Jay Weber Show transcript 2-20-25
My friends- I don’t think Dan Bice of the Journal Sentinel is a ‘wildly biased’ reporter. I don’t view him as routinely ‘unfair’ or ‘overtly biased’.
But I do believe he lets his left-wing bias show in several of the stories he writes- or how he writes them.
For example: yesterday’s headline and story about how Elon Musk has chosen to spend at least 1.5-million dollars to try to help elect brad Schimel to our state supreme court.
The headline on the story is: Brad Schimel says he’s not for sale after Elon musk group drops 1.5-mil in his race.
And sure enough-that’s Dan Bice’s take: he felt the need to seek out Schimel and ask if musk is ‘buying him’, apparently.
First- I’d point to the overall ‘tone’ of the story- which is clearly meant to lead readers to believe that something unseemly or unfair is occurring here- because musk and Uihlein are spending on the race-which is nonsense...
And second: i cannot ever remember Dan Bice writing a story-complete with a suggestive headline- when billionaires JB Pritzker and George Soros lept into this race -early- to fund Susan Crawford.
And in fairness-Bice has mentioned their spending in articles, yes. And he does in this one, ultimately. It comes way, way, way, at the end of the story.
So, Bice and his j/s editors have mentioned that socialist billionaires Soros and Pritzker have given Susan Crawford chunks of money...but it has never been couched as them trying to ‘buy the seat’ for Crawford...and I cannot remember ever seeing a headline that suggests Crawford was ‘being bought’ by Soros or Pritzker.
Not even though-truth be told-it is routine. Routine. For left-wing billionaires to dump huge sums of money into campaigns like this- and much-less-so on the right side of the aisle.
In fact, having someone with the profile of Elon Musk enter a statewide race like this is rare and noteworthy-yes- and so, it’s a perfectly appropriate topic for a news story....but...when democrat billionaires trying to buy these races for their side of the aisle has been going on for at least a decade- why aren’t their candidates ever scrutinized for it? Or asked if they are being ‘bought’ by the left?
This is simply another example of the sort of bias that the reporters and editors at the J/S- do not think- that they have. And they do.
In fact, the j/s editors are rather famous for creating headlines that are intentionally meant to leave a ‘certain impression’...or ‘color the story’ you are about to read.
It’s no coincidence that so many j/s headlines end up in democrat campaign ads, come election time. I am convinced that -in the midst of campaigns-at least some of them are intentionally written by j/s execs. so they can be used by the campaigns. It simply happens too often not to be intentional.
The payoff for the newspaper is obvious: their paper’s name is featured prominently on all the ads with their catchy headlines-and- the editors atop the paper- who are clearly and openly liberal- get to participate in a sort of ‘in kind’ contribution for their party.
If it’s headline news that Elon Musk is spending 1.5 million in the Supreme Court race-then it should be headlining news that long-time America-hater and villain of the right- George Soros- is spending at least a million dollars, as well. And that JB Pritzker, the billionaire Illinois governor, is spending half a million. So far.
I have no doubt that both of those men and their PACS are going to plow even more money into the Crawford campaign-and effort- before April first.
And I hope! Elon musk spends millions more- just to match them.
But see-in our side of the aisle- we can only hope, against hope, against hope-that some of our millionaire and billionaires-on our side of the aisle- will choose to donate and participate.
On the left side of the aisle- they don’t have to ‘hope’ or worry. They know a torrent of outside money will be there for them-from their many, many, billionaires and millionaires.
I guarantee you Susan Crawford hasn’t lost a moment’s sleep-worrying whether she can attract billionaire donors or whether she can keep pace with Schimel's spending.
She knew from the start the money would be there to swamp under the GOP and Schimel effort.
Know it from moment one.
But I can guarantee you that Brad Schimel has lost a lot of sleep over this ever since he got into the race: will i possibly keep pace with the left’s level of funding? And if so, how? Who comes to my rescue?
That is how slanted the money race is right now- here in Wisconsin and in most other states.
Democrats do not. Lose the money race. Ever.
And look at how POd they seem to be that Schimel’s team seems to be at least matching them. Keeping pace.
It’s just expected that Soros and Pritzker and other leftist billionaires are going to dump money onto the left’s candidates...but look at how they view the same sort of activity on the right?
It's portrayed as if Elon musk is tampering and trying to illegally rig the playing field.
No. That’s what democrats do.
They just hate it when they see their own long-time game used against them.
And having watched elections at all levels for 35 years now- i can tell you that the democrats hate nothing more- ooooooo
They really get enraged- when they can’t tip the playing field in their advantage.
I have never seen democrats-as a group- hotter and more enraged- than when their cheating schemes are being blocked and/or their built-in advantages are being taken away.
Voter id? They -raged- against it. And still are.
Ban ballot harvesting? They rage against it.
Find a billionaire to match their spending on Susan Crawford? They are enraged at this.
And felt the need to run to Dan Bice and try to spin it as a negative that they can use.
In fact-Susan Crawford’s campaign posted on social media yesterday:
Elon musk is buying off Brad Schimel.
And-
Elon Musk is trying to buy off Brad Schimel and take over control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court so that Schimel can rubber-stamp an extreme agenda of banning abortion and cozying up to corporations
This is a woman who’s been shoveled a million dollars of George Soros’s money- at least. And half a million dollars of JB Pritzker’s money. And he’s going to try to say with a straight face: Elon musk is buying Brad Schimel?
Well then, she was ‘bought and paid for’ weeks ago.
And when it comes to Musk’s money and involvement- I’m happier about the ‘free media’ and ‘free added profile’ that he brings to the race: just having Elon musk posting about it on X....or mentioning it occasionally in interviews...is going to bring a new level of awareness to this race across the state. And frankly, that’s the sort of ‘Elon Musk’ participation that the democrats should be more worried about.
This is a spring race. It is a lower turnout election. So, if Musk’s involvement has more farmers and factory workers and hard-working Wisconsinites around the state- not only aware that it’s going on-but more motivated to vote- fantastic.
That’s what I’d be most excited about- when it comes to Elon Musk. By law-Schimel and his campaign can’t have any direct contract and can’t coordinate-
But if i was Brian Shimming or Tommy Thompson- and had a direct line to Donald Trump and Elon Musk- I’d say: thank you for the financial generosity, Elon, and if you care to help out even more...even just one post a week, or every other day, over the next six weeks would be a huge help.
Your brand, alone, elevates the awareness of this race.
This is the first really big ‘show down race’ of 2025- after the shocking shift among voters last fall. And if we on the right can tap into that ‘GOP enthusiasm’...Brad Schimel can win this race. And Ben Winkler and the national dems know it.
So expect them to start trashing Elon Musk as much as they can-and expect them to start trying to strap Brad Schimel to Musk as much as they can-believing that musk is unpopular.
Well, he’s not in suburban and rural Wisconsin, folks. So- let them walk into the trap.
photo credit: Fox 6 news
story credit: jsolin.com Bice: An Elon Musk-backed group buys at least $670,000 of TV time to support Brad Schimel
audio version of the segment here > According to the left, billionaires only "buy conservatives"