WI GOP looking for someone to make the peace

‘How did things ever get this far?’

Third of three — at last!

We’ve been monitoring the rumblings among the deepening factions of the Wisconsin Republican party with morbid fascination. Yes, it is a party in transition — reinvigorated by the Tea Party 15 years ago, broadened by Trump 10 years ago. Republicans snatched working people from the party of FDR, we’re winning minorities, but we’re smarting from recent defeats.

Got the issues on our side. Republicans fight to save our failing schools from the teachers union, return some manufacturing to these shores, rebuild culture after DEI vandalism, protect our kids from gender influencers, deport Columbia professors to El Salvador.

Unlike Greenland, the Republican party is a prize worth having. Question is how much of the party will be left standing in the crossfire this weekend at state convention between these warring factions:

•  Cultists who embrace every conspiracy theory if it is absurd enough;
•  outside Turning Point USA takeover artists;
•  Wisconsin-bred Loyalists.

“These things gotta happen every five years or so, ten years. Helps to get rid of the bad blood.” — Peter Clemenza

This blogge criticizes our Republican President — perhaps excessively. We applaud his trade deal with China! Dow Jones stock market up 1,100 points! Brokered peace b/w India and Pakistan! Retrieved the final American hostage from Hamas! Winning the war on DEI! Any President who promises there will be “hell to pay” if his conditions aren’t met is speaking Harry Truman’s plain old American talk. 

Hellz bellz, the man saved America from Kamala Harris! But let’s face it, Donald Trump has caused a lot of crazy.

 Countering the cultists

There actually exist Cultists who believe Democrats started Covid so they could rig Trump’s defeat and then staged the January 6 insurrection to make Donald Trump look bad. Those delegates will make lots of noise at convention but little sense. They need is a laugh track.

Loyalists tend to be veterans of the political wars — another way of saying, older. But Brian Schimming knows Wisconsin. Has visited every town hall and storefront party HDQ in the state in his roles as party chairman and, earlier, as a trusted member of the Tommy Thompson, Scott McCallum, and Scott Walker administrations.

Worked to make the late, great David Prosser the Republican Speaker of the Assembly —then got him elected to the high court. Rode the Ron Johnson bus to victory even though national Democrats made RoJo their Number One target. (In 2022, while Trump was out of power.) Helped flip the Third District red with Derrick Van Orden. Got Trump over Wisconsin’s finish line in the nation’s closest battleground state. Schimming’s GOP transferred $9.5 million to Brad Schimel’s court campaign (not far off the $11.4 million Democrats gave Susan Crawford). Deployed its staffers on the ground. Helped countless Republicans win local office.

→ “The Great Republican shakeout”

Blaska’s Bottom Line: During his campaign for the state’s high court, conservative candidate Brad Schimel warned that the party’s internal power struggle was helping Democrats. All three groups — Loyalists, Cultists, Turning Point — support Donald Trump and JD Vance. But Loyalists are coming to the realization that Trump’s magic dust does not transfer — not in Wisconsin, anyway. Schimel might have won if he declared he calls balls and strikes — even against the home team — instead of being joined at the hip with Trump & Musk Inc.

What ‘family’ should take over the party?

Coming up: Blaska’s GOP unconventional convention posters