Scott Walker:

And until I've heard from one of my–

Frederica Freyberg:

As we reported earlier, Governor Walker rounded up his cabinet members Wednesday afternoon for a policy pep talk. But state capitol Democrats were also forging their plans for the upcoming winter session. The assembly minority leader is Representative Peter Barca. He joins us now. Thanks very much for doing so.

Peter Barca:

Good to be with you, Frederica. Wish it was under better circumstances.

Frederica Freyberg:

Yeah, right. Right, so first question is how did your party take such a drubbing on Tuesday?

Peter Barca:

Well, it was painful. There is no question about it. You know, to see so many good people on the Democratic side of the aisle. Obviously, the people I’m closest with were incumbents that lost. But to look across the country and see so many US senators that have worked so hard and tirelessly go down. It was just a very difficult night. Now, I think my biggest question is we’ve got to communicate differently with the middle class, because there is no question the middle class is much stronger with the Democratic party. Even in our state, 12 times the tax breaks for people making over 350 grand, and the average middle class person. We’ve got to go back to the drawing board. We’ve got to do a careful assessment. We have to analyze how we’re communicating, how we’re getting our message out. But the other thing, to be frank, that is just so disconcerting is we had candidates that worked so hard, that were effective at canvassing, talking to people. They raised just about the same amount as their opponent. But in the last two weeks they come in with this independent expenditure money. On the two races we may have recounts, Mandy Wright and Dick Cates. $150,000 in independent expenditures the last two weeks. And the irony of it, Frederica, is that, you know, from the voucher groups, who spent this money, this didn’t run ads saying that Mandy Wright is against vouchers, vote for her opponent. Instead they have the most vicious, you know, bald-faced lies about our candidates or prop up the Republican candidates. They never even mention the voucher issue. Even though the American Federation for Children spent $150,000 in each of these two races. And that happened all across that state, so that’s one that we’ve got to analyze. I don’t know how you combat that money. But obviously, in a post-Citizen United world, it’s working great for the Republicans.

Frederica Freyberg:

So the sting is still sharp, But moving forward, I know that the majority says they want to be even more aggressive. Is that possible in your mind?

Peter Barca:

I can’t imagine how they could be any more aggressive. In doing everything from Act 10, that polarized our state so widely, to, you know, the various issues with veterans that are denied, you know, their day in court when they have asbestos poisoning, to, you know, women’s issues regarding transvaginal ultrasounds. You know, it just– I don’t know what their encore is going to be here, but it surprised me to hear that. I just hope whatever they do, they at least are mindful that Wisconsin has never been so polarized, and that’s not healthy for our state.

Frederica Freyberg:

Do you get the sense, or have you had interactions that lead you to believe there is room for compromise with the majority on anything?

Peter Barca:

Well, I hope so. I mean, obviously, you know, the governor and I were able to compromise and work together on the WEDC board the last few months before the campaign. We worked together on the historic tax credits where there was a moratorium imposed. And to his credit, he lifted it for the most significant projects around the state. We worked together on outsourcing jobs to put in more protective language. In fact, he was, frankly, the most supportive of my motion when we got to that committee. So I hope it wasn’t just a pre-election kind of working together, but it’s also going to be a post-election working together, too. But we’ll find out. I mean, the cards are all in their hands. So we’re going to do our best and offer our olive branch and try and work together on issues that I know people care deeply about, whether it’s, you know, jobs or job training– You know, the part that I think we’re going to have the hardest time is on these middle class issues of student debt relief or increasing the minimum wage. They don’t seem willing to go there.

Frederica Freyberg:

What role do you think the potential run for the White House on the part of Scott Walker might have on his agenda?

Peter Barca:

Well, that will be the most interesting. Because if in fact he does pursue this, as I suspect he will, you know, he could be motivated to some degree by what he thinks is going to help his White House run, and maybe it wouldn’t fit so much with Wisconsin. So I hope that’s not the case. To his credit, he does meet with the leaders in our party each week we’re in session and it gives us an opportunity to at least discuss these things. And so maybe we can have some influence there.

Frederica Freyberg:

You sound as though you are certainly willing to be conciliatory and suggesting that you think that the governor in fact has shown that as well before. What about some of the major things that Robin Vos has been talking about that he would like to move forward. Anything particularly concerning on that front for you?

Peter Barca:

Oh, that stuns me. I mean, to be quite frank– I mean, over the course of the past campaign, personally I crisscrossed the state, everywhere from Rice Lake to Door County, and everywhere from, you know, up in Wausau and down to, you know, my home territory in the Kenosha/Racine area. And not once, not once, not one door, not any of our candidates brought up the fact of, you know, doing this GAB reform, modifying the John Doe proceedings, throwing out Common Core. So it really surprised me that those were three of his top agenda items, because clearly there’s not a poll that shows that that’s on people’s minds. So I was very surprised by that. And I hope he can maybe go along the lines that the governor proposed and focus more on job training and economic development as opposed to those issues.

Frederica Freyberg:

All right. We leave it there. Peter Barca, thanks very much.

Peter Barca:

All right. Thanks for being with you.