Where is the "watchdog media" on the biggest election in America?

There’s no mistaking it. The so-called mainstream media is on it. The Wisconsin Supreme Court race next month is the most important election in America.

Or is it? You wouldn’t be able to tell by the coverage. Or more precisely — the gaps in the coverage.

Less than two weeks ago, the sweet 26-year-old niece of Milwaukee Common Council President Jose Perez — Aliyah Perez — was found dead, the victim of domestic abuse. Her suspected killer, police say, is Elijah Combs, who killed himself after a well-publicized police chase and crash.

What does this have to do with the Wisconsin Supreme Court race? Nothing — according to the phalanx of national, state and local media who believe this is the most important election in America. A Lexis-Nexis search of stories produced 0 results for Elijah Combs and either Supreme Court candidate, conservative Dan Kelly or liberal Janet Protasiewicz.

But there is a connection. A big, obvious one. Protasiewicz, as a Milwaukee Circuit Court Judge, had previously allowed Combs to escape with only probation from a previous violent domestic assault instead of sending him to prison where he would have been unable to kill anyone in 2023. 

For those of us who were in the news business before it became corrupt, this is what is known as a “news hook.” A big, bold, flashing one. A definite news angle to raise in the midst of the most important election in America. But to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin State Journal and every other state newspaper along with the liberal hyena press, it has been radio silence. Protasiewicz is safe from such probing questions.

And the questions are relevant and substantial. Crime is a big issue among Wisconsin residents and Dan Kelly has accused Protasiewicz of being soft on criminals to the detriment of future crime victims. 

Several conservative-leaning media outlets have done the job the liberal media won’t, bringing these questions to light.

According to the Wisconsin Daily Star:

In 2016, he was charged with four felonies related to the battery and strangulation of his girlfriend at the time. Combs was charged with substantial battery-with intent to cause bodily harm; strangulation and suffocation; false imprisonment; and intimidation of a witness — all felonies.

The victim said Combs punched her repeatedly in the face, cutting her lip, breaking her tooth, and causing bruising and swelling.

“The defendant then strangled her again in the bathroom to the point where she could not breathe or talk. The defendant also pushed and kicked and stomped on (victim’s name redacted) all over her body.”

Protasiewicz, at sentencing, acknowledged the seriousness of the felonies Combs was charged with, including bail jumping, but gave him only probation.

The Milwaukee City Wire sums it up:

In sentencing him, Protasiewicz acknowledged Combs criminal history, but spared him the 12.5 years of prison time for which he was eligible. Instead, she required the repeat offender take a “batterers intervention program, or a course in anger management.”

Except for conservative media and the Kelly campaign, there is a cone of silence around this questionable sentencing and its real world consequences to Aliyah Perez and her family.

Their lives apparently don’t matter to the journalists who proclaim this the most important race in the country.

Or perhaps that’s the point. It’s not really the most important election in America. It’s more precisely the most important political outcome in America and that must be preserved at all costs, the truth and journalism be damned.