The reason for that familiarity has a lot to do with loyalty. The good kind. Not just loyalty to an employer but an employer being loyal to their team. There’s a lot to be said for a place that attracts regular customers because they appreciate the continuity of the people who represent “the boss” or “the brand” on the frontlines. 

That’s what makes it so odd to watch people like Wisconsin’s GOP congressmen, folks like Tom Tiffany and Derrick Van Orden. In a year where more Republicans are putting space between themselves and President Trump, it’s clear that Tiffany and Van Orden are hanging on tightly, like a couple of toddlers attached to their daddy’s legs. 

Tiffany isn’t going to get a lot of credit for saying this week that it’s time to “wind things down” in Iran when he said it back in May and still voted to let Trump continue his war with no congressional oversight. 

And Van Orden doesn’t appear to have changed his attitude since the time he told a constituent opposed to the war, “You’re wrong. I don’t give a shit if you vote for me or not.” (Classy!)

These professed deficit hawks don’t seem to mind that the war has already cost taxpayers more than $43 billion. It’s only because gas prices are sky-high that their “blame Biden” tune is finally starting to change.

And it’s not like Trump is going to be loyal to them. The landscape is littered with the decaying political carcasses of Republicans thrown under the bus by a leader who chooses self-preservation over loyalty every single time. 

It’s like being on the wait staff of a place known to have lousy service — and their loyalty to the boss means nothing when he fires them for passing along customers’ complaints about the food. 

Not that Tiffany and Van Orden would ask for my advice, but if they don’t start showing some real independence on behalf of their Wisconsin constituents, they shouldn’t be surprised to learn the real worth of their loyalty to an unpopular president.

Have a good weekend and stay on top of our social media feeds on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and more.

Wisconsin made its top education official a constitutional post so that she or he could be independent of partisan meddling. Tiffany seems to be focused on ending that tradition.

We’re now less than six weeks out from Election Day and it’s pretty clear that high gas prices caused by President Trump’s choice to attack Iran are hurting Republicans’ chances in the November midterms.

But six weeks is also an eternity in politics. There’s plenty of time for GOP ads to get voters thinking about culture war issues and personal attacks instead of the prices at the pump.

So we want to know to what degree you think the cost to fill the tank will be a factor in November.

Click the box above to be taken to our website where you can select your response. Feel free to say more in the comment box—and leave your first name and hometown so we can share your answer in our next newsletter.

We asked where you stand on the idea to make all school meals free to all students.

68% said A – Healthy School Meals For All has my full support. How is lunch debt even a thing when we’re paying for tax cuts, wars, and legislators’ per-diems?

27% said B – I like the concept, but I’m not ready to say I fully support it. Maybe we need a higher cutoff so that wealthy families’ kids have to pay something.

4% said C – Keep the system as-is or with mild tweaks to make school meals more affordable.

No one chose the option of ending all school meal assistance. 

👉🏼 Martha from Spooner said it best: “All kids need a lunch, regardless of ability to pay. Just feed all the kids, for Pete’s sake!”

👉🏼 Peter from Columbus chose B: “An income cutoff makes sense.”👉🏼 

Thank you for your participation!

Election denier stumps for Van Orden

A prominent conspiracy theorist still stoking lies about the 2020 presidential election couldn’t visit the Chippewa Valley last weekend without drawing a robust crowd of protesters countering his ongoing misinformation.

“It was so great to see you, my friend,” US Rep. Derrick Van Orden posted about Scott Presler after his visit to the Eau Claire Republican Party office in Altoona.

Both Presler and Van Orden were present on the US Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob whipped up by Trump and his supporters staged a violent riot that disrupted a joint session of Congress tabulating election results. Both men say they did not enter the Capitol building. 

While Van Orden was not yet a member of Congress, US Rep. Tom Tiffany was inside the building and later voted against certifying the official and confirmed election results from two states. He has only recently acknowledged that former President Joe Biden was elected in 2020 but still welcomed President Trump’s decision to send federal authorities to Wisconsin as part of the president’s ongoing effort to tarnish the results of an election he lost.

In places like Wisconsin—where election infrastructure is decentralized and relies on the oversight of dedicated local poll workers—people argue that such messaging erodes public trust and local Republican parties should not host deniers like Presler.

“I don’t know why people are putting out these rumors,” said Cyndi Greening of Chippewa Valley Indivisible, an organizer of the protest. “We need to stop that because we don’t want our vote to be suppressed in any way, shape or form and that’s what this is. The only danger is with Tom Tiffany.”

Friday, Sept. 25

St. Croix Co. Democrats – Rally with Fred Clark and Kevin Knoke (Hudson, 5:30 p.m.) Guests include: 7th District Congressional candidate Fred Clark, state treasurer candidate Lee Yeng Xiong, state Assembly candidate Kevin Knoke, former candidates Chris Armstrong and Ginger Murray, and more.

Sunday, Sept. 27

Grant Co. Democrats – Pie & Ice Cream Social (Lancaster, 1-3 p.m.) Gather with others in your community to enjoy some delicious homemade pie and ice cream along with timely discussions as we head toward the fall general election. All area candidates have been invited to attend.

Saturday, October 3

Sawyer Co. and Lac Courte Oreilles Democratic Parties – March in the Stone Lake Cranberry Fest Parade (1 p.m.) If you need help finding their float, look for the friendly inflatable donkey! Hand out treats to onlookers and show your support for democracy and Democratic candidates.

Send your events and announcements to Abigail Deatrick, UpNorthNews’ regional community development organizer, at least one week before the event to see them here.

📱 Remember, you can stay up to date all day with all of our team’s work through our social media feeds, including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

🏁 Thanks for reading our update.

Have a great weekend!