Our Take: You are what you digest; Left or right, it’s important to consume with clarity
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- Our Take: You are what you digest; Left or right, it’s important to consume with clarity
Our Take: You are what you digest; Left or right, it’s important to consume with clarity
A political infomercial, masquerading as a documentary, was released on social media yesterday by “The League of American Workers,” and produced by Steve Cortes, who also serves as your guide as he walks viewers through a strange portrayal of Whitewater, Wis.
The purpose of the video is disguised by Cortes with this introduction made on “X”: “Watch my new documentary Heartland Invasion: Cortes Investigates.” It’s presented as an “investigative” piece, according to Cortes, yet it develops no facts, presenting instead opinions from a few like-minded Whitewater residents.
Opinion pieces are tools through which to glean information, and those with opinions are encouraged to share them, but it remains incumbent on those digesting the materials to understand what they are absorbing: Is it opinion or is it news?
Investigation, and most certainly in this case, is meant to imply news.
For those looking to make the distinction, often the best clues are found in who is making the piece, and who is paying for its production.
Like most things in our politicized environment, who Cortes is depends upon who you ask.
Information found on the Washington Speakers Bureau website, offers Cortes as a keynote speaker, who has served as a “CNN political commentator, financial market expert and author.”
According to its website, the bureau connects its “clients with a world-leading roster of the most sought after public speakers.” Cortes is made available through the agency for a speaking fee of “under $25,000.” The full description is here: https://www.wsb.com/speakers/steve-cortes/.
Using the Google search engine, one additionally finds a view of The League of American Workers, offered by an online publication, called “The Intercept” — which is described by online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, as “an American left-wing nonprofit news organization.” It describes the “League of American Workers” this way: it “consists of one guy: a former Trump spokesperson,” and as “Steve Cortes’ right-wing populist group,” which, the publication, continues, “has no members,” among other anomalies, the full description is here: https://theintercept.com/2024/08/07/trump-league-american-workers-steve-cortes/.
In the case of the newly released more than 17-minute infomercial, titled “Heartland Invasion: Cortes Investigates,” one sees Cortes walking through the placid streets of Whitewater. No invasion in sight. In fact, if you turn the sound off, you might think you were watching an advertisement for the Norman Rockwell quality of the city. You might be confused by the various spliced in pieces of footage showing migrants crossing into the U.S. between Texas and Mexico. Whitewater and Texas, as Cortes notes in his video commentary, are very far apart.
Back in Whitewater, we find two local individuals sitting, happily, and seemingly safely, at a picnic table provided in a downtown Whitewater park. For most Whitewater residents, the battle here is cattail abatement, and there is also concern over droppings left by waterfowl. The city has recently placed swan decoys in the park’s lake to curtail a Canadian geese invasion.
Turn the sound back on, and we hear a theory about an influx of migrants into the city from a recently appointed member to the city’s Plan and Architectural Review Commission.
Identified only as “Mike,” we learn his view: “We have the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater here, and it’s a big part of the town, I mean it’s an overwhelming part of the town.” Additionally, he says that during COVID, a lot of students went home. He said the living spaces they vacated were rented to immigrants.
“Whitewater is a progressive town,” he said, calling it “a sanctuary city.” He added: “I think that plays a big part in why they choose to come here.”
Mike also occasionally posts to his right-wing blog, which consistently heralds the writer’s disappointments with Whitewater across a broad and varying spectrum of topics; migrants among them. In the video, he is seated at the picnic table with “Jim,” a landlord who lives outside of the community, but is the president of the community’s landlord association. His concern with the city’s migrant population, among others, is: “They are driving without drivers licenses and without insurance.”
Cortes says he thinks migrants must get behind on the rent, and then you can’t find them, he asked: “What do you do?”
Jim agreed. “It’s very tough to find them.”
In the infomercial, we additionally hear from a former school board member, one who has been off the board for a very long time, but who has continued to express his upset with the quality of the area school district, and quite vehemently, since the early 2000s, long before a migrant population arrived in Whitewater. Seeking ways to share his view with the public, he has taken to erecting large signs on property he owns near an entryway into the community. Folks found the signs interesting for a while, but they have long since become part of the ordinary landscape.
“Henri” remains prolific with his views on social media.
There is also a Walworth County Board of Supervisors member who spends more time listening to Cortes’ views, which come in advance of leading questions, then offering ideas of her own. Taking Cortes’ lead, she talks about safety concerns, according to the infomercial, from her Walworth County area home, and is shown casually walking the quiet streets.
As Cortes “interviews” his subject, he spends the time telling her about a mother who told him, he said, that she is afraid to take her children to the beach, because when she arrives, she sees, he said, “migrants” whom, she apparently assumes, “are not working, and are clearly up to no good.” The mother told Cortes, and Cortes tells his interview subject, that these migrants spend their time “leering at people.” The interview subject tells Cortes, that when she goes to a local gas station, “there’s a couple of guys just sitting around, staring at people — that’s odd to me.”
Cortes next shares with his interview subject his opinion about how migrants make it impossible for people to afford to buy a home, and, in his view, Kamala Harris is at the root of the problem.
When the county official finally speaks, she offers her personal views about the national economy.
In the end, she tells Cortes, in Wisconsin, “We walk around in peace, and we don’t want that to change.”
She talked about traditional values, and that people with whom she talks, “don’t want anything to change that.”
Next within the video, a car drives past rows of corn in a field. One feels the absence of any clips or photos of the worrisome aforementioned beach. Surely this nationally-acclaimed videographer/investigator could have obtained an address so we could see the problem for ourselves.
Instead, Cortes talks about “waves of illegal immigrants” in Whitewater, as he shows us footage of waves of corn.
A clip of Whitewater Police Chief Dan Meyer, which, Meyer said in a recent telephone interview, was taken from another news source, also is included in the video. He talks about impacts from an influx of migrants over the course of two years, some 800 to 1,000 of them, he estimates. With the city entertaining the possibility of a referendum to help fund its police department, one that has not seen an increase in staff for decades, Meyer sought help earlier this year from the federal government, asking for funding to help address increasing needs for services.
Against the backdrop of a letter Meyer wrote to President Biden, Cortes shows a quote which reads: “We need additional staffing, specifically in the police department, but also in the form of an immigrant liaison position.”
In the clip, Meyer does say: “In some cases we have unaccompanied minors who are here. We’ve seen younger female victims who are being victimized by 20- to 30-year-old men.”
As a reporter, I believe every individual is entitled to their view. Wisconsin has been a decisive swing state in our national presidential elections for some time. Most of us are aware that this November, the vote in Wisconsin will be very close, and likely pivotal to the outcome of the race.
It is important to note, however, that there is a difference between Meyer’s appeal to bring resources to address a growing segment of the community’s population, and Cortes’ self-described “investigation,” designed specifically and blatantly to achieve an outcome in the upcoming presidential race.
Cortes came with a mission, and sought out individuals who would help him complete his mission: convincing voters to support Donald Trump over Kamala Harris.
There is no investigation to be found here; only a display of like-minded individuals who would like to advance a national political opinion in order to influence the presidential election.
Whitewater, for Cortes, is but a means to an end.
The infomercial reinforces an age-old, but simple rule: buyer beware. You are what you digest; It’s important to consume with clarity.
Would the people involved in this informercial have been in any way serious about informing the public about migrants in the heartland, and particularly in Whitewater, they would have known this: Citing a need for help with a community transition, and misrepresenting a community through innuendo and exaggeration to help impact a national race, are not the same.
As always, thanks for reading.
Kim McDarison
Editor
A screen shot marking the introduction of an infomercial titled: “Heartland Invasion: Cortes Investigates,” on the social media site “X,” shows presenter Steve Cortes on the downtown streets of Whitewater. The 17-minute piece, although dubbed an “investigation,” is a presentation of conservative opinions in support of Donald Trump.
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For someone who calls herself a “reporter,” this piece was curiously devoid of facts. Actually, I didn’t see any fact presented by “Kim” that refuted anything in the entire video, which she clearly didn’t like. (Alas, a link was not provided for you to see for yourself; you’ll have to trust her on her characterization and her role as “reporter.”)
This is certainly nothing new. As the Whitewater school district plumbs new depths in academic achievement every year, “Kim” never quite finds the time to “report” on them. Did she, there would be no need for “Henri” to put up signs informing folks of what she should be as a “reporter.”
“Kim,” with her opinion piece devoid of any new facts, let alone any to refute any presented in the video, is certainly illustrating to all of us the need to consume news (and lack thereof) with “clarity.”
Thank you, “Kim.”
It’s disheartening to see how some individuals, like Henri and Mike, are so willing to tear down everything around them simply because they didn’t get their way. Henri, in particular, seems driven by a personal vendetta against the current district administrator, fueled by little more than resentment and a refusal to engage in any approach to education that is based on sound, scientific, or factual foundations. Instead, he relies on fear-mongering and misinformation, perpetuating a cycle of negativity that ultimately harms our students and community.
It’s no secret that our world is changing rapidly, and with that change comes the need for our educational system to adapt. Henri’s refusal to accept these changes—whether they are in terms of curriculum, diversity, or inclusivity—only highlights how out of touch he is with the reality of today’s educational needs. His misanthropic, uneducated rants are not solutions. Instead, they are thinly veiled attempts to undermine the work of professionals who have dedicated their lives to creating an environment where all students, regardless of background, can thrive.
Mike, likewise, reveals a deeply troubling side of our community. His blatant homophobia and racism, while cloaked in vague concerns about the direction of our town, are ultimately rooted in fear and intolerance. His comments in the video are not only offensive but also damaging to the very fabric of our community. Whitewater has long been a place that values inclusion and growth, yet Mike would have us believe that diversity is a threat rather than a strength. This kind of thinking belongs to a bygone era and has no place in the future we are trying to build for our children.
While it’s easy to dismiss their views as fringe, it’s important to recognize the harm they can cause if left unchecked. Both Henri and Mike are more interested in pushing a political agenda than in fostering an environment where all students and residents can feel safe, respected, and valued. Their words may seem insignificant, but they are part of a larger, toxic narrative that seeks to divide rather than unite.
We need to be better than this. Our community deserves leaders and voices who focus on facts, science, and the well-being of all our citizens—not individuals who are more concerned with pushing a homophobic, racist, and divisive agenda. It’s time to reject these harmful ideologies and embrace the kind of forward-thinking, inclusive mindset that will move Whitewater in a positive direction.
Thank you,
Regular Reader
Regular reader responds with all kinds of big words on what we need. He attacks the other two. Mentions science. And yet, while looking at the entire comments made i see no link refuting anything. I see zero facts. Just opinions stating that Mike and Henri should not be listened to in their opinion. I am guessing you think that anyone that does not agree with you could not possibly be intelligent but even there you mention no evidence of your credentials!
I for one have a BS in business management and graduated Magna Cum Laude (high honors). I also have a masters degree in Business Administration (MBA) and I graduated with a 3.97 gpa. I have also been in a Doctorate program and have high grades there as well with a focus on strategy and innovation. I have the credentials to have an opinion if I want one. However, as any intelligent person knows, you need to back up opinion with actual facts. Henri actually offers specific facts about our schools. They are actual numbers provided by the state of WI and are literally the Whitewater test scores. They are hard irrefutable facts. His opinion is that with all of the tax dollars our schools get that we should be getting much better results. Anytime there are plenty of resources but the results are horrendous you look at the leadership of the organization as the leaders are responsible for the results. If you look at the results of our current school leaders it is beyond obvious that a change needs to occur. This is my opinion based upon the FACTS that are clearly available.
If you are going to attack someone’s position and go after the “science” it would be expected that your ramblings might actually include some science that might refute what henri and Mike have presented.
The funny thing with the entire original article and your response is that the things you accuse Henri & Mike about are what you are actually doing yourself. Except henri & Mike actually refer to stats and science, you only offer up talking points and opinion.
I’m my doctoral studies, you are not allowed to have an opinion. You are only allowed to offer up facts and research. You can let those facts and stats draw conclusions but opinion is not allowed.
If you want to refute henri & Mike i would suggest that you put some intelligence into your argument. Instead of just talking points that others have given you actually get into the hard facts and numbers and present some EVIDENCE other than your opinion that an error has occurred.
The crime statistics of the city of Whitewater have absolutely gotten much worse. Police resources have most certainly been spread thin because of the illegals with no regards to the law. This is fact not opinion. The police chief has shown these facts multiple times in the last year. I suggest you start paying attention and start reading.
The schools in Whitewater have seen their results plummet. This again is actual facts presented by our Democrat run state test results. These numbers are facts. Not opinion. You disagree with the conclusions presented by henri? Ok. Present some facts that show something different. However, plummeting test scores are hard to refute.
I personally have had an illegal with no drivers license and no insurance hit my truck at kwiktrip and cause $4k of damage. I had to pay a $500 deductible because they disappeared. I have heard many other first hand stories. My story can be verified with an actual police report.
We have actual arrests in our community regarding drugs and crime that our community has not seen in the 42 years I have lived here. In the past few years we have had a live baby left in a frozen field to die and freeze to death (the baby was alive when put there), we have had sex trafficking in our city (arrests hhave been made), massive increases in drug sales, a recent murder, and the list goes on. We have humans living in shacks in the middle of winter (again actual proof exists). These are 3rd world problems in our back yard. These are not opinions. These are facts capable of verification by actual police reports.
When Mike and others share the thoughts of the landlords in our community it is because those are the actual thoughts of our land owners. Not just some random talking point or opinion.
If you or the lady that wrote this article want to disagree with anything I have written or anything in the news article I would like to see the FACTS of why you disagree. You can’t just say they are wrong because you don’t like the actual facts and actual data and results. You opinions are meaningless unless you can back them up. Where is your science? Where are your facts? Where is your proof? Henri & Mike have their verifiable evidence.
Regular Reader sounds like someone who doesn’t have any kids in the district. I also find it entertaining to hear people like “Regular Reader” speak of inclusivity when the district is one of the most EXclusive in the state. Not only did it lock kids out of the schools in the ultimate act of exclusion based on nothing but innuendo and fear-mongering a few years ago, but more than 200 kids are shipped OUT of the district daily, putting Whitewater in the top 10% of schools for EXclusivity based on choice. But hey, he has no kids in the district, so it’s not his problem!
Keith’s argument, while passionately delivered, falls short on several key points. First, his reliance on personal anecdotes, such as his experience with an uninsured driver, does not substantiate a larger narrative about crime or immigration in Whitewater. A singular event is not enough to draw conclusions about broader societal issues—it’s important to distinguish between isolated incidents and systemic problems, something he doesn’t fully acknowledge.
Moreover, Keith repeatedly claims that crime has worsened significantly due to “illegals,” yet he fails to cite specific, verifiable data to support this claim. It’s easy to throw around numbers, but without proper context or citation, these statistics lack credibility. If Keith had listened closely to the police chief’s comments over the years, he would understand that the pressures on the department stem from long-standing issues, not solely from immigration. The chief has consistently explained that the department’s need for more resources predates the recent influx of migrants, showing a misunderstanding or misrepresentation on Keith’s part of what the actual challenges are.
Furthermore, Keith’s insistence that test scores have plummeted due to leadership failures in the school district also lacks the depth of analysis one would expect from someone with his academic background. Test scores alone do not paint the full picture of educational quality. Factors such as changes in curriculum, demographics, and resource allocation play significant roles, none of which Keith addresses. His point about school leadership would be much stronger if he explored these complexities instead of simplifying the issue to a mere “bad leadership equals bad results” equation.
What’s even more perplexing is Keith’s expectation that his high GPA and academic credentials should be enough for us to take his points as gospel. It’s as if he believes that by simply mentioning his degrees, he can avoid the hard work of actually backing up his arguments. But education isn’t a substitute for substance—it’s a tool to help develop better arguments. If Keith wants to lean on his credentials, he needs to bring evidence and reasoning that match the weight he assigns to his academic background.
Lastly, it’s worth noting that the ideology Keith promotes—one focused on fear, division, and placing blame on marginalized groups—is increasingly out of step with local election outcomes. As voters prioritize inclusivity and fact-based solutions, the kind of rhetoric Keith employs seems less persuasive. In short, his arguments might benefit from a more comprehensive understanding of the data and the issues at hand, rather than relying on personal grievances, misapplied statistics, and a belief that a high GPA will carry the day.
What regular reader has just done is completely prove my point. I was the one that pointed out that my academic achievements mean nothing. Opinions are just opinions. I made the point of stating that just talking about science doesn’t make science. You need facts and actual data. The original response and regular reader made arguments about crime in the city not being bad. I mentioned my very specific and easily verifiable accident. I mentioned my accident as it is a perfect example of the type of incident that regular reader says doesn’t happen. I mention a very specific incident as it easily is verified and shows exactly what is happening. I am certain that a little research could easily uncover many more incidents like the one I experienced. Regular reader wants to discount my statement as a one off incident. I am willing to bet that if the police were contacted that my incident would not be isolated bit would show a trend. I have sat in the police chiefs presentation on the state of crime in Whitewater and the statistics show a massive uptick in crime since the illegals have shown up in the last few years.
The problems with our schools and our crime can easily be tied to the immigration policies of the democrats.
There are no question that illegals have posed a threat to our wi communities. Regular reader wants to imply that it is not a leadership problem. How is it that schools in communities surrounding whitewater have not seen the drop in results that whitewater has seen? Why are communities surrounding whitewater not seeing the same terrible results? If it isn’t the leadership doing g a horrendous job then it is the illegals that are here making the original video accurate. If it isn’t the illegals putting an extra burden on the community then it must be the leadership!!!
However, this is where my education comes in. I do have the ability to think and have documented proof of it. It is obvious by the FACTS that we have an illegal problem. It is also obvious, by the FACTS that we have a city and school leadership problem.
This is where the facts lead to my conclusions and my opinions. We have had horrendous leadership at the school and city level, especially the current leaders, the illegals have come in and have amplified all of the problems that existed before they got here.
If it is not a leadership problem then why are schools and communities surrounding whitewater not having the same issues. They have equal resources and yet their results are not horrendous.
Regular reader, are you just going to try to divert attention and attack my thoughts or are you going to present so.e actual FACTS to back up your position? My guess is you are an empty suit and have no content other than talking points and attack others by dividing. The only person dividing is regular reader. I am pointing out facts and wanting to fix actual issues. Regular reader is most likely going to resort to personal attacks as they know they have no substance and they can only hope to distract people from the facts. The facts are simple. As regular reader pointed out, we had problems before the illegals showed up and should have changed leadership then, and once the illegals showed up, we got to see first hand how incompetent our city and school management actual is.
Thank you, Kim, for taking on the important task of “informing” our community of misinformation that is being hurled against it for political means. Having viewed the video myself, I was appalled by the negative image it painted of our community and our schools. I walk the streets of Whitewater regularly and at various times of the day and have never been fearful, not even as the “waves” of immigrants arrived after the pandemic. As I started to see new faces on our streets and in our businesses, rather than fear, I felt a warmth as I greeted them in their language and felt their deep gratitude upon encountering someone who welcomed them.
They, in fact, are the ones that deal with fear on a daily basis as they try to make a life for themselves and their families in a strange and distant land, many forced out of their homeland due to persecution by authoritarian governments and by poverty. I know this from my research and from personal experience. Two of my college-age son’s best friends, with whom he went through school in Whitewater, are sons of immigrants. Through them, I have witnessed the fear and courage of their parents as they fought to give their children a better life than what was possible for them in Mexico. And both of my son’s friends have grown up in this community to become upstanding and contributing members, one of them currently studying at UW-Whitewater and driving truck to pay for his studies, and another, helping students in our high school. To assert that they bring down our schools is to look at their contributions myopically. What my son and his classmates have learned from sharing their education and a soccer field with their immigrant classmates goes so much deeper than a school report card (which, by the way, I would like to address in a future article). Hard work, resilience and respectfulness are just a few of those lessons, not to mention, an understanding that the world extends well beyond our township borders.
It is truly saddening that there are members of our community who are willing to publicly disparage this thriving and peaceful town in order to advance their political agendas and personal vendettas. I hope that others in our community will read Kim’s piece and consume what they see in the media with just a bit more clarity.
What’s truly saddening is the callous indifference half this city has to the realtime school failure we are experiencing. 80% of 5th graders coming out of Lincoln do not read at grade level. Whitewater used to be a city that would see such results as shameful. I remember. I was there.
Thanks, Henri
Refreshing truth many don’t care to hear! There is no limit to how bad this crowd will let our district be destroyed.