Art by David Michael Miller
In early November, President Donald Trump released a campaign ad so blatantly racist that Fox News refused to run it.
Think about that.
While the open-mouth-screaming nightmare that is the Trump presidency provided a depressing backdrop to much of what happened in 2018, there were also signs that the guardrails of American democracy will hold and the nation rebound.
It’s not just that the opposition party gained control of the House and won key state races. It’s not just that judges are blocking some of Trump’s lawlessness, like revoking the press pass of a reporter he doesn’t like. More important is that the majority of people in the United States who oppose Trumpism have been aroused to new levels of engagement.
Here in Wisconsin, the fourth time was a charm for voters opposed to Scott “divide and conquer” Walker’s agenda. His ouster from office creates opportunities for Wisconsin to go in new directions, no matter how much the old guard intends to obstruct.
But to move into the future, we must come to terms with the past. That’s the point of Cheap Shots, Isthmus’ annual awards for behavior that ranges from the questionable to the reprehensible. We’ve been doing this for four decades now, and there never seems to be a shortage of material.
Spin Doctor Award: Scott Walker
So why was Wisconsin’s Republican governor defeated after eight long years of sowing division, engaging in rank dishonesty, falling short on job goals, underfunding schools, mounting a quixotic bid for president, mismanaging prisons, neglecting roads, alienating top-level staff, blowing scads of tax dollars on in-state flights, and funneling billions to corporations? Here’s his explanation: “We’ve been such reformers I may have reformed myself out of a job.” Yeah, that must be it.
Loser of the Year: Leah Vukmir
This longtime Republican lawmaker gave up — lost — her state Senate seat to run for U.S. Senate. Early on, she lost all credibility when she put out a press release accusing Democratic incumbent Tammy Baldwin of being a member of “Team Terrorists.” She lost her dignity when she groveled for support from a rich businessman, whom she had earlier blasted for seeking to “buy a Senate seat” when he was backing her GOP rival. (Her new message: “Buy me!”) She lost her decency when she bleated support for Donald Trump, whom she once correctly described as “offensive to everyone.” And to top it off, in the Nov. 6 election, she lost.
Runner-up: Kevin Nicholson
Not only did this Delafield businessman and Marine veteran lose the GOP primary for U.S. Senate to Vukmir, he also somehow lost the support of his parents — each of whom gave the highest allowable campaign contribution to the seat’s Democratic incumbent, Tammy Baldwin. They raised a loser but backed a winner.
If I Do Say So Myself Award: Jesse Kremer
On announcing his decision to leave office after four years of proposing extreme right-wing bills and embarrassing the state by insisting the planet is just 6,000 years old, this Republican lawmaker decided to give himself a huge pat on the back. “The difference between a politician and a statesman is that a politician thinks about the next election while the statesman thinks about the next generation,” he said in a statement, quoting without attribution the theologian James Freeman Clark. “I, for one, have strived to fall into the latter, statesman, rather than the former, a politician.” Actually, he wasn’t very good at being either.
Reckless Allegation of the Year: Rebecca Kleefisch
How dumb do you have to be to accuse your opponent of something that is either verifiably true or demonstrably false without first bothering to check? Wisconsin’s Republican lieutenant governor publicly charged that her Democratic rival, Mandela Barnes, had knelt in protest during the national anthem. Barnes, who did no such thing (although he supports athletes who have), responded that this was “like me saying my neighbors saw her buying a tiki torch at Menards.” Kleefisch ended up having to apologize; Mandela ended up being elected as her replacement.
Anti-Democrats of the Year: GOP Lawmakers
In the November election, a majority of Wisconsin voters turned out to oust Republican Gov. Walker and Attorney General Brad Schimel and elect a progressive Democrat, Sarah Godlewski, as state treasurer. And yet, in the same election, the GOP maintained its commanding lead in both houses of the Legislature. That’s not because they got more votes but because they’ve rigged voter boundaries, which they are now going to court to defend, even as they’ve rammed through bills in a lame-duck session to restrict early voting and diminish the power of the newly elected governor and attorney general. The truth is that these people are not just against Democrats; they’re against democracy.
Jackbooted Government Thug Award: Robin Vos
No sooner had Walker conceded defeat than the Republican Speaker of the Assembly began talking about the need for lawmakers to put new limits on the powers of the incoming governor. He also pushed, ultimately without success, to create a new date for the 2020 primary election — a move that would have cost taxpayers millions of dollars just to help Republicans elect Justice Dan Kelly, a Walker appointee, to the state Supreme Court. Vos’ longtime friend, Democrat Congressman Mark Pocan, generously claimed, “Robin’s a better person than he’s putting out there right now.” Vos proved him wrong.
Dumbshit Comment of the Year: Scott Fitzgerald
Here is the majority leader of the state Senate, as quoted in the Wisconsin State Journal shortly after Democrat Tony Evers beat Walker: “I’m not sure why there’s all this discussion about [how] we’re somehow trying to undermine the new governor. That’s not the case at all.” Hmmm, why indeed? Could it be because Fitzgerald’s counterpart in the Assembly, Speaker Robin Vos, expressly stated that this was his intent? Or that Fitzgerald, in the same article and elsewhere, expressed support for eroding Evers’ powers? Or that the GOP-controlled Legislature set out to do — and, in fact, did do — exactly that? Could that be why people would be talking about it? Ya think?
Comeback of the Year: Public Schools
Everyone hates schools, right? That seemed to be the guiding ethic behindGov. Walker’s strategy of cutting school funding and demonizing educators. Then along comes Evers, a former teacher and principal, with a popular message about hiking school spending, prompting Walker to ironically proclaim himself the “education governor” for restoring some of the funding he cut. State voters told pollsters they would rather increase school spending than cut taxes, and proved it by electing Evers and passing 141 of 157 local referendums to hike school debt and spending by a record $2 billion. Move over, Alice Cooper: School’s in.
Too Much Kicking Ass Award: Brad Schimel
This soon-to-be-former Republican attorney general didn’t hesitate to throw his weight around, by conducting a witch hunt probe for anti-GOP bias within a state ethics agency; pushing Trump to overturn President Obama’s order seeking significant reductions of carbon dioxide emissions; and leading a national lawsuit to kill the Affordable Care Act. These partisan exertions matched his poor judgment in blowing $10,000 in tax dollars on tokens bearing his name and the initials “K.A.E.D.,” for “Kicking Ass Every Day.” In the end, the ass he was most successful at kicking was his own.
Time to Toughen Up Award: Josh Kaul
In his successful run for attorney general, this Democrat pledged to defend the GOP’s rigged redistricting maps and their decision to exclude critics from their social media accounts, though he doesn’t like either. He also said he might defend the state’s abortion ban, which would become law if Roe v. Wade is struck down (likely) and the GOP-led Legislature refuses to repeal it (even likelier). These efforts at appeasement did nothing to stop Republicans from curtailing his power before he took office. Maybe he should give up his power to be on their side.
Optimist in Need of an Optometrist Award: Tony Evers
Even after Wisconsin Republicans engaged in a peevish display of smash-mouth politics by passing a raft of bills meant to undermine his authority, Wisconsin’s governor-elect was still calling on Republicans to “work with me to solve the pressing issues facing our state.” Fat chance of that. If Evers is going to succeed in any part of what voters elected him to do, it will have to be over the figurative dead bodies of legislative Republicans.
Conspiracy Theorist of the Year: Ron Johnson
Early this year, Wisconsin’s Republican U.S. senator came across an obviously joking reference to a “secret society” in a text message between two FBI employees and concluded that it must be true. Appearing on Fox News, he warned darkly about this shocking new evidence of “corruption of the highest levels of the FBI.” Within a couple of days, he was forced to back down, saying it was a “real possibility” that the message was written in jest. Yeah, and it’s a real possibility that Johnson’s a loon.
“Fight the Power”Award: Adam Jarchow
When Capitol police concluded that a man who made vaguely threatening comments about him on social media was “not a credible threat,” this Republican lawmaker from Up North went ballistic, saying he was “embarrassed” by the cops and their “bozo operation.” Later, he hauled off on a state Department of Natural Resource official who asked his local fire department to rescue a “stupid deer” who was stranded on a lake. Jarchow, who lost a special election for state Senate in February, is giving up his Assembly seat, meaning he’ll now have more time to bad-mouth cops and other state workers.
Gun Rights Fanatics of the Year: U.S. Attorney’s Office in Madison
In February, the feds raided Thomas Caldwell’s Madison home and confiscated 44 firearms. They learned he had been selling guns without a license after one of these guns was used to kill a Chicago police commander. The local U.S. Attorney’s Office charged Caldwell with illegal gun sales, a development he described as “just annoying.” He was convicted and sentenced to 37 months in prison. And here’s what happened to his confiscated guns, according to a news report: “[T]he government agreed to send them to a federally licensed gun dealer, who will sell them and provide Caldwell . . . with the proceeds.” Who says crime doesn’t pay?
Most Incompetent Political Campaign: Michael Screnock
This Sauk County judge thought he had it all figured out. To win a seat on Wisconsin’s Supreme Court, he just had to enter the race, deny that his being an abortion-clinic protester who defended Walker’s anti-union attacks and the Republicans’ rigged voting maps was at all relevant, and wait for outside groups to spend scads of money on his behalf. But Screnock lost to liberal Rebecca Dallet anyway, because his right-wing backers and campaign team of GOP operatives weren’t the only ones who knew he was lying about his ideological leanings, while he ducked forums, ignored questionnaires and spurned press inquiries. Turns out that winning Supreme Court elections by being a stealth right-winger is no longer a snap. That’s progress.
Boondoggle for the Ages Award: Foxconn plant
Who would have guessed that pledging $4.5 billion in state and local subsidies to a Taiwanese manufacturer with a documented history of breaking promises and abusing workers would have a political downside? Not Scott Walker. Not the GOP-controlled Legislature. Even if these pacts miraculously produce the high-end estimate of 13,000 jobs, the cost to taxpayers would be $346,000 per job. Now comes news that the highest paying slots may go to engineers brought in from China. Fortune magazine, musing that the deal may have sunk Walker’s bid for reelection, clucked that “a string of vague and inconsistent statements by Foxconn officials about their plans for the plant raised suspicions that its main product was smoke and mirrors.” It’s a product for which Wisconsin will be paying top dollar.
The “Well, Duh” Award for Policy Outcomes: CWD Epidemic
Wisconsin Public Radio recently documented a sharp rise in the incidence of chronic wasting disease on state deer and elk farms since 2013, when officials relaxed rules aimed at controlling the disease. Imagine that! Recently, state lawmakers suspended an emergency rule restricting the movement of deer from CWD-infected counties, increasing the risk to the state’s entire deer population. Scientists aren’t sure whether the devastating brain disease can spread to humans; to judge by Wisconsin’s dumb decisions, perhaps it already has.
Good Riddance Award: Paul Ryan
It was always a bit baffling why this smarmy rich kid from Janesville was seen as a rising Republican star, tapped to run for vice president and serve as speaker of the House. But there was no mystery at all why he decided not to seek reelection this fall: He knew his party was about to get clobbered in the midterms, in part because of his ineffectiveness. But Ryan’s political shortcomings are nowhere near as serious as his moral ones, from his antipathy to programs for people in need, to his pusillanimity toward Trump’s daily outrages, to his indifference to the slaughter of children in Yemen by a U.S.-backed Saudi-led coalition. His chief failing wasn’t being an inept politician, but being a terrible human being.
Censor of the Year: Ray Cross
Last year, the UW System president was all for passing a policy sought by conservatives to protect the ability of controversial speakers to be heard. But this year, when UW-La Crosse Chancellor Joe Gow hosted a talk by an adult film star — who actually has more of value to say than most politicians — Cross reprimanded Gow, saying his actions put “our funding at risk” and “detract from our budget request and our capital plan.” There you have it: The UW’s goal isn’t to protect free speech but to avoid offending conservatives who hold the purse strings.
Blackmailer of the Year:Beitler Real Estate Services
This Chicago-based developer has a Chicago-style way of doing business. In June, Beitler sued the city of Madison, claiming it overstepped its bounds in taking over a part of the $186 million Judge Doyle Square project that the company was contracted to build. Now the city council is hedging on whether to pay Beitler $600,000 for dropping this suit, and the company is threatening to sue again, this time “for damages . . . in excess of $40 million.” A third council vote on whether to give into this threat has been delayed. If Beitler does get paid in the end, the subject line on the check should read, “Extortion payment.”
Boomerang Effect Award: Michael Johnson
In May, this respected CEO of the local Boys and Girls Club of Dane County announced plans to leave to take a “dream job” as head of the United Way of Greater Cincinnati. It turned out to be more of a nightmare, with Johnson complaining that he faced a “hostile work environment” in which he was “micromanaged and disrespected.” He ended up leaving Ohio and coming back to Madison as the still-respected CEO of the Boys and Girls Club. You know when you wake up from a nightmare and realize that everything’s okay? Welcome back, Michael. Everything’s okay.
Lack of Haste Makes Waste Award: Madison Police Department
In December 2016, Isthmus asked the cops for some records. In March 2017, after the scope of the request was narrowed, the paper paid the requested $182.25 fee. And then … nothing, except a string of broken promises. This February, the paper joined with the conservative Wisconsin Institute of Law and Liberty to sue over this violation of state law, which requires records to be provided “without delay.” In the end, the city released the records, paid $1,731.45 in legal fees and court costs, and issued an apology. All’s well that ends well. But geez.
Vacillator of the Year: Paul Soglin
Madison’s on-again, off-again mayor is like the romantic in The Who’s Quadrophenia, the one who asks, “Is it me, for a moment?” Did Soglin, amidst his run for governor, declare that he would not seek reelection as mayor? Yes, he did, proclaiming, “I want to give candidates for mayor, who have begun to emerge, the time and space to make their case to the voters.” Did he, after placing seventh in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, proclaim he “made a miscalculation” and now wants to add to his 22 years at the city’s helm? Yes, he did, and to hell with those other candidates! Might he at some point change his mind again? Yes, he might.
Least Welcome Trend: Oops-A-Daisy Racial SlursA group of about 60 boys headed for prom in Baraboo posed for a photo, some with arms outstretched in an apparent Nazi salute, drawing national attention. “How would you like it if I called you a n-----?” a Madison school teacher purportedly asked a student at Hamilton Middle School, forcing the teacher’s resignation. A substitute teacher at Madison’s East High used “an inappropriate racial slur in the presence of students,” getting barred from teaching at the school. And DeForest Police Chief Daniel Furseth resigned after a video surfaced of him making racist remarks — only to be promptly hired by the town of Madison. One thing these people may want to try: shutting up.
Miss Pronouncer Award: Rachel Maddow
This MSNBC host struggled mightily to say the name of Madison’s weekly newspaper while discussing its reporting during her prime-time broadcast on Nov. 19. “ITHmuth,” she stammered, insisting it was a word she cannot say, despite being one of the most talkative people in history. Hey, Rachel, here’s a tutorial: The “th” is silent. If you can say Christmas, you can say isthmus. And furthermore, people, it is NOT The Isthmus, it is just Isthmus. Got it? Get it.
In Memoriam
Morry Gash
Paul Larrousse: They’re in every community, performing essential civic functions, seldom attracting attention or drawing praise. But people like Larrousse, who served as manager of the Madison Metro transit system from 1989 to 2000, are key to making cities work. He designed the city’s current network of bus transit points, and devised innovative programs to raise revenue and increase ridership. He was “smart, had energy, was not afraid to innovate,” recalled his former colleague, Colin Conn. He died on Nov. 14 in East Brunswick, New Jersey, at age 64. He deserves our thanks for all he did before reaching this transfer point.
Robert Morlino: Madison’s Catholic bishop since 2003 garnered a slew of Cheap Shot awards over the years for his constant displays of small-mindedness, like opposing stem-cell research, same-sex marriage and uppity nuns. (This year, he blamed sexual abuse by priests on “a homosexual subculture” within the church, adding that acting on “the homosexual inclination … is a sin so grave that it cries out to heaven for vengeance.”) But his heart-related death on Nov. 24 at age 71 occasions a kinder recognition. As wrongheaded as Morlino was, he had the courage to speak out on his convictions, knowing that much of the community would react hostilely. There is something to admire in that.
Mary Langenfeld
Anne Chacon: To be honest, it felt at times as though this Madison environmental activist was a bit extreme in the alarms she raised over pollutants from the Kipp Corporation on Madison’s east side. But after many years, her efforts paid off, with the company agreeing to pay more than $7 million in settlements to neighbors and $350,000 in penalties to the state. Best of all, the company was forced to clean up its act — and property. Chacon, whose father was a lawyer and mother an activist who served in the Virginia Legislature, died Nov. 18 in her Monona home at age 76, after a long illness.
Marcus Miles: Whenever people of color gathered for an event, this Madison photographer was there, capturing its essence. His photos were used by groups and publications all over town. “He’s like our Gordon Parks of Madison,” recalled local leader Kaleem Caire. “He was always there for the community when people called him.” His photos of African American professionals were meant to, as The Capital Times put it, “help bust stereotypes.” Miles died of a heart attack in late September at age 54.
Jack Lussier: The name of this longtime chairman of The Capital Times board and president of the Evjue Foundation, its charitable arm, will live on long after his death, on July 27 at age 90. That’s because he gave millions for such projects as the Lussier Community Education Center, Lussier Teen Center, Lussier Family West YMCA, Jack’s Splash park at the Lussier East YMCA, Lussier Family Heritage Center, Lussier Stadium at La Follette High School and Lussier Park at Fish Lake. He also supported Olbrich Gardens and the Henry Vilas Zoo, funded scholarships for students at Madison College, and was an early backer of the terrific Simpson Street Free Press news outlet. His generosity matched that of his late uncle, William T. Evjue.
Warrington Colescott: The internationally acclaimed printmaker graced UW-Madison with his presence for 37 years, leaving behind works that a Wisconsin State Journal writer described as “at once masterful, funny, dense, colorful, satirical and scholarly.” He died on Sept. 10 at age 97. An exhibition of his work appears at the Chazen through Jan. 31.
Peg Lautenschlager: Wisconsin’s attorney general from 2003 to 2007 was one tough cookie. As the state’s first and so far only woman AG, she set a high standard, going after polluters and public officials who favored secrecy. She was unabashedly progressive, which meant that she cared about how laws affected people without power. She battled cancer for many years, bravely and successfully, before succumbing on March 31 at age 62. Her son, Josh Kaul, is the state’s newly elected AG.
Brent Nicastro
Bill Kraus: In the world of politics, it’s rare to have many more friends than foes, and almost unheard-of to be universally well-liked, as was this former aide to Republican governors Warren Knowles and Lee Sherman Dreyfus. Known for his graciousness and even temperament, Kraus helped make it possible for partisans to reach agreements in the public interest. And for decades, right up to his death on Dec. 14 at age 92, he was one of the state’s leading proponents of campaign finance and other good government reforms. Here would be a fitting tribute to Bill Kraus’ life work: actual progress on these fronts in the months and years ahead.
— Bill Lueders
