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The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

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People’s Legislature looks toward future

The People’s Legislature intends to expand its influence beyond Madison, after more than 1,100 people showed up to draft a platform for state political reform at the Alliant Energy Center at a meeting Jan. 4.

The People’s Legislature is comprised of a multi-partisan group of citizens who consider themselves “politically homeless,” according to Mike McCabe, the executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.

According to McCabe, at least three to four additional regional forums to push the Legislature’s agenda and mobilize people around the state are planned during the next few months. Current planned meetings will take place in Eau Claire, Hayward, Milwaukee and Green Bay.

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“There’s a tremendous amount of energy at the local level to follow up this event,” McCabe said.

McCabe said the Jan. 4 turnout was unexpected and a “good first step” to achieve political change in Wisconsin. A goal of 500 people was set for the meeting, McCabe said.

“We thought when we ordered 900 chairs we were being incredibly optimistic,” he said.

The number of people was especially unexpected because the day of the meeting was a workday after the holidays, McCabe said.

“It speaks to the hunger that is out there for reform and the chance to become politically involved again,” he said. “Our goal is to build a grassroots movement to take back government and restore democracy. We’d like to get those 1,100 people to build this into an organization of 50,000 people statewide.”

McCabe invited former gubernatorial candidate Ed Thompson, the Libertarian Party of Wisconsin Chairman, to speak at the Jan. 4 meeting.

“I think Madison is the head of the spear — Madison will direct [political reform],” Thompson said during an interview.

One of the main goals of the Legislature and something he hopes can change is the two-party duopoly, Thompson said.

“I hope we can wake up to the fact that we can take our state back,” he said. “We shouldn’t have to be politically homeless.”

However, Thompson said he remains pessimistic about prospects for change, a thought University of Wisconsin political science professor Kenneth Mayer echoed.

“I don’t know if a third party will ever be able to be a voice without money,” he said. “The two-party system is a fundamental part of American politics. It’s not easy and I doubt we’ll see third parties spring up.”

There remains reason for optimism, McCabe said. He described Jan. 4 as a “magical” day because the citizens who attended the meetings were able to “unite around something we all could agree on.”

The “common agendas” McCabe referred to are the resolutions passed at the meeting: reform of political contributions, legislative redistricting to create competitive elections and local fiscal control, according to the Fightingbob.com website.

McCabe and Fightingbob.com are both responsible for the founding of the People’s Legislature, according to Ed Thompson and Ed Garvey, who runs the Fightingbob.com website.

Future forums have been scheduled for northwestern Wisconsin in March and Milwaukee in May.

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