John Nichols: Wisconsin Democratic Party needs to reconsider itself

This is spot-on.

To renew itself now, the party must recognize how it broke through in the past.

First, the Wisconsin Democrats of the 1940s and 1950s welcomed outsiders and moved them quickly into the forefront of the party. Consider this notion: What if, in 2014, the Democratic Party had nominated retiring Republican Sen. Dale Schultz for governor? Yes, of course, Schultz is more conservative than the party base on some issues; but he was a hero for standing up to Scott Walker in critical fights over labor rights, voting rights and protection of the environment.

Second, Wisconsin Democrats used to be not just proudly progressive and populist but also proudly at odds with national Democrats. Wisconsin Democrats spoke a language that was distinct to Wisconsin — in much the same way that the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party still speaks a language that is distinct to that state. Imagine what could have happened if, in 2014, Wisconsin Democrats had run a campaign that rejected the tone-deaf “messaging” of national Democratic strategists and presented their party as a maverick party with a distinct vision: aggressively critical of national Democrats who work with authoritarian Republicans on issues like trade policy and domestic surveillance; fiercely libertarian on issues such as legalization of marijuana; fiercely traditional when it comes to sustaining family farms, rural schools and small-town Wisconsin; proudly populist in its commitment to raising wages for working Wisconsinites (Scott Walker should have taken a hammering in debates and in ads on these issues).

Third, Wisconsin Democrats used to recognize that it took more than last-minute “mobilization” of voters to win elections. The Democratic Party that Gaylord Nelson and Pat Lucey forged was a permanent project that poured time and energy into building county parties and electing sheriffs and clerks. No election was too small, no corner of the state too remote. Elected officials thought of themselves as organizers. Nelson, who proudly noted that he never asked for a campaign contribution, expected to be outspent. Proxmire took on millionaire Republicans, like Walter Kohler, with barely enough money to pay for gas. Both men would have been aghast at the notion of trying to win an election merely by building up a war chest, going on television and “mobilizing” voters in safe Democratic wards.

Fourth, the Wisconsin Democratic Party at its strongest was both urban and rural. The breakthrough win for modern Democrats in legislative contests didn’t come in Madison or Milwaukee; it came in Crawford County in 1948, when Pat Lucey beat the Republican Assembly speaker and proved Democrats could compete statewide. Except for a few counties in the northwest and the southwest, Democrats lost the vast majority of rural Wisconsin in 2014. The party may be able to scrape by for a little longer in high-turnout presidential elections, but it will not make a comeback in statewide politics until it is again a truly statewide party.

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6 thoughts on “John Nichols: Wisconsin Democratic Party needs to reconsider itself

  1. Great article by John Nichols. The article makes me feel a lot more optimistic about being a Democrat in Wisconsin.

    1. So you didn’t comprehend the article, obvious. Care to attempt to explain your reasoning? Not holding my breath.

  2. I have no quarrel with the points made, but what about the effects of gerrymandering and citizens united?

    How can those be offset or eliminated?

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