Thread by @benwikler

<Drum roll>

Wisconsin has 2440 known coronavirus cases and likely 10x that many unconfirmed, many of them asymptomatic & infectious. Tomorrow, they'll mingle with thousands of others at polling places thanks to...

THESE REPUBLICAN STATE LEGISLATORS!

<applause, cheers>

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The first of tonight's featured legislators? Meet Alberta Darling!

Senator Darling attacked Governor Evers's proposal to mail ballots to Wisconsinites as "an extreme that will hamper our democracy."

Why? Too little time. So, delay to make it work? No!

myemail.constantcontact.com/Governor-s-Pla…

@SenDarling could have used her position as one of the state Senate's most endangered incumbents to push her embarrassingly weak majority leader, @SenFitzgerald, to delay the election. Instead, she's urged voters to stay safe by bringing their own pens. Thanks for the great tip!

Are you a constituent of Alberta Darling's? I'm sure she'd love to hear from you about her leadership on ensuring safe options for voting in Wisconsin's spring election! She's [e-mail], [phone], @SenDarling, and facebook.com/SenatorAlberta….

Next up: meet State Senator Luther Olsen! You worry warts out there might be concerned voters will swap viruses at the FIVE polling places in Milwaukee (pop. 595,351), down from 180. Not Luther! "I would be real surprised if we have any lines waiting to vote on Election Day."

Many lawmakers take care to always fall in line with their leadership to help smooth the way to reelection. But Senator Olsen sometimes takes independent stances—and he's retiring this year! So... I guess he played down the risks of in-person voting as an act of conscience?

Constituents: In case someone is answering the phones in Senator Olsen's office, leave him a message at [phone]! And you can email him at [e-mail]. (He doesn't use social media. @lutherolsenwi is a defunct pie-rating parody account. Don't be fooled!)

Are you ready to hear about another profile in courage in Wisconsin's legislature, a man so tough that he's willing to send thousands of his fellow citizens into potential coronavirus super-spreader sites if they want to cast ballots?

Meet @PatrickTestin—now @SenatorTestin!

In his "raise the bar" ad, Testin dramatically slides a fourth weight onto the bar. Mysteriously, when he actually lifts it, there are only three weights per side. A ready-made metaphor for not carrying the weight of the consequences of his inaction to prevent in-person voting!

When running for State Senate in 2016, Senator Testin vowed to vocally advocate for those who do not have a voice. In retrospect, he notably didn't vow to stand up for the lives of those who DO have voices and have said their lives are now at risk from large public gatherings.

The most recent tweet on @PatrickTestin's campaign account shows him shaking hands with Ron Johnson, the great champion of putting coronavirus "into perspective" as less deadly than car crashes. Testin is up in 2020, so he'll surely be tweeting more soon!

https://twitter.com/patricktestin/status/1236447307710726145

@SenatorTestin's official website proudly features him shaking hands with Dan Kelly, the Trump-endorsed SCOWIS Justice that the GOP hopes will be boosted through in-person pandemic voting today. Constituent feedback for Patrick? He's [phone] & [e-mail].

Note: If you're interested in helping fine legislators like Patrick and Alberta join Luther in seeking non-legislative career opportunities, you can pitch in at wisdems.org/forward. Okay, on to another one!

@SenatorRoth, WI Senate President, touted his work to practice a “virtual session” of the state Senate. “We’re living in extraordinary times,” he said. "It doesn't matter what comes our way. Our government is going to endure." (But not our voting rights!)
legis.wisconsin.gov/senate/19/roth…

As Roth's press release noted, "During an official virtual session, lawmakers are expected to take up legislation to address the coronavirus outbreak."

But guess what? The GOP-run WI legislature hasn't HAD an official virtual session! Hasn't done a single thing on COVID!

Roger Roth, who ran his campaign as an "independent voice" despite voting on party lines 98.9% of the time, declined to use his virtual-session technology to heed the governor's call to postpone Tuesday's election. The special session gaveled out within seconds. Roth? A no-show.

Constituents, feel free to offer feedback on Roth's senate presidency at [phone], [e-mail], @SenatorRoth, or facebook.com/SenRogerRoth, which is full of posts about the coronavirus emergency but is mysteriously silent about the risk of mass in-person voting!

I'm going to bed, full of excitement about the chance to introduce you to some Republican State Assembly members in the morning, none of whom said a thing or lifted a public finger to prevent what might just be the largest public event in the United States in the month of April.

But before I do that, let me just say: all of these state Senators did nothing to contradict their leader, Scott Fitzgerald. Scott is running for Congress. He used to do whatever Walker wanted. Now he does whatever Vos wants. Next, he'll be a rubber stamp for Donald Trump.

Running against Scott Fitzgerald is Tom Palzewicz, aka @tomforwi. You might consider donating to Tom tonight.
secure.actblue.com/donate/tomforw…

And with that, I'm signing off and closing my eyes until my two-year-old decides that morning has arrived.