A rock concert sized crowd packed the Overture Center in downtown Madison on Friday, July 17, eager to hear former Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler talk about his new book, “This is the Plan: How to End America’s Meltdown and Save Democracy.”

People are desperate for a little optimism and a sense of direction and Wikler offers both, served with a big smile and a hefty dose of energetic encouragement. To enthusiastic applause, he described, during an hour-long conversation on stage with former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, how Wisconsin has played a starring role in the fight against authoritarianism and the destruction of democracy by a greedy, corrupt elite. He cast the long battle against former Republican Gov. Scott Walker in heroic terms, connecting it to progress during Gov. Tony Evers’ two terms in office, the end of Republican gerrymandering, the defeat of Elon Musk’s preferred candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the election of a new liberal Court majority and, prospectively, a Democratic sweep of state government this fall. 

The Walker fight was a warmup for the battle against Donald Trump and the unprecedented destruction of society he unleashed, Wikler said. Our state is an example to the nation, leading the way in a people-powered fight to restore a more humane, civilized society.

Listening to him you could forget for a moment how tenuous Wisconsin’s political situation is, and how rocky the Democratic primary has been right up to the eve of an election that will determine who faces Trump’s choice for governor, Tom Tiffany, in November.

But the lesson Wikler is offering is not that political victory is a sure thing. The “plan” he’s devised involves a lot of hard work and a difficult fight. The outcome is far from certain. But he makes a solid case that organizing is the best antidote to despair and has resulted in some impressive victories here in Wisconsin.

It took years after the massive, historic protests of 2011 to defeat Walker, who survived a recall effort and went on to be elected to a second term before Evers beat him by a narrow 1-point margin in 2018. 

Evers hasn’t unwound all the damage Walker and the Republican Legislature did to workers, state agencies and, most of all, public schools in Wisconsin, but in Wikler’s opinion he did a great job playing defense against an arrogant, destructive Republican majority in the Legislature and put the state on the right path. Now that we have fair maps, the days of Republican supermajority control are over and Wisconsin is on its way to restoring labor rights and a once-great school system, Wikler says. Some public schools advocates who feel deeply disappointed by the “education governor” might disagree. Schools all over Wisconsin are in desperate financial shape and the ever-expanding private school voucher program, which is draining their resources, coupled with austerity budgets passed by the Republicans and signed by Evers, have left Wisconsin public schools in desperate shape. Advocates are angry that Evers didn’t get more done.

But broadly, Wikler makes a good case for optimism. And that is not just helpful, it’s necessary. Reminding people of past triumphs and encouraging them to fight for something better is the only way out of our current fix.

We are living in dangerous times. We need leaders to help bring us together. 

In the governor’s race, we saw yet another top candidate drop out this week under a cloud of damaging allegations. 

Meanwhile Wisconsin is reeling from a horrible police shooting, and a powerful tornado just leveled several communities days after wildfire smoke blanketed parts of the state, a reminder of the existential threat of climate change.

In the face of these challenges, and under a violent authoritarian regime, it’s easy to see how things can spin out of control. People are angry, desperate, divided.

Wikler offers a better vision. We could pull together and recommit to a peaceful, generous and unifying vision. It’s helpful to reflect on how we’ve done that before.

In the primary, ultimately voters have to come together behind a single candidate or just accept losing a high-stakes race.

But the same idea applies to communities buffeted by natural disasters. Politicians who deny what’s happening are betraying all of us, regardless of political party. We need to prepare and protect ourselves from the undeniable bad weather that’s going to continue to come our way and we need to organize ourselves to stop destroying the planet before there’s nothing left to protect.

On a smaller scale, Madison leaders need to engage with the protesters on Willy Street, take meaningful steps to address the series of appalling police killings in that neighborhood, and figure out how to allow the life of the neighborhood to go on, as tempers fray over an indefinite encampment on the site where Ruiz was shot.

Division and fear are part of what plagues the Madison neighborhood where a police officer killed Ruiz by shooting him in the head after knocking him off a bicycle in a shocking, broad-daylight encounter. Well-meaning neighbors and local officials have blocked streets and canceled community events in part to show solidarity with the protesters and mourners who set up the encampment, but also out of fear that those protesters will disrupt more events after they shut down the Concert on the Square, the Dane County Farmers’ Market, and a city press conference following the shooting. The fear is a symptom of our mutual isolation of an anxious, segregated city that wants to be progressive but has a long way to go toward fostering real inclusion. It ought to be possible to accommodate political speech and healthy public dialogue about racism, violence and injustice right in the same common space where local businesses remain open and we hold inclusive community events. The shutdown and the silent standoff with no visible movement by either the city or the protesters is becoming dysfunctional and driving people further apart. 

In a way it’s not surprising that the wheels are coming off the wagon in local communities as we face more rage, despair and bleak news every day. We are living in a click-bait world. We need to get out of fight-or-flight mode and connect with each other, discover our common interests and organize to build the society we want. 

That’s Wikler’s vision. It beats the hell out of being divided and conquered.

Parts of the city of Menasha and the nearby village of Fox Crossing remained inaccessible Tuesday after an EF3 tornado — the third highest classification meaning a “severe” tornado with wind speeds between 136-165 miles per hour — struck the Fox Valley Monday afternoon. 

Downed powerlines and blocked streets have shut down access to the communities while emergency response crews continue to assess the damage and restore power and water. Officials say they’ve had zero fatalities and no serious injuries reported. 

“Just looking at the twisted metal and rooftops of some of the industrial buildings along the highway, it’s hard to describe the level of damage,” Winnebago County Executive Gordon Hintz told the Wisconsin Examiner. “We’ve had tornadoes in Wisconsin before, but in an urbanized area, the level of destruction is just incredible and we’re going to need time and patience and hopefully with everybody’s support we can get people back on their feet.”

Wanda Tracy, a spokesperson for Winnebago County, said Tuesday afternoon that responders were still in “discovery mode” to assess the damage of the storm. 

At a Tuesday evening media briefing, Menasha Police Department spokesperson Matthew Roe said that 68 people were transported to area hospitals Monday with tornado-related injuries, referring to them as  “walking wounded.” He added that crews have conducted two searches of the area to try to find people who might be trapped in their homes and assess the damage to roads and powerlines. 

A curfew is in place in Menasha from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. and parts of both Menasha and Fox Crossing remain under boil-water orders and thousands of people still don’t have power. 

Hintz said that although much of the area was devastated, the timing of the storm was “lucky” because most people aren’t home at midday on a Monday. 

“We have considerable challenges however,” he said. “Roadways are blocked with debris, there are downed power lines presenting both a danger and risk. Some people can’t access their  property, and if they can there’s no power and it may be several days until power is restored.” 

“It’s a mess and we’re going to need some patience,” he added. 

Community response

Residents and businesses across the Fox Valley quickly jumped into action following the storm, with community organizations working to distribute bottled water and assistance to families. 

“It’s amazing to see people come to support, even those affected,” Rebecca Rockhill, executive director of the northeast Wisconsin Red Cross, told the Examiner. 

Rockhill was managing a shelter established at Christ the Rock Community Church in Menasha where 38 people spent the night Monday following the storm. She said that more than 60 people had arrived at the site Tuesday to get meals, resources and charge their phones. 

Hotels throughout the region were fully booked Tuesday.

Rockhill said that the best way to support the Red Cross recovery efforts is through financial donations to help purchase equipment such as tarps, rakes and garbage bags to help with cleanup. 

Down the street at the former UW-Oshkosh Fox Cities campus, Carolyn Desrosiers, CEO of Volunteer Fox Cities, was leading the effort to coordinate the more than 1,000 volunteers who came to help. Pallets of bottled water sat outside the campus planetarium building. She said that the first donation of the day came from an 11-year-old boy who came to give his allowance.

“We’re focused on helping organize the helpers,” she said. “It’s awful to wait but help is on the way.” 

Desrosiers added that people who want to help should go sign up at the coordination center to register and get a safety briefing so they learn what is needed, how to stay out of the way of work crews and stay safe around the downed powerlines. 

Roe said at the Tuesday evening briefing that the most needed donations were Lysol wipes, diapers, cleaning supplies, hearing and eye protection.

Disaster relief

Gov. Tony Evers announced a state of emergency for the region on Tuesday. 

“We are continuing to assess the devastation and destruction Wisconsin is seeing, especially in the Fox Cities, and we are committed to doing everything we can to help every family, business, and community affected recover,” Evers said in a statement. “This emergency declaration will ensure every available resource is deployed so we can respond quickly to the needs on the ground, and I want to thank the neighbors, emergency and first responders, local partners, and volunteers who are already working to help to restore essential services, clean up neighborhoods, and assess the damages. Together, we will recover and recover stronger, and I ask everyone to keep the families and communities affected in your thoughts over the coming days and weeks as they rebuild.” 

Hintz told the Examiner the emergency declaration will help move resources and that he’s making a request for National Guard troops to come bolster the “capacity to clean up.” 

“We need more manpower and equipment to clear some roadways to get the utility and power back on for people that have a home to return to,” he said. 

On Tuesday, the Winnebago County website displayed banners directing people to the tornado response and to federal disaster relief for the major flooding that hit the region in April. 

In recent months, the federal disaster relief system has been under a microscope due to President Donald Trump’s unwillingness to provide funds to areas represented by Democrats.

Rep. Lee Snodgrass (D-Appleton) told the Examiner that there’s an effort among legislators of both parties to “nudge that along at a federal level.” 

“When a disaster strikes a community, partisan politics are put aside locally and we try to come together as a group and help our neighbors,” she said. 

Climate Change 

The tornado hit the state just weeks after wildfires in Canada and northern Minnesota blanketed Wisconsin with smoke while record-breaking heat domes pushed temperatures dangerously high. 

Wisconsin has also seen an above average number of tornadoes and severe storms this summer as climate change shifts the country’s weather patterns. 

Snodgrass said that on Tuesday, one of her staff members was at the National Conference of State Legislatures summit in Chicago where he attended a panel on disaster management and mitigation. 

“This is part of the reason why Democrats so desperately want a trifecta,” she said, referring to hopes that the party can win both houses of the Legislature and the governor’s office this year. “The time to do something about this was 20 years ago. To stave back the occurrence of these natural disasters we’re going to have to make some pretty impactful legislation move forward.”