Here & Now

Here & Now for Sept. 14, 2018

Announcer:
The following program is part of our “Here & Now” 2018 Wisconsin Vote election coverage.

Frederica Freyberg:
I’m Frederica Freyberg. Tonight on “Here & Now” the knives come out in the race for governor. A closer look at election security in Wisconsin. And an inside look at a new report on working in Wisconsin. It’s “Here & Now” for September 14.

Announcer:
Funding for “Here & Now” is provided in part by Friends of Wisconsin Public Television.

Frederica Freyberg:
A quick note as we start up. The Tony Evers campaign asked to reschedule our interview with him which was slated for tonight to next week. The race for governor is our first topic tonight and the fight is on with just over seven weeks to election day. Scott Walker and Tony Evers have the gloves off. We will give you a taste of some of the airwave attacks in a moment but first let’s say hello to a couple of ringside veterans. Capitol Consultant Manager Partner Bill McCoshen and One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross. Thanks for being here.

Bill McCoshen, Scot Ross:
Thanks for having us.

Frederica Freyberg:
So are we already into scorched earth territory?

Scot Ross:
Scott Walker’s negativity is a sign of Scott Walker’s desperation. They’ve already spent $10 million in television ads for him since May first and Tony Evers is beating him. Scott Walker is doing what a career politician does. He will say, do and spend anything to try and win this race.

Frederica Freyberg:
And yet Scott Walkers says this is a positive campaign Bill.

Bill McCoshen:
I think he’s run a lot of positive ads but you’ve got to recognize that this is — politics is a contact sport. As you said, using the boxing analogy, if you can’t take a hit, you shouldn’t get in the ring. The fact that Tony Evers is whining about some hits that Scott Walker’s laying on him sort of suggests that his campaign isn’t quite as good as Scot Ross would lead you to believe. I mean there’s 52 days left. This is going to be a bloodbath. It’s a close rate. The last Marquette Poll had it tied. Some races — some pollsters have Evers up by a couple points. They’ll be a new Marquette Poll next week. It’s hard to tell but you can expect this the rest of the way.

Frederica Freyberg:
It seems to be a lot about porn-watching teachers and now prisons. Let’s just take a quick look at one of those ads out there.

Male Voice:
As superintendent, Tony Evers failed to remove abusive teachers from our schools. Now Evers wants to cut Wisconsin’s prison population in half. A dangerous plan that today would mean releasing thousands of violent criminals back into our communities.

Frederica Freyberg:
I want to talk about the prison thing in a moment. But on the teacher porn thing Scot, is that a fair attack?

Scot Ross:
It’s ridiculous. I mean the fact is that Scott Walker passed the buck and Tony Evers helped pass a law. Tony Evers couldn’t get rid of that teacher because of the law. He went and worked hard, did things and got the law changed. Scott Walker didn’t even put out a press release when that law actually passed. This is Scott Walker’s desperation.

Bill McCoshen:
It’s false. The reality is if you disagree with the law and you are in a constitutional position like Tony Evers, he could have challenged it by suspending that teacher, suspending his license and then letting the teacher take him to court. He chose not to do that. And instead stood behind a law. And yeah, he worked to change it over the course of time but he could have acted sooner and he didn’t.

Frederica Freyberg:
This is an all-out barrage. I just got this at home this week. It’ a double-sided similar attack, porn teacher. What do you make of the kind of photo? I mean Tony Evers looks really dangerous here.

Scot Ross:
The fact is what looks really dangerous is Scott Walker’s failed record over the last 25 years as a career competition. I mean he has done top to bottom disastrous stuff to the state of Wisconsin. When you talk about crime and corrections and you talk about porn, there’s only one candidate in this race who’s had a criminal defense fund. That is Scott Walker.

Bill McCoshen:
Here’s what we know from Craig Gilbert’s reporting in the Journal-Sentinel. All the Republicans are going to vote for Scott Walker. All Democrats are going to vote for Tony Evers. So this fight is really about the middle. Those that call themselves independent. I think the Walker campaign is doing an effective job of introducing Tony Evers to those independents so they know what choice they are going to make on November 6. Whether it’s going to be Walker or whether it’s going to be Evers. So all of this is fair game. If it’s part of your record, it’s fair game. You can call it negative ads. You can whine about it but the reality is if these things are part of your record, they’re going to be part of the campaign.

Frederica Freyberg:
Part of the record in the campaign is this discussion of reducing the prison population. Now Scott Walker would say that Tony Evers wants to release rapists and kidnappers and that’s what the last ad just said.

Bill McCoshen:
Because he hasn’t clarified. I mean the reality is Kelda Roys in one campaign debate in the Democratic primary said she wanted to cut the prison population by 50%. Tony Evers said I agree. Well what does that mean? If you cut it by 50%, you are going to release violent criminals. That’s no question about that.

Frederica Freyberg:
He has —

Bill McCoshen:
Evers has not clarified that.

Scot Ross:
Let’s be clear. First of all, Kelda Roys is not the nominee. Second Tony Evers said his goal is to make sure we’re putting– that we’re getting non-violent criminals out of prison. Because it’s a drag on the system. But don’t take my words for it. Take Bill’s old boss Tommy Thompson who said Scott Walker has been a disaster on corrections and he’s right. When Scott Walker got in office in 1993, the prison budget is about $200 million. It’s now $2 billion. Scott Walker built his career — and this is what needs to be talked about — Scott Walker’s built his career on putting black people in prison for as long as humanly possible and throwing away the key. He is trying to suppress the vote with his scorched campaign.

Bill McCoshen:
Getting back to the tactics of a campaign, Evers is going to have to answer that. Whether it’s in their first debate or not. And by the way, he didn’t just cancel on you tonight. He canceled the first debate on October 5th and it’s now been rescheduled to October 19th. Why is that? What is Tony Evers hiding from?

Scot Ross:
What I would say is this. I agree that to win an election you have to get more people out to vote on election day. But I disagree with the idea that the independents are going to make this. The race is going to be won because Democrats are running to the polls because the Republicans are led by a racist nightmare in the White House. Plain and simple, Scott Walker stood with Donald Trump every step of the way. No matter what he has done. No matter what he has said from s-hole countries to putting brown kids in baby jails, to having white supremacists and Nazis in the White House, for “many sides”-ing things. This is about Democratic enthusiasm.

Bill McCoshen:
Some Democrats like Scot are all worked up about this but there’s no evidence in the Marquette Poll that Democrats have a significant enthusiasm advantage in the state of Wisconsin. None yet. We’ll see.

Scot Ross:
Charles Franklin’s poll is literally the only poll in the United States that says there’s no Democratic enthusiasm. After we’ve won three races, we haven’t won since 1990s and 70s.

Frederica Freyberg:
This is getting good but let me move along to a new ad out today. And that is from Rebecca Kleefisch, lieutenant governor, who says she is shocked that Tony Evers says Scott Walker would end protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Let’s take a listen.

Rebecca Kleefisch:
I’m Rebecca Kleefisch. I’ll never forget my battle with cancer or the impact it had on my family. That’s why I’m shocked Tony Evers and his allies say Scott Walker would end protections for people with pre-existing conditions. People like me.

Frederica Freyberg:
The thing is that getting rid of the Affordable Care Act would effectively end protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

Bill McCoshen:
But the Republicans have been unable to get rid of the Affordable Care Act. Donald Trump himself has said pre-existing condition is not going to go away. So this is sort of a stretching of the facts on the part of the Democrats, the charge against Walker. I would say this. Rebecca Kleefisch is a very effective spokesman and I think the Walker campaign ought to use her in more ads. But on this one in particular as a cancer survivor, I thought she was marvelous.

Scot Ross:
In 2010 Rebecca Kleefisch and Scott Walker ran an ad saying that Tom Barrett was going to have a government takeover of healthcare using the fact that she had had cancer. Politifact called it “pants on fire.” This is another “pants on fire” lie. Scott Walker and Rebecca Kleefisch and the Republicans have been in charge for eight straight years. If they wanted to codify protection, pre-existing protections into law they could do it. The only thing that’s saving pre-existing conditions is the Affordable Care Act that Scott Walker, Brad Schimel and Rebecca Kleefisch are trying to throw out.

Frederica Freyberg:
We need to leave it there. Scot Ross and Bill McCoshen. Thank you very much. Wisconsin’s school districts strapped for cash will be taking the matter to the polls again. Limits on the number of referendums a district can request went into effect this year. But that isn’t keeping the amounts requested down. Marisa Wojcik tells us more.

Marisa Wojcik:
Wisconsin students are heading back to school and districts are preparing to ask their communities for more money. A school district can request money beyond the limits that are imposed by the state if they take the question to voters in a referendum. If approved, the money is drawn by raising property taxes in that district. To date, a total of 82 referendums will be expected to appear on the November 6 ballot for school districts statewide. In the last five years, the rate of referendums passing has been on the upswing with nearly 70% being approved by voters. In contrast from 2003 to 2011, that rate was just shy of 50%. The price tag on some referendums has also seen an uptick. Last year Green Bay area schools passed two referendum questions totaling more than $233 million. In the Verona School District passed three totaling more than $183 million. Some of the largest in state history. This year two big ticket requests are coming from the Middleton-Cross Plains School District at $143 million and from Wauwatosa at almost $125 million. Funds are requested for a variety of purposes including constructing and maintaining buildings, improving security and technology. Updating curriculum. Maintaining smaller class sizes and sometimes even hiring staff. A March 2018 Marquette Law School Poll found the majority of voters would rather increase spending on public schools than reduce their property taxes. For these and other fast facts, visit wpt.org.

Frederica Freyberg:
A closer look tonight at election security in Wisconsin. According to a new report from the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism being released this weekend, there are vulnerabilities in our voting systems. Managing editor at the WCIJ Dee Hall is here to explain. Dee, thanks for being here.

Dee Hall:
Thanks for having me.

Frederica Freyberg:
Given Russian hacking and what we’re told are continuing threats to our election integrity, the idea that Wisconsin has these vulnerabilities obviously strikes concern. Should it?

Dee Hall:
Sure. Well I would put Wisconsin in a national context, which is most voting systems have some of these same vulnerabilities because of the way that we’ve carried out our elections over time on a local basis. And also that according to the Elections Commission that they’re ahead of the curve when it comes to implementing certain security measures to protect the election.

Frederica Freyberg:
As I understand it from your reporting, there are several points of potential security weaknesses and I can run down these and we can talk about them. There’s the hardware and software contractors. There’s service providers, USB devices or like memory sticks that are used. Modems in voting machines and then cell technology to transmit unofficial election results. Let’s talk first about contractors who are either doing hardware or software or even just servicing machines.

Dee Hall:
These are private companies that come in for large and small counties alike and municipalities and help them program for the upcoming election. They do the software updating. The problem there is that these folks, we don’t know what their security procedures are. How tight are their policies and so that’s where the vulnerability comes in. There was a case in Florida with a contractor who was servicing many of the counties there who was in fact breached through one of these phishing – as they call them – schemes.

Frederica Freyberg:
One of the service providers in Wisconsin, according to your reporting, does 46 counties and 3,000 pieces of equipment. This is pretty substantial.

Dee Hall:
So that’s a small private contractor but we can’t find out which counties they’re serving, which municipalities. You know, they don’t have to disclose that information and the Wisconsin Elections Commission doesn’t keep track of these folks. So we don’t know really how solid are their security procedures? And again the idea is not so much that these particular companies are evil or bad. It’s just that there are people who are looking at them as a potential back door into our election system.

Frederica Freyberg:
What’s the deal with USB devices or memory sticks?

Dee Hall:
Those are devices as you know that you plug into the computer. And one of the things that Wisconsin has going for it and most election systems have, are these computers that not connected to the internet. But as soon as you take a USB stick from something that was connected to the internet to that air-gapped machine, that breaches the air gap according to the experts we talked to. By the way, this story, which is by Grigor Atanesian, our Russian Fulbright scholar, is based on interviews with seven cybersecurity exports. People who actually have been consulting with the Department of Homeland Security, for example, and Europol, the European law enforcement agency.

Frederica Freyberg:
That reporting also talked about modems in voting machines.

Dee Hall:
Some of the machines transmit their unofficial election night returns with modems. Modems of course are — in this case what they’re used for is one-way calls to call into the county clerk’s office to give the results. The problem there is that these modems can once again connect the machines to the internet and during that time frame there could be a breach.

Frederica Freyberg:
Also the cellular technology to transmit unofficial election results. Why does that matter? They’re unofficial.

Dee Hall:
That’s the other issue there. You might say, “Well, these are unofficial, it doesn’t matter.” But one aspect of what the Russians have been trying to do is really create doubt and confusion in our election system. And if you have election night results which are unofficial that are radically different from the final results, it might raise suspicions which are essentially unwarranted but that may play into their hands just as much as actually tampering with the election.

Frederica Freyberg:
What do our state election officials say about all this?

Dee Hall:
They say they are ahead of the curve. As I mentioned, there’s a report that just came out. The National Academy of Sciences talked about a variety of things that can be done. The state has done many of them. There is one that they’re looking at, something called a risk limiting audit, which is a post-election audit. Scientifically-based where you can figure out are there any anomalies. They’re going to talk about whether to do that. That requires a lot of work on the part of the clerks across the state. And so it’ll be probably something that’ll be discussed. And I don’t know if they’ll pass it but it is something they’re looking at seriously.

Frederica Freyberg:
Because I know that was one of the recommendations from Grigor’s earlier reporting that was something that Wisconsin really needed.

Dee Hall:
Right. There’s a group called Wisconsin Election Integrity. It’s a grassroots organization of folks. That is their main recommendation. One of their main recommendations is for the state to really require these post-election audits. This particular kind so you can figure out whether, in fact, the results are the same. You know, after the unofficial results are actually the official results. And luckily Wisconsin has paper ballots backing up every single one of its votes. So that’s an area where we are ahead of some other states in which some of them have electronic machines with no paper trail. And that is definitely dangerous. That’s one area where we are ahead.

Frederica Freyberg:
Dee Hall. Thanks very much.

Dee Hall:
Thanks for having me.

Frederica Freyberg:
The economy and jobs are perennial election issues. That makes the timing of the Center on Wisconsin Strategy’s new report all the more relevant. It’s called “The State of Working Wisconsin.” It contains good news and bad news. For example, while it cites lower unemployment rates in Wisconsin, overall job growth is slow when compared to the national rate. Economist Laura Dresser is the Associate Director of the center. Laura, thanks for being here.

Laura Dresser:
Thanks for having me.

Frederica Freyberg:
So in terms of employment levels and family income, how do we sit compared to 10 years ago in the throes of the recession?

Laura Dresser:
Well, there was quite brutal recession, of course. And then a slow, slow recovery. So it’s 10 years since the recession and finally we’re seeing household income and family income measures of what households bring in back to the levels that — the high watermark of the year 2000. So that’s great news to see that steady progress. It’s really slow by historic standards and it has been a long time coming.

Frederica Freyberg:
You say that wages are not keeping pace with our worker productivity. How so?

Laura Dresser:
One way to think about that is to look at — adjusting for inflation and look at the wage that a worker earned in 1979. The median worker earned about $17.30 an hour. In the year 2017, the median worker, the one right at the center of the income wage distribution earned $18.30 an hour. $1 an hour different. We know that the productivity of the overall economy is substantially higher. We’ve seen productivity and gross domestic product grow substantially over that period. The average return to the worker is about a 3 cents an hour per year over that whole period to get that dollar more now. That’s long-term wage stagnation. We’ve been seeing it even in this low unemployment time. And that’s a really troubling sign.

Frederica Freyberg:
The U.S. Census Bureau is out with a report saying the median household income in the country sits at $61,400. They say Wisconsin’s is at $63,400. So is that a good measure?

Laura Dresser:
It’s a good measure to look at and it’s a good measure to watch over time. It’s been good to see that number coming back up. But again, that number, that $63,000 that the median household income earns now is just at what it was in the year 2000 once you take inflation into account. So the steady progress. It fell hard in the recession, and then made steady progress. That’s good progress to see. But to see something over 17 years to be basically treading water, that’s hard to see.

Frederica Freyberg:
Our unemployment rate in Wisconsin right now is good. But you say that job growth is slower than the national average.

Laura Dresser:
Yeah. It’s an interesting fact that’s been true for a number — for about the last six or seven years here in Wisconsin. We’re just trailing the national job production rates. One of the ways you can see it is that the state of Minnesota, which has fewer residents than Wisconsin, actually has more workers than Wisconsin at this point. And that’s just their economy has grown more like the national.

Frederica Freyberg:
Where is this most pronounced in Wisconsin?

Laura Dresser:
You can completely see a restructuring of where jobs are over the last 10 years or 15 years as well. Rural areas have lost jobs. And urban areas have added 90,000 jobs. So what we see also is an inequality geographically in growth.

Frederica Freyberg:
Really briefly with a minute left, another measure you looked at was poverty. You say 675,000 workers in Wisconsin earn below $12 an hour.

Laura Dresser:
Yeah. And we use that as a benchmark of just a low wage job. It is interesting to note it’s 1 in 5 workers. I think sometimes people feel like I worked in a low wage job once. People work in those but they don’t last forever. But when you see that 1 in 5 workers is in a job paying $12 an hour or less, you know that those workers have a fraction of the healthcare benefits through their employment and pension. And even sick leave is hard to get at below $12 an hour. It’s just a different reality for many, many workers.

Frederica Freyberg:
All right. Laura, thanks very much.

Laura Dresser:
Thanks for having me.

Frederica Freyberg:
Now beyond the ballot. Reporting in collaboration with Wisconsin Public Radio where we ask voters what election issues are most important. Tonight we hear from a 20-something woman from Mauston who’s worried there’s not enough incentive for young people to move to rural communities.

Alana Voss:
Hi Ari.

Marisa Wojcik:
Alana Voss knows the name of every person.

Alana Voss:
I’m so excited you’re bringing Sophia.

Marisa Wojcik:
And animal she encounters while working at the county fair.

Alana Voss:
If kids need help with their calves…

Marisa Wojcik:
Having started a tradition with her father years ago. She helps kids bring their animals across the county road so that residents at the local nursing home can greet them. Voss always knew she wanted to move back to her hometown of Mauston.

Alana Voss:
I definitely knew pretty early on that I wanted to come home. I just didn’t know what the job situation would allow. But having that opportunity really made me excited that when I found the opportunity to come home and work at home and work in the community, it really made an impact on my life.
[goat bleating]

Marisa Wojcik:
She got a job as an agriculture educator with the UW Extension in Juneau County. Mauston is the county seat between Tomah and Wisconsin Dells along the I-94 corridor. And this rural town of roughly 4400 is like many in Wisconsin experiencing a so-called brain drain.

Alana Voss:
Yeah, I think there is that trend. Our county’s small in some senses. It doesn’t have the big businesses that can bring in the money that some of these other ones can.

Marisa Wojcik:
Young talent moves away for school and they might not return to their hometowns if they can’t find a job or the salary required to pay off student loans, find housing, and start a family. The numbers for Mauston aren’t great. According to 2016 census, the median age in Mauston is 43. Almost 40% of the population collects social security and the median household income is less than $43,000. But Voss and others believe if the occupation is there, the desire to live in your hometown community is there as well.

Alana Voss:
I think it depends what people went to school for. That makes a difference. If you can find something in your field that you want to go for if you can find an opening, kids will move home if they can.

Marisa Wojcik:
This is something the Mauston School District is hoping to foster by bringing up the next generation of educators. Citing research that 61% of first-time teachers find jobs in schools within 15 miles of their hometown. Leah Luke runs a multi-faceted program aimed at cultivating interest in teaching and getting more students passionate about the profession at the high school age.

Leah Luke:
We’re trying to do a better job of staying connected with them and to include them as much as possible. And also to give them opportunities to build credentials here at home so that they continue to feel connected here. And then that maybe this is their first choice when they apply and bring them back home.

Marisa Wojcik:
The district offers students opportunities for dual credit in educator prep courses as well as internships and other areas of experience creating a pipeline of young people becoming licensed educators.

Leah Luke:
Hopefully they’ll consider applying to Mauston if there’s an opening in the position that they’re licensed in when they’re done.

Alana Voss:
What’s your pony’s name?

Marisa Wojcik:
For Voss it was just important for her to bring her talents back home and educate the kids coming up after her.

Alana Voss:
My community’s always been very important to me. I wanted to be back in the area. Not just for the family farm but for the community. I mean this is where I grew up. I want to see the best for the younger generations to come.

Frederica Freyberg:
That was Marisa Wojcik reporting. For its part she says, Mauston and its schools have been able to maintain population but a study of rural Wisconsin from the UW Applied Population Lab found that the majority of communities are losing young adults and geography matters. Counties along major highways and near larger cities fare better than the northern-most counties which are losing the most young people.
We continue our look at Wisconsin’s Congressional districts this week with the state’s 2nd. Wisconsin 2nd Congressional District surrounds Madison in south central Wisconsin and spans into Rock County. State government and the University of Wisconsin largely influence the makeup of the second district’s workforce with Madison being home to the State Capitol and UW-Madison. The district also boasts a robust tech sector spurred by software companies such as Epic. The district’s incumbent Democrat Mark Pocan is running unopposed and will keep his seat. This will mark nearly two decades since a Republican has last held the seat with Democrats Pocan and Tammy Baldwin having held it since 1999.

Finally a look ahead to next week. That is when the Democrat running for governor Tony Evers will be here. The new Marquette Law School Poll comes out next week. Poll Director Charles Franklin will also be here. I’m Frederica Freyberg. Have a great weekend.

Announcer:
Funding for “Here & Now” is provided in part by Friends of Wisconsin Public Television.
For more information on “Here & Now’s” 2018 election coverage, go to WisconsinVote.org.