Thread by @benwikler

THREAD: Donald Trump and Wisconsin Republicans just ramped up their attacks on democracy in the state that put Biden in the White House. Help @WisDems stop them. Read, share, & become a monthly donor to help us reach our 99-donor goal by midnight 8/31: secure.actblue.com/donate/stop-vo…

You might have seen the photo or news stories about Robin Vos, Wisconsin’s Republican State Assembly Speaker, flying to meet Trump on a private jet to assure him that he’s fully on board the plan to shred democracy. Why did this happen? It’s the key to a much bigger picture.

Here’s why, no matter where you live in the USA, you should be obsessed with Wisconsin if you care about American democracy: Trump’s plan for 2024 involves stealing or overturning the election results. And he knows he can’t do that without Wisconsin.

https://twitter.com/benwikler/status/1416140507311480835

The first thing to understand is that Trump is laying the groundwork to run in 2024… and then to take office even if he loses.
slate.com/news-and-polit…

To be able to pass anti-democracy laws in enough states to overturn the 2024 elections, Trump would have to get bills passed in the Badger State. But Trump is slamming into a pro-democracy brick wall in Wisconsin… by the name of Governor Tony Evers.

Gov Evers vetoed voter suppression bills earlier this month. The Republican response has been frantic—because Evers’ veto pen effectively punctures the GOP’s coup balloon. That’s why Vos had to visit Trump.

“This past weekend, it was an honor to be invited to travel by private plane with President Trump... I provided him details about our robust efforts in Wisconsin to restore full integrity and trust in elections." -Vos, on his official Facebook account.
wisconsinexaminer.com/brief/vos-kiss…

Trump henchmen are watching intently. Former WisGOP and RNC chair & Trump chief of staff Reince Priebus went on Steve Bannon’s podcast and spoke about it—making headlines when he revealed that Vos’ sham election “review” would cost WI taxpayers $680,000. jsonline.com/story/news/pol…

Side note: Wisconsin legislators have now spent more than $8.5 million on attorneys for things like their lawsuit against Governor Evers to strike down his common-sense response to the COVID pandemic.
jsonline.com/story/news/pol…

The WI GOP’s attacks on the 2020 election have become a grim circus. Vos hired conspiracy theorist ex-police officers & a “voter fraud”-obsessed right-wing former state Supreme Court justice to “investigate” the election. (Ex-officers have now resigned.)
washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/05…

That wasn’t enough for Trump—he blasted Vos for not running a full AZ-style Cyber Ninja circus. So the head of the legislature’s elections committee, Rep Brandtjen, who led a delegation to AZ, issued unenforceable subpoenas & announced her own sham review. jsonline.com/story/news/pol…

So you’ve got Robin Vos’ conspiracy theory “investigation,” Janel Brandtjen’s Cyber Ninjas… and that’s not all: two other “investigations” are also underway, equally driven by the Big Lie, despite what's been repeatedly affirmed as a free & fair election. jsonline.com/story/news/pol…

Here’s the thing to remember: these “investigations” aren’t about uncovering the truth. They’re about creating a pretext to pass anti-democracy bills. Robin Vos has been clear about this from the start. channel3000.com/assembly-speak…

These sham investigations won’t change any reasonable voter’s mind. But they do essentially guarantee that if a Republican becomes gov, they’ll sign bad bills into law. Rebecca Kleefisch, the Walker-warmed-over former Lt Gov, has already vowed as much.

https://twitter.com/benwikler/status/1416142052216250369

In other words, the circus now is all a launchpad to rip up democracy in the Badger State if Republicans win the governorship in 2022. And if the GOP does that, they’ll have an inside track to the presidency in 2024. Which is why we MUST reelect Tony Evers.

This makes Wisconsin’s 2022 Governor’s race one of the country’s most vital races. If we can stop the GOP here, they won’t be able to overturn 2024.

That’s where you come in. Monthly donors transform parties. Can you sign up for a monthly donation to help us reach our goal of 99 by midnight on Aug 21?
secure.actblue.com/donate/stop-vo…

When you have a small-dollar donor base that’s consistent—the ones you can count on from month to month—you’re able to plan and budget ahead, strategize for the long-term and organize year-round.

We’ve got dozens of organizers already on the ground in Wisconsin, working with local neighbor-to-neighbor teams to build a grassroots juggernaut for next year. But our goal is to hire even more. Your support can help us do that.

Your monthly contribution will fund our work to fight for the future of Wisconsin—and, by extension, our country. You’ll help us stop Robin Vos and Donald Trump from destroying our democracy. Sign up before the 8/31 midnight deadline: secure.actblue.com/donate/stop-vo…

If you become a new monthly donor today (that can be *any* amount, just recurring), please let me know below. I would love to personally thank you for joining us! 👇