OPINION:
The mask is starting to come off for several radical candidates who are trying to appear reasonable in the last few days before the midterms. Whether voters pay attention will determine the outcomes of several key elections.
Former President Barack Obama rolled into Michigan to campaign for democratic socialist Abdul El-Sayed. He proclaimed that Republicans were trying to scare voters with negative ads and said it is not radical to say that everyone should have access to healthcare.
How ironic, coming from the politician who infamously proclaimed, “If you like your healthcare plan, you can keep it.” It was PolitiFact’s Lie of the Year.
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Voters in the Wolverine State are starting to wake up to the idea that “Medicare for All” means private-sector union workers will no longer get the healthcare plans they bargained for in the past.
Mr. El-Sayed, the doctor without a license to practice medicine anywhere in the United States, is trying to prescribe government-run healthcare — but still claims that union workers and others who want to keep their plans may do so. Just like Mr. Obama, he is not telling the truth.
In Wisconsin, the race for governor just got even stranger, as a Democratic operative in the state contends that Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley was persuaded to suspend his campaign for governor this year and endorse the lieutenant governor’s campaign.
The deal involved sending $250,000 to Mr. Crowley’s campaign coffers and securing a job for his wife in the new administration, according to The Daily Wire. Eventually, Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez’s campaign collapsed, and the liberal establishment scrambled to counter the democratic socialist. The county executive was recruited back into the race.
Voters sensed something was off, but a Democratic strategist is now verifying the dirty deeds.
The bigger problem for Mr. Crowley, however, is his lackluster debate performance and his statement that he was open to tolls in Wisconsin. The Chicago Bears might be the only thing from Illinois more dreaded than toll roads. Rep. Tom Tiffany’s campaign wasted no time getting hard-hitting ads up on the issue.
Mr. Crowley’s record of raising taxes every year in office and his newfound love for tolls make it hard for him to run credibly on cost-of-living issues.
A Fox News poll published Oct. 14 reveals that political corruption ranks higher as a concern among voters than the cost of living and the economy. My theory is that the issues go hand in hand, as hardworking taxpayers are fed up with stories of fraud and waste in government programs.
Plus, the wave of illegal aliens who crossed the border during the Biden administration is eating up government benefits and raising the cost of essential goods.
We see this clearly in Minnesota, where the fraud issue has put liberal candidates such as Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan in a tough spot in the U.S. Senate race. Ms. Flanagan bragged about being in the room for all of the major decisions with Gov. Tim Walz.
Minnesotans used to be called Minnesota Nice, not suckers for fraud. It is also affecting other statewide races, as Mr. Walz’s fraud problem is an albatross around the necks of these radical candidates.
As if that were not enough, Rep. Ilhan Omar, Minnesota Democrat, appeared on stage Monday with controversial streamer Hasan Piker. He is the guy who once said that America deserved 9/11. When people tell you who they are, believe them.
Ms. Omar’s answer — “Not to my knowledge” — when asked whether she was married to her brother, sounds like the answer Minnesota Democrats give when asked about fraud or Hasan Piker. Voters are not buying it.
Finally, on a nonpolitical note, it has been a joy watching the Milwaukee Brewers play baseball this year. I still remember going to games at Milwaukee County Stadium with my parents and brother. We loved watching players such as Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, Gorman Thomas and Rollie Fingers.
Later, Tonette and I took our sons, Matt and Alex, to games at that same stadium until the new American Family Field opened 25 years ago. We have been going there ever since and now love taking our daughters-in-law too.
We have gone through opening days, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, tailgates, Little League events, sausage races, Bernie Brewer slides, running around the bases on Sundays, brats, beer and plenty of Bob Uecker’s “Get up, get up, get outta here. GONE!”
“Win Our Way” was a perfect slogan for the 2026 Milwaukee Brewers, as this scrappy bunch of ballplayers found a way to contribute from the top of the order to the bottom and through the entire bullpen. It was a total team effort and a big win for the old-fashioned, hard-nosed baseball that typifies the good people of Milwaukee and Wisconsin.
Congratulations to our Brew Crew!
• Scott Walker is a columnist for The Washington Times. He was the 45th governor of Wisconsin and launched a bid for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. He lives in Milwaukee and is the proud owner of a 2003 Harley-Davidson Road King. He can be reached at swalker@washingtontimes.com.
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