With Tuesday Nov. 5, lining up to be one of the more divisive days in recent American history, comedian Charlie Berens hosted the Cripescast Live on Tuesday, Oct. 29, with political columnist Dan Shafer and radio host Steve Scaffidi to urge Wisconsinites to vote.
“Comedy is important in politics,” said Shafer, political editor of the Madison-based Civic Media. “If you can’t laugh at something, you’re going to get cynical… especially with the negativity that surrounds these campaigns in this day and age.”
Berens brought one guest from each side of the political aisle – Shafer from the left, Scaffidi from the right. Shafer founded the left-leaning Recombobulation Area in 2019, its name based on the post-security area at Milwaukee’s Mitchell International Airport.
Scaffidi, a graduate of UWM, served as mayor of Oak Creek from 2012 to 2017, later joining 620 WTMJ to host The Steve Scaffidi Show. The Cudahy native is a Republican, albeit one who declines to vote for former president Donald Trump.
“There’s no world where everyone’s going to think the same thing,” said Scaffidi. This is a baby step into having better conversations where we can have vastly different backgrounds, different demographics but get in a room on a Tuesday night to talk about this stuff.”
The event was designed to be an exercise in listening and understanding, but the predominantly left-leaning crowd voiced displeasure at various points with Scaffidi. The veteran talk show host was yelled at by an audience member about halfway through the show.
“I’m not trying to go so into politics,” said Berens. “I want to find a productive way for people to come together and solve it. I can’t solve it at all, but if it’s just that I can bring enough people together, then people can help solve it.
Berens began with his signature “Manitowoc Minute” before introducing the veteran journalists and a few of the controversial issues at stake at the ballot. The three discussed abortion, the electoral college, money in politics and more.
Local Elections of Equal… or More Importance?
The presidential and U.S. Senate races have dominated the attention of the media and Wisconsin voters but next Tuesday’s election features 115 legislative races statewide. Shafer previewed all of them at CivicMedia.us.
Shafer and Scaffidi highlighted the Assembly District 21, Assembly District 61 and Senate District 8 as three of the most important state elections.
District 21 includes parts of the south side of Milwaukee, South Milwaukee and Oak Creek. Incumbent Jessie Rodriguez has held office in her district since 2013 but like many Republicans faces the challenge of a redrawn map following the Democrats’ push against gerrymandering.
Her opponent is David Marsteller, a Democrat running on improved health care access after undergoing a heart transplant in 2019. A member of the LGBTQ+ community, his experience includes involvement in Obama’s campaign in 2008 and nearly four decades in the floral design industry.
Adjacent to District 21 is the District 61 race that includes Greendale, Hales Corners and part of Greenfield. Incumbent Bob Donovan served on the Milwaukee Common Council for 20 years and was runner-up to both Tom Barrett and Cavalier Johnson in the Milwaukee mayoral race on multiple occasions. A Republican, Donovan previously attended UWM but didn’t graduate.
Donovan is opposed by LuAnn Bird for the second consecutive race, advocating for reproductive freedoms and civility in politics. Bird previously served on the Whitnall School Board.
“That could be the race that determines who wins the majority,” said Shafer, referring to the Donovan-Bird race. “When you get into the actual governing, writing the state budget and all those things, these elections that are happening next week are going to go a long way toward determining what happens the next two years in the state of Wisconsin.
Incumbent Duey Stroebel is being challenged by Jodi Habush Sinykin in Wisconsin’s 8th District for State Senate. Originally elected in 2011, Stroebel represents his hometown of Saukville as well as Port Washington, Cedarburg, Grafton, Mequon, Germantown, Menomonee Falls, Brown Deer, Fox Point and Whitefish Bay. Stroebel ran unopposed in his previous three elections.
Sinykin, a graduate of Harvard Law School, is an attorney specializing in environmental law. The daughter of attorney Bob Habush of the law firm Habush, Habush & Rottier, this would be her first elected office.
Sinykin was an adjunct professor and water policy fellow in the School of Freshwater Sciences & Water Institute at UWM from 2014-2020.
“I’ll never forget what Joe Biden told me as a mayor,” said Scaffidi. “He always said when he saw me that everything important to families happens at the local level – issues of how your kids are educated, issues of crime, drug abuse – they don’t happen somewhere else. They’re happening in your community.”
Shafer added that the state legislature could help decide many issues typically associated with the presidential race.
“There is such a huge opportunity to make a difference in what’s happening in our backyard in Wisconsin on so many issues,” said Shafer. “Whether you’re passionate about gun violence prevention or abortion rights or taxes or housing or transportation, any of these issues comes back to that [state legislature].”
College Students Under-Represented at the Polls
Among eligible voters aged 18-24 in the Midwest, 54% voted in 2020, compared to 69% of all adults, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In the same age range among Americans with some college education but no degree, 62% voted.
“This is the bedrock of what it means to live in this country,” said Berens, a former journalist. “You get a chance to make your voice heard. And it’s not just a chance to make your voice heard, it’s a chance to think about what really impacts me, what is helping me what’s not helping me dive into those issues just a little bit. You know, get informed.
“Really, it’s to inform yourself and look for the answers, and then look at these candidates and say, ‘Okay, who best fits into that?’ And whatever candidate it is, right, left, whoever. Then vote. Little by little, you start paying attention, because you have a foundation of information and things start to make more sense. I think it’s super important to vote. It really is. It’s the foundation of this country. You’re not going to regret voting.”