Establishment Democrats Too Often Cower in Fear instead of Act with Courage
Because Establishment Democrats Too Often Cower in Fear instead of Act with Courage, They Must be Defeated By Progressives in Tuesday's Primary
That's why I voted for Francesca Hong in Wisconsin and am supporting Peggy Flanagan in Minnesota
Hi Folks,
Kirk Bangstad here, owner of the Minocqua Brewing Company. I’m writing three days before two primaries that will decide which Democrats will be Wisconsin’s nominee for Governor, and Minnesota’s nominee for U.S. Senate, respectively.
Many of you are receiving this email for the first time—because you’ve recently bought our beer or merchandise after reading about our infamous “Free Beer Day” promotion, or after reading about the resulting blow back that put our statewide brewer’s license in jeopardy.
While I’d prefer to use this nationwide media attention to introduce new friends to our progressive mission, I’m going to cut right to the chase and ask you to vote for courageous progressives next Tuesday and throughout the upcoming elections in November.
If you don’t want to read the rest of this essay that explains why I’ve moved from being an establishment Democrat over the last 5 years to one who wants to replace the establishment with left-wing progressives across the country, then please just do this:
Vote for Francesca Hong for Wisconsin’s Governor and Peggy Flanagan for Minnesota’s U.S. Senator next Tuesday’s primary.
Now for the rest of the story.
After becoming a progressive activist in 2020, I’ve continuously seen establishment Democrats cower in fear instead of act with courage; and for that reason, I think it’s time to make some big changes in our party.
In the graph above, I compiled a list of the major projects my Super PAC undertook since I formed it in 2021. We raised and spent over $2 million to keep Wisconsin blue over the last five years, and I learned a LOT about how the sausage gets made in Wisconsin state politics and how our system of justice is completely unjust.
Here’s a timeline of what happened over the last 5 years that moved me further to the left and created my disdain for Establishment Democrats.
Positive stuff my Super PAC did while I was an "Establishment” Democrat
2021—Paid Citizen Action of Wisconsin $40K to call thousands of voters in Northern Wisconsin and tell them why gerrymandering was bad.
2022—Helped Governor Evers get re-elected through a massive “Choose Reason over Treason” billboard campaign across Wisconsin, and sold “Evers Ale” beer.
2023—Helped flip Wisconsin’s Supreme Court from conservative to progressive with a massive billboard campaign for Janet Protasiewicz, while selling “Lady Justice” Hefeweizen in stores.
2024—Funded a 12-city rural musical tour to sign up volunteers to get the vote out for Kamala Harris. The tour was funded by donations and through the sale of “Antifa Octoberfist” seasonal Festbier.
Negative stuff that started making me question whether I should stick with Establishment Democrats
2020—I asked the Oneida County Democratic Party to help me host an “Inoculation Emancipation Party” when the vaccine came out.
Result? They were too scared, so I partnered instead with the Portage County and Dane County Health departments to give out a “Shot (vaccine) and a Beer.”
2021—Sued to force Wisconsin public school students to wear masks while in class to protect teachers from getting Covid.
Result? The wheels of justice moved too slowly to help teachers, because the Covid vaccine was created that made the lawsuit moot. This was my first taste that judges in Wisconsin didn’t want to stick their necks out to do what was right.
Wisconsin’s teacher’s union (WEAC) refused to endorse our law suit, even though it would have directly helped their members. This was the moment I started wondering how effective the Wisconsin’s teachers union was.
2022—Sued to remove Senator Ron Johnson, Rep. Tom Tiffany, and Rep. Scott Fitzgerald from office for aiding and abetting the January 6th insurrection
Result? Federal Judge Lynn Adelman dismissed our case. Said our plaintiffs from around the state didn’t have standing to sue. This was my second taste that judges in Wisconsin didn’t want to “rock the boat.”
This lawsuit could have moved forward if Wisconsin’s Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul decided to take it up. Instead, like Merrick Garland, he refused to hold these documented insurrectionists accountable.
2023—Sued Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to end the parasitic private school voucher program in Wisconsin.
Result? Wisconsin’s “Establishment Left” Supreme Court denied to hear our case after Establishment Democratic “Education” Governor Tony Evers' asked them NOT TO TAKE it—even though the DPI was working with us to help show Wisconsin’s Supreme Court that the voucher school system was “unequal,” and thus unconstitutional.
After Evers tried to block our lawsuit, DPI Secretary Jill Underly, another Establishment Democrat, refused to publicly support our case even though her department was working with us to help build it.
WEAC, the NEA, and the Education Law Center (Wisconsin’s Teacher’s Union, America’s Teacher’s Union, and a national group of lawyers who fight against voucher schools, respectively) all refused to help keep our lawsuit going in circuit court, even though they agreed it could have been successful. This gave me a sense that the public education leaders in Wisconsin and nationally, while complaining about how vouchers were killing public education, weren’t bold enough to actually fix the problem. They’d let me drain my Super PAC’s coffers to support their members, but refused to put any of their own skin in the game.
Moments since Trump was elected that I felt let down by Establishment Democrats
2024—Immediately after Trump was elected, the entire Democratic establishment started talking about the need for “bipartisanship,” all while DOGE was dismantling our nonpartisan federal bureaucracy and institutions. James Carville told Democrats to “play dead” instead of fight back, and I believe this was the time we got the famous Chuck Schumer quote “I wrote a strongly worded letter to the President.”
2025—We had them on the ropes before the 2025 holidays, when Democrats finally decided to shut down government unless ICE stopped shooting people in broad daylight and trampling all over our constitutional rights. The Establishment caved and re-opened government without reining in ICE or clawing back any of the healthcare benefits we lost after the “Big Beautiful Bill” was passed. This was my first introduction to the “rotating villain theory,” which suggested that a number of establishment Democrats in the U.S. Senate took turns “killing” progressive legislation so that no single senator had to take all the blame from their Democratic constituents. Unfortunately, I believe Wisconsin’s own Senator Tammy Baldwin is part of this “rotating villain” political theater.
2026—This happened again and again with regard to the Epstein Files and the Iran War. Democratic Senators, while in the minority, had the power to shut down the government as leverage to force the majority to bend, but refused to use that power.
Last Week—With the threat of Trump’s personal lawyer, Todd Blanche, being confirmed as the Attorney General—and as a result, being allowed to use America’s Department of Justice as a state-sponsored weapon against Trump’s opposition— Chuck Schumer folded like a chair. Once again, the establishment Democrats in the Senate minority approved a continuing resolution to fund Government until December.
As a result of establishment Democrats continuing to “play dead” at both the federal and state level, the progressive wing of the Democratic party—fueled by groups such as “Indivisible” and the “Democratic Socialists of America”—have backed progressive opponents to Democratic incumbents as a way to change the party from within.
Special interest groups—most notably AIPAC, a pro-Israel group—have funneled money into these primaries to support establishment Democrats. Their money, in a number of these races, especially El-Sayed’s in Michigan, hasn’t seemed to work. Rank and file Democrats aren’t stupid, and after seeing their leaders caving to special interests to the detriment of the working class for decades, and after seeing how Trump’s slow-rolling dictatorship continues to threaten our existence as a Democratic Republic—they’re ready to “kick the bums out.”
And I’m with them.
Folks, Democratic politicians can no longer tinker around the edges of progress while pretending that the millions of dollars that flood their campaigns haven’t stopped them from voting against us. It’s time for a non-violent, revolutionary change in America that helps us get our Democracy back.
While I’m still doubtful that Trump will allow America to hold free and fair elections this November, and while I still believe that his handlers will devise an “October Surprise” that throws our elections into absolute chaos, we have to hope for the best and at least try to elect candidates who will lead with courage instead of cower in fear.
Just last week, Governor Tony Evers essentially told Wisconsin Democrats to NOT VOTE for Francesca Hong, who is currently leading the rest of the Democratic primary field by 30%. His reasoning was that he “feared” she would be beaten by Trump’s Wisconsin stooge, Tom Tiffany, in the general election— because she’s “too far left.”
This move against the overwhelming sentiment of rank and file Democrats, as shown in the polls, is ludicrous and out-of-touch. Hong lead’s with courage, which America and Wisconsin clamors for. Evers, throughout his tenure as governor, perpetually played defense because he (rightfully) feared that the Republican majority in Wisconsin’s legislature would further harm all of us if given the chance.
By the way, if “too far left” means demanding universal healthcare/childcare, fully funding public schools, declaring a moratorium on AI data center construction, and most importantly—using the full force of Wisconsin’s state government to stand up to ICE and stop further abuse from the Trump regime—then I want to be in the “too far left” camp!
Folks, if you haven’t voted yet, please go to the polls and vote for courage instead of fear—which in Wisconsin and Minnesota means voting for Hong and Flanagan. History has shown us, especially after Franklin Delano Roosevelt guided us out of the Great Depression and through World War II, that when we stop “fearing” fear, we elect true leaders who adopt progressive policies that make our lives better.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for sticking with the Minocqua Brewing Company.
Together, we must lead with courage instead of fear, one beer at a time.
Kirk Bangstad
Owner, Minocqua Brewing Company/Minocqua Marketplace
Publisher, Minocqua Brewing Company Times.
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Discussion about this post
https://minocquabrewingcompanytimes.substack.com/p/because-establishment-democrats-too
100% I support Francesca Hong and Peggy Flanagan. Thank you all who have the balls to stand with us! And let me add that Tammy Baldwin is absofuckinglutely one of those establishment democrats.
very well stated. people have been complaining about the 2 party system forever; claiming they are 2 wings of the same bird. now is our chance (perhaps our last chance) to really mobilize and make a difference. we are voting enthusiastically for Hong and supporting the progressives wherever possible!