Hong voters need to see something from Crowley ... and be seen by him if they are to offer their support
The messages many of us are seeing from the Crowley campaign are not what we need to see to get us excited about electing him this fall. My checkbook has remained open only for those candidates who I feel really have my best interests in their hearts, and at this point that is not Crowley.
This author chose to remain anonymous
This is a plea from a GenX Francesca Hong voter, political donor, door knocker, and a lifelong Wisconsin Democrat/leftist who is deeply involved in some very progressive groups.
I went to the Unity Tour event in Appleton on Thursday. I was really hoping to hear something I could get behind to help me get motivated again in this race for Wisconsin governor. Instead, my motivation fizzled even more than it did when I saw Evers decide to put his opinion in this race.
We (Hong supporters) have concerns and are not hearing the things from Mr. Crowley that we would like to hear in order to get back into being involved in helping the Democrat win in this race.
The top concern really is his approach on data centers. Unlike the other candidates in the race who understood how bad they are, it sounds very much like Crowley is championing them in our state. We understand that he intends to make them accountable, but when at least 80% of the population doesn't want them at all, that's a hard pill to swallow.
On top of that, Republicans are hitting Crowley hard for his stance on data centers. When even the right feels like their candidate has a better story than the left going into the election, that is very telling. Many close to me have said, "this is what will lose the race" for Crowley.
Then we get to things like a $15-per-hour minimum wage and vouchers.
Fifteen dollars an hour is a non-starter. That amounts to just over $30,000 a year for a full-time job. We can't live on that in this economic environment. If housing and rental prices aren't brought down, food doesn't become more affordable, utilities or insurance or healthcare doesn’t become less expensive, $30,000 a year is almost laughable. And to be honest, I don't know of many employers in my area that are even attempting to hire at $15-per-hour or less.
My own child made $17 an hour starting as a bagger at a local grocery store, which was upped to $19 an hour when they became a checker, and is now around $21.50 as a stocker. I'd be more comfortable with a $20-per-hour minimum for those 18 and older and maybe $15 for younger workers.
And I don't know one advocate for public education that thinks Crowley has the right plan for vouchers. Yes, I've seen an expanded explanation of what the voucher plan is, but I don't for one minute understand how that can work without a harsh increase in taxes. Public money belongs in public schools. Full Stop.
Milwaukee and Racine get a grace period to figure this piece out. But in the Appleton area there are plans to build the Comenius Academy with fees that align perfectly with the voucher maximums in the state. This is going to be a K-12 school that will take kids from school districts such as Hortonville, Neenah, Appleton, and others in the area. And It will be using vouchers that will just tear more money away from the public schools, and more students. The fact that we are living in a state where a Christian group feels confident they can add another Christian school in the area and be successful, while charging the exact amount the vouchers are willing to pay, is sad and scary for the future of our public schools in this state.
The messages many of us are seeing from the Crowley campaign are not what we need to see to get us excited about electing him this fall. My checkbook has remained open only for those candidates who I feel really have my best interests in their hearts, and at this point that is not Crowley. I have plans to knock doors with the Democrats this election cycle, but at this time, I don't plan to say much about Crowley because I'm not feeling it. I will however say amazing things about Rick Crosson and Lee Snodgrass.
The party is a huge tent, but when half of the voters in the party wanted big change and voted for Hong, it's really hard to get those voters on board when the candidate feels bought and paid for by the establishment. We need something different to happen with this campaign to get on board. I will vote, but I know many who are having a hard time even considering that. This feels so much like Kamala and look where we ended up with that. Stop leaning into the center/right and start to cheer on progressive policy.
I hope you hear us ... I hope you see us.
