Everyone, EVERYONE - please stop. Ahem, Nebraska: "Honestly, it's not for everyone." Full stop. WE WIN!
https://www.omaha.com/news/nebraska/nebraska-s-new-tourism-pitch-honestly-it-s-not-for/article_4e7a5320-fe58-544a-b8ac-078e075fb3f8.html
Oh, and "Huskers!"
4
As a die hard MKE sports booster, thanks need to be given to: Giannis!!! Yes, Giannis A. and the Bucks. Without them, no Fiserv Forum...without the Fiserv Forum, no convention. Ironic that Milwaukee sports is on the upswing at this particular moment--2018 NL MVP potential 2019 MVP NBA, and now annointing the Democrats' "MVP" for 2020. Go Brewers, Go Bucks, Go Pack,Go Dems!
2
The Democrats should use "At Least Our Candidate Loves America More Than Russia" as their slogan in the election.
5
People should know that the oldest operating bowling alley in the United States is there. Two original, manual lanes dating from 1908 in the basement of the Holler House Tavern. You gotta call ahead and see if they have anyone working as pinsetters to see if you can bowl.
1
Live Brie or Die!
2
Memories of hometown Milwaukee:
It's cloudy there about half the time, "Another moody and introspective day" the jazz radio host often said. A sullen attitude was pretty normal, expected.
If you talked to anyone while you waited in line, they tended to expect that you were mentally ill.
I always kind of liked the slogan, ‘A Great Place by a Great Lake.’ Then a local, sullen comedian did it one better, with "A place on a lake".
2
GC used to be funny, but she's too blithe for the Trump era I guess. This here is pretty bad.
1
Enough of the beer and cheese cracks. Wisconsin is also home to Cray Supercomputers, synchronous satellites, vitamin D synthesis, and most stem cell lines used in medical research. Not bad, ehh?
4
Really, nothing can beat my state’s tourism motto: “Honestly, It's Not for Everyone”
1
I dunno, but from here in Kenosha, seems there's not many reasons to visit em dub.
Democrats can appropriate B.K.'s slogan, which made him win the Supreme Court seat.
"I like beer."
2
See Wisconsin and most of its residents are pretty cool, Just tell that to the coasties who attend school with my daughters at our flagship university...
When discussing the failed 1985 attempt to replace the "America's Dairyland" slogan, Gail missed mentioning the wonderful suggestion of legendary Milwaukee Journal columnist Joel McNally: "Come Smell Our Dairy Air!"
2
There was a pitcher named Melvin Famey, who when sober, could not be hit. But on a fateful day an opposing team, learning of Melvin's weakness, filled the water cooler in the dugout with cold beer. In the early innings Melvin began throwing balls and the coach replaced him. After the game the winning coach was asked his strategy . He said it was the beer that made Mel Famey walk us.
1
"Eat Cheese or Die!" was a terrific entry in a contest put on by the Wisconsin State Journal many years ago. "America's Dairyland" was never coming off the license plates, but it was fun to read the suggestions. My favorite? "Come Smell Our Dairy Air"!
1
Thanks for the laughs. Given the fact that Wisconsin lately chose Paul Ryan to represent a part of its citizens, Democrats may have some work to do there, as well as Ohio and Pennsylvania. I give Indiana, where I attended Purdue, little likelihood of joining the remainder of us in recognizing all the good that the left and center-left can do.
In the immortal words of Jerry Lee Lewis...What made Milwaukee famous made a loser out of me.
12
Gail, sometimes you come up with real zingers. "The wonderfully random experiences must have come along after I left." I couldn't stop laughing.
3
Oregon is still waiting to be chosen for anything because of its wonderful slogan,“She Flies With Her Own Wings.”
Unbeatable, isn't it?
@GPA
Yes, and Oregon has its own Milwaukie, a lovely suburb of Portland, spelled the way Germans spell their bier (beer). We know beer and bier.
Well look where having our convention in Pennsylvania got us.
What?! A Milwaukee Wisconsin girl--and no mention of La Follette? He was certainly NOT after you left.
"in the 1924 presidential election, left-wing groups coalesced behind La Follette's third-party candidacy. With the support of the Socialist Party, farmer's groups, labor unions, and others, La Follette briefly appeared to be a serious threat to unseat Republican President Calvin Coolidge. ...his chief goal was to break the "combined power of the private monopoly system over the political and economic life of the American people."
Or the "Wisconsin Idea"-- "research conducted at UW–Madison should be applied to solve problems and improve health, quality of life, the environment, and agriculture for all citizens of the state... {it] permeates the university's work and helps forge close working relationships among university faculty and students, and the state's industries and government.[26] ...to solve real-world problems by working together across disciplines and demographics. "
Ah!--The good ole days--when "populism" was more than racism, xenophobia, god story realism and moneyball on steroids.
10
For a Milwaukee slogan, how about, "Let's kiss and make up."
1
Milwaukee is a great town with a beautifully twisted sense of humor. During the Jeffrey Dahmer days, many of its citizens cut out an “r” the state’s official tourism bumper sticker so that it read “Wisconsin: You’re Among Fiends,” instead of “Friends.” And today a local bar celebrates itself with a sticker saying “Wolski’s Tavern—Adventure, Danger, Romance.” I’m banking on my fellow Milwaukeeans to point out the absurdity of contemporary American politics in their uniquely wry, offbeat, and incisive way.
4
My oldest son worked on a train, as a tour guide and bartender, that rolled from Anchorage to Denali Park as part of a day tour on a cruise ship. He said people from Wisconsin were the most fun, drank the most alcohol and left the best tips.
7
Milwaukee: Lots of Brats!
Indiana: Not Worth A Pence!
Chicago: Duck And Cover
Miami: Hotter Than Hell
Houston: Hotter Than Miami
New York: Capital of the World
6
@Chris
New York...capital of over priced studio apartments and a dysfunctional, fun-house subway system.
2
My only time in Milwaukee I was heading into the tasting room at Pabst for some free beer. I watched a Pabst 18 wheeler pull up outside. He left the wheels of the cab on the sidewalk, and the rest of the rig in the street. The driver got out, pretty much staggered across the street, and headed in for some free beer. It was a different time.
And how about that shaggy dog story that ends with "The beer that made Mel Famey walk us". The Schlitz tag line used to be "The beer that make Milwaukee famous". Its a real groaner.
1
For Idaho I liked "Famous Potatoes" better than “Great Potatoes, Tasty Destinations”
2
Very nice column Gail. There's no place I'd rather live than among the green rolling hills and many lakes of Wisconsin (we have more than "Land 0'Lakes" Minnesota).
2
What better symbol of where the Democrats need to focus their campaign than a rust belt city that is struggling back from the brutal whims of capitalism. In 2016 the Democrats were indifferent about the central issue in the election - vast inequality and a government that elevated corporate welfare over the common good. Let’s hope that the convention location is more than just symbolic.
Milwaukee’s blue-collar pedigree, strong union base and – yes – it’ successful socialist era (which prompted Time magazine in 1936 to declare ,"Milwaukee has become perhaps the best governed city in the U.S." ) should be a reminder of how democracy is supposed to work – as a mechanism that provides for the needs of everyone, not just a few.
The success of Milwaukee-style socialism was its focus on what worked for the people, on local concerns as opposed to the lofty ideals of a more revolutionary global organization. It was called “sewer socialism” whose credo was “efficient, transparent, frugal, and socially just government.” It had a healthy contempt for graft and considered itself an extension of the people, rather than a burden to them. That’s the ethos the Democratic Party needs to claim.
BTW, most of Milwaukee’s image (which Gail does little to dispel) is about 60 years old, tired and worn out. Last year’s Brewers were a couple of heartbeats from the World Series, and this year the Bucks have the best record in the NBA.
Here’s the convention slogan: “Milwaukee – Back to Basics.”
12
At the risk of a totally gratuitous splitting of hairs: the Ojibwa, Potawatomi and Menominee languages are all part of the Algonquian language family. So Alice Cooper got it at least part right.
6
Holding a convention in Milwaukee will not, in any way, mitigate the damage done by the progressive's and their loud, proud bigotry against rural cultures. The constant sneering at flyover states and hateful rhetoric against deeply held values has destroyed the democratic party, and with it our democracy.
@John,
I put a challenge out to you...find a video/transcript of Senator Bernard Sanders denigrating the Midwest/flyover states.
Yes, he is an Ind. He is running as a Democratic.
Good luck.
7
@John
Gotta disagree with you, as a progressive and someone who was raised in a rural/small town culture. No doubt some have sneered at those in flyover states who embraced Trump, and I don't blame them. That man is as far removed from the values I grew up with as anyone can be, so their support smacks of hypocrisy.
6
Milwaukee used to be called: "Machine shop to the world!". But that was before globalization. Now every thing is being machined in China and other cheap labor sources of corporate greed. Which party is going to bring back our old good-paying, blue-collar, factory jobs? Everyone I know says the same thing: "Both parties don't have a clue!" And they also say that China owns us and that the communists won the Cold War. Us American working slobs were the big losers. Now you'd be hard pressed to even find very many young machinists in this town. Who's going to fix that? Conventions come, and conventions go, I'm not even a little bit excited.
@Chaim Shalom
Excellent comment...and the Rebel South has apparently won the Civil War. Depressing.
5
Maybe Dem politicos can seize the opportunity to learn something from those fantastic Wisconsinites. For example, what it means to be someone you want to have a beer with!
1
Ms. Collins, should you find yourself in Milwaukee for DNC convention coverage or for any other reason, I am sure you will be warmly welcomed by the "lovely people" who live here. And even the not so lovely.
1
"Old Milwaukee"...the beer that made St Louis famous!
2
Yay, Milwaukee!
The first time I drove into Milwaukee (from Madison), I thought it was one of the most beautiful cities I had ever seen. It has its parts that aren't so pretty, but, it is a wonderful city. Truly.
I am jazzed that the convention will be there. A wonderful populace, and a good thing to boost its economy, esp since they got rid of Walker.
Wisconsin, I have a feeling you are on the rise, and you are a BEAUTIFUL state. With great cheese, and wonderful beer besides.
4
Why do pundits continue to write that Hillary lost the electoral vote "due to tiny, tiny margins in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin". We know Manafort gave Russia internal polling data and we know Russia hacked numerous states voter registration rolls and "may have blocked" people in those states from voting. Why else would they want the internal polling data if they didn't intend to use it? Trump didn't win these states by tiny margins (especially when you consider that polls had her way ahead in those places) - the election was hacked and stolen .
And yes, there was collusion.
11
The Commerce guy came up with the perfect slogan without even realizing it! "Milwaukee - Wonderfully Random."
2
The midwest has always owned my heart. Your column was brilliant. And Milwaukee was a brilliant pick for the Dems.
4
I like to think this pick reflects a tip of the hat to the progressive traditions and farmer-labor political parties of the Midwest. The Republicans are going attack Democratic (and democratic) policies as "socialist" no what what the Democrats do. I'm counting on the party's leaders to have the good sense to embrace the label.
3
As a lifelong Milwaukee dweller, I would have liked to have read something a little more informative about our great city. Everyone is already familiar with the tired references to beer and brats, but not everyone knows about our amazing lakefront, riverwalk, museums, restaurants, sports teams, and music. I'd much rather be associated with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Christian Yelich, and Greg Koch than Laverne and Shirley. Milwaukee has its share of issues, most notably our persistent problems with community segregation as a result of years of housing discrimination. But make no mistake, Milwaukee is on its way up due to good leadership in place now at every level. While the Wisconsin legislature remains frustratingly gerrymandered and suburban Republicans spout ridiculous nonsense about us on talk radio (except when their trying to siphon off water from Lake Michigan), Milwaukee has a bright future because of the people who live here. The three adjectives that best sum up Milwaukeeans are tough, hard working, and generous. I'm very much looking forward to the democratic convention and hope that some of you decide to visit our city on the lake. I'll buy you a beer... or two.
11
Milwaukee has a lot to offer. It also has a lot of work to do, being one of the most (if not THE most) segregated cities in the country after "white flight" to the 'burbs. If our state ever rectifies gerrymandering, we may get a statehouse with the will to increase employment opportunities in Milwaukee county and to fix transportation so that city-dwellers can actually get to job sites. Having the convention in Milwaukee is a great opportunity for Democrats around the country to really focus on job and infrastructure needs.
7
Speaking of slogans, how about:
1) A legal system you can rely & believe in
2) affordable healthcare for all
3) education is not a privilege, but a right
4) just say no to war with Iran
5) living wages are not a luxury, but cosmically necessary
Let’s not lose sight of our goal. We, the American people, are up to here with cynicism.
6
The column reminds me of ART BUCHWALD's wonderfully witty writing.
3
As a current New Yorker (17 years and counting) who grew up in Milwaukee (...also 17 years), thank you for this hilarious column. I have a soft spot for my hometown and can't wait for the show, I mean the convention, to begin.
8
Here's a potential spin-off about Idaho, whose state slogan is "Famous Potatoes." Idaho is an anti-tax kind of place, so it has a highway system that is the envy of none. We used to joke, between trips to the mechanic for realignments, that Idaho set out "rough road" signs only if it was likely your car would never surface again.
A few years ago, an irate driver changed his license plate slogan to "famous potholes." The state sued, and lost.
5
The Milwaukee Art Museum is beautiful. Stand in the lobby in the sunshine! And do not forego the Harley-Davidson Museum, even if you're not into motorcycles, it's worth it. Add a great food scene, several intense coffee roasters, a good bike infrastructure, an amazing view to the East. You'll love Milwaukee for the conference or any time. Well, avoid the really cold days, maybe.
6
We don’t have a slogan because we don’t need one. The beer euphemisms and brewery past are only brought up by people living here over the age of 60 or those who know not much of preset day Milwaukee.
I predict in 20 years we will no longer be seen as a backwater, flyover city, etc. Presently it feels more like Portland or Austin did 20 years ago, while Chicago is our Seattle.
The coasts are truly unaffordable. Denver now is too. I have no idea how anyone not tangentially related to the 1% can afford to live in those cities, be creative, etc. I tried but how do you compete with generational wealth and big tech salaries? Meanwhile the only tenants that can afford commercial rents are celebrity chefs and designer brands.
I lament the days portrayed in Blank Generation or Downtown 81...Milwaukee feels ever more like those LES years than NYC did on any of my numerous visits there over the last decade. Not to mention you AND your friends can drink for an entire night here on what a few rounds would cost on the coast.
Come and spend some actual time here. You might be surprised. Just not during the DNC. There could not be a more unrelevant event in 2019.
194
@Ryan -- "We don’t have a slogan because we don’t need one."
Well, there's your Slogan, right there.
It's Bold. And beautiful! And if they don't like it, they can curdle.
43
@Ryan
And when you visit, be sure to stay at the Pfister Hotel. What a gem!
16
@Ryan Ryan: great post. You're reporting from the trenches of "not the coasts" & that's informative & valuable. I'll hoist a local brew to you next I visit there, to absorb the beauty of the state & it's peeps.
12
The Convention Theme Song:
Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated
We're gonna do it!
Give us any chance - we'll take it
Read us any rule - we'll break it
We're gonna make our dreams come true
Doin' it our way
Nothin's gonna turn us back now
Straight ahead and on the track now
We're gonna make our dreams come true
Doin' it our way
There is nothing we won't try
Never heard the word impossible
This time there's no stopping us
We're gonna do it
Penny Marshall RIP
6
Milwaukee - the site of the 2020 democratic national convention AND the beer capital of the world! Will this help John Hickenlooper "brew up" a strong run for the nomination? Or will his effort be the political equivalent of of just another watery light beer? I can't wait to find out!
1
I don’t know if this matters, but Scott Walker began his political career as a member of the state legislature representing a district in western Milwaukee county. Not as mayor of the city, but not too far away. I wonder how residents of the city feel about his legacy as controversial governor of the state.
Ten reasons why the DNC picked the right place for the Democratic Convention.
SCHLITZ, ANDEKER, HIGH LIFE, BLATZ BEER, BLACK BAVARIAN, RIVERWEST STEIN, WEEKEND @ LOUIE’S, HAPPY PLACE, SPROOSE, and REWARD
2
Gail, you are so yesterday’s news...
Just off the wire...
The state’s former first-badger – recently-named 2020 GOP campaign chair for swing states that swing right late at night – has just announced a major deal (MD2, for short) with Foxconn...
Those patriots – till now, the hated other team – going to be building a new 5GTV factory in the Wisconsin Center...
Showcasing the Great Americanism of MD2, construction projected to start on July 4, 2020 – gala to be attended by the largest day-zero sidewalk superintendent crowd ever...
As good-will gesture, Scott and his sponsors have generously agreed to bring on airline call centers formerly handling MAX 8 travel planning, to expeditiously reschedule hotel reservations for all convention clients...
“We’re thinking about declaring a National Emergency so we can get some FEMA trailers into the parking lot for all these good folks, and we’ll pitch some tents for the rest” the ex-guv stated...
PS
Milwaukee and Wisconsin and America did have to show some artful deal-making savvy to re-attract those conning foxes, and make MD2 more than a regressive governor’s dream ...
So any employees re-assigned from [redacted] could feel more at home – the city council has fast-tracked permitting to build a big wall around the former Great Hall of Wisconsin...
And – get this – Trump has agreed to pay for it...
So long as the company commits to their 5GTVs having built-in smartphone capabilities...
Way!
Huawei!!
no WAY!!!
Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated, Gail!
Natives know the real slogan is... "Rock on, Milwaukee!"
And, you can cook that on your grill, boil it in your caldron, and slam it down with Schiltz for good measure, ain'a?
42
@Andrew
Good point. I think the city's motto should be "Home of Lenny and Squiggy".
3
Giannis!!
If the DNC needs a convention slogan, they can always follow the lead of Milwaukee's Civic Leaders and honor Wayne's World by recycling classic rock song titles:
1. “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (Simon and Garfunkel)
2. “Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now” (The Smiths)
3. “The Times They Are a-Changin'” (Bob Dylan)
4. (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party)” Beastie Boys
5. “Please, Please, Please” (James Brown)
The RNC usually gets sued whenever they even me mention someone's song, but there are a few choice titles I strongly believe they should consider:
1. "Highway to Hell" (AC/DC)
2. “Ain't That a Shame” (Fats Domino)
3. “Personality Crisis” (New York Dolls)
4. “A Whiter Shade of Pale" (Procol Harum)
5. “Sympathy for the Devil” (Rolling Stones)
And if people under 30 would like to see a slogan based on a song title actually released after they were born, they are just going to have to start voting.
2
You forget the best reason of all to have the convention in Milwaukee. It's got the only airport I know of with a USED book store.
4
I think it's possible to have been more condescending, but you'd have to work at it. You lived here and we're great people, but that doesn't stop you from making jokes about how we're backwards cheese-swillers who can be boiled down to an inane slogan or two? Because "The Big Apple"
is basically Shakespeare with fruit symbolism. And our socialist mayors were just crime-busters? Our "socialism" came from the 1848 German revolutionaries who emigrated here and brought with them a concern for community health and well-being, which has given us excellent parks, a phenomenal library system, a strong tradition of community education, a focus on arts and entertainment, and a sense of social capital that would make Robert Putnam proud. We have our problems -- poverty and racism and dwindling employment for the blue collar worker -- but stupid ain't one of them. Neither is lack of manners. Please take note.
98
How about “No Sense Of Humor”?
8
@Rose
Don't forget your amazing sense of humor.
6
I made a comment earlier about how poorly Milwaukee treats its poor community, especially its black community. The city and its inhabitants seem to think the poor don't exist. And judging by the cavalier and humorous comments here my guess is that it will continue to be swept under the rug.
5
Thank you for your thoughts, Ms. Collins. You're like the pine tar on my Louisville Slugger - helping me maintain my grip (on reality).
Have the people of Milwaukee considered turning Schlitz's old slogan ("The beer that made Milwaukee famous") into a catchphrase for their fair city?
1
My wine or beer tag line for Joe Biden would be:
Like a great beer, Joe is best drunk with friends
I find it curious that the Democrats chose Milwaukee as the site of their upcoming convention right after Bucks’ player Malcom Brogdon called it the most racist and segregated place he’s ever experienced.
4
Think of all the photo ops with the seemingly countless candidates and delegates sitting atop a Made in America Harley-Davidson. Vrooom, vroom!
2
"Since You're Already Drinking to Forget"
Oh, Ms. Collins, how you forget to mention Laverne and Shirley, and Sqiggy and Lenny, ‘Making our dreams come true’! Surely you could have worked them in somehow in your zany column about Milwaukee. At least people of a certain age...ahem...would get it.
I always figure that if you're bashing Milwaukee, you might as well be bashing Harley-Davidson, too. Not smart.
Hey, Gail, whatever it takes.
Ms. Collins writes:
I really love the whole state slogan thing. Did you know Idaho’s used to be “Great Potatoes, Tasty Destinations”? Indiana went from “Restart Your Engines” to “Honest-to-Goodness Indiana,” a while back. Sounds kind of bland and I think you should feel free to blame Mike Pence, whether it was his fault or not.
I must correct her, as follows:
Pence had nuthin' to fo with "Honest-to-Goodness Indiana." His proposal was "Indiana! Land of Conversion Therapy."
2
"The champagne of older white male Democrats"
21
I have lived in Idaho all my life and NEVER heard the phrase "Tasty destinations". Our State Motto, in good old Latin, is Esto Perpetua, May She Live Forever, as all fifth graders in Idaho know.
The 2016 Democratic National Convention was in Philadelphia, PENNSYLVANIA.
Oh, sigh
Another beer booster.
I think wine has had its day.
Remember when all the Moms were holding giant glasses of wine when they were all together with their babies?
Is the ambiance the same with a giant
stein?
waiting for the ads.
I'm from Miami, Florida. Our state has 29 electoral votes. We swing both ways in national elections and gave Trump a win in 2016. Wisconsin has 10 votes. Aren't we more consequential in the general election? Was the party too wimpy about our humid weather in July to take into consideration the importance of our decisive votes among an incredibly diverse demographic? We can turn purple to blue? An extra plus, our mojitos are far more tasty than beer!
2
Biden slogan: You only go around thrice.
1
As Sigmund Snopek sang: “Thank God this isn’t Cleveland”
3
"For instance, which wine or beer tagline would you prefer for Joe Biden?"
D) "Aged past its Time"
2
The mayor of Milwaukee, O. Penn Zabrewski, was walking his dog Suds yesterday when he came up with the tag line for the Democratic National Convention, a tag line to be used when taking all selfies. "Say Cheese!"
1
Milwaukee has the beer, Biden delivers the cheese.
2
Wonder if the Democrats has thought through that every commentator will point out that Hillary visited California 70 times when it wasn’t a swing state and Wisconsin not at all when it was up for grabs. The stupidity of Hillary’s campaign was staggering.
4
"I think you should feel free to blame Mike Pence, whether it was his fault or not."
Priceless.
5
What?? Republicans definitely don't get to call anyone "socialist", "commie" or do red-baiting of any kind (the way they used to love to do). Their top guy, and also numerous people in and around his administration, appears to be more or less a foreign agent in the thrall of Vlad the Inhaler (of Crimea).
Funny article!
4
Gail, you forgot Schlitz beer’s slogan that could be updated ... Milwaukee, the city made famous by Schlitz beer
What's wrong with "Eat cheese AND die"?
2
What about "Maybe four more years of 'Benghazi Benghazi Benghazi' wouldn't have been all that bad after all."
2
A tagline for Joe Biden? How about "I've always liked beer, too."
This is definitely a slow news day, very cheesy column, but a good break from 24/7 Trump.
Don't forget..... the birthplace of Harley Davidson 1903.
They don't call them Milwaukee iron for nothing.
2
Cheese Curds R US.
1
Gail Collins, you let me down by not incorporating Jeffrey Dahmer into this fun exercise. Surely there's some element of cannibalism in all this?
3
As a Democrat myself, the choice of Milwaukee, despite its qualities, smacks of desperation.
The Democrats are trying to be just-shucks Americans, when we all know that the GOP will label Bernie and Liz and Cory and Tulsi and Kirsten as socialists.
And when they acquire that label, they won’t win a single purple state, let alone a red state.
The only way to appeal to “Genuine America” is to stop with the identity politics and the socialist slogans. I won’t mention any names, but the primary one rhymes with “burn.”
Otherwise they can just write the concession speech now and get it out of the way.
2
I would have preferred Miami. Cuban food has more zip than cheese curds and brats and Cuban-Americans have more zip than cheeseheads.
I’m surprised that you didn’t mention that old joke who’s line was something like, “That’s the beer that made Milt Shamie walk us.
During the seventh inning stretch at Washington Nationals baseball games they have the racing presidents. At Milwuakee Brewer's games, they have sausage races.
So, perhaps the DNC can call its convention "Sausagefest 2020".
2
Trivially, I add: Utah has several state slogans. We are known as the Beehive State (which some politicians are trying to change).
But our official slogan is "Life Elevated" (get it--mountains and morality).
Another one featured by the ski resorts is "Greatest Snow on Earth"
So don't say the Utahans don't have a sense of humor. We can do a lot more than come up with thousands of jello recipes and vote knee-jerk for Republicans.
Salt Lake City is getting to be a hotbed of insurgent Democrats that includes lots of women.
Don't believe me? See list: https://utahdemocrats.org/dem-categories/elected-officials/
1
Get your game on Gail. We need you!
If Elizabeth Warren turns out to win the Democratic Party nomination, "Not About the Algonquins" seems best suited to the zeitgeist of her current moment in the sun.
On the GOP side, "Not About Anything but Me" wins hands-down.
1
Might I offer:
Like a great beer, Joe is best drunk with friends.
And remember, it's pronounced, "M'WALKy"
They basically knock the l out of it, so I'd say that bodes well for the Dems.
Watch out Repub'ucans!
1
John Hickenlooper is a former brewmaster, and Milwaukee is looking to promote their brewing industry...interesting...
1
I thought the slogan was "Eat Cheese AND Die".
1
Democrats and citizens of Wisconsin are delirious with joy since the defeat of Walker so maybe they decided to have a party and do a restart........
Historically Milwaukee and Wisconsin is the cradle of progressivism so lets try that again!
"Cheeseheads for sanity"!!!!
3
Joe Biden’s beer slogan? “Not just probably - you definitely should let somebody else drive.”
Re Joe Biden: D) Clean, crisp, and quenching; here, in Scranton, everywhere!
1
"Cheese Louise!"
1
If Milwaukee wants to market its brewing industry in 2020, there is no better way than for the Dems to nominate John Hickenlooper, former brewmaster, as their candidate. Stand Tall with Hick!
Since the South Dakota slogan is “It’s not North Dakota”, how about “Milwaukee, It’s not Madison”.
“Milwaukee, it’s about the beer, or something”
“Milwaukee, on the way to where you’re going”
“When you’re thinking ‘whatever’, think Milwaukee”
I'm fine with Wisconsin getting some attention from the party. "Are you Wis us?" ("OK, how about now?")
Frankly, for a slogan I think the state should use "Wisconsin: The Midwest Dream" or something like that.
(If you use that slogan, Wisconsin, I'll take some of my payout in cheese. You really do have some great stuff there)
2
The more that coastal Dems can identify with workers, the better. They should conduct some town halls so delegates get the message before they vote, could help them avoid a disastrous shift to the far left if delegates learn what really matters to lunchbucket americans besides income redistribution. The more pragmatic, the better.
2
Ya, youbetcha, Milwaukee!
22
Location, location, location.
How about Substance, Leadership & Integrity. That would play anywhere, even Death Valley in July.
2
"A fine city full of lovely people." That's your slogan right there. Not so tough, is it?
2
There are quite a few mentions of Milwaukee's Socialist past. Few of these comments mention that Under the Socialists, Milwaukee was never in debt. The governing party was famously known as the "Sewer Socialists" for having built the entire sewer system, and a very good one, without incurring any debt whatever. Since the Socialists left and the first Republican regime came in, there has always been a budget line for servicing the debt.
8
If you don't mind a longer slogan, how about: "It's across the lake from Michigan, Mitt Romney's dad was from Michigan and Mitt once strapped his dog to the roof of his car."
2
"...the state Hillary Clinton took for granted/failed to visit/lost in 2016."
When internal polls showed the race tightening she refused to cancel fund raisers and get out on the ground in the last weeks of the campaign. As the Guiness commercials used to say "Brilliant".
1
Wisconsinite checking in. This is hilarious, thank you Gail!
2
No matter which city the Democrats chose for their convention, the Republicans were going to have something negative to say about it. They are the Party of "NO", when it comes to anything the Democrats say, propose, or do. They are the Party which rejected Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, Food Stamps, and held extending unemployment benefits when we had the economic crisis hostage to keeping tax cuts for the wealthy at Christmas time. These are all things that are at least in part-gasp-rooted in socialism.
Socialism is the Republicans new scare word du jour. Just as the word they coined for the Affordable Care Act, Obamacare, was used to scare the very people who needed it most. They are the epitome of the term "con artist". They convince their supporters to vote against their own best interests. So, socialism is the new devil they are conjuring up to frighten their base into sticking with them, knowing it will be at their supporters' own peril. I believe they could convince their supporters to give up Social Security and Medicare for the benefit of the wealthy, which is what Mitch McConnell has been aiming at for years.
The Democrats should don cheese head hats during the convention to lend a festive touch to the activities which for the most part are (let's be honest here) boring. What would be more "of the people" than that? You wouldn't need a catchy motto. That would say it all.
4
Don't forget their fabulous art museum!
5
The democrats should just refuse to campaign - have a winner take all primary in Texas and announce:
Our candidates are-ta da -And if you want more of this nightmare it's all yours.
Even they can't screw THAT up!
Just ignore the whole process - give all the money away to some kids charities -and stay absolutely press dark .
The GOP will devour each other -social media and fox will wither on the vine along with Ocasio and Bernie and all those other futurists.
Beto and whomever will waltz right in!
I smiled, reading your piece, Ms. Collins. And my goodness! those lame slogans. They'd need a walker, I'm thinking, just to get around.
And your multiple choice questions! Always delightful.
BUT--
--I felt wrath stirring within me. Deep down. Like a pit bull someone tripped over trying to find the men's room.
And what, you inquire (backing up ever so slightly)--what stirred this WRATH?
The word SOCIALISM.
Mark my words, Ms. Collins! We're gonna be hearing all about SOCIALISM over the next year. Fox News'll have a heyday with SOCIALISM. No rest for the weary! No rest--
--for us SOCIALISTS. As we cruise the land, feebly hymning the glories of SOCIALISM.
At least, that's what the GOP thinks. And what they think--
--they SAY--
--loudly
--and at great length.
Milwaukee? A SOCIALIST Mecca? Oh right! Gotcha!
But did I mention "pit bull"?
The GOP is preeminently the pit bull party. Low on creative ideas--low on integrity--low on patriotism--
--they do excel at creating boogeymen. Painted devils. Monsters fabricated from cardboard--crayons--lots of glue.
Ted Kennedy was one. Hillary Clinton another. Nancy Pelosi another. The list goes on and on.
And now, Ms. Collins, we have--
The SOCIALIST. Prowling the streets. Eyeing our homes. Reaching a surreptitious hand into our wallets.
And remember too--these guys are good. Very good.
They might just win.
They might.
5
No, Gail, Milwaukee is where the Democrats belong, not because of cheese, but thanks to baseball and beer.
In the late 50's when the Braves hailed not from Atlanta but from Milwaukee, it was game 7 of the World Series in the bottom of the 9th with the bases loaded and the Chicago White Sox at bat, the count 3 and 2 and the score 1 to 1. The Braves' legendary pitcher Mel Famy had pitched the entire game and was showing the strain. Time out was called and the manager walked slowly from the dugout to the mound where he, the catcher and Mel huddled close to mull over the situation. To settle the visible nerves Mel was showing, the manager produced an ice cold Miller High Life from his jacket and Mel, greatly appreciative and much in need of some stabilization quickly drained it. The three men nodded, the manager patted Mel on the butt and walked back to the dug out.
Mel and the catcher went through the motions of signalling pitches which Mel waved off until finally he nodded. Mel went into his wind-up, and launched his best pitch, a slider...high and inside.
The Sox fans were ecstatic as the World Series winning run jogged, oh so slowly, toward home.
Miller High Life was for years afterwards the favorite brew of Chicagoans, known fondly as the beer that made Mel Famy walk us.
The question is, will the Democrats win in a walk, or lose by one. As Will Rogers famously noted, he was not a member of any organized political party. "I am," he said, "a Democrat."
3
Here's another slogan: We hate bigotry!! We're really not anti-Semitic!!
Could have made the title "Cheese! Beer! Brats! Democrats!". Ms.Collins is an excellent and entertaining columnist, always topical and so clever.
1
Ha ha.
Wasn't cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer from Milwaukee?
Gail, you forgot to mention that Milwaukee had the nation's first large-scale activated-sludge wastewater plant, built nearly 100 years ago. Anyone who urinates and defecates will appreciate that.
1
Aw c'mon, Gail, ease up on Milwaukee!
I take offense at your snark about a state that has just gone through hell and back with "Governor" Walker at it's top.
Wisconsin is a fighting state, and it appears as though with a new Governor and it's "socialist", environmentally active base, the state may have a chance at renewing it's tarnished reputation.
5
What’s going to be most interesting is the way they (Democratic Party and the city) portray and square the way the city treats its black community. I live here in Milwaukee and it’s truly awful how segregated and racist the city is. There’s a dark white supremacy underbelly here that divides the city and manifests in the reality of the state of race relations, the condition of the black community and the denial of its power in society here.
4
Great choice, Dems.
1
“Clinton won the popular vote by about 2.9 million, but she lost the electoral vote due to tiny, tiny margins in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.”
Greg Palast on Why Clinton Didn’t Push for Michigan Recount -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPJeEkKGlMA
Jill Stein ordered a recount in Michigan in the 2016 election. It was found that 75,000 votes would go to Clinton if she accepted the recount as the aggrieved party. Hillary did not want to accept exposing the rotten election process of which the Democratic Party was a part of in the primaries. She chose to lose rather than to accept exposing the system of which she was a part of.
1
Let us now praise some piquant town slogans:
"Gently resisting change since 1872," the official motto of Gruene, Texas.
Or the unofficial slogan of a town in South Carolina which will mercifully go unnamed: "100 years of tradition unmarred by progress."
2
I am still dumbfounded when reminded that Hillary ignored WI, MI and PA. Just like Gore she made it close enough so that they could steal the election.
4
How about "Virginia is for lovers" (?). W. Virginia "Wild and Wonderful" (?) And let's forget the 1968 Democratic convention--please.
"Eat cheese or die" now that is a plank that I can get behind.
3
I'm reminded of a state motto I first heard of in this comment section. "North Carolina, too small to be a country, too big to be an insane asylum."
4
Slogan?
CHEESE CURDS!
1
Milwaukee- "I'll drink to that!"
I'm always impressed when someone actually knows what socialism is. Congratulations. May conservatives read your column.
1
I thought Milwaukee's slogan was "Didn't the Braves play there once?"
A little off topic, but I've always thought a great State slogan would be: "Missouri loves company."
2
Hmmm....which beer slogan or tagline ?
Let's go with: "It's Mueller Time", which Dems could have printed up on lapel pins for each and every conventioneer to wear - to show support for law and order !
4
As I recall, “Forward” was also the motto of the Obama/Biden 2012 campaign.
As is sometimes said, there may yet be some magic left in that old silk hat.
1
To Gail -- I'm a socio/political pop-cultural snob enthusiast. I've pretty much reached the point that if the novel wasn't written by Thomas Pynchon, don't bother me with it. If a situation can't be described with a Seinfeld quote, I don't acknowledge it's occurrence. And now that I'm back into vinyl, hitting the bargain bins, I'm going crazy with albums by Cheech and Chong, Rowan and Martin, Reiner and Brooks, May and Nichols. Even Bill Dana as the Maharishi. (Yes, the Beatles' Maharishi.) And I'm here to say --
Gail, you crush it, girl. You bring the funny. Keep it coming.
The Democrats held their convention in Chicago in 1968, and it was a Doozie! One like that ought to be enough for a hundred years.
And by the way, Algonquin is a language *family*, and Ojibwa, Potawatomi and Menominee are all Algonquian languages.
3
Of course Milwaukee. Who would want to go to those hellishly hot places like Florida and Texas? Their cities are too big, confusing, and expensive. I've never been to Milwaukee, but I love midwestern cities (in fact, I'm taking my next vacation in Cincinnati) -- for their food, their pace, their costs, their folk, and their quirks.
4
You had me at Cheese! Beer!
Sadly, Milwaukee has the reputation of being the most racist city in the US. Whether earned or not (by whatever metric) the city has a poor history regarding people of color, which continues to this day. It is, perhaps, the alienation of the large African-American population thee (targetted in social network manipulations) that led to the electoral debacle of 2016.
3
Milwaukee - home of the beer the made Mel Famey walk us.
“ What’s made Milwaukee Famous ( Has made a Loser out of me)”. Country Song, written by Glenn Sutton. A Top TEN Hit on 1968, by Jerry Lee Lewis.
NOT an Omen. Don’t drink and Drive, Kids.
1
Stop. Just stop. Lets not waste time appealing to Trump voters. They are xenophobic and lack the neural connections to decipher complex and nuanced policy matters. Its an utter waste of time attempting any outreach to these people.
3
Joe Biden's tagline should be, "Sure, I'm old. I'd like to work on that, but who has the time?"
1
Does the Hoan Bridge still open into infinity?
For Joe Biden, I think I'd prefer the tagline, "Keep your hands on your beer!"
"A fine city full of lovely people." And the worst segregation of any city in the US.
How about:
'Milwaukee. We're loosing this race so let's at least go cheap'
The story goes that Sunday's starting pitcher for the visiting Phillies on Saturday, August 10, 1957 was the ace of their staff--Milt Famie. The Braves had it on good authority, however, that ol' Milt had a weakness for suds. So a couple of sly coaches placed a cooler of beer in the visitors' bull pen, hoping the ace couldn't resist. They were right. Milt downed 6 brewskis while warming up and could barely keep the ball between the dugouts when he took the mound in the 1st inning. After 8 consecutive bases on balls, his manager had no choice but to yank him. In the Braves' locker room after the game, the victorious home team raised theirs cans with a toast to "Schlitz, the beer that made Milt Famie walk us."
Gail, let me suggest that the Democrats need a theme for 2020.
How about any using Leonard Cohen's song: "Democracy"?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leonard Cohen, sang, "Democracy is coming to the USA". (1992)
That was 27 years ago, but maybe his prophecy will happen, now.
Obama campaigned with "forward, not backward".
But Trump and the Right are taking us backward to monarchy.
What are Gail's comments on "Democracy is coming to the USA"?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2
How about "Breweries and brick Catholic Churches?" That way it might sound like it's trying to compete with Brooklyn (which I think should have been the Borough of Synagogues instead of its previous slogan).
How about "Just north of Zion?" Whoops--that's disputed territory (unless you're in Illinois)
Your narrative that Hillary took Wisconsin for granted and lost is FALSE. During the election up to its last days, polling data showed Wisconsin to be safe blue. However, we now know that Russian operative targeted voter rolls in Wisconsin and voters in blue areas were turned away from key precincts because their voter registrations were missing. Not only did the illegitimate criminal traitor win Wisconsin by the slimmest of margins, a few thousand votes out of millions, but the Wisconsin polling data was one of the few states where the polling was off, the others being Pennsylvania and Michigan, wink wink. That the Dems are convening in Milwaukee is fine because it makes any Russian hacking even more suspicious in 2020, but until people like you with a platform get it correct, you're as much of problem as Putin's puppets.
@Bob Jack,
That's not quite what the actual Wisconsin state campaign staff said however. Those eyes and ears /boots on the ground doing the work appealed for more money, people and HRC herself to help them win. They knew the real truth from doing the door knocking.
She/her campaign failed in that.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/clinton-campaign-neglect_us_582cacb0e4b058ce7aa8b861
2
So, Gail, Elizabeth Warren was ahead of the pack when she toasted with a brewski. Her intuition beamed have a cold one from iMilwaukee.
2
I just asked a few people up here to spell Milwaukee. No one could. So maybe a slogan that says:
"Give me an M. Give me an I. Give me an L. Give me a W.
Give me an A. Give me a U. Give me a K. Give me an E. Give me another E. Milwaukee, Milwaukee. Yaaaaay!"
1
"A real American city!"
1
Beer and cheese—what’s not to love? Thanks for the smiles, Gail.
2
How about. Milwaukee! Laverne and Shirley say Yeah!
Ah Gail! So you (as in NYT) finally admit what caused the upset in 2016 elections, the failure to pay attention to swing states aka flyover states, "Clinton won the popular vote by about 2.9 million, but she lost the electoral vote due to tiny, tiny margins in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin." Please print these letters in bold capital letters because as of yesterday people here in the NYT columns were still accusing multiple excuses for Hillary's loss: Russia, Comey, Bernie, Bernie Bros, FB, wikileaks, Jill Stein, misogyny, ageism, and 100 other such excuses. The simplest reason remains: Hillary's campaign failed to adequately address MI PA and WI, because they just assumed that people in those states would handily vote for Hillary and Hillary alone. Despite the on the ground democratic party staff calling for help and assistance in those states, Hillary's national campaign did not dispatch Hillary to these battleground states, instead they send Hillary to raise even more obscene amount of money from mega donors.
4
As a longtime Gail Collins fan and a one-time Ohio journalist, could I trot out my old proposal for replacing Ohio’s “With God all things are possible” with my slogan candidate? “Ohio: Just fine, thanks.”
Another tag line for 'You only go around once...' was 'so grab for all the gusto you can get.'
Maybe that would work, huh? On second thought, maybe they wouldn't like to be reminded that a certain Orange Man once spoke of 'grabbing' women in a certain place but without the 'gusto' part while insinuating that 'they like it' if you're a celebrity.
How about something basic and honest: "Milwaukee. We're as good as anybody."
I think the Republicans should retaliate by holding their convention in the Michigan city of Zilwaukee. No, there really is one, and hear me out. It's perfect. The name was devised as an attempted fraud. The local businessmen in the mid 1800s thought that the name similarity would fool German immigrants into moving there. Good for business. Since the Repubs are phoneys and liars, what could be better?
"For instance, which wine or beer tagline would you prefer for Joe Biden?"
A) “Perfect for When Friends Drop In”
B) “Good Things Take Time"
C) “You Only Go Around Once”
O.K., definitely not “You Only Go Around Once.” But still, I think we’re onto something here.
I dunno Gail, a slight modification would inject a bit of sobriety into our besotted world. (Goodness knows we could use some.).
To wit: "You Only Go A Round Once"
Now that's better.
Smart choice for the Democratic (in both senses of the term) Party to hold its convention in Milwaukee in the northern heartland.
We went to a small international conference there (on youth and citizenship), which was very well-organized by faculty at the U. of WI, Milwaukee. Not only did we enjoy not being in a frenetic, fast-paced, big city, but attendees who came from Japan, Israel, and Europe found themselves having a really nice time. Some of the those from across the oceans said they liked seeing American cities besides the much-advertised, glitzy huge, expensive ones.
The Lake walks were lovely. The restaurants were pleasant, and the food was "substantial" and not the staged-for-presentation kind. which made my husband happy. Certainly lots of beers to choose from.
Milwaukee is not the kind of city that makes people edgy and put on airs--it's more down-to-earth and polite. Like New England, quality, work was appreciated, but smart alecks & show-offs were not.
The latter value may bother some of the politicians at the Dem. Convention, but then maybe this will help us get a very smart, hardworking, pleasant, non-narcissistic presidential candidate--in sharp contrast to Trump. Lord knows, there is going to be a massive amount to work to get done and fences /walls to mend in the wake of the Trump presidency.
4
We already have a new and topical slogan made up just for the president: "Welcome to Mueller Time".
219
Gail should come back for a visit to update her take on the city!
Long live "sewer socialism"...the 60s are not forgotten.
And "Welcome to Mueller time" (brilliant!)
7
Listen to the people when you ask for input! "Eat cheese or die" is as awesome as Boaty McBoatface!
1
Make-up bid!..? How about ‘pandering desperation grab’? Hopefully the smart Dems in Wisconsin are not stupid enough to fall for this and the communism that will be integral to the DNC platform.
Ah yes...the state Senator Bernard Sanders beat Hillary Clinton 56- 43.
You want a fun read...go through the comment section of this NYT article after the win.
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/06/us/politics/democratic-primary-results.html
1
Milwaukee socialists were known as 'sewer socialists'. They focused on things like public schools, Public libraries, great public parks, functional public municipal utilities, as well as clean government - which they excelled at in Milwaukee at the time. https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/tp-043/?action=more_essay
6
Old Milwaukee, tastes as good as its name!
Let's meet in the middle has a nice ring to it.
3
Milwaukee should stick with the “Party Time. Excellent!” ditty.
Don’t mess with perfection.
Lots of beer and cheese! Well, the politicians at the podium won't be the only things making noise...
22
Writer’s cramp must have set in with this cheesy editorial. Let’s meet in the middle? Middle of what; the Left Bank, the Gaza Strip? Cheap hotels are the reason and less media to hide from when the hammer and sickle shows up on Chairman Bernie’s tee-shirt and banner waving brigade.
Cheeseheads will be in abundance when the DNC Green-Day Backers come into town.
1
A slogan already exists, "The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous Has Made A Loser Out Of Me." By Old Jerry Lee.
I've never been to Milwaukee, Gail,. but your "A Fine City Full of Lovely People" doesn't sound like a bad slogan. I'd go there based on that.
1
Absolutely hilarious dissection of this important, maybe history making, decision by America's majority party. Now, if they can just get the chance to govern this precious democracy for a good while. Register and vote midwesterners! Take back "flyover America" from the crony capitalists!
1
lifelong Milwaukee native here, except for the 6 months when I tried to move to the west coast but missed the old Milwaukee architecture and the gemutlichkeit that makes milwaukee so special.
I also put my 3 kids through the Milwaukee Public Schools, and last May the last of them graduated from UW Madison. they got an excellent education in MPS. So .. don't let the GOP fool you into believing the milwaukee public school district is failing. the district is very good, but it's the parents who are failing the system by leaving the city for the suburban districts. I wonder if racism/classism has anything to do with that????
anyhow, enjoy our fair city next summer!!!
5
@x,
Thanks for the new word.
Gemütlichkeit (German pronunciation: [ɡəˈmyːtlɪçkaɪt] ()) is a German-language word used to convey the idea of a state or feeling of warmth, friendliness, and good cheer. Other qualities encompassed by the term include coziness, peace of mind, and a sense of belonging.
Reminds me of the Danish Hygge:
a Danish and Norwegian word for a mood of coziness and comfortable conviviality with feelings of wellness and contentment.
The world/America could use more of both.
3
May be the reason that Secretary Clinton did not come to Wisconsin was that she did not like the cheese and the beer there. Sad!
1
You guys, gals and LGBTQ don't have a chance in Wisconsin .. Trump will carry the state by 14 points.
I am a liberal Democrat but I fear a repeat of the same... Nobody I see so far in the filed of candidates has even a remote chance of defeating Trump.
Not too mention.. none of you show up on election day..
You love the free concerts and protest marches..
But come election day, you'd rather take your emotional support service dog to the Vet.
You get what you deserve!
Wisconsin natives remember two champions of the environmental movement: Professor Aldo Leopold and Senator Gaylord Nelson. We are trying to forget former governors Tommy Thompson and Scott Walker (they always seemed to stand for dirty government and a dirty planet).
3
Hillary Clinton took her Candidacy for granted and look who we got.Lying conniving con man who is intellectually challenged trump .
At least Hillary has some sense not to dip her toes for the third time.
Bernie and Biden had their chances and now should let it all go and support whoever becomes the nominee.
The goal is to beat trump .
1
Pretty sure there's one reason Milwaukee: Spotted Cow.
Google it folks! You can only get it in Wisconsin.
6
@Tom MSP Lakefront. Local.
I grew up in Houston and I’m having real trouble wrapping my head around “Houston: Glitzier Than Milwaukee.”
Houston is The Bayou City. There’s stuff to do, places to work, and affordable houses to buy. But glitzy? Not where I went to hang out at any rate. A Houston Post columnist once famously described it as a “whiskey and trombone town” back in the day. It was a rougher place then, but those guys probably had more of a taste for glitz than your modern Houstonian. (Google “Shamrock Hotel” and read about the grand opening in the 40s.)
Thanks for telling us about the people of Wisconsin advocating for “Eat Cheese Or Die” as the replacement for “America’s Dairyland.” The chamber of commerce folks must have loved that. No telling what the C of C folks would have named our airport here in Austin when we converted the closed Bergstrom AFB to a civilian airport but for the local campaign to name the new airport “Fred.” Once the “Fred” campaign started getting just a little bit of traction the City Council quickly named it Austin Bergstrom International Airport. Yes.
I was fond of the “Texas: It’s Bigger Than France” bumper stickers that were common around here a couple of decades ago but honestly I don’t think we have anything down here that can compete with “Eat Cheese Or Die.”
1
When I was a kid, we went on vacation road trips... and played the 'license plate' game. I've often thought a modern variation would be to come up with new license plate slogans, perhaps more truthful, for the states. Here goes:
Missouri - "Loves Company"
New Jersey - "You Got A Problem?"
California - "Flakey Surfers"
New York - "Fuggaddaboudit"
Texas - "Bigger"
Georgia - "Peaches and Crackers"
OK, that's it for me... a little help?
1
This will be an opportunity for labor-Democrats to take the stage and minimize the damage done by AOC and the socialist-Democrats.
1
“terms originating in the Ojibwa, Potawatomi and Menominee languages.”
Wow, Milwaukee seems like a great place to learn phonics!
When one mentioned Wisconsin, I used to think of The Green Bay Packers or the Milwaukee Bucks, but after last winter, I think of rising cost of igloos.
Perhaps the Democrats can leverage off last winter's issues and promote their concerns about Global Warming!
2
While I think it's a great idea to "convention" in a state that was foolishly ignored and consequently helped cost the Dems the WH in 2016 (and led to the incredibly crooked presidency of Donald Trump, easily surpassing Andrews Jackson&Johnson, U.S. Grant, Warren Harding, Richard Nixon, and George W. Bush..combined!) in a light note it reminds me of the terrible joke about the favorite pre-game brewski of Pitcher Mel Famey, leading to...
"The Beer that Made Mel Famey Walk Us" (say it aloud).
I don't know about Biden, but the case against a second term for Donald Trump can be summed up entirely in beer taglines.
"It's what's inside that truly counts (Dreher). A whole lot can happen, out of the blue (Labatt's). Sooner or later, you'll get it.
(Dos Equis). Out of the darkness comes light (Guinness). Would you say no to another? (Abbot Ale). Life beckons. Choose wisely (Becks). Reach for greatness (Bass Ale)."
Needless to say, we want Trump to "head for the mountains" (Busch) in 2020.
Pretty sure this is an appeal to "Justice" Kavanaugh.
1
Better not use "I like beer" which, like most things, has been corrupted by the Republicans.
2
Forward was the battle cry of the soldiers of the Iron Brigade.
Nearly 50 years ago we had a T-shirt with the slogan - "Dartmouth Made Milwaukee Famous" - because of our reputation as a beer drinkers' paradise. Ironically, Bill Wilson, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, was also a Dartmouth grad.
It’s a “majority minority” city that’s 38% African American. In 2015 it was designated “the worst city to be black” based on economic indicators. Seems representative in ways no one is talking about.
Milwaukee home to the Marquette Golden Eagles where Warriors became Gold and flew over the Hilltppers but not without a bit of a brewhaha. What's in a name? I have old roots in Milwaukee although I've never been there. Thanks for the heads up. If I decide to make the pilgrimage, I'll avoid convention time.
As to a slogan, how about, "Milwaukee, 'Nough Said".
"Milwaukee. A City In America!"
Milwaukee has "The Bronze Fonz" so it deserves to be in the spotlight!
Bill Clinton begged Hillary to visit the flyover states - Hillary rebuked him and never once listened to his advice.. She's still mad over his #MeToo moments.
Obama supposedly mentioned to her the same and HRC rebuked him to ... she was still mad the DNC made her sit out the previous election.
Hillary was an angry lady with an axe to grind and it showed in the way she campaigned and spoke in public. Cold, aloof, insincere.. arrogant.
I just hope one of the newly minted democratic candidates is smart enough and humble enough to listen to sound advice.
It really doesn't matter anyway.. Trump is pretty much guaranteed a second term.
Because the LIBERALS are too busy destroying themselves and have not formulated a cogent platform.
I never thought I'd say this but Nancy Pelosi is the only voice of reason in the party today..
We never built a bench -- Sad sad sad!
So really? We're going to vote for the Democrat just because you held your convention here?
Yeah, right. And I'll give you a call sometime, babe, and we'll get together again.
Brilliant political strategy.
"My party," said the yellow dog Democrat as she shook her head.
Gail,
I see a Laverne & Shirley inspired convention. The theme song, “Making our dreams come true” fits so many candidates platforms. A bike riding scene with Kamala on the handlebars and Elizabeth peddling the Schwin. Then, there’s the rubber glove on the beer bottle assembly line scene.
Run Joe Run as Carmine the Crooner and Bernie as the Pop’s with the Pizza. Lennie & Squiggy characters for audition? Where’s Jerry Brown and Gary Hart?
Happy Days crossover cameo appearances allow for the entire cast of POTUS potentials to join in the fun.
1
Why no mention of the Shotz Brewery and the crazy antics of their two most well-known workers?
1
How about "Kavanaugh made us famous" as a motto?
23
Milwaukee — Too genuine to brag.
68
The Democrats better get out in front of the 'socialism' label and fast. They need to start educating people as to what a 'social democrat' is. Not Venezuela style, but Norway's. The majority of the people want social programs but they don't understand it. This is unbelievable as we already have social safety nets of which millions of people are benefiting from. The Republican theme for 2020 will be that socialism is evil and their brainwashed base will buy into that lie. If the Democrats cannot find a way to explain the term 'social democrat' a positive one, they will be smothered. They need to stay on message with a simple slogan. We can't afford another Democratic loss.
1
The progressives from the coasts are going to be agog at the amount of cheese curds that are consumed in the home of the Brewers. Ain't gonna find no kale or sushi - just lots and lots of cheese and beer.
Lest we forget in the years before prohibition the brewery workers union was socialist in the old-fashioned European or German sense. So no surprise that Milwaukee was perhaps the last place that sent a socialist party member to serve in congress. Just a tidbit of history with no relevance for today’s city.
2
Maybe too generational, but “Hello, Wisconsin!” yelled quite enthusiastically speaks to many of us.
1
MKE is a beautiful city with myriad cultural amenities. Its people, by and large, exhibit Midwestern values of decency and a strong work ethic. It’s just a little cold and grey most of the year. I don’t think it’s funny when ignorant people from the coast make a joke of it.
1
Everybody in the comments is weighing in with tidbits about the greatness (or absence thereof) of Milwaukee. But let's also hear it for Gail and her inimitable humor! How many other columnists give readers the gift of genuine chuckles? I got lots of chuckles from this column--and what a great way to start a day.
2
How about “Milwaukee—the city that Pabst Blue Ribbon made famous”.
I see Collins "misses" any reference to union labor--and further attacks on it emanating from Wisconsin.
Uncounted Milwaukee votes in Nov. 2016?
My suggestion for a slogan: "Let's Get Recombobulated". In honor of the famous "Recombobulation area" in the airport. As a born and raised Milwaukeean, I couldn't be more thrilled by this choice.
45
Gail, We at Lake Woebegone knew!
We're sticking with leftsa, Aquavit and Republicans. Well, at least we're voting for those more sensible before they speak and more prudent when they vote.
Madness lies in Milwaukee. May it ever stay there.
1
How about a tagline (or at least a t-shirt) for boomer democrats: "I'm a Social(Security)ist!"
Remember when Goldwater, Reagan, et al railed against Medicare and Social Security as "socialist programs?" Republicans are still trying to slash funding for the two most popular federal programs so they can continue to cut taxes for the 1%.
7
My favorite state motto is Maine's: "Dirigo." Which seems to mean, "Me first."
I still obsess about the best pizza I ever ate was in Milwaukee. A date ordered it over the phone from his apartment and we drove over to some woman's house. She sold the pie from her kitchen door. I still try to replicate that pizza to this day and it's been 40 years since. I think she used beer in helping the dough rise . . .
1
Just a quibble:Hillary Clinton did not win the popular vote.
She won bested Donald Trump by 2.8 million votes, but she got 48% of the vote ... a plurality, not a majority. That meant that 52% of the country wanted somebody other than her.
I vote for convention slogan [D] "Let's Meet in the Middle " it say's it all. The physical location , but more important it say's to a nation that can't discuss politics or even the weather without exchanging insults or gunfire, maybe there is a middle ground solution towards progress with discussion and compromise.
8
I have been to Milwaukee several times. It's great. Wonderful lakefront, architecture and really good food.
4
"A city of Wonderfully Random Experiences" strikes me as a real possibility, but I think Detroit already has taken it.
2
Can we move the convention date up to this summer and have the election this November?
Please?
7
I've been to Milwaukee for conferences, and like most places you go, you can have fun there and meet great people. So, it's not Cleveland. What are you gonna do?
The best thing about it is the Democratic party is not ignoring Wisconsin this time. That's a good message. That is a good strategy.
Many of us in the midwest want out from under the tyrannical joke of this presidency.
7
Hmm. Given the ever-expanding roster of Democrats running for president, I'd go with "The one to have when when you're having more than one."
7
I'll go with "This time we're showing up".
2
I grew up in the Milwaukee area and have been here almost my whole life.
Downtown Milwaukee is a gem, and it's booming. The downtown lakefront is almost entirely public space, and will be a lot of fun in July. It's a great choice by the DNC.
Milwaukee is also the most segregated city in the US, year after year, and the poor, black neighborhoods are as neglected and crime-ridden as anywhere. We had a couple of police-involved shootings during the Black Lives Matter years, leading to a memorable night where a gas station and several other buildings were destroyed in fires set by rioters, just a couple of miles from my safe and flourishing lily-white suburb.
The city government recently completed a downtown light rail "trolley" project that will be fun for the convention-goers. It's widely seen as an expensive boondoggle and boon to downtown residents, at the expense of schools and investment in poor neighborhoods.
I'd like to believe that more national attention paid to Milwaukee will result in more ideas and efforts to repair the city's starkly segregated and blighted areas, but I've lost faith in the Democrats' will, and ability, to address and reverse urban decay.
9
@Patrick You wrote "but I've lost faith in the Democrats' will, and ability, to address and reverse urban decay." And you think the Republicans will address this?
2
@Ken meagher
Milwaukee has had a Democratic mayor since 1960, immediately preceded by a Socialist. All those decades of Democratic control, and the result is what we have today.
I've seen no evidence that Democrats want to address these problem, or are capable of doing so. Regarding the Republicans' approach, we have no information, because they haven't been given the opportunity.
As I would travel on I-79 from West Virginia into Pennsylvania, I always resented PA's former slogan: 'American Starts Here.'
1
Put it in Reverse, Milwaukee.
1
As my mother used to say...."Milwaukee, a nice place to be from." She was thrilled when I left Milwaukee (my hometown) and moved to NYC so she could come to NYC to visit me.
1
"A great place by a great lake" is a wonderful slogan compared to the dreichest ever, belonging to a Scottish new town. At one time its slogan was "What's it called? Cumbernauld." A wee way to the east was "Life is for Livingston".
My favourite ever slogan referred to the local government organisation centring a large area on a city. All the outer towns, which were separate boroughs, were included. This led to the slogan "Great Britain- Greater Manchester".
1
If nothing else, Milwaukee is the city you want your flight to be diverted to, because it has an actual, real, honest-to-God bookstore in the airport. Renaissance Books. You can look it up.
531
@drsophila. Yes I love that bookstore! You can easily while away some hours browsing the quirky selection.
90
@Richard -
I did that when I lived in the suburbs north of Chicago. Loved stopping by Renaissance Books to make sure I had enough reading material for the trip!
Of course, Midwest Express (oh, how I miss it!) was another excellent reason to fly out of Mitchell.
37
@Julie Carter I’m familiar with Gibson’s (which is truly great), but where is the other one?
4
Milwaukee is a great place to visit. Wonderful German food from Mader’s, the closed Karl Ratzsch and others. Ferry service across the lake and a Hiawatha Line ride to Chicago.
68
@Dan Gotta love the fish fry at the Turnverin Hall. Not just during Lent, either!
19
@Dan Mader's is nice, but you can also can bike from downtown to a beer garden along the Milwaukee River, hear some authentic live polka, have a pint of brew in a stein, and eat a brat. We've got Bublr bikes everywhere now--or you can rent one for the day at the lakefront after buying and flying a kite, checking out the Les Paul exhibit at Discovery World, and paddleboating on the lagoon.
2
Ah, the slogan. An exercise in putting lots of meaning into few enough words that anyone can remember them. For some reason, this made me think of Dan Quayle.
"If we don't succeed we run the risk of failure."
115
@KJ
Thanks! Best belly laugh I've had in months!
10
@KJ,
"Potatoe"
10
@KJ Or "What a terrible thing it is not to have a mind - or to loose one."
13
You forgot Milwaukee is the home to the Fonz and Laverne and Shirley. So the slogans could be:
A) Aaaaay;
B) Hossenpfeffer Inc.;
C) Lenny and Squiggy busting in saying 'hello!';
D) Sit on it.
36
@Mike Volkman (E) Home of The Fonz
2
@Mike Volkman
You forgot:
"We want to run, and run free."
2
I don't see the problem. Ojibwa, Potawatomi and Menominee are all Algonquian languages.
3
@CJW Zwart
Don't bother us or our president with facts.
The democrat candidate for prez will not repeat the mistake of Hillary by ignoring the midwest and factory worker. Trump won by a fluke ,Comey trashing Hillary, the Russians hacking and facebook trolling and Hillary hubris taking the middle class worker for granted. Trump and the GOP rammed thru tax cuts for the rich and powerful giving the economy a sugar high. The market boomed on stock buybacks but the middle class has modest holding in the market and a recession could wipe out the gains easily. Infrastructure would be the better investment for the middle class but McCONNELL and the gop fight for the donor class and they got their tax cut and deregulation of polluters.
8
@REBCO Good points. I agree that the Democratic candidate will probably not make the mistakes of the prior campaign. The heartland cannot be ignored to win in 2020 and Democrats must sensibly address the concerns of the Midwest industrial workers. Let us face the facts. The Democrats will not loose the New York metropolitan area, metro Chicago, California and most of the Northeast. There are many disaffected independent voters who are not pleased with Mr. Trump and his ability to lead, plan, etc. These good people are a key to Democratic win in 2020.
1
A play on a beer slogan ?
Hmm...let's go with "It's Mueller Time" - all the Dem conventioneers could wear pins showing their support for law and order, with a pic of the former FBI Director (lifetime GOP'er) as background to the slogan :)
Plus, it should appeal to those 78,000 cross-over voters that Dems need to reclaim from Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania to win the Electoral College instead of just the measly (deepest sarcasm) popular vote.
10
How about, "'Forward, randomly," as a slogan? Seems about where we are right now.
7
On a very side note, the Milwaukee airport is really nice.
6
The moderates' slogan will be "There's nothing to do."
The progressives' slogan will be "How do you get to Madison?"
And the candidates' slogan will be "Obama said he'd endorse me."
3
Thanks, a joy to read! Thanks Gail.
3
my wife and i lived in wisconsin for a short time. while there, one news story dominated the news for a few days in our rural community. apparently during a party one evening, a proud owner of a cannon wanted to show his guests how it still worked and loaded it up with a bowling ball. boom. off went the bowling ball hurling through space into the next door neighbors pasture, traumatizing and seriously injuring one of the horses. so. a word of caution to those visiting. keep your head down and wear a helmut at all times. you just never know.
3
Well, Milwaukee will be fine, I am sure, but the Democrats had better not forget one of Hunter Thompson's better lines:
“Freedom is something that dies unless it's used.”
― Hunter S. Thompson
The fight is of deadly importance, and winning the White House with another Bill Clinton, a middle of the road Republican who talked like a Democrat...not sure that is holding high the torch of freedom, of health care for all, for a place for the poor and the powerless.
Democrats, don't surrender to fear, elect someone who will use our freedom to inspire us all.
Hugh Massengill, Eugene Oregon
4
@Hugh Massengill
Bill Clinton only won with the help of a strong third party candidate diverting votes. Both elections. He never got 50% of the popular vote.
@Hugh Massengill Absolutely right on! The Dems need to be comfortable with people who shower AFTER work. We need more BBQ and beer, less watercress finger sandwiches and Chardonnay. No “I have half a dream. Follow me, slowly” slogans like the Clintonistas (Biden, O’Rouke, Klobuchar...). And how can we minimize Perez’ moderate voice? We need BOLD, BIG, AUDACIOUS DREAMS. That’s always been America. A man on the moon in eight years when we don’t even have a decent rocket, computer or tracking system?!? Full-throated FDR Progressive ideas, dreams, guts - led by someone who says “follow me, we got this!”
Gail, you say the Democrats are having a convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin? That is not a good omen. Am I correct that in 1859 the Republicans were founded in Ripon, Wisconsin, about 100 miles north of Milwaukee? Look what happened to the Republican Party: it lost its way and became Trump. I hope 100 years hence no one says the Democrats lost their way and embraced their own version of Trumpism.
2
@Martina
They did. Clinton.
I never thought I'd come to the kind of conclusion I have; one in which less is more, given the very high stakes and the particular situation that was created as a consequence of the 2016 election. We need far fewer candidates than there are.
We need more patriotically-minded candidates to search their souls and the many polls that have been published to ask themselves whether their political views square with current public sentiment. When one looks at the public record of many of those candidates, their past actions as elected officials and their current platforms simply do not match.
When we look at the new rules the DNC has in place for 2020, it is clear that more candidates means every chance for superdelegates to decide for the public who the presidential candidate will be. While, according to Politico's Jack Shafer, The Democrats’ Civil War Is Over Before It Began, the problem isn't so much with those who are purported to be warring as much as it is with those whose job it is to make sure the establishment remains in control.
Bait and switch has always been the name of the game...
One smart thing, though, is to give back the Midwest its place in the spotlight. It has always been very important to Democratic politics.
Cheers!
---
Things Trump Did While You Weren’t Looking [2019]
https://wp.me/p2KJ3H-3h2
3
I never thought I'd come to the kind of conclusion I have; one in which less is more, given the very high stakes and the particular situation that was created as a consequence of the 2016 election. We need far fewer candidates than there are.
We need more patriotically-minded candidates to search their souls and the many polls that have been published to ask themselves whether their political views square with current public sentiment. When one looks at the public record of many of those candidates, their past actions as elected officials and their current platforms simply do not match.
When we look at the new rules the DNC has in place for 2020, it is clear that more candidates means every chance for superdelegates to decide for the public who the presidential candidate will be. While, according to Politico's Jack Shafer, The Democrats’ Civil War Is Over Before It Began, the problem isn't so much with those who are purported to be warring as much as it is with those whose job it is to make sure the establishment remains in control.
Bait and switch has always been the name of the game...
One smart thing, though, is to give back the Midwest its place in the spotlight. It has always been very important to Democratic politics.
Cheers!
---
Things Trump Did While You Weren’t Looking [2019]
https://wp.me/p2KJ3H-3h2
1
Greetings from Milwaukee!! In the past, I could have said: greetings from The Bronx, Manhattan, Park Slope, Miami, Denver, and Seattle. But, for the last 14 years it’s been Milwaukee. And, to many people’s astonishment, I really like it here. In fact, once past all the effete coastal jokes about “flyover country”, it’s a really nice place. And while it doesn’t have Lincoln Center and MOMA, it does have a gorgeous art museum with the 5th largest collection in the country, the 5th largest film festival in the country, a great waterfront that’s being developed at warp speed, a symphony, a ballet, a rep theater, etc., etc., etc. It also has a number of excellent universities, and winning teams in all the major US sports, with venues to match. All in all, not bad. Do we have problems?? Why yes we do. The same problems that every major city in the US has. In some cases we’re worse, and in some we’re better. We’re very segregated, but we’ve reduced teen pregnancy by over 50% in seven years. So, while the cognoscenti centered in a 20 block radius around W. 41st Street (W. 43rd Street when I worked there) may look askance at Milwaukee, it’s a pretty good place to have the convention! And BTW, the cheese and beer IS great (just ask AOS Jr. who spoke in the building next door to us a few weeks ago).
10
I knew it was a good choice not just for political reasons but because Gail Collins once lived there. She must have been one of those "wonderfully random experiences." And yes, Mike Pence was responsible for the hokey Indiana slogan, along with several other misdeeds. He's the main reason I really like Nancy Pelosi's stand on impeachment. To paraphrase a slogan that any Cincinnatian would recognize, the Democrats should strive to pick "The Winner the World Awaited."
4
M'waukee is one of the best kept secrets on the planet. Down to earth people, natural beauty, culturally rich, old-fashioned yet forward thinking. Warm enough to welcome Republicans!
Regardless of your politics, you must visit this place!
4
"Midwest is a problem". No. The archaic electoral college is the problem.
10
Milwaukee is simply where Democrats will rediscover their working class, organized labor, and comminity roots, then apply them during the general election campaign. And they will be able to sample our proud Socialist history in our lakefront and citywide parks as well.
5
"Wisconsin, of course, is the state Hillary Clinton took for granted/failed to visit/lost in 2016."
The latest polls from Iowa tell us that Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders are the clear Democratic frontrunners. We don't know who will eventually win the nomination, but one question still nags at me. Will Hillary jump into the race? She has not definitively said she will not. And, of course, all the current candidates have their baggage.
Is Hillary a sword hanging over all of us? Is it a "good" sword? I can't figure it out. She has her own problems, to be sure, but she is also the only potential candidate who has already proven that she can win the popular vote. The NYT writes essentially nothing about a possible bid from her.
Am I way off base here? Are we all just resigned to waiting to see what happens next?
@Blue Moon
Oh, I hope she does. She can win the popular vote, but lose the election. That is because, even if she got every vote cast in California, its number of electoral votes is the same.
Laugh about the cheese and brats if you want to, but if Democrats want to win the presidency in 2020, they have to win states like Wisconsin. There just aren’t enough electoral college votes in New York, New England and the Pacific coast states to put Joe or John or Bernie over the top. Milwaukee is the perfect place for Democrats to showcase their embrace of diversity, their determination to address persistent inequality, and their understanding of how “rust belt” cities can thrive again. And given the way we dress and talk and eat in the Badger State, it’s going to be hard for Republicans to portray the convention as a “latte-drinking, sushi-eating, Volvo-driving left wing freak show.”
2
Happy days are here again.... really?! Until Citizens United is reversed and K Street lobby money is removed from Washington nothing will change. The dreams of the dems will remain just dreams.
1
Joe Biden as the nominee with someone like Kamala Harris, or another minority (woman/Af-Am./gay/Hispanic/etc.) designed to bring out the voters in Milwaukee/Madison. (Harris checks two boxes: Af.Am and woman). And watch formal relocation plans from Chicago to Madison Milwaukee in the summer of 2020 to qualify for voting in Wisconsin.
The Dems can't turn off the older, whiter base, but they have to fix it so the minority voters will turn out in droves, as they did w. Pres. Obama, and vote to offset the conservative whites.
1
My nomination for convention slogan: Make all our dreams come true...by voting BLUE!
3
Here's a slogan for Milwaukee: Ach, du Lieber!
2
Milwaukee must been a nice place, but a large majority of your readers will never go there. Meanwhile, we have a President who's nuts, guns in schoolrooms, and global warming that will extinguish the human race unless we reduce fossil fuel emissions.
What's next, touring in Toledo?
2
Love your Democratic Convention slogan for Milwaukee, 2020: "Ninety-two Miles North of Chicago"! Who knew Texas and Florida would be tossed to the side for the DNC Convention in Wisconsin next summer? Nixon's fabulous winning convention was held in Miami in 1972. And we know what happened to him in 1973. With Milwaukee their convention choice, the Dems have bent to the winds of change (like the wise bamboo). They'll be donning Cheeseheads and quaffing beer, eating the red meat of the "Packers" while the G.O.P. is wearing red maga hats and making Trump a happy camper in North Carolina. We'll see what's in store for the Dems and the G.O.P. maybe sooner than next summer's conventions. Door Country Fish Boils, anyone?
3
"Milwaukee, We Used To Make Stuff."
"Milwaukee, Not As Far North As The North Pole."
"Milwaukee, Scandinavians Come Here To Get Whiter."
"Milwaukee, Skin Cancer Free Since We Got Here."
"Milwaukee,More Than A Winter's Dream, It's A Winter's Coma."
2
Some convention slogans have already been decided:
"We Like Beer Too."
"Return of the Cheddar."
1
This is way cool!
I’m not a native, but I’ve come to love the place over 30 years— if not the weather. Those socialist mayors gave us an amazing county park system with many miles of trails for recreation and a lot of green space. The Lake (oddly named for some other state) is beautiful and the beer’s not bad either. I’m sending Perez one of those big foam cheese wedge hats so he can get a feel for things!
7
Milwaukee had Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley... Denver had Dynasty.
1
I'm with @Dana - and nothing is more fitting for the Democratic Convention in Milwaukee than the Laverne and Shirley theme song:
Nothing's going to hold us back now
Straight ahead and on the track now
We're going to make our dreams come true
There ain't nothing we won't try
Never heard the word impossible
This time there's no stopping us
We're going to do it
On your marks, get set, and go now
Got a dream and we must know now
We're going to make our dreams come true
...by voting BLUE!
8
Milwaukee. Chicago’s northern most suburb.
1
Milwaukee has also been called "Cream City."
4
"But about Milwaukee. The city likes to push its connection to the brewing industry"
Trump doesn't drink, so choosing this city might be a coded slap in the face. Sort of like a secret handshake. But, I'm conflicted about the Democrats showing bias towards Elizabeth Warren. Wasn't she .1% Algonquin???
You forgot to mention, how many of our fellow Americans were hurt by the Polar Vortex. Milwaukee is an ideal place to show empathy and remind everyone that they have not been forgotten!
With that in mind, definitely don't want to choose, Houston. That's the place good ole Joey O. forgot to open the doors to his mega church during hurricane Harvey. Can you imagine how all those needy, confused souls seeking shelter would, untidy the place.
4
Ms. Collins, I have yet to recover from the Kilkenny Beer Festival in Ireland in 1969, but beer appears to be more popular than ever in this rural region, and in the spirit of true confession, American cheese is a staple much needed in this household and for our children in school.
The runt of a tall family, perhaps a diet of powdered milk in Europe not so long after WWII, might be the cause. Milwaukee, along with other adjoining States, is the pulse and heart of our Country. The Midwest should never be considered as a problem, but as a restoration point and the best of meeting sites.
Americans, who proudly carry the label of 'Republican' in the times we are living, should be taken seriously, and Joe Biden not only listens, but takes action because he cares about the future and vision of our Country. Beto O'Rourke from Texas has now thrown into the ring, his charismatic personality; an Orpheus close to our borders and on the road.
America, Beloved Country, the time has come to cast away tears, and stand strong against the Enemy Within. Let us not seek to place the blame on our current commander-in-chief, or his invisible vice-president, while this voter is no longer 'sitting it out' to paraphrase Mitch McConnell, but is up and running now to regain the thorny crown that was stolen by slippery fingers, covered in patches of corruption and malevolence, that have caused our Nation to shudder.
1
MKE is a great town, speaking as a rival near-Chicagoan "south of the border". Drive north from Chitown up I-94, pierce the "cheddar curtain" at the IL-WI border, stop at the Brat Stop in Kenosha for lunch, and continue to Milwaukee. Hit the Third Ward (touristy but cool), the River Walk (beautifully redone), drive up their Lake Shore Drive, take in a game at Miller Park. Or watch the Bucks (Fear the Deer!) and enjoy the many historic buildings downtown that gratefully have not been torn down but repurposed. Enjoy some beer and fried cheese curds. No Trump Towers there, you betcha.
89
@Zich And don’t forget to have a Copps Custard! Milwaukee is a great town. Been their four times for the NCAA Frozen Four and other tournaments. Great food, great bars, and the Hotel Pfister is a gem.
4
@Zich Man, I miss the Brat Stop.
@Zich I assume your trip advice is for the Spring and Summer.
The Democrats need to skip the socialism and focus on labor. And what better way than to propose 'Medicare for everyone who works for a living." Call it "Medicare Work." Whatever it's called, the Democrats need to save working Americans from the Republicans who are destroying Obamacare.
Who wants to lose everything they've worked for in their lives if they become ill? Who wants to be sold into medical debt slavery?
3
Milwaukee already has a slogan: "Live to Ride, Ride to Live."
18
Did I just read a hollow puff piece about MKE, that managed to waste that many column inches without a substantial discussion of how the city remains a horribly divided nest of structural and overt personal racism?
I love my state. I love Milwaukee. Both WI and Milwaukee fail black and brown people. I encourage anyone to look at arrest rates, educational outcomes, healthy birth outcomes, economic opportunity, and post redline segregation in Milwaukee. Please consider these stats when listening to the puffery and useless tokenism that the DNC will bring to our "fair" city.
As we live in an era where organizations like the NCAA pull events from states with singular racist policies, how do we evaluate the DNC choosing a city that fails in almost every way to promote a basic quality of life for anyone not coding white? If the DNC does not substantially and openly address the reality of life in the Cream City, they're just another white agency using people of color and their pain for gain...or worse, blind to the suffering that is daily life by the lake.
5
Happy Days are Here Again. That could be the slogan
1
Thought I'd mention that Bernie won Wisconsin and Michigan in the primary (but Hillary won Pennsylvania).
So if you want to beat Trump, forget Joe (aka Hillary in pants).
2
Milwaukee convention slogans?
How about:
A) "Milwaukee -- Where Everyone Loves the Kopp's" (For the uninitiated, Kopp's Frozen Custard is alone worth a trip to Milwaukee.)
B) "What Happens in Milwaukee, Inspires the Coasts!"
C) "Milwaukee -- Let's Begin Again!"
I just might make a day-trip to Milwaukee for a Kopp's butter-topped burger and frozen custard. An early flight there, a late flight home.
The Democratic Convention will culminate in our presidential nominee. Whoever that may turn out to be, let's commit now to devoting ourselves to making her or him America's 46th president.
America is not just divided, America is diminished. As history is written, Milwaukee shall forever represent America's new beginning, our our redemption, our healing, our renewed commitment to the American Dream -- For All!
4
If you want to understand Milwaukee, read Evicted: Poverty & Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond.
28
Christian from Pittsburgh, I don't want to assume you've never been to Milwaukee, I mean you could even be from here. I do want to say that one book written about a city is not the only way to understand said city. Does Milwaukee have problems? Yes. Are we trying to fix them? Yes. Milwaukee is not unique in it's struggles. Cities like Pittsburgh have gone through the same and have come out for the better on the other side. It's time that we embrace the resurgence of cities that have struggled and were hit hard by the 2008 crisis instead of directing people to a book that was written to emphasize issues seen on a national scale during the 2008 crisis.
12
I lived there 17 years, until recently. Milwaukee is bigger than downtown. For me, understanding a city starts with its people. Past and present. Evicted captures the experience of residents struggling with housing security across the city. The footnotes provide context with well-researched and cited material. I agree that one book does not tell the whole story. John Gurda’s The Making of Milwaukee details the events and forces that influenced where the city is today. I read both books, and as a long-term Milwaukeean found my understanding of the city vastly improved.
2
@Christian Read it, and it explains a lot about low-income real estate and mentality of people who have no good options, but it doesn't really describe Milwaukee.
2
We're pretty psyched about the DNC coming to Milwaukee. All those coming from outside will be pleasantly surprised by what Milwaukee and surrounding areas can offer. Sorry to disappoint, but we are no longer JUST beer and brats (although we have lots of great beer and really good brats). Restaurants, theaters, museums, zoo, bars....all fairly easily accessible. So enjoy the time spent here...and believe me, we won't mind if Hillary Clinton doesn't come!
41
@Margaret melville
I think we already got the end of your message. I hope the DNC did as well.
3
@Margaret melville I'll mind if Hillary doesn't come as will many of us here in Milwaukee proper--and even, yes, in beautiful downtown Riverwest.
1
Dems need to focus on middle America as long as it still holds the advantage of choosing the president through the electoral college.
4
As a westerner transplanted in the northeast, I am glad the Democrats chose Milwaukee. This is a vast country and few of my fellow 'coastals' for want of a better word, have had the opportunity to check out those great livable cities of the Midwest and non-coastal Western United States. I suspect during the coverage, we will learn that Milwaukee has a lot more to offer than beer and cheese. It may not be on the scale of New York, but then, what is? You can't knit this country together and expect it to stay together if you ignore great swaths of it because they are not as glitzy, glamorous, and grandiloquent as our coastal metropolises.
9
Wisconsin's a great state! Cheese curds and brauts - the Badgers and Bucky - Milwaukee's finest!
3
@JMS
Miwaukee is great. However the Badgers and Bucky are in Madison, WI.
2
A delightful column! Thanks for some easy wit to start the day.
I've never been but Go Milwaukee!
7
A proud Milwaukee native, I was thrilled to see it selected to host the 2020 DNC.
The city knows how to host visitors regardless of their political stripes, just asky anyone who has ever visited Milwaukee’s annual Summerfest music festival along the lakefront, a source of great pride for Milwaukeans.
Cheese in all forms will be on offering, as you well know Gail, so for the lactose-intolerant covering the 2020 DNC, bring your lactaid pills and enjoy a cheese curd or two!
14
Every gardener, lawn care expert, country club horticulturist knows Milwaukee is famous for Milorganite--the natural enzyme-based soil nutrient developed when Milwaukee's German socialists and populists defeated the establishment's private sewage system which forced working families to rely on outhouses and be susceptible to all sorts of public health issues and inconveniences.
Having won that big victory (it ranks with eliminating private fire and water companies--and it mirrors/echoes today's fights over expanding healthcare, education, housing, and justice), the socialists demonstrated a pragmatic side and answered the critical question, how are you going to pay for it, by innovating, creating the first sewer treatment plant that converted sludge into small grained sized pellets by drying, baking/sterilizing to kill bacteria, then pulverizing it for for use on farms, lawns, gardens, arbors to stimulate green growth through feeding the soil--with the added benefit off no chemical run-off into the ecosystem (streams, rivers), protecting the environment far ahead of its time--and providing a wonderful example of how socialism is democratic, forward-thinking, full of innovations/new solutions, environmentally friendly, cost-effective and focused on jobs, solving interconnected issues, and generating businesses that last! The "Mil" in the name speaks to its history with Milwaukee and its bold, enduring success!
44
Note: you can buy Milorganite at any big box building/garden supply store. I have used it for years, with great results! It sustains a deep blue-green for lawns. It does have a faint odor that lasts for a day or so that hints of its origins, but it is perfectly safe for pets and children. Because it is non-chemical, golf courses use it by the train car box loads.
8
@walterhett
Yes, Milorganite was/is an excellent example of recycling of our waste. Well, almost excellent. Unfortunately, all kinds of stuff gets flushed into sewage treatment plants, so Milorganite contains toxic organics and trace metals. So, it's great for flower beds and lawns, but don't use it in vegetable gardens or where your cattle graze. (These statements are based on preTrump EPA data.)
9
@prof. pete: Hmm. So Milorganite contains toxins and heavy metals because we do?
1
Many of the good folks of Wisconsin, like their neighbors in Minnesota, are descendants of hearty Scandinavians and Germans. These people often express superlatives with a couple of synonyms (I know, being a native of Minnesota and a grad of UW-Madison), Thus, a movie is not just great, but "great, and good, too." Or restaurant meal might be described as "Tasty and delicious, too." Please note that the word "too" is pronounced as if the word had several o's, not just two. So, a cheesehead might be described as "crazy, and loony, toooooo."
Okay, you get the point, All of which suggests a new motto (or "branding") for Milwaukee: something like "A pretty good city, and not too bad, tooooo." It has a certain rhythmic cadence, as in a Norwegian lullaby or German leder.
11
I think we should give state tourism offices a little bit of a break. Utah has been milking "Life Elevated" for years now. Missouri has "Enjoy the Show." What exactly does that mean?
Fact of the matter is California and Florida consume the vast majority of state tourism budgets by a wide, wide margin. Everyone else is just trying to keep visitor centers open. And, oh... wine and dine business lobbyists. That's the business. Attract business.
Wisconsin just got a windfall. They are mostly remembered as the state that used to host the Chicago Bears training camp. The Bears left like 10 years ago.
If you want to see a successful, "why would I ever go there unless my car broke down" campaign, checkout Discover Lancaster. If you want to make all your other quasi-parasitic state agencies jealous, Lancaster is the place to go. They have an absolutely marvelous public tourism campaign.
Wisconsin for show, Lancaster for pro.
1
@Andy
What!? "I Love New York" is chopped liver?
One of the hit records in Jerry Lee Lewis's long career was
"What's Made Milwaukee Famous, Made a Loser Out of Me"
The 1969 song was about a perennial bar fly whose wife left him. The title referred to the once popular Schlitz beer, which used the advertising slogan "The beer that made Milwaukee famous".
After 2020, perhaps those hearing the song will think of the Democratic National Convention.
As a former Chicagoan, my favorite and frequent go to is: “Milwaukee, a lot like Cleveland without all the glitter.” Of course, the two cities can be flipped depending on your audience.
12
Given the ever-growing field of candidates, how many weeks have been set aside for the convention?
3
My thoughts go to beer.
Milwaukee:
Tap into a great city.
See what Milwaukee has on tap.
See what's brewing.
Hops on board!
Yeast we're not Des Moines.
18
Honestly this was a no brainer. It had to be in Wisconsin or Michigan. Glad they got it right.
5
Don’t forget. Milwaukee’s East Side. The Lake, (Michigan), UWM, Oriental Theater, Sip & Purr Cat Cafe, Hooligan’s, Brady Street......oh those days of youth that still bring a youthful feeling no matter your age.
17
It is my hope as an older, wiser voter that reporters and writer analysts who cover the candidacies of the various democrats will provide us with insights into more than their policies.
Not only do most of our candidate choices know little about what they would confront were they to be elected, we know very little about their character values, their emotional and psychological maturity and their financial histories. Sound familiar?
I believe that candidates for public office have no defensible reason NOT to share their financial records! More importantly, voters need greater, and more candid, insights into their past relationships; their ability to manage stress; their predispositions when under stress; their locations on the continuum from hyper-individualism to enmeshed connectivity and their friendships with folks NOT from their socio-economic strata, the degree of racially and cultural diversity in those friendships.
Do they really make an effort to understand folks that are not members in good standing of their political “point of view?”
2
Milwaukee is a delightful city with a thriving downtown. There's a lively social scene along the riverfront, lovely public parks along the lakeside, beautiful architecture, and friendly people.
A great choice for the Democrats!
14
Visiting Milwaukee probably isn't on many bucket lists. but I'm sure it's a perfectly ok place.
I was hoping the Democrats would be a little more daring and choose someplace in Alabama or Iowa and there's nothing wrong with Kansas or Nebraska..
Through the "W" years we Wisconsinites could take pride in the fact that we consistently gave our electoral votes to the Democratic nominee, and that we had the finest of all U.S. Senators, Russ Feingold. That eventually came crashing down and we found ourselves the state of Scott Walker and Ron Johnson, and our pride has taken a serious beating.
We have a wonderful city in Milwaukee, and when the weather is good, I wouldn't trade it for anywhere. The other 9 months we spend building character. I believe I have now either shoveled snow, chopped ice, or removed melted run off every day for the past five weeks.
We're deeply segregated. We also have a history of good people battling against that problem - Vel Phillips, James Groppi, Lloyd Barbee and so on. But there's no doubt about it, Milwaukee is one place for whites and an entirely different place for blacks (and for that matter, yet another place for Latinos/Latinas).
If you want our electoral votes in 2020, you're going to have to appeal to those of us whose focus is on racial and gender justice issues and also those of us whose focus is on economic security and opportunity. You shouldn't be deciding which of those constituencies to choose: you should be figuring out how to accommodate both.
54
I grew up in Milwaukee and still visit from time to time. The city has changed quite a lot since the 70’s. I think the Democrats would be well served to take some factory tours. Try Ladish Co. In Cudahy. I worked there summers during college and back then it had 4500 employees. Today it does the same work, commercial, aerospace, some military, as back in 1970 but does it with about 850 employees. None of those jobs that disappeared moved to China or Mexico, they were wrung out of the company by technology displacing skilled labor. Take it as an example of how the workplace has been transformed not by China or Mexico taking jobs, but the effects of integrating tech into the work place.
26
Also heard on CBS news last night that the University of Wisconsin - was not on the college cheating list and they have the highest number of placed CEO's of any university. In spite of Scott Walkler and the Repulbican wrecking machine, education is still strong in Wisconsin. We are hoping Tony Evers can clean up the made by Walker and continue to move our state forward.
38
Hillary Clinton took for granted/failed to visit/lost Michigan in 2016. Here’s a crazy thought: the Dems do something other than chase after appearances, scratch the surface, and actually try to represent their followers by drastically revamping the primary system.
The New Hampshire primary and the Iowa caucus are not representative of the Party base or of the national electorate. Yet, they play a dominant role in deciding who the Democrat candidate will be. States that hold early primaries are “battlegrounds;” their decision makes the opinion of Dem voters in other States irrelevant (when was the last time the California primary mattered?). A better way of choosing the Democrat candidate would be a system of rotation by which the fifty States would be divided into eight heterogeneous groups according to their differing geographic, demographic, and economic attributes (coastal, Rocky Mountains, industrial, agricultural, ethnically diverse, etc.) of six or seven. With such a system, each group would have a turn holding its primary first every sixth election cycle. If this were done, the Dems might actually nominate someone the vast majority of the party could enthusiastically get behind.
10
@Joe Clinton WON the popular vote by nearly 3 million of those individual citizen's votes (even with gerrymandering and voter suppression).
I'd prefer revamping the whole electoral college thing that gives less populated states more 'say' than those with more population.
17
My son-in-law grew up in Milwaukee. He and my daughter met in Milwaukee and worked for GE. My only granddaughter was born in Milwaukee. My only sibling attended Marquette in Milwaukee.
With this personal resume, I feel confident in saying that I’m glad the Democrats are convening in Milwaukee, but I have no idea why I’m glad or what would be a good slogan for the city.
Maybe a more creative person can come up with a slogan based on the factoid provided today by Gail Collins that the name of Milwaukee comes from a Native American language: Menominee. That origin has an apt phonetic resonance for a political convention.
In the meantime, everyone should know that Milwaukee has a wonderful art museum with huge moving wings attached to the exterior. Seriously.
14
@sdw
Hi! Fellow Clevelander here. I was at the Milwaukee Art Museum last September - my first time ever in Milwaukee - and was quite impressed. A lovely building (combination of three) situated on the lake, a terrific collection of O'Keefes. I enjoyed it very much, hope them Dems take in some culture while there.
9
@sdw,
How about... Wisconsin, it's the only state in the union where the first drunk driving offense is a traffic ticket, not a crime.
Maybe...? Yeah, maybe not.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/05/29/wisconsins-bar-to-grocery-store-ratio-puts-the-rest-of-the-country-to-shame/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.fb6a7722960a
1
Well, the Dems lost their luster in picking Milwaukee. I see it as if they just stuck their toe in the hole. Ironically, it falls in line with the Dems trying to get two dozen candidates to go for the nomination. We just added Beto O'Rourke, so we are getting closer. Picking a city only known for its beer doesn't impress me, but maybe it will improve sales since beer has been somewhat of a 'downer' lately. I can't get excited, but want to thank Gail Collins for giving us a pep talk on the city. We have some time left to turn this around. Has any party ever cancelled their original site after announcing it to the public?
1
Ever heard of Harley Davidson?
@Me Too You were hoping for....Atlanta?
I was born and raised there. True, we drove to Chicago for our dose of culture, but the world-renowned art center changed all that. Nowadays, plenty is happening. Even my Boston-bred nephew had some positive things to say when he visited the city on business a couple months ago and stayed downtown. When I asked him how he liked Milwaukee, he mentioned that it was “clean, with good restaurant options.” One could do a lot worse.
11
@1 Woman I think the best thing about Milwaukee is the park system. There's a beautiful string of parks along the lakefront, with lots of recreation along the way. And inland there are parkways and green spaces all through the city. It's a wonderful place for taking a walk.
11
About twenty years ago a colleague went to a medical conference in Milwaukee. On her return I asked how was Milwaukee? Her response "it was closed". Hopefully the city has remedied that over the past two decades and could the slogan "not closed anymore"?
4
@Son of Bricstan Most cities "close up" their downtowns after hours, notwithstanding restaurants who might be open till 10 PM. Chicago, New York, Miami being the exceptions. The reason is probably because we're all working so darn hard to make ends meet that most of us are in bed by 10 or soon thereafter.
12
@Son of Bricstan Wow. You're from New Jersey and you're mocking Wisconsin? Ever heard of "irony?"
1
Quick now, does anyone remember which cities hosted the 2016 conventions? It's like trying to remember last year's World Series winner w/o looking it up. Why does it matter?
What is said and how the respective platforms are presented are what matters. I don't remember much about the GOP convention, mostly a bunch of 3rd rate celebrities, but one shining moment stands out above all else: Melania Trump's blatant plagiarism of a speech given some years earlier by none other than Michelle Obama. Priceless.
25
Wisconsin.
Cheese, Beer, and home to one of America's most progressive politicians -- Robert M. La Follette, Sr.
The Democrats could do worse in 2020 than revisit some of "Fighting Bob's" ideas and proposals for their platform.
33
@Fred Spot on Fred. "Fighting Bob" La Follette liked to say his chief goal was to break the "combined power of the private monopoly system over the political and economic life of the American people." Starting in politics as the District Attorney for the county containing the State Capital and later serving in the US Senate as a progressive Republican, does his biography remind anyone of the candidate currently running for President who served as D.A. for the county containing the Twin City of the State Capitol of a mid-western state who now serves in the US Senate. OK, its facile, but could this be a year when Midwest pragmatism and common sense linked with progressive ideas and forward thinking rides to the rescue?
11
It's been a few years since I've been there but Milwaukee used to be a nice little city.
I'm just fine with the Dems holding their convention there. I mean after all from our viewer standpoint they could hold it in the Marriott in Peoria. We don't see the outside. Just the convention center.
Still you have think about those teeny tiny slim as sliver majorities in just the right states to give Trump the electoral advantage, don't you? I know I do.
12
The Democrats, since Bill Clinton, have moved increasingly to the right. They are, ipso facto, Republican Lite. They present a fractious, garbled message so it's no wonder voters are fed up with them. Seeing the Obamas in photo ops with George W. does not build confidence or loyalty. Thanks to the verbal contortionists at Fox and on right wing radio, people like Trump have the opportunity to rise to the surface. People on both sides are told repeatedly how bad they have it now and this or that group is to blame. I've all but thrown in the towel.
Read Robert Caro on LBJ and see how disciplined the Democrats were fifty years ago. Now we have Hillary (who I voted for last time--any port in a storm, etc) giving well paid, private speeches to outfits like Goldman Sachs. We still don't know what she promised them. The Dems are now bogged down in identity politics.
The voting public saw that the Democrats really offered them nothing but a bunch of tired platitudes. I've voted Dem since the early 70's but if Biden or Bernie is anywhere on the ticket, I'll stay home in Nov '20. Biden is the male HRC. How has that worked out? Bernie's promises of "free college" is a fantasy. The taxpayer knows that "free college" means that they'll be picking up the tab. I'm in Milwaukee and am glad that the convention is here but if the pols that roll into town don't figure out something intelligent to say, they might as well stay home. I'm not overly optimistic though.
5
@Economy Biscuits I have a strong feeling that your comments would have applied to most decades in modern times. It's just that now with the prevalence of social media and connectivity by nearly 100% of the population, we instantly know everything about everything and everyone. There is no time given for thought or rational discourse anymore.
4
@Economy Biscuits: So instead of "Republican lite" (I don't agree, Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden would have strengthened the ACA instead of sabotaging it and they would have protected the New Deal, consumers and the environment and invested in infrastructure), you prefer outright authoritarianism and oppression of the 99% by the 1%. Because that happens if you don't vote. You will endorse the worst of two evils, if that's how you see Democrats (somewhat evil) and Republicans (very evil).
5
@Economy Biscuits -- HRC's Goldman Sachs "speeches" have been available online for three years or so. If those documents are legitimate transcripts, they hardly seem like Hillary kissing up to Wall Street. Read them. And to be fair, nearly all famous politicians earn big bucks in this way. But I do strongly agree that we need Democratic candidates who are stronger and fresher than Bernie or Biden ... and I'm only slightly younger than them.
3
One of Indiana’s most recent catchphrases is “Indiana: A State That Works.” It’s supposed to be a testament to hardworking Hoosiers but also functions nicely to say “Unions Not Welcome Here.” The slogan is emblazoned in giant letters on the side of the state government building in Indianapolis. When the Pence administration installed the sign in 2015, there was some kind of mix-up with the order and not all the letters were installed at once. For a few weeks, the sign proudly said “Indiana: A State” which I feel is just about the best slogan a state could have.
35
I don't understand the selection of Milwaukee. I just read an article a few days ago where an NBA player and the coach of the basketball team said that Milwaukee is a very segregated and racist city. The NYT wrote a story a couple of years ago talking about how segregated Milwaukee is. Now today I'm reading that it's all Laverne and Shirley and sausage and beer and happy times but what happened to the segregated city that was described by the Times just a couple of years ago?
I just find this to be a very curious choice when there are presumably quite a few midwest cities that don't have this baggage --or maybe there aren't.
I always thought of Milwaukee as kind of a nice, wholesome city, but then I read the NYT article and most recently the comments from the NBA player and it puts some questions in my mind, that's all.
7
@Sandy
As 2020 approaches, we Democrats have to keep reminding ourselves: "No purity tests!"
There is no perfect. Any city the Democrats choose for the convention will have Republicans jumping all over it and demonizing it. Let's not help them.
30
@Hugh CC
This is what the basketball player, Malcolm Brogdon, said: ""Before I came to Milwaukee I'd heard the city was the most segregated in the country," Brogdon said. "I'd heard it was racist. When I got here it was extremely segregated. I've never lived in a city this segregated. Milwaukee's very behind in terms of being progressive. There are things that need to change rapidly.”
This is what the basketball team president, Peter Feigin, said in 2016: ""Very bluntly, Milwaukee is the most segregated, racist place I've ever experienced in my life. It just is a place that is antiquated. It is in desperate need of repair and has happened for a long, long time. One of our messages and one of our goals is to lead by example."
Maybe you don't think that merits a question as to the choice of Milwaukee for the convention, but I do.
@Hugh CC If I can't question my own party, I guess I can't be a Democrat anymore. You're imposing a purity test on me, aren't you? Pfft.
I am so tired of other Dems telling me how to think and to just shush and not be critical of my own party. That is Mitch McConnell territory and I REJECT it.
Maybe you don't like my opinion but by god don't tell me I shouldn't voice it.
You forgot to mention Summer-fest. One of the great outdoor music events in the country. This city knows how to enjoy life.
20
According to Greg Palast, Hillary Clinton won WI and MI if the provisional ballots were counted. In both states more than 25,000 Black and Hispanic registered Democrats voters were successfully targeted by Republican operatives to have their names removed from the voting rolls so when they did vote at the polls in 2016, their votes were provisional. Republican legislatures in both states decided NOT to count their votes.
42
@BigGuy Even if true, having to worry about provisional ballots in "firewall" states like WI and MI is like having to worry about hanging chads in Florida when you can't win Tennessee or New Hampshire or Missouri (was still a bellwether state at the time) or Nevada, and your name is Gore. Clinton should have mauled Trump. Unfortunately, that's what her campaign thought too, so they didn't work hard enough to turn out the vote in places like Milwaukee County, though she still won the county easily. Obama 2008 - 319,000; Obama 2012 - 332,000; Clinton 2016 - 288,000. Maybe holding the convention in Milwaukee will bring back those 40,000 voters to the polls, though Clinton's problems were statewide, like they were in most Obama states she could not hold. Nearly two dozen Wisconsin counties flipped to the Republicans in the 2016 election. Unfortunately for Dems, they cannot hold their convention simultaneously in Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Charlotte, Jacksonville, Columbus, and Detroit.
2
@Gnirol
Hillary had the votes in the Obama states, but those votes were NOT counted. That's the point.
She won the popular vote by 3 million votes, but should have, could have won by more than 5 million votes.
5
@BigGuy
Didn't know this. This is the kind of stuff that needs to be on billboards.
2
Democratic attempts to woo back the Midwest remind me of the recent Wells Fargo ads where they try to convince us that, in only a few short months since the last of their many scandals, the entire culture of the bank had changed and they are now a caring, customer-first bank.
Democrats started taking the Midwest for granted with the Obama crowd and then Hillary, even though they were all from Chicago. The coasts were where the money was at and it was more fun hanging out with Barbara Streisand and David Geffen than touring tool and die shops in Racine.
This has led to the Democrats' true Midwest issue: An Authenticity Gap.
Perhaps the only thing refreshing about Trump and the GOP is that make no bones about what they stand for. "We like rich white guys and guns, and hate brown people, taxes, environmental laws and abortions." Democrats got themselves in trouble by pretending to be for the Midwest working class and farmers, but then constantly being seen at Hollywood awards shows, with the Davos crowd and at events with Silicon Valley tech billionaires. Republicans don't show up in photos at Burning Man. The Midwest noticed.
It will take more than a convention and a few nights at the Pfister Hotel for the Democrats to win back the Midwest.
16
@Jack Sonville: It’s the policies that count, not kissing babies and having a beer with workers and farmers for a photo-op. The Republicans want to destroy the New Deal that the 99% depend on and the Democrats want to strengthen it. That’s good enough for me, whether I personally like the Democratic candidate or not, whether he or she personally comes to visit me in my hometown or not. I can turn on the tv and read platforms on the web if I want to know more.
39
@Anna
While I agree with you, Anna, apparently many in the Midwest did not in 2016. Maybe four years of Trump will be enough to change their minds. But it would not hurt if Democrats showed up in Sheboygan as much as San Jose.
9
@Jack Sonville
That’s not what recently elected Democratic Governor Evers said.
2
Although they elected him for two terms as governor, at least the good people of Wisconsin were able, albeit by a slim margin, to recognize the damage Republican Scott Walker had wrought on their schools, and send him packing in 2018- putting an educator in his place. I like to think that at least some of the voters who flipped, also remembered when Mr. Walker tried furtively, in 2015 to remove the words “search for truth” and “improve the human condition” in the University of Wisconsin’s mission statement and substitute “ meet the state’s workforce needs” - later claiming (lying) it was a “drafting error” by his staff.
The outrage engendered by Scott’s “Orwellian” attempt to attack one of Wisconsin’s proudest institutions gives me hope that Wisconsin will do the right thing in 2020 - not just for their state, but for the rest of us.
83
@Susan
They still re-elected him. Unforgivable.
@Susan: I will never forget the people of Wisconsin 'inhabiting' the Capitol. Wow. That truly was wonderful. We had a 'mini-Trump' in our Republican Tea Party governor here in Maine (LePage Horribilus) but we did not protest, ever, the way Wisconsinites did. Magnificent effort.
3
I find it interesting that not a single person in the country believes that any of the Democratic candidates have any chance of winning the election, or even Wisconsin. When you don't name a candidate, Democrats seem to have a pretty good chance. But can Bernie or Biden beat Trump? Very few people think so. Can Harris or Beto beat Trump? Nobody thinks so at all. Though the 2018 elections demonstrated that a large majority of the country will vote for any Democrat over Trump or any Trump-supporting politician, and even in places like Texas and Georgia nearly half of them will vote for whatever Democrat happens to come along, there are no Democrats who seem to have any chance of winning the presidency.
Somewhere in the background you have Warren, Klobuchar, Gillibrand, Booker, Gabbard and a dozen others whose campaigns are DOA. So it's down to four candidates, and it looks like Bernie will be the nominee. Not because anyone thinks he can win, but because he represents Democrat voters' vision of what they want their party to be. Once the tone is set and the topic of conversation established, we might see a candidate capable of taking on Haley or Trump Jr. or whoever Republicans draft to clean up Trump's mess in 2024.
5
@Ryan Polls actually show Trump losing to most –if not all– of the individual candidates in the Democratic field so far. He is rated by every reasonable polling outfit as the least popular President since modern polling began.
Add to that, The Hill reported that Trump trails Vice President Joe Biden by 12 points, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) by 10 points, Sen. Kamala Harris by 7 percentage points, Sen. Elizabeth Warren by 6 percentage points and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand by 5 percentage points.
So take a deep breath.
58
@Ryan
Funny how when you forget everything you know about trump, he seems unbeatable. It's a weird condition.
Of course, the 2020 election was on the line for trump in 2018. He went for full fear and xenophobia, and biffed it bigly.
2
@Ryan God, I hope bernie doesn't win. He has done enough harm to the party. Being forced to join the Democratic Party recently just to run again is even more disgusting than when he declared "I am not a Democrat! I am a socialist!" And now he's changed again from Independent on congressional roles to Democrat thinking we will choose him over a real Democrat. When he loses, he will go back to being an Independent. Bet on it.
bernie just wants to win, he doesn't care how he does it. Let's make sure we don't abandon real Democrats for a fake one.
1
May Milwaukee emerge as a tell for All Of Us. Great choice, reality check.
22
Before the Koch Brothers and the Republican Party sent Scott Walker to destroy Wisconsin for the sake of pure corporate greed, Wisconsin had a great progressive history.
Robert La Follette was a Progressive Republican from the Theodore Roosevelt generation of Progressive Republicans -- 100 years ago before the GOP turned into the Greed Over People party in 1920 when Harding-Coolidge sealed the corrupt greedy deal for the GOP.
La Follette was a governor of Wisconsin and a US Senator.
La Follette pushed the Wisconsin legislature to institute direct primary elections to let voters choose their own candidates.
He supported measures that doubled the taxes on railroads, broke up monopolies, preserved the state's forests, protected workers' rights, defended small farmers and regulated lobbying to end patronage politics.
La Follette worked closely with University of Wisconsin professors to help the state become "a laboratory of democracy."
La Follette became a national progressive figure.
University of Wisconsin professor of economics John Commons, a La Follette advisor, also taught student Edwin Witte, who went on to author the 1935 Social Security act for FDR.
Wisconsin Progressives drafted much of FDR's New Deal.
La Follette and Wisconsin's Progressives inspired John F Kennedy's "New Frontier" and Lyndon Johnson's "Great Society" programs.
There was a lot to celebrate about Wisconsin progressivism when Republicans actually cared about Americans.
On Wisconsin !
486
@Socrates This is an informative breakdown of our history, and it's particularly important at a time when the concept of a "Progressive Republican" is foreign. It's striking to me how in the scope of history what we define as "progressive" must be redefined as bipartisan; both Democrats and Republicans have historical precedent for protecting social welfare. In that vein of thinking, though, and because your moniker is Socrates, I think it's important to note that corporate greed has historically influenced Democratic policy as well. No party in the United States has an unadulterated historical claim to either the well-being of citizens or corporate greed.
43
@Socrates
You can add to that the environmental consciousness nurtured by John Muir, Aldo Leopold and Gaylord Nelson. Wisconsin also claims to be the birthplace of the Republican party, BTW.
41
@Kristy: As it is now, corporate greed may have influenced Democratic policy in that Democrats had to oppose it and their policies were not as progressive as they could have been, but corporate greed has totally overtaken the Republican party to the exclusion of everything else, including the interests of the 99%...
31
It can be fixed, but first Democrats need to understand that they have a much bigger problem in the middle of the country that Gail mentions here, much bigger than the excuse machine wants to admit.
"The Democrats have begun to realize that the Midwest is a problem. Clinton won the popular vote by about 2.9 million, but she lost the electoral vote due to tiny, tiny margins in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin."
Actually, She won the popular vote in California by about 5 million votes. She then lost the popular vote in the entire rest of the country by about 2 million votes.
It was some places more than others, and distribution matters. However, a 2 million vote loss is a bigger problem than the tiny margins in the closest states.
Sure, She might have eked out a win, but it was supposed to be a blowout on the scale of California, across the whole country. That isn't what happened at all, not even close.
That needs explanation, and it needs fixing. It can be. That starts with realizing it.
23
@Mark Thomason She won in California by 4.3 million; which means she lost in the rest of the country by 1.4 million(~1%). You can't really just discount California though as much in part as 1) not as high a percentage of people vote in California as in the country at large(this is partly an EC effect) but most of all 2) 1 out of every 8 people in the country lives in California. It's like saying that Texas(with only 60% of California's population in 2000) if you don't count that, Al Gore beat George Bush by 2 million votes in the rest of the country.
Further, you seem to forget that 11 million more people voted against Trump than for him; it was his "luck" that 8 million of those despised him and Hillary both; she "only" beat him by the 2.9 million(48% to 46%) instead of what Dems just got 54% to Trumpublicans' 45% here in 2018 was the biggest turnout Midterm in 104 years, exceeded even what we've had for some Presidential elections!
15
@Ted Steves -- I agree. That is another way to make my point.
"Further, you seem to forget that 11 million more people voted against Trump than for him; it was his "luck" that 8 million of those despised him and Hillary both"
As you say, the Democrats' problem was that their primary and convention system picked Hillary. That isn't a defense of Trump. It isn't about Her either. It is about the system we are about to see among Democrats.
It is something the Democrats must not do again.
2
@Mark Thomason
I would start with the realization that Californians are Americans too...and that you can be a loser and end up in the Oval Office.
2
My experience of Milwaukee is that it is sort of a groovy city which was un-ruined by the post-war uglification of Bauhaus building. There is a sincere civic pride expressed in confident brick buildings, and fantastical expressions of Guild or Masonic or whatever its called exuberance also expressed in brick. I will never forget a brick statue of a recumbent camel the size of a city bus, which caused me to pull over my car and gaze thunderstruck. Maybe a mini-bus? On the waterfront there is a beautiful ship-shaped post-modern building which I think is a museum. Also , Wisconsin has just been liberated from the Totalitarian Republican Regime of Scott Walker and the ALEC oligarchy. The Democrats are right to roll in there not in tanks, but with the platform of "Truth Justice, and the American Way"
59
That is indeed the Milwaukee Art Museum on the water, with its moving roof by Calatrava. The museum was recently renovated and it has a terrific permanent collection and hosts wonderful traveling exhibits. Transplanted east-coaster here—and I love MKE.
27
If our country ever sinks into oblivion, we will always be remembered for our advertising slogans.
This we do well.
4
@David Henry
Such as "The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous"
1
Wisconsin, a great place to be from...
Kidding aside I miss my home state, and considering the politics of the state of recent years, this kinda thrills me. An old Central Wisconsin boy, Madison grad, and family in Waukesha. I'd be inclined to be there if I were closer.
Infuse the party with the old progressive roots!
36
My favorite slogan associated with Wisconsin is our University's Magna Charta, and I think it's relatively bipartisan: "Freedom in pursuit of truth." This is better political shorthand for a phrase that makes me tear up *every* time: "Whatever may be the limitations which trammel inquiry elsewhere we believe the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found."
46
UW-Madison professor here. Yes.
2
Hey, it's the basketball capital of the Universe now, so be polite.
And by the way, after a century of socialist mayors, Milwaukee was known for its very high level of public service, meticulously maintained parks and roads, and clean, professional government. It's the forsaking of its socialist tradition that have hurt it, among other calamities.
112
Perhaps this is 'fake news', and yet while the rural region population remains somewhat forgotten, apparently this presidency suggested that we could move to Milwaukee. This year last when running this by an honest American and staunch republican, he grunted.
There was Governor Scott Walker, who started at an early age, an enterprising business selling home-made lemonade. There was no mention of beer in his career, and he took to task a youngster who asked him for his views on Mother Nature, now known as 'Climate Change'.
With a great affinity for our dairy products and aware that the workers in our farming industry are having a struggling time, a cheesy political candidate may not be appreciated at this time.
Strident calls for The Green New Deal should be tempered at best so as not to cry over spilled milk, while the color 'green' is favored. Many Americans wear green on St. Paddy's Day, and Milwaukee deserves a Guinness Award for being astute, warm and welcoming in the Meet in The Middle Democratic Convention.
'Good Things Take Time', and our Country is moving forth, with hope to restore and mend our fences.
14
Well I think it's a fine choice to have the convention there. And the NBA Basketball team is one of the best this year, and I suspect for a few years to come.
11
A good choice for the Dems. A great newspaper and a working class of educated people. The superb bookstore at the airport says a lot about priorities. Wisconsin was an early part of welfare reform as well. Receiving hand-outs when you know you can work breeds self-loathing. The working dairy farmers wouldn't stand for it.
22
@Lloyd MacMillan I had forgotten that great ( used) book store. I never missed going there when I lived in and flew from Milwaukee.
11
As a transplant to Chicago from that east coast city whose named twice, cough, cough...
I have to say I love Wisconsin.
Madison is a great little city and Milwaukee is pretty awesome too. There are some amazing Art Deco buildings and a great art scene in Milwaukee.
Wisconsin was a truly progressive state, that is until the GOP took the governorship and managing to dismantle a world class university system, labor unions and strong environmental protections.
166
@Issy
Wisconsin Dells looks like a pretty nice place to catch some fresh air and fresh, piney scent, too.
3
The Dems should have picked Pittsburgh or Philadelphia because they have an excellent chance of carrying Pennsylvania next time round. Wisconsin? Not so much.
They say Pa. has two major cities at each end and "Alabama in the middle". Republican, in other words. Once powerful unions have deflated like a Macy's balloon at the end of the big parade, the coal regions around Scranton and Wilkes-Barre have shrunk in importance and concern about abortion swept the state from one end to another, but Pennsylvania always votes for the candidate they think can keep the economy humming and bring the most jobs. When the recession hits late this year and early next, Trumpism isn't going to smell so good to people in Pennsylvania.
Michigan as well as Pennsylvania are likely to swing to the Democrats next time around and it wouldn't take that many more big states to send Trump back to his 5th Avenue tower, complaining all the way about a rigged system and the biased news media.
The location of the convention mainly helps because local people get saturation news coverage leading up to and through the big show. It will take more than that to turn Wisconsin blue. What they need more than anything is a good candidate who can stand up to Trump fearlessly.
18
@Doug Terry
Estimates range from 800,000 to 1,600,000 Floridians will be registered to vote in 2020 who were felons and denied the franchise until last year.
Florida is definitely in play for Democrats next year.
Governor Evers, a Democrat, just took over for Scott Walker in Wisconsin. It could easily return to its progressive roots now that the black cloud is gone.
4
@Doug Terry That's really not true of WI's political prospects in 2020.
1
Just to clarify:
Hillary DID visit Wisconsin during the campaign, but not in the closing weeks.
31 of 31 Wisconsin state polls showed her leading Trump.
Even if she won Wisconsin she still would have lost in the electoral college.
Everyone, especially older female pundits, LOVE to bash Hillary even as they are lamenting at the same time that she just won't go away.
So, as we head into 2020 what do you say, older female pundits? Time to stop playing the Hillary card?
28
@Paul,
Just to clarify:
Hillary visited Wisconsin during the primary. Where she was trounced by double digits to Sen. Sanders.
She never went during the general.
https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2016/results/primaries/wisconsin
2
@Paul Thank the Russian trolls and bots (and who knows who else within the Trump cabal) for that late swing in WI in 2016.
3
After last November’s Wisconsin election, all 5 statewide offices on the ballot, from governor to state treasurer, went to the Democrats. The logically challenged state assembly leader, a gerrymandered Republican, summed it up this way: “If you took Madison and Milwaukee out of the state election formula, we would have a clear majority.” In other words, if you ignored half of the state’s voters, they would have won. This is the mentality of Wisconsin Republicans towards Milwaukee. And yet where does the execrable Scott Walker choose to live now that he’s been booted out of the governor’s mansion? Downtown Milwaukee. Hope the convention isn’t too noisy for him.
201
@Arcturus - Oh, I hope it is.
7
Well, if nothing else it might get Hillary to make a visit to the state, albeit a bit late. Lost the primary to Bernie there and didn’t get the hint she might have some work to do in the general election, just took the state for granted. However, I’m sure she won’t pass up taking a bow at the convention.
4
Gail, how does Milwaukee stand as opposed to your native Cincinnati? I spent the first 21years of my life in Northern KY across the Ohio River from Cincinnati and when I left for medical school I vowed never to return to a place that was so socially conservative.
Just today a Federal Appeals court in Ohio agreed with Ohio's defunding Planned Parenthood and do not forget the number of times they re elected Boehner and have you forgotten the banning of the Maplethorpe exhibit?
36
There was an amazing big league pitcher, Melvin Famee, working the mound in Milwaukee sometime in mid-last century. It being the 1950s or so, beer drinking baseball players were not only tolerated, but celebrated. He was known to drink during games and casually toss empty beer cans into the visitors dug out for opposing teams to crush during less the inevitable less exciting moments of a baseball game. At the close of one noteworthy contest during a late July heatwave, Famee's team held a one run lead into the ninth, but being slightly inebriated by then, he couldn't hold it and walked six straight batters to a dreadful loss. When the visiting third base coached turned to his skipper with a look of astonishment, the manager motioned to the crushed cans in the dugout and said, "It was the beer that made Mel Famee walk us."
58
@Bill Roberts Don't forget the great Milwaukee Braves teams (and players Aaron, Spahn, Matthews, etc.) of the late '50s. Went to two World Series' and defeated the Yankees in '57 for the title.
1
@Bill Roberts You definitely got me! LOL
1
@Bill Roberts
Nice story.The first time I heard it I laughed so hard I wet my diapers.
1
First, I love Milwaukee, and I love Wisconsin, having been born and raised and spending a good amount of my adult life there. I am excited that the DNC is coming to the city, and I know delegates will enjoy it. It is also a horribly segregated city, and this decision will finally get its residents to address these issues. Unfortunately, the surrounding counties of Ozaukee, Waukesha, and Washington are the ones that continue to promote these fears. Residents are predominately white, wealthy, and Republican. My hope is that the DNC will shift the opinions of these residents. This was where Scott Walker was King. With the debacle that the Foxconn is becoming and how it can become the symbol for corporate giveaways, this could return Wisconsin back to the ideals of Bob La Follete, Russ Feingold, and Bill Proxmire.
163
@Bcdoc - When I went to grad school there in 1978 it and Chicago were 1-2 of most segregated cities in the US. Milwaukee is still 1 or 2. After 40 years that can't be a coincidence.
8
@Bcdoc
I grew up in Mequon/Thiensville, and I could not have stated this any better than you did. I still remember when we put a custom-made banner on our fence to support a friend who was running as a democrat to the State Assembly in 1988. The next morning after we put it up, we found someone had cut it in two down the middle.
In 1980, my grade school teacher had us go to a corner to show who we would caucus for in the presidential election. I was the only kid in the Carter corner, the rest voting for Reagan.
Ozaukee County is notoriously segregated, conservative, and home to the close-minded. I know, I grew up there. Senselessbrenner, as I call him, will be relected as long as he wants to serve.
10
@Stevenz
Tell me Milwaukee is more segregated than Chicago or Cleveland or Manhattan! The city is 50%-50 black and white. I'm white and live in a Milwaukee suburb. I go to a Walmart one mile from my house, all the time, and it is probably has a 80%+ black customer base. No one looks at me funny or gives me any trouble. I'm a 67 y/o white guy and feel totally safe going there. The problems Milwaukee has are no different than any other large urban area in the country. I know many people who moved here from Chicago, Boston and NYC, et al, and they all love Milwaukee. So enough with the stereotypes already.
5
Hillary lost Wisconsin because of gerrymandering - the stronger Republican Assembly and Senate then passed voter ID laws. These laws were in effect for 2016. Hillary probably would have won.
Still haven’t had any voter fraud yet in Wisconsin before or after this law.
This ID bill cost Wisconsin millions to implement.
Sigh..... Sure glad Walker is out though.
142
@Pat Presidents and Senators don't really lose because of gerrymandering; Representatives do. Can we just agree that Hillary lost because not enough people in the right places voted for her, and dedicate ourselves to making sure everyone votes in 2020?
9
...yet the one convicted person for voter fraud was a Republican
Robert Monroe
Robert Monroe, identified by prosecutors as the worst multiple-voter in state history, pleaded no contest to charges that he voted more than once in 2011 and 2012. Monroe's record was extensive: he voted twice in the April 2011 Wisconsin Supreme Court election, twice in the 2011 recall election of state Senator Alberta Darling, and five times in Gov. Scott Walker's recall election. He also cast an illegal ballot in the August 2012 primary and voted twice in the 2012 general election. On four of the counts, Monroe received a suspended three-year prison sentence, and will serve up to a year in jail. He also received five years' probation, and was ordered to complete 300 hours of community service and pay a $5,000 fine.
Source: bit.ly/2eGXURE
6
@Pat
What does gerrymandering have to do with the results of a Statewide Federal election. Wisconsin is deep red bleeding right wing. La Follete, and Proxmire are unknown, and you saw what happened when Russ tried to make a comeback.
3
Milwaukee is indeed a gem. I have invested in tech startups throughout the Midwest since 2005, and find the cost of living and building a company, along with great universities, and motivated people, provide a fertile ground for entrepreneurism. That, and the beauty of the area, great architecture, and the friendly people keep me coming back (currently an investor in a Madison start up).
69
Milwaukee is one of my old stomping grounds. I always thought of it as a big little town, a real blue collar kind of place where folks work hard, have strong values, and really love Wisconsin.
But to be honest, I never thought of Milwaukee hosting a DNC - EVER, however, I know they can pull it off. The setting is beautiful with Lake Michigan on one side and the Milwaukee Brewers on the other. In between there are those wonderful and homey Friday night fish fries and tasty cheese curds galore.
A possible convention slogan: The Brat Stop (or not).
The best part is that Milwaukee is only 90 miles south of Chicago, where I live. I'm sure I can find something to do there to help. History making in practically my backyard to the North. How cool is that?
30
@Marge Keller
I guess it's pretty obvious that I could get lost in a beer keg because Milwaukee is 90 miles NORTH of Chicago, where I live, not south. apologies for the error.
7
Marge, Milwaukee is 90 miles north from Chicago.
2
@Marge Keller North oh Chicago, and you can take a train! Milwaukee has worked on modernizing for decades. Will the convention mess us the State Fair?
1
I can think of an excellent slogan. It's the concluding sentence of Lincoln's second inaugural address: With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.
90
@hen3ry
I love the idea but the bumper sticker aspect could be a tad problematic, yes?
48
@hen3ry - thanks for writing this...the party needs the inspiration.
30
@hen3ry - these words would be a wonderful reminder in the keynote to remind the party who we are, and what and who we stand for - as one party, to restore our country from the scourge of Trump.
@Marge Keller - your bumper sticker comment made me think of the movie Jaws - instead of 'we need a bigger boat' it would be 'we need a bigger car!'
27
Holding the convention in Milwaukee may help the Democratic cause in Wisconsin, but if I were the DNC I'd be making sure I was putting together the elements of a good ground game for election season--phone banks, carpools, text chains, and lawyers ready to challenge attempts at voter suppression.
Voter suppression notwithstanding, a lot of the reason Hillary lost WI, MI, PA, FL, and NC was that urban African American voters in these states' cities--particularly male urban African American voters--did not come out in the numbers they did for Barack. That can not be allowed to happen again.
84
@Glenn Ribotsky
Aah, yes, but overall African-American females were the group to support Hilary by the largest percentage of their size.
The issue rests with the candidate, imho.
African-Americans do vote, and we are extremely loyal democrats. We just want to be valued and respected in return. This requires that a candidate resonate with the constituency.
As I told a white colleague, Dems had better choose the right candidate.
Hilary was expected to be the candidate, warts and all- a scenario young African-Americans rejected.
I cannot blame them. I felt exactly the same way.
10
@HMJ. So trump was the acceptable alternative?
19
Black votes matter!
1
I think the choice of Milwaukee is an excellent tribute to the people who stood up against Scott Walker.
579
Well, thank you! Sadly, it took a long time to rid ourselves of him, but not because of Milwaukee. It’s the suburbs and (some) farmers who cursed our fair state with this dullard mini-Trump.
25
@YoRalph And maybe a way to move beyond some of the damage caused by Paul Ryan, too.
6
I lived in Milwaukee for a few years. It was cold, bitterly cold and windy. Minus 20s for a week at a time. Then in the summer, suffocatingly hot. In between, when spring finally came and the black-speckled snowbanks finally melted, the air was filled with the sweet smell of -- thawing canine ordure. And all year 'round, there was the surreal (to an East Coaster) sound of foghorns.
It is probably better now, with people picking up after their dogs, as I assume they do there as here, and by convention time it will be warm anyway.
Oh, and when I was living there, a quart of beer could be had for less than a quart of milk at the corner store.
23
Are you fun at parties?
2
@Seabiscute: I spend the academic year in your state, Massachusetts, land of Dunkin' Donuts, Bertucci's and lovely cities like Saugus, Lowell, and Worcester. That you look down your nose at Milwaukee is hysterically funny. You must be in denial.
2
I grew up near Milwaukee in the 60s and there's only one slogan the makes the grade: from the Blatz beer jingle "I'm from Milwaukee and I oughta know..."
52
A convention in the land of cheese, sausage and beer for a party loaded with vegetarians and wine drinkers. Ought to be quite an interesting experience for all!
40
@Chris
Oregon is full of Democrats. It also has long established, thriving microbreweries; and excellent cheese (Tillamook cheddar is delicious). There is plenty of delicious sausage as well. Get to know some actual Democrats. Surprisingly, they are very like Republicans, in many ways.
1
We have a lot more fun than that!
It's not a good idea to rely on stereotypes.
Good for Milwaukee (and I am saying this as a resident of Minneapolis). I hope the convention goes well, and that people realize the value of the upper Midwest. Milwaukee is a great city with a great tradition. It will be a great venue for the Democratic Convention
192
Thanks Gail as someone who loves Wisconsin. But I do need to make a small correction - Hillary did visit (during the primaries). Maybe not enough, but we saw her in Eau Claire. Same day that Bernie was. And she was terrific!
171
@Julie
Did anyone really need to see the 2016 candidates in person last time around in order to assess their fitness for office? Hillary could have spent more time in the midwest. Sure. But I assume televisions are in wide use in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Ohio, and any newspaper in the country is accessible online, along with candidates' websites. A canned stump speech is going to make a difference?
I never saw Donald Trump in person as a candidate but I had no trouble assessing his fitness for office.
18
@Julie
We saw her in Michigan too. Several times. Again, maybe not enough but we saw here. Barack Obama even came to the University of Michigan to campaign for her. Enormous audience. That day made me feel good about America. I hope to feel that way again, someday.
13
@Julie
Wasn't that terrific: Bernie beat her in WI. MI, too.
1
I LOVE Milwaukee! Never lived there but visited every year as a kid, and it had a kind of magic for me — the 1950s Happy Days elements were still there to see, the great summer festivals by the lake, all the immigrant groups, the laid-back atmosphere of Brewers games. It’s probably different now, but I hope it hasn’t changed too much. I can’t think of a better place if you want to connect with the best of middle America.
78
@Treetop Where the Brewers in Milwaukee in the 1950's or was it the Braves!
@Altabum Milwaukee Braves! Won World Series in 1957 over the Yankees -- Spahn Aaron, Matthews, etc.
1
It’s pretty much the same—just more hip restaurants, fewer bubblers, and bigger fish fry’s—and a Fonzie statue!
1
I have always been curious about Milwaukee. There's a cool line of power tools named after the place. It's not that big but everyone knows about it, I guess because of the beer. It's the sort of place most people could not place on a map, but probably still have an opinion about. In my head Milwaukee doesn't have any tall buildings. Toronto is about as close as I've ever come to Milwaukee so I don't know why I have this idea.
19
@Dan For a brief time in the late 1800's Milwaukee City Hall was the tallest building in the world. There is great architecture there including many tall buildings.
40
And the City Hall is still there, recently redone, and beautiful.
9
@Dan
Only some of their tools are still made in the USA, although they are supposedly expanding their footprint here. It's one of those well regarded brand names that has been bought and resold a number of times. It's like when you see "Bell and Howell" products, like flashlights hawked on TV, that company, going back almost a hundred years, is now chiefly a licensing agent, whose business is selling the "prestige" of their name, like our president.
https://allamericanreviews.com/milwaukee-tools/
Milwaukee still has some of the best sausages in the country: Weisswurst, Bratwurst, Summer Sausage, etc. I have been ordering online for years and maintain a freezer full of goodies to prepare at any moment. Yum.
60
@lynn - Landjaegers from New Glarus!!!! I may attend the convention just to stock up. Spotted Cow pints anyone? Perfect choice.
1
How about "The Milwaukee that Made Beer Famous"—?
That colored margarine thing was a hoot. Long after it was no longer illegal, there were faded signs on barns and such along highways just south of the border with Illinois touting "Last Chance to Buy Colored Margarine" and the like. (I think there was also something about selling margarine in quarter-pound sticks, but I may have dreamed that.)
27
@als
We lived in the Chicago suburbs when I was in the 6th and 7th grades, having moved up from Kentucky. My sister and I had the chore of squeezing the margarine packet to distribute the color. It was disgusting and I never ate any of it. Did Illinois make pre colored margarine legal before Wisconsin?
1
@als The dairy state (my home state, Wisconsin) didn't want to make it easy to use margarine so they made a law that said all margarine must be uncolored. For a long time only butter could be served in restaurants. As the daughter of a farmer, up to my ankles in cow manure, it sure made sense to me.
1
"Clinton won the popular vote by about 2.9 million, but she lost the electoral vote due to tiny, tiny margins in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. "
Actually the 2.9 million margin was entirely due to California. Over the other 49 states, Trump beat Clinton by some 800,000 votes.
Maybe we subtract California, Michigan and Wisconsin and see what transpires?
5
Which just goes to show that California voters are disenfranchised when their votes count for a fraction of the influence a voter has in, say, Wyoming.
The Electoral College is so past its sell-by date.
362
@David G.
The only college more corrupt than Trump University - The Electoral College.
4
@Ludwig
I say you're only started disfranchising voters. Keep going! I want to see you at the finish line.
Milwaukee is a very hip town with a superb art museum and terrific restaurants. Itr's not all about the beer.
217
@Viking Plus the thriving Milwaukee Symphony and the Florentine Opera as well.
52
@Viking
Even if it was all about beer that would be okay too. Brewing is an artform.
10
@Viking
That is a good tip from a Norwegian.
3
If socialism means I get to keep my Medicare and Social Security then I’m for it. Also you have to admit Milwaukee has given us some of the best beer drinking slogans around. Sounds like the Democrats might be getting their act together to me.
500
@Jerry Totes Is it time for a repeat: "Tell the government to keep its hands off my Medicare and Social Security!"
7
From the Land of Sky Blue Waters ...
4
Democrats need to focus on their support of capitalism, with reasonable regulation, coupled to the idea that we need to take care of one another. That invokes the "social safety net," not socialism per se. We already have a social safety net that is working well, in the forms of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. We collect tax revenues used for the public good, such as for the funding of public schools, the police, and fire departments. If Democrats want to win in 2020, they need to bring this core message along with them to Milwaukee.
It would be a shock if the Democratic presidential nominee does not win New York, New Jersey, and most states in the Northeast. That person will also win the left coast.
It only makes sense to emphasize the Midwest. It's time for a change.
It's time to win.
278
@Blue Moon
Democratic Socialism is exactly the kinder, gentler capitalism you describe.
Neither Senators Sanders or Warren have ever described themselves as anything other than capitalists. Warren started out as a Republican.
The term Democratic Socialism has been demystified to some extent over the last three years. We've had many discussions about what it is. Paul Krugman wrote a column about Denmark. Americans still think of Europe in very strange ways. Germany is a capitalist country. So are Sweden, The Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and all the others. They treat their citizens with far more fairness and respect than we do our own. Yet, we're all capitalists.
---
Things Trump Did While You Weren’t Looking [2019]
https://wp.me/p2KJ3H-3h2
139
@Blue Moon, I am saying my prayers that the safety net you describe will not be stripped of its vitality by the Current Resident and his minions.
I agree -- the system has worked, can continue to work, and has helped millions of people who needed a leg up, or a long-term solution to insurmountable odds. But I don't think we can claim this safety net as something that's part of our fiber. Our fiber is being rewoven daily. Can't rest on it.
39
@Rima Regas
Although, given the toxic nature of the term "socialism" for far too many Americans, I've been urging somebody to pick up on the term "Social Capitalism", which refers to much the same thing as you describe--an economy based in free enterprise but with major legal limits on that through regulation and a commitment to tax funded universal health care, higher education, and housing.
And, oh, yes, the public funding for elections with no organizational contributions around and a very low three digit limit on individual contributions per campaign.
Democratic Socialism without the second word.
52
No mention of Laverne & Shirley? Well, time has rolled on, and perhaps now it is by far the greatest center of tech from Kenosha all the way to Sheboygan. Thank you for the image of the postcard, to remind of how it was!
96
@Dana:
Laverne & Shirley are over (actually, over and out).
Move the convention to Genoa City, Wisconsin.
And nominate Victor Newman! He can out-fox Trump.
2
@Dana Or Harley Davidson. Or Briggs & Stratton. Companies with very loyal customers. Fine city.
3
@Dana
Schlameezle, schlamazzle, hassenfeffer incorporated!
2