In the midst of a fragile ceasefire, Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan called the Iran war chaos piled on top of chaos. Here & Now panelists Bill McCoshen and Scot Ross weighed political momentum heading into the midterm elections after a stunning margin of victory for the liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate in the spring election.

U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan
D-2nd Congressional District

• As a result of the war in Iran, gas prices are up and consumer sentiment is at a record low. Pocan called it a war of choice that has tarnished respect for the United States around the world. He said Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives will push again for a war powers resolution in coming days.
• Pocan: “This is one where, you know, we need some of the Republicans from Wisconsin and across the country to reach around their backs and feel if they have a bone down the middle called the spine, because it’s necessary for Congress to stand up and stop Donald Trump from this chaotic behavior. It is up to Congress to initiate war. That’s according to the Constitution. And I’ve heard a few Republicans say they’re waiting 90 days and all this other stuff. The Constitution doesn’t say that. The Constitution gives the power to Congress on this. So we have to act and take the responsible role in this. And if we don’t, then unfortunately, we continue to pay higher prices at the gas pumps, we continue to hurt ourselves with other countries across the world. So there’s a lot riding on this, and we need Wisconsin Republicans and others in Congress to stand up and grow a spine.”
• Here & Now reached out to several Republican U.S. representatives from Wisconsin without reply.

Bill McCoshen and Scot Ross
Republican and Democratic political panelists

• Results in the state’s April 7 election for Wisconsin Supreme Court were declared less than an hour after polls closed. The outcome was a 20-point rout that saw the conservative candidate for an open seat on the high court lose to her liberal opponent. That wide winning margin made Chris Taylor the justice-elect. McCoshen and Ross offered several reasons for Maria Lazar’s loss.
• McCoshen: “If you’re going to win statewide, you need three things. You need money, organization and message — MOM. We had no money, didn’t look like we had any organization, and I’m not sure what the message was. So, I think we failed on all three of those points. And ultimately, it wasn’t the worst Supreme Court election in state history, but it was pretty close. And, you know, when Maria Lazar is losing her home county of Waukesha by 43,600 – she got 43, 600 fewer votes than Brad Schimmel did in her own county – that’s a rough night.”
• Ross: “The fact is that this is a combination of a couple of things. First and foremost, that the Republican brand has broken. The Donald Trump Republican Party has taken us to war, it’s taken us into the poorhouse and it keeps doubling down. I would point out that in the same interview where Tom Tiffany said they got their butts kicked, he also endorsed Trump’s announced intention to commit war crimes and every economic policy that he has pushed forward, including trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Considering this race was about fairness, freedom and rights, there’s no wonder the Republicans lost.”

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