La Crosse County and 3rd Congressional Democratic Party chair, William Garcia, in studio, working in sci-fi and politics as the fall election cycle comes to an end.

Garcia was a good sport to come on and have a conversation that would remain relevant, even after Election Day is over, so there’s not a ton of predictions going on here but we do talk about impact and philosophy a bit — including Darth Vader, Dark Helmet and other sketchy leadership.

So, of course, that meant bringing up my Scarlett Johansson interview this week, where I asked her “Star Wars or Star Trek?,” and while her answer was perfect, we dissected it even more when it came to Donald Trump.

As for this election cycle, we got into Garcia’s role as a delegate, where he was one of about 4,000 who selected Kamala Harris to replace Joe Biden, plus all the big names that came to La Crosse County — from Harris and Trump to Tim Walz and Tammy Baldwin, or Bernie Sanders and Amy Klobuchar to Mark Cuban — and his experience with all of that.

Before that, though, we hit on the importance of a party controlling the US House or the US Senate and the idea of an electoral college tie.

La Crosse County and 3rd Congressional Democratic Party chair, William Garcia, in studio, working in sci-fi and politics as the fall election cycle comes to an end.
Garcia was a good sport to come on and have a conversation that would remain relevant, even after Election Day is over, so there’s not a ton of predictions going on here but we do talk about impact and philosophy a bit — including Darth Vader, Dark Helmet and other sketchy leadership.
So, of course, that meant bringing up my Scarlett Johansson interview this week, where I asked her “Star Wars or Star Trek?,” and while her answer was perfect, we dissected it even more when it came to Donald Trump.
As for this election cycle, we got into Garcia’s role as a delegate, where he was one of about 4,000 who selected Kamala Harris to replace Joe Biden, plus all the big names that came to La Crosse County — from Harris and Trump to Tim Walz and Tammy Baldwin, or Bernie Sanders and Amy Klobuchar to Mark Cuban — and his experience with all of that.
Before that, though, we hit on the importance of a party controlling the US House or the US Senate and the idea of an electoral college tie.

Listener conversations about the days events in and around the La Crosse area.  Weekdays from 5-6pm on WIZM 1410AM and 92.3FM

La Crosse Talk PM WIZM

Rick Solem talks about the days events in and around the La Crosse area. Weekdays from 5:07-6pm on 1410 WIZM

Rick Solem talks about the days events in and around the La Crosse area. Weekdays from 5:07-6pm on 1410 WIZM

WIZM - La Crosse

La Crosse County Dem. chair Garcia with the perfect Donald Trump sci-fi analogy

A day after the election, Democrats Steve Doyle and Tara Johnson, who both won on Tuesday, stopped in studio to discuss whether the new makeup of Wisconsin's state Legislature means things getting done over the next two years. Doyle won by 217 votes in Assembly District 94, while Johnson  is the first Democrat to win in the 96th District since 1985. Also talked about was the money in politics, how Republican leadership framed losses in the Legislature and how to go about tackling issues this upcoming term, including the $4.7 billion budget surplus, school funding, childcare and more. 

A day after the election, Democrats Steve Doyle and Tara Johnson, who both won on Tuesday, stopped in studio to discuss whether the new makeup of Wisconsin's state Legislature means things getting done over the next two years. Doyle won by 217 votes in Assembly District 94, while Johnson  is the first Democrat to win in the 96th District since 1985. Also talked about was the money in politics, how Republican leadership framed losses in the Legislature and how to go about tackling issues this upcoming term, including the $4.7 billion budget surplus, school funding, childcare and more.

Doyle and Johnson on if Wisconsin's new state Legislature will get things done

Just hours after she left La Crosse with her husband, Gwen Walz called back into La Crosse Talk PM. The wife of Tim Walz joined to talk about education, her husband and his advocacy for women and the underprivileged. And, we did ask her if Tim's getting anxious — not because of the election stuff — but because there's no deer hunting in Washington, DC., despite the deer population thriving and the need to reduce that population. 

Just hours after she left La Crosse with her husband, Gwen Walz called back into La Crosse Talk PM. The wife of Tim Walz joined to talk about education, her husband and his advocacy for women and the underprivileged. And, we did ask her if Tim's getting anxious — not because of the election stuff — but because there's no deer hunting in Washington, DC., despite the deer population thriving and the need to reduce that population.

Gwen Walz on education and her husband, VP candidate Tim Walz

Two prominent Republicans, fed up with Donald Trump, stop in the WIZM studio Friday for La Crosse Talk PM to discuss why they’re touring the country to campaign for Kamala Harris. 

Ex-Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan of Georgia and former Mike Pence national security advisor Olivia Troye deep dive into why they feel this is such a crucial time for democracy, and the Republican Party, to vote for Harris and end Trump’s run in politics.

Adding to the discussion, UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky, who helps analyze the political spectrum of this election

Before starting that deep dive, though, we, of course, had to hit on Duncan’s baseball past — a standout pitcher at Georgia Tech and drafted by the Florida Marlins. We talked how he played around the same time Alex Rodriguez was with the Appleton Foxes. And we unlocked a core memory for Duncan, who used to be called “The Vulture” — as he somehow amassed 10 wins and 13 saves one season — and may now be called Vulture again, come the end of this election.

Politically, we discussed Trump flooding the media with outrageous rhetoric, and brought up two things he said just this week, including in Green Bay. At a rally there Trump said he’s going to protect all women and “I’m going to do it whether the women like it or not.”

We also discussed the “whisper caucus,” which is a group of conservatives done with the Republican Party under Trump and what that means for the future of the GOP.

In terms of National Security, we got into Trump sidling up to dictators and how the rest of the world is watching and worrying about the potential outcome of the election with a second Trump term. 

And we got into empathy, one the themes from Duncan’s book, “GOP 2.0: How the 2020 Election Can Lead to a Better Way Forward for America's Conservative Party.

To wrap up (33:20), Chergosky gave his takes on the unique position that Duncan and Troye have put themselves in, going to multiple swing states, campaigning for Republicans to make that choice of Harris this election.

Two prominent Republicans, fed up with Donald Trump, stop in the WIZM studio Friday for La Crosse Talk PM to discuss why they’re touring the country to campaign for Kamala Harris. 
Ex-Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan of Georgia and former Mike Pence national security advisor Olivia Troye deep dive into why they feel this is such a crucial time for democracy, and the Republican Party, to vote for Harris and end Trump’s run in politics.
Adding to the discussion, UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky, who helps analyze the political spectrum of this election
Before starting that deep dive, though, we, of course, had to hit on Duncan’s baseball past — a standout pitcher at Georgia Tech and drafted by the Florida Marlins. We talked how he played around the same time Alex Rodriguez was with the Appleton Foxes. And we unlocked a core memory for Duncan, who used to be called “The Vulture” — as he somehow amassed 10 wins and 13 saves one season — and may now be called Vulture again, come the end of this election.
Politically, we discussed Trump flooding the media with outrageous rhetoric, and brought up two things he said just this week, including in Green Bay. At a <a href="https://x.com/atrupar/status/1851778142580384209">rally there Trump said </a>he’s going to protect all women and “I’m going to do it whether the women like it or not.”
We also discussed the “whisper caucus,” which is a group of conservatives done with the Republican Party under Trump and what that means for the future of the GOP.
In terms of National Security, we got into Trump sidling up to dictators and how the rest of the world is watching and worrying about the potential outcome of the election with a second Trump term. 
And we got into empathy, one the themes from Duncan’s book, “GOP 2.0: How the 2020 Election Can Lead to a Better Way Forward for America's Conservative Party.
To wrap up (33:20), Chergosky gave his takes on the unique position that Duncan and Troye have put themselves in, going to multiple swing states, campaigning for Republicans to make that choice of Harris this election.

La Crosse County Dem. chair Garcia with the perfect Donald Trump sci-fi analogy

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