Newsflash CD'ers!: WI / MKE are NOT "conservative" (Milwaukee: house, high school)

[EnjoyEP]

OK, I have read in the Milwaukee and the Wisconsin forums the rant by "liberals" or "progressives" for about the kajillionth time too much that Wisconsin (or Milwaukee) is "so conservative" or "ultra conservative" that my head is nearly about to explode.

Look, I recognize that many of the posters writing such nonsense are 19 year old or 20 year old "I think I know it all" Ideologues (with some Seniors in high school and 22 year olds to boot) who may not have a real-world perspective, thus, I shouldn't let it bother me quite as much as it does.

However...let's review...Wisconsin, one of the most *LIBERAL* states in the nation - certainly outside of the coasts - and Milwaukee, one of the most infamous liberal big cities in the US.

a) Wisconsin's Governor is Jim Doyle - a LIBERAL DEMOCRAT - who is currently in his second term (was re-elected in a landslide).

Granted, Tommy Thompson, a semi-conservative / semi-moderate Republican was the long-time governor prior to Doyle winning re-election many times, however, he was certainly by far the exception and not the rule.

b) Wisconsin's two Senators are both LIBERAL DEMOCRATS - one, Russ Feingold, is one of the champions to lefties everywhere. The other, Herb Kohl, has been re-elected since 1896 and, while not as liberal as Russ Feingold (that is like saying Ronald Regan wasn't as conservative as Barry Goldwater), is very liberal.

c) The House of Representatives, as you'd imagine, are somewhat split. Guys like James Sens. are very conservative (and Paul Ryan), but folks like Gwen Moore are heavily liberal.

So, you've got a very liberal Dem Governor and two very liberal Dem Senators. But there is more....

d) Currently - for STATE government - you now have the State Assembly, the State Senate, the State Supreme Court, and the aforementioned Governorship all controlled - ALL OF THEM!!!! - by a liberal Democratic majority. Granted, until now, the Assembly (one of the four branches of local government) was controlled by the Republicans, but as of the 08 elections, that is hisotory too. ALL STATE GOVERNMENT is controlled by the Democrats...and most of it quite liberal Democrats.

e) MILWAUKEE:

1. Milwaukee has never - NEVER - had a conservative mayor. In fact, you'd be much more prone to find socialist - SOCIALST! - mayors in Milwaukee's past than a Republican one. In fact, I do not believe there has EVER been a Republican mayor in Milwuakee's history. Folks like Zeidler, Maier, and Norquist...all famous Milwaukee mayors...have ALL been extremely liberal. Heck, current Dem Mayor Tom Barrett looks like a moderate compared to the raging liberals that have governed Milwaukee (and Barrett's no moderate).

2. Milwaukee has never had conservative influences really at any level of its government.

[Yes, its current County Executive is Scott Walker, who on the CD Forums may as well as be lucifer. Walker only won election, because a) his predecessors were crooks, and b) in a region overwhelmed by extreme taxation, he's held the line on taxes (many CD Forum posters don't relate to the concept of working 40+ hours a week to support a house/property, utility bills, supporting a family, grocery bills, etc., and dealing with the subsequent taxes). Other than Walker though...

the Milwaukee Common Council (and aforementioned Mayorship) have been nearly 100% ruled by liberal Democrats and Socialists.

***Let's not forget that Wisconsin has one of the longest running Democrat-voting lines for the Presidential Elections in the nation. The last time this state voted in a Presidential Election for a Republican was in the Regan crushing landslide of 1984. 1984!!! This includes voting for Dukakis in 1988 when most states went Bush and went to Gore / Kerry and HUGELY to Obama. Outside of East / West coast states and Minnesota, this is one of the most left-leaning voting lines by far in the US for Presidential elections.

***Let's also not forget that Wisconsin is home - as a capital city nontheless - to one of the most brazen, outspoken bastions of liberalism in the entire US - Madison.

Thus the conclusion.......folks, if you have a problem with Milwaukee or Wisconsin, the dumbest thing you can (and often do) do, is to blame the "conservative" influence. As a famous man once said, "Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do" (just substitue the word "say" in place of "do" and you've got a 100% accurate post)...

Wisconsin is the farthest thing from "conservative" as you can imagine...to proclaim Wisconsin or Milwaukee as "right wing" or "ultra conservative" exposes you as a no-nothing dolt.

[crazyme4878]

Ahhh.... don't you feel better now? Sometimes we all need to have a really big rant.

But I agree, I don't really see the "conservative" side of Wisconsin too much, not even in the small northern towns--where I have spent most of my life. And since I'm a liberal-card holding Dem-vegetarian-argue against authority-tree hugging-granola crunching type of person, I think I would have noticed. (In fact, you would have a hard time finding a more liberal college than Northland College in the small, northern town of Ashland) But, we all bring our own issues with us!

[ekg56]

Very nice and very true post. Wisconsin has never been known as a conservative state.

[jjacobeclark]

EnjoyEP - Thank you! Finally someone else with a perspective grounded in reality. I would even go as far as to say we are more liberal than MN, after all Gov. Pawlenty is a Republican. The Upper Midwest/Great Lakes Region (WI, IL, MI, OH, & MN) is the most liberal area in the U.S. aside from the coasts. The Twin Cities, Chicago, Schaumberg, Madison, Milwaukee, Detroit, Ann Arbor, Cleveland, & Columbus are all very liberal cities. I wish Wisconsin wasn't always lumped together with states like Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, & the Dakotas as we have little in common with those states in terms of ideology, culture, or even topography. I know from my travels out west that Madison is way more liberal than Boulder or Tucson, two college towns who have the reputation of being liberal.

[ccjarider]

Original OP quote:
The other, Herb Kohl, has been re-elected since 1896 and, while not as liberal as Russ Feingold (that is like saying Ronald Regan wasn't as conservative as Barry Goldwater), is very liberal.


wow - Herb Kohl must be reeeeeally old.

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by ccjarider

Original OP quote:
The other, Herb Kohl, has been re-elected since 1896 and, while not as liberal as Russ Feingold (that is like saying Ronald Regan wasn't as conservative as Barry Goldwater), is very liberal.


wow - Herb Kohl must be reeeeeally old.

He is. It was intentional sarcasm (probably bad humor) as the guy has been around forever. Not quite Byrd in West Virginia length, but getting there seemingly.

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by crazyme4878

Ahhh.... don't you feel better now? Sometimes we all need to have a really big rant.

Yeah, I re-read that this morning after ranting last night and I was probably a little overboard.

But look, my post wasn't in any way to be "pro-liberal" or "pro-conservative" or "anti-liberal" or "anti-conservative". It really wasn't.

It was more that I have just read, read, and re-read ill-informed drivel here for months and years now where newcomers lament living in Wisconsin and they include at times it being "so conservative" and that is just laughable.

My post was more to correct unbelievably flawed statements.

It would be like if I were posting in the LA forum and was saying "I hate LA in the wintertime because I hate getting so much snow" or if I were posting in the Phoenix forum and saying "I love summering in Phoenix because of the cool, moderate temperatures" or posting in the NYC forums and saying "I love living here because of the wide open, rural spaces"...just because I would say these things doesn't make it so. The facts would show how wrong I would be.

Similarly, to call Wisconsin or Milwaukee "conservative" is just egregious.

Any sane liberal, conservative, moderate, or non-political person alike that knows ANYTHING about Wisconsin / Milwaukee would plainly see that no MATTER your political preference - Wisconsin / Milwaukee CLEARLY ARE NOT CONSERVATIVE AREAS.



Finally.......for anyone who has come here from CALIFORNIA....yes, compared to California, Wisconsin, or virtually any other state for that matter, will seem conservative. BUT WHAT OF IT??? That doesn't make the state / city conservative. Next to Texas, Missouri probably seems fairly liberal, right? But just like Texas is a proudly conservative state, California is a proudly liberal state - comparing other states to those ends of the spectrum - and then branding the compared states as the opposite - is just nuts.

[susancruzs]

I love it, rant away, sometimes it just plain helps! When I was considering my move to Wisconsin, I had friends tell me, oh what are you thinking? You're open minded, liberal, they'll eat you alive!

These were a few friends I met regularly for dinner, all conservative and under the impression Wisconsin is a very conservative place. Iowa (my sister lives there) is notoriously conservative and to lump Wisconsin with Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas is just plain silly.

Well, one year later, I'm still here, haven't been eaten alive (yet) and friends I've made have accepted me as is. I'm glad someone spoke up!

[ccjarider]

For what it is worth, I believe Waukesha county had the second highest vote percentage for W in his first election. Highest percentage in the country except for his home county in Texas.

There are definetely WI pockets of conservatism just like there are WI pockets of liberalism.

I think this is true in any state.

We moved to IL (Chicago area) last year. There are conservative enclaves here even though most consider this town to be quite liberal overall. (They are frustrated people but they are definitely here)

[susancruzs]

That's true, too, myself having just come from Illinois! My major objection is the generalizations that go on in this forum, nothing is that black and white, cut and dried, variances are everywhere. You just cannot make a statement and lump everything and everyone together.

Illinois is always an interesting situation, because once you are south of Chicago into the rest of the state, where it is farm land and here's another generalization, farmers tend to go conservative.