Sam hosts Ari Berman, writer at Mother Jones, to discuss the midterm elections and his recent piece “How Wisconsin Became the GOP’s Laboratory for Dismantling Democracy”. Ari Berman then joins, diving right into the severe shift in Wisconsin politics that followed the election of Scott Walker in 2010, as a Koch-backed Republican trifecta launched their case study for attacking democracy on the state level, going after the core of the swing state’s progressive base by undermining unions and voting rights, reforming campaign finance laws, and instituting intense gerrymandering. This brings Ari to parsing through the dichotomy that ensued over the next decade, as Wisconsin’s demos continued to vote narrowly between the two parties while the GOP majorities in the state houses continued to grow, best seen in the 2018 midterms where Democrats won 54% of votes statewide, yet Republicans still held 64% of seats. Next, they tackle the future of gerrymandering as the Supreme Court tiptoes closer and closer to undermining the involvement of either independent commissions or state courts in the matter, before wrapping up the interview by walking through the role of governors in fighting back against gerrymandered legislatures (it’s getting increasingly difficult) and why this will continue to be a major issue until we get a new Supreme Court.
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It is a pleasure to welcome you back to the program and it’s been too long, frankly Ari Berman, author of Give us the ballot and herding donkeys and a writer at Mother Jones magazine. Ari is welcome back to the program. Hey Sam. good to see you again. Nice to meet you. you wrote a couple days ago the democracy crisis was averted but gerrymandering could still save the GOP. Let’s go back to the piece I wrote about Wisconsin and its being a laboratory for dismantling democracy. This goes all the way back to the election of Scott Walker. That goes back to this a project by the Koch brothers and the AFP Americans for Prosperity if I remember correctly. walk us through that. I think Wisconsin really has been the case study for how Republicans have undermined democracy at the state level and then how they use the states to take over power at the national level as well. Because you had basically a 50-50 swing state with a long Progressive tradition. Republicans got control of it in 2010 like they got control of so many states in that election. and they worked very aggressively to entrench their own power by going after unions making it harder to vote changing campaign Finance laws and most crucially by passing incredibly gerrymandered maps. That means that it would be impossible to vote them out of power. so I looked at both the 10-year strategy that’s been deployed in Wisconsin very very effectively. and then I also looked at how it would affect this election. and it’s really remarkable if you look at the numbers. Governor Tony Evers Democrat won 51% of the vote he won by 3.5 points in 2022 which is a Landslide by Wisconsin standards. but Republic weekends got 67 percent of seats in the state senate. and 65 percent of seats in the State House. Basically, they came two assembly seats of getting a supermajority in the legislature even though Democrats won four out of five Statewide offices. so basically they’ve created a system as far as legislative elections that’s basically voter-proof. and the reason why I said the democracy crisis was averted was that so many of these election deniers won.
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This is why dems have to gamble with elections. The GOP are in control of the Courts by a 6-3 margin.
Democrats should just run as republicans in red states. If they get enough people power in like Texas, freeze them out of everything.
I think it would be better to give justices a 10 year term (or more) and limit them to one term, rather than expanding the court. We could be back in the same boat in the future by simply adding some Democrat aligned judges right now.
To resolve the issue we have now, we could have the term length standard apply retroactively and replace the judges who have served their term.
The rationale for having districts in the first place is that they should make representatives more responsive to the electorate. Given how much they have served to accomplish just the opposite, it might be worth reconsideration.
the supreme court is conservative they will give republicans whatever they want they gave them roe
Gerrymandering is done by democrats also. If you're going to complain about a system then make sure you tell the entire story instead of your obvious bias towards the democratic party.
Describing the problem as one of "drawing maps" is too bloodless and technical for most people to understand. We should explain to the public that allowing politicians to pick their voters, instead of the other way around, is literally the antithesis of democracy, and analogous to feudal lords trading serfs attached to different portions of their fiefdoms amongst each other.
I apluad you for putting this together! With everything going on right now, the best decision to be on any creative man's heart is having a profitable investment strategy.
Having been recently gerrymandered into oblivion, I can attest that it stinks. Wouldn't wish for anyone to experience the degree of electoral exclusion they forced on our entire city, not even those power-thirsty jerks whodunit.
I'm so sick off all the mass shooting WHEN SCOTUS IS ONE OF THE REASONS THEY ARE SO UNSTABLE AND HAVE A GUN. wish they would take it out on scotus
How do the karilake supporters feel about this?
They seem to be in a bubble where lake was violated/ robbed/ treated unfairly etxetc but everywhere else – no big deal.
This is a Republic constitutional form of government a Democratic/Republic! It is not a majority rule government!Pure Democracy may be majority rule or in essence mob rule,but that's why we are a constitutional Republic, in essence a Democratic/ Republic!
Great interview
So when is the end of the United Blunders of Merika gonna happen
That's it folks, democracy is over. we're done. Their legal coup succeeded. once republican maps are drawn up, no democrat will ever win the house, senate or presidency ever again and we're all set for fascism, genocide and the total destruction of the planet. Humanity had a good run.
To call this out and not Dem gerrymandering is super partisan and disingenuous
Democrats do gerrymandering just as well as Republicans literally look at Illinois in cook county and how they divided Springfield up so don’t even the Sam.
Investing in crypto now should be in every wise individuals list, in some weeks time you'll be ecstatic with the decision you made today
It should be called scrotus because at this point that court is as gross as a saggy old pair of old man testes. Totally worthless now that crazy right wing activist yayhoos have taken over the court. It's now nothing more than an arm to the khakistocracy we have now.
I believe Michigan voters passed a referendum to redraw the maps. And afterwards a right wing organization tried to prevent that from happening by suing in federal court. One of the talking heads for that organization was my state Wisconsin's former governor Scott Walker. That guy just sucks.
Really like Ari. Great interview MR!
Isn’t this interview from a few weeks ago?
I appreciate your reporting, Ari. I have been following your work for years