers and the state's election commission sought to extend these unfair systems into 2021 and 2022, but are being rebuffed by courts.

Elections being under the purview of a nominally bipartisan commission is not some universal practice.  In most states, the election commission is a division within the Secretary of State's office (i.e., a non-regulatory body with direct accountability to the public.)  As it was in Wisconsin before 2015.  Returning to such is not an earth-shattering idea.   

How can you argue the state's government is rigged against Republicans when dems have to clear 65% of the vote to win the state legislature.

[Del Tachi]

When Wisconsin gets back on the right track with lower taxes, better schools, uniform election laws and safer communities thanks to the Michels Administration, voters will reward the Republicans at the ballot box. 

Oh phew, I'm sure that's exactly what he meant. What a load off my mind.

Well, this is actually exactly what Michels' campaign spokesperson said when asked about the comment.

A five-second clip posted to Twitter by a liberal activist group is what got this story started (I thought you said Twitter wasn't news, JD?)  In more complete remarks, Michels spoke for about two minutes but offered little context for what he meant about elections.  Most of his comments focused on campaigning in the Democratic stronghold of Milwaukee and trying to win the votes of union workers.  If Republicans improve with those two groups, then Wisconsin *would* become a permamently Republican state.  His statement is rhetorical.   

So we're just ignoring this bit, huh?

Michels is seeking to unseat Gov. Tony Evers (D), who over his four years vetoed a string of Republican-backed bills that would have changed voting rules in a battleground state that Donald Trump narrowly won in 2016 and narrowly lost in 2020.

Michels has promised to sign similar legislation and has said he would restructure the state’s bipartisan elections commission.

Wisconsin has one of the unfairest election regiemes in the country.  The state's 2020 election was administered contrary to state laws duly passed by the Legislature.  Evers and the state's election commission sought to extend these unfair systems into 2021 and 2022, but are being rebuffed by courts.

Elections being under the purview of a nominally bipartisan commission is not some universal practice.  In most states, the election commission is a division within the Secretary of State's office (i.e., a non-regulatory body with direct accountability to the public.)  As it was in Wisconsin before 2015.  Returning to such is not an earth-shattering idea.   

How can you argue the state's government is rigged against Republicans when dems have to clear 65% of the vote to win the state legislature.

Bringing this up is such a lame cop-out.  Firstly, any neutral map of Wisconsin advantages Republicans because of how concentrated the Democrats' votes are in Milwaukee/Madison.  Secondly, if gerrymandering was as objectionable as Red Atlas makes it out to be then there would be no shortage of candidates (even non-partisan or independent ones!) running and being elected on a platform of redistricting reform.  They aren't because this is genuinely a non-issue for voters.  If you think they're wrong, you're free to campaign to change their minds.  This is a feature, not a bug.

[Ferguson97]

Bringing this up is such a lame cop-out.  Firstly, any neutral map of Wisconsin advantages Republicans because of how concentrated the Democrats' votes are in Milwaukee/Madison. 

I keep seeing blue avatars say this, but it doesn't make any sense.

Is there some law about how little land area a district can be?

Secondly, if gerrymandering was as objectionable as Red Atlas makes it out to be then there would be no shortage of candidates (even non-partisan or independent ones!) running and being elected on a platform of redistricting reform.  They aren't because this is genuinely a non-issue for voters.  If you think they're wrong, you're free to campaign to change their minds.  This is a feature, not a bug.

Just because most voters are unaware of (or don't care about) the importance of issues like this does not make those issues unimportant.

By far the most annoying behavior of Atlas conservatives is that they think argumentum ad populum is an appropriate substitute for defending their positions by merit.

[SnowLabrador]

The fact that this isn't much bigger news is pretty damning. But quite frankly, even if Michels doesn't rig the elections, I truly believe Wisconsin is gone for Democrats in 2024 and beyond.

[MasterJedi]

When Wisconsin gets back on the right track with lower taxes, better schools, uniform election laws and safer communities thanks to the Michels Administration, voters will reward the Republicans at the ballot box.  

When Wisconsin is back to being broke with declining schools and a big ole business conn like Foxconn like how Scooter left us, they'll have to rig them to keep winning.

[Inmate Trump]

I mean what do you want him to say? That Democrats will win elections once he takes power? Biden has repeatedly mentioned how Dems will keep winning elections in 2021 and 2022 (even if wrong) to keep his party’s spirits up, this is no different.

This is very different.

What do I want him to say? Something like this, "If I'm elected, I'll make sure that every vote counts," or maybe "I'll work hard to ensure there are free and fair elections."

What I don't want him to say is that he'll fix the elections so that his side always wins.



WHY AM I EVEN HAVING TO EXPLAIN THIS?

[OSR stands with Israel]

When Wisconsin gets back on the right track with lower taxes, better schools, uniform election laws and safer communities thanks to the Michels Administration, voters will reward the Republicans at the ballot box. 

Oh phew, I'm sure that's exactly what he meant. What a load off my mind.

Well, this is actually exactly what Michels' campaign spokesperson said when asked about the comment.

A five-second clip posted to Twitter by a liberal activist group is what got this story started (I thought you said Twitter wasn't news, JD?)  In more complete remarks, Michels spoke for about two minutes but offered little context for what he meant about elections.  Most of his comments focused on campaigning in the Democratic stronghold of Milwaukee and trying to win the votes of union workers.  If Republicans improve with those two groups, then Wisconsin *would* become a permamently Republican state.  His statement is rhetorical.   

So we're just ignoring this bit, huh?

Michels is seeking to unseat Gov. Tony Evers (D), who over his four years vetoed a string of Republican-backed bills that would have changed voting rules in a battleground state that Donald Trump narrowly won in 2016 and narrowly lost in 2020.

Michels has promised to sign similar legislation and has said he would restructure the state’s bipartisan elections commission.

Wisconsin has one of the unfairest election regiemes in the country.  The state's 2020 election was administered contrary to state laws duly passed by the Legislature.  Evers and the state's election commission sought to extend these unfair systems into 2021 and 2022, but are being rebuffed by courts.

Elections being under the purview of a nominally bipartisan commission is not some universal practice.  In most states, the election commission is a division within the Secretary of State's office (i.e., a non-regulatory body with direct accountability to the public.)  As it was in Wisconsin before 2015.  Returning to such is not an earth-shattering idea.   

When should elected partisan officials be in charge of certifying elections . That’s just absurd

[Badger]

I mean what do you want him to say? That Democrats will win elections once he takes power? Biden has repeatedly mentioned how Dems will keep winning elections in 2021 and 2022 (even if wrong) to keep his party’s spirits up, this is no different.

This is very different.

What do I want him to say? Something like this, "If I'm elected, I'll make sure that every vote counts," or maybe "I'll work hard to ensure there are free and fair elections."

What I don't want him to say is that he'll fix the elections so that his side always wins.



WHY AM I EVEN HAVING TO EXPLAIN THIS?

Because as the terrible terrible blue avatars on this thread repeatedly demonstrate, they're happy as hell with swing States becoming locked in as Republicans strongholds by hook, crook, and general electoral Shenanigans if it means increasing their own political power. When give it a choice between sacrificing hard right conservatism which isn't palatable to most voters and sacrificing democracy, Republicans today will gladly choose the latter.

[freepcrusher]

i understand where DT is coming from - but at the end of the day, I don't trust people like michels. It seems we are fast approaching the "one man one vote one time" principle in elections.

[Former President tack50]

Considering that the US Constitution already allows for it, I mean, if he wins he should just pass some law where presidencial elections are cancelled and the GOP gets all the EVs (or they get appointed by the state legislature, same deal)

At least he would be being honest that way

[Ferguson97]

i understand where DT is coming from

That’s because he’s arguing in bad-faith

[Koharu]

Wisconsin has one of the unfairest election regiemes in the country.  The state's 2020 election was administered contrary to state laws duly passed by the Legislature.  Evers and the state's election commission sought to extend these unfair systems into 2021 and 2022, but are being rebuffed by courts.

Elections being under the purview of a nominally bipartisan commission is not some universal practice.  In most states, the election commission is a division within the Secretary of State's office (i.e., a non-regulatory body with direct accountability to the public.)  As it was in Wisconsin before 2015.  Returning to such is not an earth-shattering idea.   

Wisconsin's elections haven't been run by the SoS for decades. Nearly half a century at this point. Before the Wisconsin Election Commission was in place, we had a different bipartisan board called the Government Accountability Board, which was established in 2007. Prior to that, elections were run by the nonpartisan State Elections Board, established in 1974. So you obviously are not aware of how Wisconsin has run elections.

As for your first paragraph, where's the proof? Both the Wisconsin Legislature Audit Bureau and the Republican-leaning group WILL found that the 2020 elections were on the up and up  (WILL did complain about drop boxes, and lawsuits have removed their use. They also complained about a very small number of errors--all elections will have errors).

https://legis.wisconsin.gov/lab/eSummary21-19
https://will-law.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/2021ElectionReviewSummary-web.pdf

Wisconsin elections are extremely well-run. Please stop repeating talking points without proof or an awareness of how elections in WI are run.

[DaleCooper]

When Wisconsin gets back on the right track with lower taxes, better schools, uniform election laws and safer communities thanks to the Michels Administration, voters will reward the Republicans at the ballot box. 

Oh phew, I'm sure that's exactly what he meant. What a load off my mind.

Well, this is actually exactly what Michels' campaign spokesperson said when asked about the comment.

A five-second clip posted to Twitter by a liberal activist group is what got this story started (I thought you said Twitter wasn't news, JD?)  In more complete remarks, Michels spoke for about two minutes but offered little context for what he meant about elections.  Most of his comments focused on campaigning in the Democratic stronghold of Milwaukee and trying to win the votes of union workers.  If Republicans improve with those two groups, then Wisconsin *would* become a permamently Republican state.  His statement is rhetorical.   

So we're just ignoring this bit, huh?

Michels is seeking to unseat Gov. Tony Evers (D), who over his four years vetoed a string of Republican-backed bills that would have changed voting rules in a battleground state that Donald Trump narrowly won in 2016 and narrowly lost in 2020.

Michels has promised to sign similar legislation and has said he would restructure the state’s bipartisan elections commission.

Wisconsin has one of the unfairest election regiemes in the country.  The state's 2020 election was administered contrary to state laws duly passed by the Legislature.  Evers and the state's election commission sought to extend these unfair systems into 2021 and 2022, but are being rebuffed by courts.

Elections being under the purview of a nominally bipartisan commission is not some universal practice.  In most states, the election commission is a division within the Secretary of State's office (i.e., a non-regulatory body with direct accountability to the public.)  As it was in Wisconsin before 2015.  Returning to such is not an earth-shattering idea.   

How can you argue the state's government is rigged against Republicans when dems have to clear 65% of the vote to win the state legislature.

Bringing this up is such a lame cop-out.  Firstly, any neutral map of Wisconsin advantages Republicans because of how concentrated the Democrats' votes are in Milwaukee/Madison.  Secondly, if gerrymandering was as objectionable as Red Atlas makes it out to be then there would be no shortage of candidates (even non-partisan or independent ones!) running and being elected on a platform of redistricting reform.  They aren't because this is genuinely a non-issue for voters.  If you think they're wrong, you're free to campaign to change their minds.  This is a feature, not a bug.

Even this premise I kind of reject. Nobody forced Democrats to write off the rural vote.

[Ferguson97]

When Wisconsin gets back on the right track with lower taxes, better schools, uniform election laws and safer communities thanks to the Michels Administration, voters will reward the Republicans at the ballot box. 

Oh phew, I'm sure that's exactly what he meant. What a load off my mind.

Well, this is actually exactly what Michels' campaign spokesperson said when asked about the comment.

A five-second clip posted to Twitter by a liberal activist group is what got this story started (I thought you said Twitter wasn't news, JD?)  In more complete remarks, Michels spoke for about two minutes but offered little context for what he meant about elections.  Most of his comments focused on campaigning in the Democratic stronghold of Milwaukee and trying to win the votes of union workers.  If Republicans improve with those two groups, then Wisconsin *would* become a permamently Republican state.  His statement is rhetorical.   

So we're just ignoring this bit, huh?

Michels is seeking to unseat Gov. Tony Evers (D), who over his four years vetoed a string of Republican-backed bills that would have changed voting rules in a battleground state that Donald Trump narrowly won in 2016 and narrowly lost in 2020.

Michels has promised to sign similar legislation and has said he would restructure the state’s bipartisan elections commission.

Wisconsin has one of the unfairest election regiemes in the country.  The state's 2020 election was administered contrary to state laws duly passed by the Legislature.  Evers and the state's election commission sought to extend these unfair systems into 2021 and 2022, but are being rebuffed by courts.

Elections being under the purview of a nominally bipartisan commission is not some universal practice.  In most states, the election commission is a division within the Secretary of State's office (i.e., a non-regulatory body with direct accountability to the public.)  As it was in Wisconsin before 2015.  Returning to such is not an earth-shattering idea.   

How can you argue the state's government is rigged against Republicans when dems have to clear 65% of the vote to win the state legislature.

Bringing this up is such a lame cop-out.  Firstly, any neutral map of Wisconsin advantages Republicans because of how concentrated the Democrats' votes are in Milwaukee/Madison.  Secondly, if gerrymandering was as objectionable as Red Atlas makes it out to be then there would be no shortage of candidates (even non-partisan or independent ones!) running and being elected on a platform of redistricting reform.  They aren't because this is genuinely a non-issue for voters.  If you think they're wrong, you're free to campaign to change their minds.  This is a feature, not a bug.

Even this premise I kind of reject. Nobody forced Democrats to write off the rural vote.

Democrats: Hi would you like some healthcare

Rural voters: DEMOCRATS ARE SEX TRAFFICKIG SATANISTS WHO DRINK THE BLOOD OF WHITE BABIES

Media: Why are the Democrats ignoring rural Americans?

[DaleCooper]

When Wisconsin gets back on the right track with lower taxes, better schools, uniform election laws and safer communities thanks to the Michels Administration, voters will reward the Republicans at the ballot box. 

Oh phew, I'm sure that's exactly what he meant. What a load off my mind.

Well, this is actually exactly what Michels' campaign spokesperson said when asked about the comment.

A five-second clip posted to Twitter by a liberal activist group is what got this story started (I thought you said Twitter wasn't news, JD?)  In more complete remarks, Michels spoke for about two minutes but offered little context for what he meant about elections.  Most of his comments focused on campaigning in the Democratic stronghold of Milwaukee and trying to win the votes of union workers.  If Republicans improve with those two groups, then Wisconsin *would* become a permamently Republican state.  His statement is rhetorical.   

So we're just ignoring this bit, huh?

Michels is seeking to unseat Gov. Tony Evers (D), who over his four years vetoed a string of Republican-backed bills that would have changed voting rules in a battleground state that Donald Trump narrowly won in 2016 and narrowly lost in 2020.

Michels has promised to sign similar legislation and has said he would restructure the state’s bipartisan elections commission.

Wisconsin has one of the unfairest election regiemes in the country.  The state's 2020 election was administered contrary to state laws duly passed by the Legislature.  Evers and the state's election commission sought to extend these unfair systems into 2021 and 2022, but are being rebuffed by courts.

Elections being under the purview of a nominally bipartisan commission is not some universal practice.  In most states, the election commission is a division within the Secretary of State's office (i.e., a non-regulatory body with direct accountability to the public.)  As it was in Wisconsin before 2015.  Returning to such is not an earth-shattering idea.   

How can you argue the state's government is rigged against Republicans when dems have to clear 65% of the vote to win the state legislature.

Bringing this up is such a lame cop-out.  Firstly, any neutral map of Wisconsin advantages Republicans because of how concentrated the Democrats' votes are in Milwaukee/Madison.  Secondly, if gerrymandering was as objectionable as Red Atlas makes it out to be then there would be no shortage of candidates (even non-partisan or independent ones!) running and being elected on a platform of redistricting reform.  They aren't because this is genuinely a non-issue for voters.  If you think they're wrong, you're free to campaign to change their minds.  This is a feature, not a bug.

Even this premise I kind of reject. Nobody forced Democrats to write off the rural vote.

Democrats: Hi would you like some healthcare

Rural voters: DEMOCRATS ARE SEX TRAFFICKIG SATANISTS WHO DRINK THE BLOOD OF WHITE BABIES

Media: Why are the Democrats ignoring rural Americans?

Maybe you should stop thinking of them as disgusting, moronic racists that all believe retarded things. I doubt you'd be very patient with the Republicans who imply that minorities are too stupid to vote for the GOP so that's why they don't bother reaching out to them.

[Orwell]

I wonder how many Atlas Democrats have genuinely had a conversation with someone from rural America, like not someone who moved to a city or suburb but someone that lives there. I feel like the number has to be pretty low.

[Ferguson97]

Maybe you should stop thinking of them as disgusting, moronic racists that all believe retarded things. I doubt you'd be very patient with the Republicans who imply that minorities are too stupid to vote for the GOP so that's why they don't bother reaching out to them.

Both parties bend over backwards to make concessions to rural America. This idea that they've been forgotten or left behind is a fiction. And for goodness sake, they're adults with agency. Nobody forced them to believe the insane things that they believe.

[DaleCooper]

Maybe you should stop thinking of them as disgusting, moronic racists that all believe retarded things. I doubt you'd be very patient with the Republicans who imply that minorities are too stupid to vote for the GOP so that's why they don't bother reaching out to them.

Both parties bend over backwards to make concessions to rural America. This idea that they've been forgotten or left behind is a fiction. And for goodness sake, they're adults with agency. Nobody forced them to believe the insane things that they believe.

I'm not talking about catering to them, I'm saying that your belief that they're all idiots is a big part of why they don't like your side, lol.

[Ferguson97]

Maybe you should stop thinking of them as disgusting, moronic racists that all believe retarded things. I doubt you'd be very patient with the Republicans who imply that minorities are too stupid to vote for the GOP so that's why they don't bother reaching out to them.

Both parties bend over backwards to make concessions to rural America. This idea that they've been forgotten or left behind is a fiction. And for goodness sake, they're adults with agency. Nobody forced them to believe the insane things that they believe.

I'm not talking about catering to them, I'm saying that your belief that they're all idiots is a big part of why they don't like your side, lol.

Is the DNC putting out ads calling rural people idiots? I must have missed those.

[DaleCooper]

Maybe you should stop thinking of them as disgusting, moronic racists that all believe retarded things. I doubt you'd be very patient with the Republicans who imply that minorities are too stupid to vote for the GOP so that's why they don't bother reaching out to them.

Both parties bend over backwards to make concessions to rural America. This idea that they've been forgotten or left behind is a fiction. And for goodness sake, they're adults with agency. Nobody forced them to believe the insane things that they believe.

I'm not talking about catering to them, I'm saying that your belief that they're all idiots is a big part of why they don't like your side, lol.

Is the DNC putting out ads calling rural people idiots? I must have missed those.

They don't need to. Everyone knows the left is incredibly bitter and angry at your average Joe in rural America.

[T'Chenka]

Is the DNC putting out ads calling rural people idiots? I must have missed those.

They don't need to. Everyone knows the left is incredibly bitter and angry at your average Joe in rural America.

This isn't a real thing. It's a victim complex projection alternative fact. Enough rural Republicans saying it and believing it doesn't make it true.

[DaleCooper]

Is the DNC putting out ads calling rural people idiots? I must have missed those.

They don't need to. Everyone knows the left is incredibly bitter and angry at your average Joe in rural America.

This isn't a real thing. It's a victim complex projection alternative fact. Enough rural Republicans saying it and believing it doesn't make it true.

Rural Republicans are all these people see because Democrats don't even try to be visible in most rural counties. It wasn't always this way but it is now. It's sad.

[Vice President Christian Man]

Is the DNC putting out ads calling rural people idiots? I must have missed those.

They don't need to. Everyone knows the left is incredibly bitter and angry at your average Joe in rural America.

This isn't a real thing. It's a victim complex projection alternative fact. Enough rural Republicans saying it and believing it doesn't make it true.

Rural Republicans are all these people see because Democrats don't even try to be visible in most rural counties. It wasn't always this way but it is now. It's sad.

It's a relatively recent phenomena as well. I'd argue that Bill Clinton was the last Dem to win the rural vote although Obama in 2008 was the last who made it competitive. The fact that most of these people voted for Mitt Bains Capital Romney of all people shows that more of these people are mad at the Dems than supportive of the GOP. While I doubt many will come home for someone like Bernie Sanders the first time, they might support his re-election if he works hard enough to improve their communities, something Obama & Biden failed to do. I'd blame the E.C. for part of this because it's like the standardized testing of politics. Politicians are more focused on winning particular states than they are about the people/policies themselves which most of the time caters nearly exclusively to suburban/urbanites.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Here's the clip in context from Cathy Young (writer at The Bulwark). 

https://twitter.com/CathyYoung63/status/1588664319482294272?s=20&t=0e-NqqHOh...



Listening to him here I get why he's made himself probably a slight favorite on Tuesday. He may win some people Scott Walker never did.