Randy Bryce

Randy Bryce

Last November, voters in Wisconsin helped elect a president with no history of public service or knowledge of how government works. Donald Trump lacks familiarity with the Constitution, world history, foreign policy — the list goes on.

How did this happen?

Trump voters said they were tired of politics and politicians. Perhaps they were also tired of fact-based reality — which for many is a hard reality indeed.

To some extent, the election of Trump was a thought experiment in thoughtless leadership, with his supporters longing to show that those high falutin’ people like Hillary Clinton — people who “know things” — are grossly overrated.

Unfortunately for all of us, this thought experiment was doomed from the start.

Still, Wisconsinites who really are tired of professional politicians have a chance to get it right next year. Voters in the state’s 1st Congressional District will have the opportunity to fire the deeply entrenched, partisan hack who’s claimed to represent their interests since 1999.

Paul Ryan is the ultimate political insider and hardcore, principles-be-damned politician. There is almost 20 years’ worth of evidence, but one need look back no farther than last year’s presidential race.

Ryan was dead-set against Trump — before he morphed into one of The Donald’s most unabashed shills. Trying to score a win for his new bestie, Ryan cobbled together and forced through the House an Obamacare “repeal and replace” bill that happily throws your granny off Medicaid to give his wealthy sponsors billion-dollar tax breaks. Perhaps the “aw-shucks” Ryan even shares Trump’s gilded tastes: In 2011, a voter confronted him at one of Washington’s toniest restaurants about his proposal to cut Medicare while he was downing two $350 bottles of pinot noir with a couple of other “free-market” economists.

Man of the people or “Lyin’ Ryan”? He is — in fact —precisely the sort of Washington elitist Trump supporters claim to despise.

Well, now those supporters have a chance to make a difference. Ryan has drawn an opponent for his 2018 re-election bid who is the real deal — the kind of decent, common man for whom mid-America said it longed during the 2016 election cycle.

Mustachioed ironworker Randy Bryce is as far from a professional politician as Ryan is from being an actual economist. Bryce is living the same life as hard-working Americans throughout this nation. He understands the issues that impact them. He is a true representative of the 1st Congressional District, and as such he should represent it in Congress.

The cowardly Ryan spent the recent congressional recess dodging constituents to avoid explaining his heartless health care bill. Meanwhile, Bryce has been raising his profile as a working man who wants to work for working people.

In mid-June, Bryce announced his campaign online with a video that quickly racked up more than half a million views. The Bryce campaign also raised $400,000 in under two weeks, prompting another would-be Ryan challenger to drop out and throw his support behind Bryce.

The Wisconsin Working Families Party made Bryce its first endorsement for next year's midterm elections, which should help him attract donations and rally progressive Democrats around his candidacy.

But as November 2018 approaches, the Koch brothers and other self-serving billionaires who hold Ryan on a tight leash will saturate the airwaves and the internet with lies about Bryce, just as they did to Russ Feingold in last year’s Senate race. The Russians may help out with their own disinformation campaign on behalf of Trump’s lapdog.

The Republican National Congressional Committee is already feeling the heat. The group issued a dire warning to its followers after Bryce called for universal healthcare during an appearance on CNN. The ultra wealthy are not going to let their flagship legislator go down without a dirty, expensive fight.

Don’t let your family, friends and co-workers fall for another campaign of outrageous lies and character assassination. Start learning the truth about Bryce and what he stands for now. Go to randybryceforcongress.com and find out how you can support him.

Next year might well be the best opportunity that Wisconsin has had in two decades to get rid of one of the worst actors on the national political stage. We cannot let the opportunity pass without putting up one hell of a battle.

The 1st Congressional District includes all of Racine and Kenosha counties, most of Walworth County and portions of Rock, Waukesha and Milwaukee counties.

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