Winter driving, La Crosse’s Tara Johnson is out, plus Republicans’ push for socialism in Wisconsin with UW-L political scientist Chergosky

UW-La Crosse political science professor, Dr. Anthony Chergosky, on La Crosse’s Tara Johnson dropping out of US House race, Wisconsin’s top Republican wants government-run healthcare, and feds clamping down on those “buckle-up” highway signs.

La Crosse Talk PM airs weekdays at 5:06 p.m. Listen on the WIZM app, online here, or on 92.3 FM / 1410 AM / 106.7 FM (north of Onalaska). Find all the podcasts here or subscribe to La Crosse Talk PM wherever you get your podcasts.

Early in the show (5:35) got into a bit of a rant about winter weather drivers in La Crosse, which led to a story about the feds clamping down on those interstate highway signs that creatively tell you to “buckle up.” Are they useless? Can they better be utilized?

After that, talked quick about a $5 million lawsuit against Hershey’s (15:30) because it didn’t put faces on its pumpkin Reece’s Peanut Butter cups, which just seems to be channeling comic Mitch Hedberg’s Kit-Kat take.

Bottom half of the show (22:00) was a lot of interesting state and local politics, including Wisconsin Assembly Leader Robin Vos not trusting private healthcare — private business — to run medical marijuana dispensaries. It very well could open the door for any Democrat to start campaigning on private health insurance being run the same way — for profit. 

We then weaved that into Vos, Wisconsin’s top Republican, facing a recall — not from Democrats — but from Republicans. That led to a conversation about the deadline for submitting new maps (32:00). Did the GOP rush in at the last minute with their version, after they argued to the state Supreme Court they didn’t have enough time to draw them?

Lastly, we talk La Crosse’s Johnson dropping out of the US House race (37:00), and how both Republican Derrick Van Orden and his opponents could do a better job at informing the public about what the House is doing.