Author Archives: John Durben

Shawano Dems January/February Newsletter

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Scroll down to get the video link.

SPRING ELECTIONS
It seems like yesterday that we elected Joe Biden President and Kamala Harris Vice-President. Now it’s time to take our enthusiasm for change into 2021.

The only state election is for State Superintendent of Public Instruction.  There are seven candidates who will be on the ballot in the February 16th primary.  Two of them have been invited to come to our January 20th Zoom meeting which will be held at 6:00 pm since the candidates will be involved in a Forum from 6:30-8:00 pm.  Shelia Briggs is presently the Assistant State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Jill Underly is the Superintendent of Schools for the Pecatonica Area.  Also reaching out for support from the Shawano Dems was Dr. Shandowlyon Hendricks who is an author and consultant in Milwaukee.

The Wisconsin Court of Appeals for District 3 has three candidates.  Antigo attorney Aaron Loudenslager and Wausau attorney Rick Cveykus have both wanted help from the party.
Website information about all the candidates can be found on our website.

Those living in the School District of Shawano have an opportunity to vote for Robin Raber Bergeron for the Shawano School Board in the at-large member position.  Robin works as a clinical social worker and substance abuse counselor In her private practice in Shawano .  She is active in her daughter’s school’s PTA and PTO.

Also, in the primary will be candidates for Shawano Alderperson for District One.  Maureen (Muffy) Culhane and Daniel Poels will be on the ballot with two others.  Muffy is a pharmacist at ThedaCare and board president for SAM25.  She is also on the board for Red River Riders.  Dan is an insurance agent for Humana with 12 years of experience in the Medicare industry.  He has done volunteer work for Shawano Pathways and is a volunteer driver with SHHS to bring people to their doctor’s visits.

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NEWS ROUNDUP January 16, 2021

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A LOT has happened this week, and you might not have been able to keep up with it all (that’s okay). Here’s a quick round-up:

1. Trump was impeached! Again. Every Democrat in the Wisconsin Congressional delegation voted for impeachment. Thank you Congress members Kind, Moore, and Pocan for doing your duty and standing up for American democracy!

Every Republican House member from Wisconsin voted against impeaching Trump for inciting violent insurrection at the Capitol. This includes:

    • Scott Fitzgerald
    • Mike Gallagher
      → Mike Gallagher even admitted that “Trump bears responsibility” for the mob violence in DC. Yet he still voted against impeachment. All words, no action, abject hypocrisy.
    • Tom Tiffany
    • Bryan Steil
    • Glenn Grothman

2. Governor Evers gave his State of the State address, and laid out a powerful agenda for the people of Wisconsin. You can watch the full speech here, and here are some highlights:

      • Governor Evers declared 2021 the Year of Broadband Access, calling for a $200 million investment in Internet infrastructure.
      • Governor Evers announced that he will be calling for a special session of the legislature to overhaul Wisconsin’s antiquated unemployment system—crucial at a time when so many people need to access it.
      • Governor Evers talked about his People’s Maps Commission, and the urgent need to end gerrymandering in Wisconsin, and strengthen democracy.

3. The WisDems launched a six-figure ad buy calling on Ron Johnson to resign for his role in inciting the violent insurrection in DC last week.

Click here to watch our Ron Johnson ad (and donate, if you can, to help us reach more people)!

Info from Wisconsin Dems

Shawano Democrats January Zoom Meeting Reminder

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January 20th
6:00 pm

Meet candidates for WI Superintendent of Public Instruction Shelia Briggs and Jill Underly.

Click on the link below or dial the phone number to be admitted to the meeting.  You will need to download Zoom.com if you have never used Zoom.  Please be ready to start the meeting promptly at 6:00 pm.  Let us know if you are having trouble getting on.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/97768620489?pwd=MVJpWWptNHJXRnFGMUl2ajZFa25TZz09

Dial by your location
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

Seven Candidates File to Run for State Schools Superintendent

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Court of Appeals Candidates

3rd Court of Appeals

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Primary Elections Are Coming Soon

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Before you know it we will be involved in another campaign season.  There will be primaries on February 16th for State Superintendent of Public Instruction and the District 3 Wisconsin Court of Appeals.  Even though these are nonpartisan positions, it is important that we have the right people elected.

At our January 20th Zoom meeting we will have two of the seven candidates for Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Jill Underly is a member of the Iowa County Democratic Party.  Her website is www.underlyforwi.com.

Shelia Briggs website is https://www.briggsforkids.com/.  She is the current Assistant Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Go to their websites to learn about them and download their nomination papers.   Each of them would like help in getting signatures.  You can only sign one of the candidate’s nomination papers.  Signing does not commit you to vote for them.

Aaron Loudenslager, an Attorney from Antigo, is one of three candidates for the Court of Appeals.  His website is https://loudenslagerforwisconsincourtofappeals.com/. If you want to learn about his views you can read this:  recent press release.  You can sign his nomination papers by clicking here: LoudenslagerNominationPaper.pdf.

In the spring elections we will also elect local municipal representatives including school board members.  If you are interested in running for office, you need to contact the Shawano County Clerk or go on-line and get nomination papers.  Contact your school district’s main office for school board positions.  Filing deadline is January 5th.

Let me know if you have any questions.  There are excellent no-cost on-line trainings that you are welcome to attend.

Have a very Merry Christmas.
Jan Koch, Chair
Democratic Party of Shawano County
715-296-6726 (cell)

FEAR CAN BE ALLEVIATED BY HOPE AT THIS TIME IN LIVES

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At This time in our nation’s history, we have much to fear.

FEAR:  An unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.  It can be real or imagined.  This “loss of control” may cause us to panic.

HOPE, however, is always possible when we begin to look at the whole picture positively and begin to believe something could happen.

We need hope right now.

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SOCIAL PROGRAMS PROVIDE FOR THE GENERAL WELFARE

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Socialism is a scare word.”  When speaking about the GOP in 1952, President Harry Truman went on to say, “Socialism is their name for anything that helps all people.”

The theme of this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAP) Convention held last March was “America Versus Socialism”.   Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union, told attendees: “It’s a very intended theme. Our view is it’s not capitalism versus socialism because socialism isn’t just about economics. Socialism, we believe, gets to the very core of violating the dignity of the individual human being that has God given rights.”

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WISCONSIN RECOUNT

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There is a possiblity that there will be a ballot recount.   If it happens, it will start as early as Saturday, November 21st and run to December 3rd (we expect all counties to adjourn for Thanksgiving Day). The recount occurs simultaneously in 72 counties, so we need a lot of help to support this effort. We know if they count all the votes again, our win will be reaffirmed.

The Wisconsin Coordinated Campaign is offering several online training opportunities over the next few days to give interested folks an understanding of the commitment and how we can safely help observe the recount. You can sign up here to join.

After this first training, anyone who is still interested in helping will fill out an interest form to learn more about the next steps.  While a recount may or may not happen, we won this election by a clear and decisive margin, and a recount will only reaffirm this victory. 
If you know of someone else who might be interested, please let them know.  PPE masks, shields and hand sanitizer will be available and social distancing will be observed.

Shawano Dems Zoom Meeting November 18, 2020

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Mark Your Calendar

The next (virtual) Shawano Dems meeting will be on Wednesday, November 18th at 7:00 pm on Zoom.  We will not have a speaker but we will be celebrating our victory,  Everyone will have an opportunity to say what is on their mind with the election results and what lies ahead.  We won’t have refreshments, but we can all have our beverage of choice at hand.

This will be our Annual Meeting so we will have the election of officers for January, 2021 through December, 2022. 
Here is the Zoom link.  I will be sending out the Zoom link again next week

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/6228488386