Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said Wednesday that Democratic Gov. Tony Evers is the least involved governor in the history of the state, and also backed former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch as the GOP's best option to win in November.
Vos, who has led the Assembly as its members drafted bills to expand police recruitment, reduce COVID-19 regulations and expand gun rights, said at a WisPolitics luncheon he realized Evers would likely veto the bills that will be on the Assembly floor beginning Thursday but said he didn't consider what the governor would do.
"We now have a dysfunctional governor," Vos, R-Rochester, said Wednesday. "I haven't spoken to Governor Evers in probably a year. We passed our budget with zero input from the governor."
Ahead of the 2022 primaries, Vos also said Kleefisch is the best Republican candidate for governor and that former U.S. Marine Kevin Nicholson, who was runner-up in the 2018 Republican primary for U.S. Senate, should not run in 2022. Vos said the best thing Nicholson could do for the Republican Party is step away from the governor's race. Nicholson is expected to announce his plans for the election as soon as this week.
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In response, Nicholson said on Twitter, "Thanks, @repvos, for the political advice. Our elections are a mess, law & order is eroding, schools are failing. How about you focus on doing your job?"
Vos also took aim at Democrats running in the 2022 elections, saying there was little for them to run on.
"This list of things they can actually take credit for is super short," he said, referring to COVID-19 still being rampant, inflation being up and what Vos said was a lack of spending control and attention to the deficit.
The federal deficit in December was 85%, or $123 billion, smaller than what it was in December 2020, when Republican former President Donald Trump was still in office, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.
Vos continued to say the only thing Democrats can put forth in their campaigns is "to instill fear that somehow we are hurting democracy."
"The only thing they can talk about is this voting rights stuff," he said, adding that what Democrats call voting rights are just strategies for Democratic candidates to win elections.
Studies show stricter voting laws affect voters who lean more Democratic than Republican. A University of Chicago study found that the implementation of strict voter identification laws disproportionately affects racial and ethnic minorities.
Our 5 best editorials of 2021 tackled State Street, Ron Johnson and Greg Gard
I've written more than 2,000 editorials for the Wisconsin State Journal editorial board over the years, demanding action, suggesting solutions and slamming the worst instincts of politicians.
Most of my favorite editorials are those that make a difference.
That's why my most memorable editorial of 2021 was our editorial board's call to transform State Street in Madison into a grand promenade. Our push for a true pedestrian mall the entire length of the capital city's most famous street drew a huge and positive response from our readers, if not the mayor's office. In the depths of the pandemic, the public dreamed big about the future of our city's Downtown -- and liked what they saw.
Even the mayor, who has stubbornly resisted the idea, eventually granted it was "likely" that all buses would be removed from the bottom half of State Street. As for the top half, well, that will be an issue in the spring 2023 city elections.
I also loved adding citizen members to our State Journal editorial board for the first time in our newspaper's history. Former state Supreme Court Justice Janine Geske, Downtown Madison businesswoman and booster Susan Schmitz, and longtime cop and youth football coach Wayne Strong have enriched our editorial board with broader perspectives, expertise and community spirit.
Calling for a trio of Republican lawmakers to resign following the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol was important and necessary. Two of the three were even willing to disenfranchise their own Wisconsin constituents from the final tally of electoral votes for president. It was a shameful rejection of democratic norms and respect for American values. Other members of Congress from Wisconsin, including U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Green Bay, behaved honorably.
A more uplifting moment came on July 4, when we remembered Abraham Lincoln's incredible commitment to civility. I love writing about history when I get the chance, especially the inspiring moments when America and its leaders shined.
Finally, about those cheek diapers: Wisconsin Badgers basketball coach Greg Gard was one of many coaches blatantly violating the NCAA's masking rules. I wrote an editorial with a lighter tone urging college sports to either use or lose their face coverings as March Madness began.
STATE JOURNAL VIEW: Removing buses, creating pedestrian mall will help Downtown Madison bounce back
STATE JOURNAL VIEW: Community members will add insight and expertise to our news organization's opinions and agenda.
STATE JOURNAL VIEW: Ron Johnson, Tom Tiffany and Scott Fitzgerald disgracefully undermined our democracy
STATE JOURNAL VIEW: Just ask Abraham Lincoln, who espoused these American values during our nation's darkest days
STATE JOURNAL VIEW: College basketball coaches flout public health rule because the NCAA lets them