Monday, June 16, 2025
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Monday, June 16, 2025

Milwaukee Press Club 'Excellence in Wisconsin Journalism' 2020 & 2021 Award Winners

Evers & Biden: Two Creaky, Career Liberals Who Need the Door

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Special to Wisconsin Right Now from Ben Voelkel, former Communications Director for U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson. He’s also worked for former Gov. Tommy Thompson and the RNC. Voelkel believes that both Biden and Evers have failed.

Four months after taking office, supposedly as a moderate who would seek bipartisan consensus, Joe Biden is done pretending he isn’t just the grandfatherly figurehead of an administration that any aspiring socialist could be proud of.

Tax hikes, job-killing regulations, and a commitment to the woke culture wars: the Biden administration is checking every box on the modern Democrats’ wish list. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and “The Squad” think Biden is “exceeding” progressive expectations. Just as the overlords at the CDC finally decided you don’t need to wear a mask on your face anymore, Democrats decided they no longer need to mask their socialist ambitions. They embrace it, and so does their president.

In Wisconsin, we’ve seen this story before. Two years ago, another creaky, career liberal took over and went about undoing the success of his predecessor. Tony Evers was elected largely because he was inoffensive and was lucky enough to run in a good year for Democrats. Just like Biden, he started undoing anything his predecessor had done right, mostly because liberals hated the guy before him.

As it turns out, running a state or the country takes more than some aw-shucks. You need to actually lead, and Joe Biden and Tony Evers have failed badly, despite what you might see in the media.

Ben voelkel
Ben voelkel

In fact, the two mediocrities reborn as “government can do it” liberals have shown a complete inability to wield government to solve actual problems.

A surge of migrants at the border worse than any we’ve seen before? Not a crisis, nothing to see here.

Malarky!

More than 100,000 out-of-work Wisconsinites calling for help because Governor Evers shut down the economy and killed their jobs? The Evers administration couldn’t even pick up the phone. Less than one percent of calls to the state’s unemployment assistance were answered. Thousands were left with no job and no help because of Governor Evers’ incompetence.

The governor couldn’t even bother checking in with his workforce development secretary to straighten things out. I guess the call wouldn’t have been picked up anyway.

Golly!

No, as more and more states recognize the harm of paying people to stay home while the economy opens back up — even as many employers can’t get people to respond to “help wanted” signs — Evers refuses to budge.

Add to all that the massive tax increases Governor Evers would enact on Wisconsin’s farm families, manufacturers and small businesses, and it’s quite a devastating track record. Job creators are taking note – Wisconsin recently fell seven spots in the latest ranking of best states to do business in. Only three states fared worse.

Tony evers
Tony evers

Even as job growth stalls and business leaders in Wisconsin and across the country point to pandemic-related bonus unemployment benefits as the cause, President Biden puts his head in the sand. Governor Evers refuses to follow the lead of other governors and ignores pleas from around the state to get Wisconsin back to work by ending the state’s participation in the program.

It’s long past the point of surprise that Democrats are out of touch with the economy, but a new wrinkle is their open hostility toward law enforcement. President Biden highlighted “distrust” of police in a statement supposedly honoring the annual Police Week. Still, that’s better than Governor Evers, who for the second year in a row didn’t issue an official proclamation to mark the occasion. Apparently supporting law enforcement doesn’t rise to the level of proclamation-worthy causes like Local Quilt Shop Day, Supermarket Employee Day, or Court Reporting and Captioning Week in the eyes of Tony Evers.

We have another three years before voters have the chance to hold President Biden accountable at the ballot box. But Governor Evers’ failed leadership and far-left agenda are on the ballot next year. Reclaim Wisconsin, send Evers to the exits, and Biden won’t be far behind.

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Wisconsin Budget Negotiations Reach Impasse Between Evers, Legislature

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin budget negotiations have reached an impasse with both sides pointing fingers at the other in Wednesday afternoon statements.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said Republican Legislative leaders backed out of negotiations after he agreed to “an income tax cut targeting Wisconsin’s middle-class and working families and eliminating income taxes for certain retirees.” He said Republican leaders would not agree to “meaningful increased investments in child care, K-12 schools, and the University of Wisconsin System.”

Republican Assembly leaders said the two sides were "far apart. Senate leaders say Evers’ desires “extend beyond what taxpayers can afford.”

“The Joint Committee on Finance will continue using our long-established practices of crafting a state budget that contains meaningful tax relief and responsible spending levels with the goal of finishing on time,” said a statement from Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and Assembly Finance Co-Chairman Mark Born, R-Beaver Dam.

Evers said that there were meetings between the sides every day this week before the impasse.

“I told Republicans I’d support their half of the deal and their top tax priorities – even though they’re very similar to bills I previously vetoed – because I believe that’s how compromise is supposed to work, and I was ready to make that concession in order to get important things done for Wisconsin’s kids,” Evers said.

Senate Republican leadership said that good faith negotiations have occurred since April on a budget compromise.

“Both sides of these negotiations worked to find compromise and do what is best for the state of Wisconsin,” said a statement from Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, and Senate Joint Finance Co-Chairman Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green.

In early May, the Joint Committee on Finance took 612 items out of Gov. Tony Evers’ budget proposal, including Medicaid expansion in the state, department creations and tax exemptions.

Born previously estimated that Evers’ budget proposal would lead to $3 billion in tax increases over the two-year span.

Wisconsin Policy Forum estimated that the proposal would spend down more than $4 billion of the state’s expected $4.3 billion surplus if it is enacted.

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DOJ Begins California Title IX Investigation Over ‘Trans’ Boys Dominating Girls’ Sports

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division announced it is investigating California for violating Title IX by allowing males to participate in female student sports.

“Title IX exists to protect women and girls in education,” said Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general for Civil Rights. “It is perverse to allow males to compete against girls, invade their private spaces, and take their trophies.”

In February, President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning males from participating in female student sports, and he has threatened to block California's federal funding for continuing to defy his order. With California facing deficits in the tens of billions of dollars each year, it's unclear how the state would offset any losses or pauses in federal funding.

Notably, California Gov. Gavin Newsom hosted conservative pundit Charlie Kirk on his podcast and told Kirk that he thinks it’s “deeply unfair” that boys are participating in girls’ sports.

When asked later at a press conference what this means for state policy, Newsom demurred, painting the matter as a marginal, non-issue not worth his time.

“You're talking about a very small number of people, a very small number of athletes, and my responsibility is to address the pressing issues of our time,” said Newsom.

The California Interscholastic Federation, which governs student sports in California, has since responded to Trump’s threat by announcing a new pilot program to allow girls who otherwise would have qualified for sports finals had the finalist spots in girls’ sports not been taken by transgender-identifying boys to participate in said finals.

Title IX was signed into law by President Richard Nixon in 1972 to ensure that schools could not discriminate against female students. It requires they be provided with equal opportunities to engage in athletics, extracurriculars and education.

DOJ’s letter of interest says it is investigating whether California’s Assembly Bill 1266, which requires transgender-identifying students to be allowed to participate in sports consistent with their gender identities, violates Title IX.

“As a result of CIF’s policy, California’s top-ranked girls’ triple jumper, and second-ranked girls’ long-jumper, is a boy,” wrote the DOJ. “As recently as May 17, this male athlete was allowed to take winning titles that rightfully belong to female athletes in both events.”

“This male athlete will now be allowed to compete against those female athletes again for a state title in long, triple, and high jump,” continued the DOJ. “Other high school female athletes have alleged that they were likewise robbed of podium positions and spots on their teams after they were forced to compete against males.”

Should the DOJ find California is in violation of Title IX, it says it will “take appropriate action to eliminate that discrimination, including seeking injunctive relief.”

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