It’s time for the annual predictions from RightWisconsin’s favorite pundits. As that wise political scientist Yoda once said, “Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future.” The trick for any good prognosticator is to take the past and draw trend lines from those events to make definite statements about the days to come. The problem, of course, is that the human experience does not follow a straight line of progress.
Nevertheless, our prognosticators make another stab at trying to predict the future using their considerable experience and political acumen.
Jay Weber, WISN radio talk show host
1. 2018 is finally the year that the Packers fire Dom Capers.
2. The Trump/Ryan tax cuts will work as expected, with GDP growth bouncing between 3.5 and 4.5 percent. The Democrats who said that 1.6 percent under Obama was the new normal will claim only the rich fat cats are benefitting.
3. Wisconsin Democrats choose Madison Mayor Paul Soglin to run for governor. He will run a tired campaign with no vision and hand Governor Scott Walker an easy third term.
4. Alternate prediction: Wisconsin Democrats are smart enough to choose Mahlon Mitchell to be their gubernatorial candidate, and he shocks the political world and beats Walker.
5. While running in the senate race:
-Sen. Tammy Baldwin will mention she’s a lesbian 432 times.
-Kevin Nicholson will mention he’s a former Marine 562 times.
-State Sen. Leah Vukmir will mention she’s a fighter 321 times.
6. The Trump administration will conduct targeted air strikes on North Korea’s missile facilities with China’s blessing. China will help manage regime change and the Evil Butterball is no longer the North Korean leader by years’ end.
7. Republicans in congress will shock everyone by passing some version of Graham/Cassidy, repealing Obamacare and handing power over health care back to the states. This ensures the democrats’ 60 year dream of government-run health care is dead.
8. ‘Call Me By Your Name’, a movie about a man having an affair with a teenaged boy, will win an Oscar for Best Picture in the very year that Hollywood is pretending to be disgusted by older adults in power preying on young people.
Rick Esenberg, President of the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty
“Before I draw nearer to that stone to which you point, answer me one question. Are these the shadows of the things that Will be, or are they shadows of things that May be, only? Men’s courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead, but if the courses be departed from, the ends will change. Say it is thus with what you show me!” – Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas (1843)
Politics
Here’s hoping that the Ghost of Elections Future is just giving us a warning and not a sentence.
The economy is booming, ISIS has been routed and the president’s approval ratings aren’t much better than Ted Thompson’s. This bodes ill for the GOP in the coming year. But the Democrat wave “may be, only.”
Governor Scott Walker will eke out a win, because just about nothing can change anyone’s opinion and the governor gets his 52 percent.
The GOP nominee defeats Sen. Tammy Baldwin. It will be quite a feat but Baldwin is vulnerable. The Republican candidate will have to find a way to appeal to disaffected voters without getting dragged down by what may be a powerful backlash. The challenge may be greatest for Kevin Nicholson who has to deal with the decidedly mixed blessing of a Breitbart/Bannon endorsement. But I say it happens.
The Senate splits 50-50. I see the GOP losing Nevada and Arizona. A pickup in Wisconsin ties it up.
But the GOP loses the House. 225-210.
Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy retires and is replaced by Federal Judge Amy Barrett after a cup of coffee at the Seventh Circuit.
Judge Michael Screnock defeats Tim Burns for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
The Trump administration becomes a bit less conservative. President Donald Trump remains unpopular but his approval numbers improve a bit when most people see larger paychecks in February. This enables him to cut a deal on infrastructure spending. No entitlement reform.
Sports
Oklahoma beats Clemson for the NCAA championship.
Ted Thompson retires. Dom Capers is dismissed.
New England beats Minnesota in the Super Bowl.
The Packers go 10-6 and return to the playoffs as a wild card.
For the first time in a long time, no team from Wisconsin makes the NCAA tournament. Michigan State makes CJ Szafir happy by winning it all.
The Bucks hit 48 wins but lose to the eventual champion Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Brewers win 89 games and make the playoffs as a wild card. The LA Dodgers beat the Cleveland Indians in the World Series.
Wisconsin finishes the regular season at 11-1 and beats Ohio State for the Big Fourteen title, qualifying for the CFP.
Jim Bender, President, School Choice Wisconsin
Back to the Future:
Foxconn and the GOP tax bill will be similar battles waged out to 2027. Politically for both, opponents will frame the issue as disasters waiting to happen – a massive giveaway to Foxconn and taxes going up on the middle class. Supporters can overcome those claims if they can make the positive aspects tangible now. For Foxconn, it will be out-state suppliers that show local value as southeastern Wisconsin is already in favor. Lower federal rates will impact payroll withholding tables in 2018, but the true tax impact won’t hit until 2019, after the election. Either way, get your hover boards ready. (Flashback points to those who remember the Doyle administration bringing in Michael J Fox on stem cell debate in 2006.)
John and Jane have more little Does:
Just when the acidic investigation seemed to be forming a scab, the attorney general scorches the bandage off with a blow torch. Exposing John Doe III, “opposition research” folders and thousands of personal emails, the Department of Justice report creates new energy to pull back the veil on the now-defunct Government Accountability Board (GAB) and evaporate any remnants of those employees. Those on the left still shrug their shoulders over the whole affair while those directly impacted have now seen even more reasons to take the gloves off. The attorney general will likely work fast with his new Senate-approved power. While there may be changes to evidence retention laws and investigative policies in 2018, charges against former GAB members will prove difficult, further irritating those whose personal lives are floating around on Shane Falk’s “missing” hard drive.
Democratic Gubernatorial Primary – Get the popcorn ready:
Traditional wisdom says in a Democratic statewide primary, the winner of Dane County will likely win. However, the cast of characters who have thrown their tinfoil hats into the ring this year could split the multitudes of really, really smart people near the Isthmus. If nobody can be a coalescing figure in the sprint to the far left, one guy will take his statewide ID to the electoral bank – Tony Evers. Prediction – the primary debates will produce some truly memorable quotes as the candidates try to achieve the progressive bliss associated with a Capital Times headline.
Rep. Jarchow the Prognosticator:
There is no doubt that 2016 saw Trump voters materialize in northwestern Wisconsin. The question is – do they show up again or did they melt back into the rolling hills? Filling the Harsdorf senate seat in a special election will likely shed some light on that subject. In 2006, the congressional ballot turned against the legislative GOP in WI. That aspect looks the same today, but the GOP has Walker in the governor’s mansion, not Doyle. Will it be enough? If Rep. Adam Jarchow holds the Harsdorf senate seat for the GOP, look for Joe Handrick to break down every ward in stellar analysis. If the GOP loses the seat, put on your life jackets because the wave is coming.
Chris Rochester, Communications Director for the MacIver Institute
For us political junkies, next year will revolve around the midterm elections. But before I get to that, let me assert my confidence that the Packers will have a much better season in 2018 and that various terrible songs will take turns at the top of Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.
Now, on to politics.
Tax reform and Obamacare will be central issues in the race for U.S. Senate. Sen. Tammy Baldwin’s poll numbers will suffer because she opposed a $2,500 tax cut for the typical Wisconsin family, and another eye-popping round of Obamacare premium increases will have her advocating for even more government intrusion into healthcare.
The Washington commentariat will portray the GOP primary battle for the Senate as a proxy war of “the establishment” versus the Bannonites – a decision upon which hinges the very fate of the republic. In reality, the candidate with the best grassroots outreach and statewide appeal will win.
Primary fights on both sides of the aisle will engulf Wisconsin politics. The Democrats’ field for governor will grow to north of 500 candidates, with most of them throwing their hat in the ring because “why not.” The primary is a battle for the soul of the party – that is, the candidate who promises the most free stuff will win.
Anyway, Walker will go on to win re-election by at least a 5 percent margin.
Down in Madison, the state legislature will keep its nose to the grindstone, working behind the scenes to come up with a proposal to drastically overhaul the state’s system of taxation while scaling back the size and scope of state government. The component getting the most attention will be a proposal to transition Wisconsin to a flat tax.
Liberals will, of course, fire up the talking point generator to come up with outrageous claims about the mass casualties inevitable if Wisconsin joins Indiana, Michigan, and Illinois by adopting a flat tax.
Republicans will ignore them and go on to retain full control of state government in the fall, paving the way for a major tax overhaul in the next budget.
Dan Adams is a former pundit on the late Sunday Insight with Charlie Sykes and was best known as Charlie’s “token moderate” Democrat. He is a well-known criminal defense attorney.
I offer the following predictions based on gut-instinct, unnatural prescience, and good-old-fashioned conjecture.
1. Brad Schimel will become a victim of the 2018 Democratic tidal wave, losing to former federal prosecutor (and son of former AG Peg Lautenschlager) Josh Kaul. The subject matter of the campaign will be the opioid epidemic and the Wisconsin DOJ’s rape kit backlog.
2. In a scene reminiscent of West Side Story, a largely-choreographed knife fight between Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald will result in the tragic accidental stabbing of Rep. Dale Kooyenga (who really didn’t want to be involved anyway). Despite the scandal, the GOP will retain its majority in both chambers after November.
3. The current Democratic field of Lilliputian gubernatorial candidates will be turned on its head when Mayor Tom Barrett or former Senator Russ Feingold enter the race. Feelings are hurt.
4. State Sen. Lena Taylor will announce her intention to run for Mayor of Milwaukee.
5. Congressman Mike Gallagher will finally master the proper pronunciations of “Suamico, Kaukana, and Shawno.” His staff will keep his phonetically-spelled flashcards on file, just in case.
6. In the August primary, Milwaukee Assembly members Josh Zepnick and Christine Sinicki will lose their seats. Assemblyman Jason Fields will stave off a challenge.
7. Another sexual harassment claim will (rightly) end the career of an up-and-coming Milwaukee politician.
8. Someone in Milwaukee’s City Hall will be indicted. I will win them an acquittal.
Rohn Bishop, Chairman of the Republican Party of Fond du Lac County and an occasional freelance writer for RightWisconsin
1. Much like the Rebecca Bradley election effort in 2016; come early March, Conservatives will realize they’re taking the State Supreme Court race for granted and will become energized and vote. They’ll carry Judge Michael Screnock to victory while at the same time passing the proposed amendment to the state Constitution to eliminate the useless state treasurer’s office.
2. That victory will propel current state Treasurer Matt Adamczyk to the Republican nomination for Wisconsin’s other useless office, secretary of state. By raising the profile of a secretary of state election, Adamczyk will finally end the career of our “Secretary of State for Life” Doug La Follette. Adamczyk will re-open the secretary of state office during the lunch hour and he’ll take a crash course in apostilles.
3. State Rep. Tyler August resigns as Speaker Pro-Tempore of the Assembly to become Deputy Secretary of State, and Representative Tyler Vorpagel will be elected Speaker Pro-Tem.
4. The Brewers will not capitalize on last year’s success and will drop to third place in the National League Central.
5. People will begin to notice their tax savings and improving economy, thanks in part to the Tax Cut and Jobs Act, and Republicans will rally behind a unified Trump/Ryan/McConnell GOP. Republicans’ numbers will slowly climb throughout 2018 avoiding a blood bath in November. Republicans will pick up four Senate seats and lose only a few in the house. Governor Scott Walker will be re-elected and Republicans maintain majorities in both state houses.
6. Steve Bannon and the National Club for Growth will help Kevin Nicholson blow himself up by running a negative campaign against a popular conservative fighter, state Sen. Leah Vukmir. I think Vukmir will win the GOP nomination by 7 points.
7. North Korea will do something stupid and dangerous during the winter Olympics.
David Blaska, Blogger, Madison conservative, and lord of Stately Blaska Manor.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers will win the Democrats’ stampede for governor with 30 percent of the vote, which will approximate his total in the November match-up with Governor Scott Walker. Madison Mayor Paul Soglin will NOT enter the race.
Sen. Leah Vukmir will defeat Tammy “No-Tax-Breaks-for-You” Baldwin.
Wisconsin will ban identifying anyone by race on all state government forms, including driver’s licenses.
In the gerrymander lawsuit, the US Supreme Court will rule that Democrats should win elections if they want control of the legislature.
Illinois Democratic legislators, resisting Gov. Bruce Rauner’s attempts to rein in their teachers union, will flee to Beloit.
In a now-or-never bid for the Super Bowl, the Green Bay Packers will sign either Sam Bradford or Teddy Bridgewater as their backup QB and play him nearly every game.
Steve Prestegard, The Presteblog
Since my predictions didn’t get posted last year, they were, of course, flawless.
Anyway, for this year:
(1) Gov. Scott “Landslide” Walker is reelected with 52.3 percent of the vote. Republicans maintain control of both houses of the Legislature. Attorney General Brad Schimel is reelected.
(2) Despite U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin’s reelection, Republicans hold on to both houses in Congress, the result of Americans’ having 10 months of bigger paychecks thanks to the tax cuts.
(3) North Korea attempts to disrupt the Winter Olympics by firing its Scud-like missiles within sight of PyeongChang, causing terror among Olympic-goers but, as usual, no real reprisals.
Prince Wigderson, guarding the back fence from chipmunks.
(4) Packers general manager Ted Thompson retires (A) because he should and (B) after the Packers are penalized by the NFL for violating its injured-reserve rules with quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ one-game comeback. The new GM keeps coach Mike McCarthy, setting up a twisting-in-the-wind 2018 Packer season.
(5) Prince Wigderson (R.I.P.) is followed in the Wigderson house by another dog James does not want, and of course James immediately becomes the new dog’s favorite human.
Kevin Binversie, Freelance writer, former Web Editor at RightWisconsin:
The Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial primary’s clown car becomes a full-blown three-ring circus with each candidate trying to out liberal the other appealing to the party’s twin bases in Madison and Milwaukee. The resulting contest becomes a test to see who despises Governor Scott Walker more, not the best to lead Wisconsin, all of which does nothing for the eventual victor’s electoral chances in November.
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan does not retire from Congress and seeks re-election. In the meantime, Randy Bryce elevates himself from local embarrassment to national embarrassment by mid-summer.
Try as he might, Rep. Mark Pocan fails in his behind the scenes efforts to defeat both Speaker Paul Ryan and Rep. Glenn Grothman. This does not bode well for either his heart health or his goals to eventually head the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).
A Democratic wave does hit American politics in November allowing them to take the House. Steve Bannon does more damage to Republican odds of maintaining the Senate with his primary hijinks than any anti-Trump backlash fueling the Democrats. Nonetheless, the House Democratic caucus spends most of 2018 scheming to remove Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) as their leader.
Despite fan demands to “Clean House” in the front office after the disappointing, injury-ridden 2017 season, the Packers do not fire General Manager Ted Thompson. Instead the team announces it will “begin the transition” of making Elliot Wolf the GM of the Future with Thompson staying on as an advisory role.
Owen Robinson, West Bend columnist and blogger at Boots & Sabers
Yikes. I stopped doing predictions years ago because I suck so badly at them. I have a penchant for assuming rational behavior in an irrational world. That being said… I’ll take a swing at it. What’s the downside? Humiliation? Public ridicule? Been there. Done that.
– Scott Walker will win reelection by a larger margin than his previous three runs for governor.
– U.S. inflation will top 4 percent.
– In the wake of Foxconn, Wisconsin will win another major economic development project.
– No criminal charges will be brought against the John Doe persecutors.
– Speaker Paul Ryan will harvest an eight-pointer during bow season. Paul Nehlen will claim it’s a Jewish conspiracy.
– 92 percent of the predictions on RightWisconsin will be wrong – including this one.
– Paul Soglin will challenge Tony Evers to a duel, but neither one of them owns a gun.
– Senator Tammy Baldwin will receive more campaign funding from California than Wisconsin.
– National Democrats gain seats in the House and Senate, but fail to gain a majority in either.
– Congressman James Sensenbrenner wins reelection (hey, I wanted to get one right).
Jay Miller, of Whitefish Bay, is a tax attorney and an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Lubar School of Business.
Based on 2017 results, there is little doubt that I have maintained my title as the world’s worst predictor. With that in mind, here are my already suspect predictions for 2018.
1) The Supreme Court will rule by a 5-4 margin (with Anthony Kennedy the swing vote, naturally) that Wisconsin’s legislatively drawn map violates the U.S. Constitution. Because the ruling won’t be issued until next June, however, the state will be allowed to use its existing map in the 2018 elections.
2) In light of federal tax reform being implemented, the legislature will be compelled to address tax reform at the state level, with particular attention given to shifting some of the burden away from income and property taxes.
3) After a protracted battle, the legislature will approve tolling on certain highways, but Gov. Walker will veto it, because of concerns over how it could affect his re-election.
4) Walker will win re-election — just barely surviving a wave of anti-Trump sentiment washing over the country. (He will be aided by the gaggle of Democratic primary candidates knocking each other out.)
5) Sen. Tammy Baldwin also will win re-election (despite a valiant campaign run by state Sen. Leah Vukmir), demonstrating once again the quirkiness of Wisconsin voters.
CJ Szafir, Vice President for Policy and Deputy Counsel at the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty
Three things will matter in the 2018 elections: 1) candidate quality, 2) the continual re-alignment of the political parties, and 3) Trump’s approval rating. This will translate into a wave election for the Democrats – but not a tsunami. Democrats narrowly capture the House but Republicans keep control of the Senate.
Wisconsin is one of the few GOP bright spots. Businessman and Marine veteran Kevin Nicholson edges out Senator Tammy Baldwin to be Wisconsin’s next U.S. Senator. Governor Scott Walker outlasts State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers to win re-election. Lt Governor Rebecca Kleefisch wins re-election against (insert Democrat who media unsuccessfully tries to paint as a rising star).
But it is not all great for Wisconsin Republicans. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy writes the majority decision in the redistricting case, siding against Wisconsin. SCOTUS throws out Wisconsin’s legislative district maps and implements some ambiguous, ivory tower political test for the creation of new maps.
Kennedy also announces his retirement, setting off the biggest judicial appointment fight in our nation’s history.
The Wisconsin legislature passes at least one more big win for conservatives, becoming the seventh state to implement an Education Savings Account (ESA) program, aka school choice 2.0. This time next year (December), with Republicans in control and the elections past us, we hear rumblings of overhauling the tax code and the school funding formula.
The New England Patriots win another Super Bowl, beating the Minnesota Vikings (ugh). Michigan State wins the Big Ten in both basketball and football. France wins the World Cup. Brewers make the playoffs.
2018 ends on a gloomy note as Speaker Paul Ryan does in fact announce his resignation.
Brian Fraley, former managing editor of Right Wisconsin, President of Edge Messaging, political consultant
Politics
Assembly GOPers come out of the fall elections with 59 seats, Senate Republicans with 19.
Tony Evers wins the Democrats’ nomination for governor, gets 47 percent in the general election as the GOP holds onto their statewide seats, including attorney general.
Wisconsin’s US Senate race goes to a recount.
The Mueller probe will result in several high profile indictments but will not result in the indictment or impeachment of President Donald Trump. The revelations about his business practices as a private citizen however will be shocking. While the Senate is split at basically 50-50 (When the independents are factored in) the House remains in GOP hands. Ryan remains Speaker of the House. There will be a massive push for a federal bailout of California and Illinois state budgets/retirement funds; this could be the defining issue of the Trump domestic agenda. Wisconsin’s system will be spotlighted as a national model.
Internationally, Sen. Ron Johnson takes a higher profile on national security while China and Russia take the lead in securing a tenuous solution to the North Korea issue. The world’s attention is turned to terrorist training hotspots in Central and South America.
Sports
Ted Thompson, Jason Kidd, Eric Thames, Randall Cobb, Bob Uecker, Malcom Brogdon and Barry Alvarez, do not end 2018 in their current positions.
The Milwaukee Brewers make a deep run in the MLB playoffs.
The Green Bay Packers sign more free agents in the off season than at anytime in the team’s history.
The Milwaukee Bucks’ season ends in disappointment, which is quickly washed away with hype over new arena.
The Wisconsin Badgers run away with the Big Ten football title, crushing Penn State in the conference championship game and making the College Football Playoff final two.
Media
The new X Files starts out with a bang, ends with a whimper, and the series is put to bed once and for all.
One of the Big 3 Network late night hosts unexpectedly hangs it up and will be replaced by a female comic.
Milwaukee radio undergoes a massive shake-up, possibly the result of an unanticipated ownership change.
Bill Osmulski, Investigative Reporter, MacIver Institute
Gov. Walker easily wins reelection. Foxconn, more money for schools, lower taxes – the state is clearly heading in a good direction, while the outside world seems to be increasingly chaotic. People aren’t going to want to stir things up too much at home.
Sen. Baldwin will be unable to harness the ready-made campaign strategy of #metoo when she squares off against Leah Vukmir in the general election. Although Vukmir will have a depleted war chest following the primary, Baldwin will lack a compelling message. Instead she will turn to predictable and tiring liberal platforms, which will be largely ineffective. Vukmir will challenge Baldwin on why she voted against a $2,500 tax cut for Wisconsin families.
Republicans in Congress will spend the majority of 2018 campaigning on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, while Democrats will run on the #metoo movement. Republicans will counter that message by pointing out the high profile Democrats caught up in that scandal.
President Donald Trump will spend his year on Twitter, campaigning for Republicans, and implementing major reforms by executive order you’ll never hear about.
The Affordable Care Act will never die.
Federal welfare reform will go nowhere because everyone is campaigning and they don’t want to rock the boat.
The Democrat gubernatorial candidate will be leading by 12 points in the polls and then lose by 24 points on election day.
George Mitchell, former journalist, school choice advocate, public policy consultant and RightWisconsin contributor.
The state and federal judiciary will be strengthened by Judge Michael Screnock’s election to the Wisconsin Supreme Court and U.S. Senate confirmation of Michael Brennan and Gordon Giampietro.
As proof that “Even a blind pig finds a truffle once in a while,” state Democrats will score points by highlighting delays in out-state road work due to Foxconn.
Speaking of Foxconn, while it won’t provide the political boost I once predicted, Republicans will retain control of state government.
The national Club for Growth’s ill-informed attack on Sen. Leah Vukmir will backfire. Big time.
To make sure I get at least one prediction correct: Democrats, the media, and some Never Trumpers will not relent in their effort to invalidate the 2016 election.
James Wigderson, Editor, RightWisconsin
We’ll save the best for last.
I will remind the audience that while these predictions are the work of a professional, they are not intended to be guidance for any wagers. Cancel those calls to your bookie.
Governor Scott Walker will win re-election despite a strong political headwind nationally. The election will be unnecessarily close, but Walker still pulls it out because of the weak Democratic field, the strength of Wisconsin’s economy, the reduction in taxes, and the recent increase in education spending. The Cap Times will mislead their readers (again) into believing Walker is vulnerable on election day despite the evidence to the contrary.
After a bloody (and expensive) primary battle, state Sen. Leah Vukmir (R-Brookfield) loses narrowly to U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin during a typically bad midterm election cycle for the party that holds the White House. (The Lovely Doreen from Waukesha thinks I’m wrong about this.)
Judge Michael Screnock will defeat Tim Burns by running ads quoting Burns’ Twitter posts. The Wisconsin State Journal will complain about the politicization of the state Supreme Court but won’t criticize Burns for actively trying to turn the Supreme Court into a Supreme legislative body. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel will endorse Burns while complaining about the politicization of the Supreme Court, ignoring everything Burns says during the campaign.
Republicans will maintain control of both houses of the legislature. Democrats will whine about gerrymandering throughout 2018 despite their failure to do anything about redistricting when they controlled the legislature and the governor’s mansion because they wanted to gerrymander permanent majorities for themselves. The real, unwritten story will be the failure of Democrats to recruit good, competitive candidates.
The Wisconsin Assembly’s “tax reform” plans will include an increase in the gas tax to fund transportation spending. The excuse will be that the tax increase is offset by a cut in the income tax rate.
The United States Supreme Court will not strike down the legislative maps drawn up by Wisconsin Republicans because they don’t want to be responsible for drawing the legislative maps for all 50 states in just a couple of years.
State Rep. Josh Zepnick (D-Milwaukee) will serve out his term, even if he has to throw another colleague under the bus to do it (and he will). City of Milwaukee Treasurer Spencer Coggs will not resign or reimburse the taxpayers for the $75,000 sexual harassment settlement from when he was a Democratic member of the state legislature. State Rep. Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) will continue to be the Assembly Minority Leader despite his track record of threatening a female colleague and being busted for solicitation at a massage parlor. Democrats in Wisconsin will try to accuse Republicans of a “war on women.”
Television ratings will be down for the Super Bowl. The NFL and the mass media will try to spin the ratings decline as not being able to capture how many people watched the game via social media. Privately, some NFL owners will grumble about how their brand has been damaged by the player protests during the national anthem.
The Milwaukee Brewers will make the playoffs but will lose the NLCS. The protests during the national anthem will spread to Major League Baseball, but the owners will be proactive in shutting the protests down.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) will send a text message, intended for the governor, to the media instead. The text message will simply read, “You won’t be governor forever.” Everyone will try to guess what Vos meant.
