Democrats Do Vote, Jarrod Anderson Doesn’t
Here at Milwaukee Beagle, we think there’s utility in giving even the most morally bereft, psychotically moderate Dem power player a point when they occasionally do something right. And even our closest, most reliable allies should be held accountable when they fuck up. With that, we bring you Democrat Dos and Don'ts: a weekly-ish feature highlighting the good dogs/gallants/ballers and the bad dogs/goofuses/scrubs in (mostly!) Milwaukee politics.
Democrats Vote in Important Elections
What does being a “Democrat” mean, exactly? Someone who reliably votes for Democrats? A party leader? An elected official who runs on the party’s ticket? Someone who’s registered as a Democrat (in the states that require or allow such things)? Someone who believes in collective management of our economy and society by workers, through democratic, non-coercive means? (Haha, jk, that’s… something else.)
At Milwaukee Beagle, we use the term “Democrat” broadly. Pretty much anyone on “The Left” who wants to make an impact in elections has to interface with the Democratic party in some way: voting for them, backing the most progressive (or socialist, or abolitionist) Democratic candidate in a primary, maybe even knocking doors or making calls for them if you can stomach it. Electoral campaign strategy reflects this: if you reliably vote for Democrats (even “fake Democrats” like Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders) you’re considered a “Strong Democrat” by some important mechanisms that measure such things.
So we’ll use that. If you regularly vote for Democrats (yes, even the progressives that party leaders hate), especially in important elections, you’re a Democrat. Good for you!
Jarrod Anderson Only Votes When He’s Running For Office
If “frequently votes for Democrats” is the qualification, Wisconsin Assembly District 19 candidate Jarrod Anderson isn’t much of a Democrat at all.
Here are a few recent, important elections that Jarrod didn’t vote in:
Anderson did not vote for now-Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction Jill Underly against Deborah Kerr, who has specifically said she supports private school vouchers and that “vouchers are here to stay.”
Anderson did not vote for Tony Evers against Tim Michels, a MAGA Republican and co-owner of the state’s largest construction company.
Anderson did not vote for Mandela Barnes against Ron Johnson, maybe the dumbest guy in the US Senate.
Anderson did not vote for Judge Janet Protasiewicz against Dan Kelly, in an election that may have finally restored some semblance of democracy to Wisconsin.
Here are the various excuses that Jarrod has given for not voting in Wisconsin before 2024 (the year he decided to unseat Ryan Clancy for deigning to visit UWM students protesting the war in Gaza[1], a conflict he now says he has no strong opinion on):
He was protecting his family from COVID, which precluded using an absentee ballot for some reason
He actually did vote during the pandemic, at some point, he vaguely recalls, apparently finding the sensation “confusing” and “frustrating.”
He didn’t register to vote when he first moved to Wisconsin because of “his father’s health.”
Two of these stated reasons are from the very same article. The bottom line is that Jarrod Anderson only started voting when he decided to unseat an incumbent Democrat –make of that what you will.
Footnotes:
1. This is very explicitly a reason Anderson gave for running on The Maggie Daun Show on Monday, May 13th, 2024 (timestamp 38:01) saying, “I’ve been disappointed with the current representative spending time at the UWM encampment,” a clear reference to students protesting in solidarity with Palestine.
