No sense candy-coating it, the last couple of days have been a punch in the gut. Some of the darkest days I've seen in Wisconsin in all my years.
Despite last-minute, too-little-too-late efforts by the governor and his administration to postpone the spring election, Wisconsin Republicans got what they wanted: An election with the lowest possible turnout, giving their candidate for state Supreme Court his best and perhaps only chance of winning.
Justices on the Wisconsin and U.S. supreme courts granted their wish, convening virtually and passing judgment from remote locations out of fear for their health and safety. Apparently oblivious to the hypocrisy, they told the public to ignore stay at home orders and go out and vote.
Unbelievable. Irresponsible. Reckless. And yet entirely predictable. This is where hyperpartisanship and lust for power inevitably leads.
If this is not a wake-up call, I don't know what will be.
Then this morning, Bernie Sanders announced he is suspending his campaign for president. I am saddened by his decision but certainly respect it. Saddened because 26 primaries and caucuses still have not been held across the country and yet the race for the Democratic nomination has been declared over, meaning voters in half the country are effectively being told they have no choice and their preferences don't matter. The system in place is a lousy way to decide who should hold the nation's highest office, if you ask me.
That's a big reason why all of us have to take up the challenge of revolutionizing our politics. I am thankful to Bernie for doing so much to change the national conversation about critical problems facing our country. It's up to us to carry that torch forward. It's up to us to keep pushing for answers to widespread health insecurity, economic inequality and environmental insanity.
Now that I've got all that off my chest, I'm going back to work. And Our Wisconsin Revolution's four regional organizers are too. The pandemic has made our efforts immeasurably more difficult and challenging. Democracy is fundamentally social. Doing democracy while in social isolation is no easy task. We need to rely on technology and online networking tools. Those aren't free. Or even cheap. We need your help now more than ever.
This is no time to feel sorry for ourselves. It is a time to have faith in each other and our capacity for making change. We're all in this together and we need to look out for one another. These are dark days. But you know the old saying, it's darkest before the dawn.
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