Wisconsin journalist and native son, John Nichols (Photo by The Progressive).
By Mark L. Taylor
The Commoner Call (6/24/19)
Commoner Call columnist Dan Peak recently interviewed Wisconsin journalist and author John Nichols on Viroqua’s community radio station WDRT several days before a recent standing-room-only public talk to the Vernon County Democratic Party. Nichols’ work appears in the Cap Times, The Nation and The Progressive magazines. He is also the author of a number of books.
Nichols, whose family on both sides reaches back before Wisconsin became a state in 1848, discusses a variety of topics directly impacting the state’s struggling dairy farmers and rural communities. Nichols grew up in rural southwest Wisconsin and has a brother-in-law who is a dairy farmer. His connection to rural challenges, issues and the great potential of rural life run deep.
The growing economic and social impacts on rural Wisconsin extend well beyond the milking parlor to the lack of rural internet access, our schools, small town businesses and the future of rural life in the state. While Nichols is not shy about taking former governor Scott Walker and the republicans to task for the crisis in rural Wisconsin he also notes state democrats don’t always get rural issues and needs right and really need to up their game how to listen to and talk with rural voters.
Join Dan in his discussion with one of the best informed journalists in the nation. Note, this audio download is available for a limited time.