As former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) praised the economic benefits of the Democratic National Committee’s decision to host its convention in Milwaukee, the head of the state’s Republican Party suggested the decision was fueled by the city’s “long history with socialism.”
In a statement to local newspapers — the Journal Sentinel and the Capital Times — Wisconsin GOP executive director Mark Jefferson called out Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) as well as the city’s past “three socialist mayors.”
“No city in America has stronger ties to socialism than Milwaukee,” Jefferson said in a statement. “And with the rise of Bernie Sanders and the embrace of socialism by its newest leaders, the American left has come full circle. It’s only fitting the Democrats would come to Milwaukee.”
.@wisgop executive director Mark Jefferson says Milwaukee's socialist roots make it "an obvious choice" to host the DNC pic.twitter.com/Ijo34WGVWS
— Jessie Opoien (@jessieopie) March 11, 2019
Jefferson’s comments break slightly with Walker — who said the convention will boost the economy: “It’s not red, it’s not blue, it’s green” — as well as the Wisconsin Republican Party’s own Twitter feed. The account retweeted Jefferson’s statement, and then reiterated the economic benefits of the convention.
We are happy to see that @TheDemocrats are finally going to be able to do something with their convention that their policies have so far been unable to do, and that is have a positive economic impact on Wisconsin and the City of Milwaukee. https://t.co/5JVa7NOXUA
— Wisconsin GOP (@wisgop) March 11, 2019
It’s a very bright history.
Bet that is a surprise to the citizens of Milwaukee.
Undoubtedly so. Even though it was 100 years ago.
Victor Berger had a socialist machine in Milwaukee that dominated the city’s politics for years. It was not exactly the Socialist International, however. As one of my teachers explained, it was very centered on German-Americans. If someone came to Berger and said, “I’ve got a great candidate for Alderman in the Third Ward, George O’Connor,” Berger would say, “O’Conner? Why can’t you find someone with a good American name, like Schimmelfennig?”
As many of you no doubt know, Berger was elected to Congress in,I think, 1918, but the House refused to seat him because of his socialist beliefs.
As we all know, “Socialism” is just a pejorative for anything that conservative republicans don’t like. That’s how Romneycare- the free market healthcare alternative- became “socialism” when Democratic President Obama fashioned it into Obamacare.
Can we also get some free publicity for the La Follettes and Wisconsin’s glorious Progressive history, back when Republicans were Progressives?