WI GOP Chief: Milwaukee’s ‘History With Socialism’ Makes It ‘Obvious Choice’ For DNC

MILWAUKEE - SEPTEMBER 13: Milwaukee Skyline, photographed from the lakefront in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on September 13, 2018. (Photo By Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

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.”

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.

Latest News

Notable Replies

  1. Avatar for jtx jtx says:

    Bet that is a surprise to the citizens of Milwaukee.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. Can we also get some free publicity for the La Follettes and Wisconsin’s glorious Progressive history, back when Republicans were Progressives?

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

48 more replies

Participants

Avatar for system1 Avatar for austin_dave Avatar for pluckyinky Avatar for srfromgr Avatar for doctorbiobrain Avatar for irasdad Avatar for callmeeric Avatar for ralph_vonholst Avatar for eastlansing Avatar for jkrogman Avatar for shystr Avatar for greylady Avatar for moreyampersand Avatar for mrf Avatar for khaaannn Avatar for georgemilquetoast Avatar for nobiru Avatar for bodie1 Avatar for jtx Avatar for jacksonhts Avatar for katscherger Avatar for socalista Avatar for dominic Avatar for juvenal

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: