This was always going to be the GOP’s playbook: demonize, distract,
and divide—so they can dodge Ron Johnson’s toxic record of betraying
Wisconsin’s working families in order to benefit himself and his wealthy
donors.
Wisconsinites in every corner of the state, no matter our background,
want a state where all are safe and everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
For Ron Johnson, though, the priority is to shovel public money to his
mega-donors (with a helping for himself), while siding with special interests
instead of the public on everything from prescription drug prices (he likes
them high) to outsourcing (he’s in favor) to Social Security (he wants to put
it on the chopping block).
That record, and that platform, are indefensible. So what is he trying
to do? Flood the airways with lies about Mandela Barnes. Calling him
“different,” and “dangerous.” Darkening the color of his skin in the photos
in their mailers.
We all know exactly what’s happening here.
And we know how to fight back: by making clear why they’re doing this,
which is to divert the public’s attention so that Ron Johnson can push
policies that hurt all of us, no matter where we live or the color of our
skin.
Mandela’s new ad not only points out the GOP’s lie—it also points out
what he’s for. Have you seen the ad? Have you shared it?
Here’s what Lt. Gov Barnes says in that ad:
"Look, we knew the other side would make up lies about me to
scare you. Now they're claiming I want to defund the police and abolish ICE.
That's a lie. I'll make sure our police have the resources and training they
need to keep our community safe and that our communities have the resources
to stop crime before it happens. I'll bring back manufacturing, and I'll pass
a middle-class tax cut. And if that's too scary for Washington, then so be
it. I’m Mandela Barnes, and I approve this message."
This is one part of the fight back. People need to know what Mandela’s
for, who he really is—and they need to know what Ron Johnson’s all about. And
that’s where all of us come in. It’s everyone’s job to fight the fight.
We know that when people hear the truth about Mandela Barnes and the
truth about Ron Johnson, we win.
New ads sticking it to Johnson on gun safety, abortion freedoms,
and Johnson’s record of enriching
himself will be on the air more and more in the days
and weeks to come. Groups like EveryTown for Gun Safety and End
Citizens United are jumping into the fray. And in every corner of our state,
it’s up to all of us to get the message out at every opportunity and through
every available means.
Mandela Barnes has spent his life working to make things better for
all of us. It’s up to all of us to have his back.
No matter how gruesome, vicious, and dishonest the GOP’s attack
machine gets, no matter how wild the ride becomes on what some call the
“poller coaster,” our job is the same—to stay grounded in our values and do
the work.
We knew that the GOP would try to run their character-assassination
playbook. But don’t let anybody tell you they know what the outcome will be.
Over the last two decades, we’ve had blue landslides and red landslides—and
more often than either of those things, we’ve had nail-biters. This could be
incredibly close, or not. It could involve wild twists in the final
moments—or not.
It could be the kind of Wisconsin photo-finish election where a single
volunteer pouring themselves into action, day after day for the final 46 days
in the election, tips the whole state. That volunteer could be you.
We can be disappointed in the depths to which Republicans have sunk,
but we aren’t surprised. This is always who they’ve been. Our job—in the
Senate race, in the Governor’s race, in the House races, the AG and other
statewide races, the state legislative contests, all the campaigns up and
down the ballot—is to stay focused on doing the things we can control, the
things we know make a difference. Talking to voters, and listening to them.
Leading with our values. Fighting lies with truth.
They have their playbook. We have ours. Let’s leave it all on the
field.
In solidarity,
Ben
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