Hi Folks,
It was a glorious 40 degrees and sunny at the Tap Room in Minocqua yesterday.
That’s bad for winter sports enthusiasts and indicative of our shortening winters, but for me, it was an inspiring harbinger of a good week for Wisconsin and America.
Why?
I don’t think I’ve ever heard so much about a non-partisan Wisconsin judicial primary (happening this Tuesday) in my life, and I'm optimistic that a progressive candidate will make it through to the general election.
From national media to social media to receiving incessant text messages from well-meaning progressive organizations, I’ve been bowled over by the activism I’ve seen prior to a primary that seldom sees voter turnout rise above 20% of the population.
It seems like the entire country is focused on helping Wisconsin turn itself around by changing the balance of our Supreme Court and lifting it out of the pockets of Republican special interests.
The Minocqua Brewing Company has done what we can to support this effort. We raised tens of thousands of dollars through your donations and beer sales to put billboards up around the state in support of Fair Maps and the progressive frontrunner, Janet Protasiewicz. Through the Up North Podcast, we’ve looked at this race from many angles—gerrymandering, voter suppression, reproductive rights, and public education—and played 60 second clips on our social media channels every day for weeks from experts who all sang the same tune: In order get Wisconsin’s mojo back from the dystopian authoritarian path we’ve been on since 2011, we have to elect a progressive judge to this court.
Fixing Wisconsin is of course just one small step towards fixing America, but it’s an essential one. Wisconsin's Supreme Court must be a bulwark against our country’s reactionary high court, which under the leadership of John Roberts, has seen a huge decline in public trust.
I’m hopping on a plane tonight to fly to Washington DC, where I’ll be meeting with both wine shops and reproductive rights organizations to discuss how Choice Sauvignon Blanc, our new wine made in partnership with Equality Wines, might help move the needle in efforts to codify Roe and make it harder for SCOTUS to hurt women again.
While in DC, we’re going to have a special Up North Podcast (please watch the promo here) featuring Jim Obergefell of Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark SCOTUS case that gave marriage equality to the U.S.
I’ve come to know Jim because he is part owner of Equality Vines, our partner in winemaking, and I’m in awe of his story and want to retell it to our podcast audience.
Weather permitting, we hope to do the podcast from the Supreme Court building, signifying how “Trump’s Court” has not only betrayed women by reversing Roe, but now also threatens to reverse the hard-won rights of the LGTBQ community.
So that’s it for this week folks, it’s time to pack up and catch a flight to our nation’s capital.
If you’re a Wisconsinite, please remember to vote this Tuesday.
Wherever you are, thanks for reading, and thanks for sticking with the Minocqua Brewing Company.
Together, let’s keep doing what we can to help right the ship in Wisconsin—one beer, glass of wine, and can of coffee at a time…(hint hint)
Kirk Bangstad
Owner, Minocqua Brewing Company
Founder, Minocqua Brewing Company Super PAC