Bice: Milwaukee County exec candidate predicted coming World War III and other conspiracies

Conservatives, here is your candidate for Milwaukee County executive.

Purnima Nath, 42, was born in India, has a graduate degree from Northwestern University, oversees IndiaFest in Bay View each summer and is peddling a message of hope and financial responsibility. 

"Milwaukee deserves better," Nath told a crowd of supporters when launching her campaign at the Milwaukee County Courthouse on Tuesday. "You need me as much as I need you."

It's a compelling story of a naturalized citizen focused on entering public life. She is one of five candidates vying to succeed County Exec Chris Abele, who is retiring in the spring, in the heavily Democratic county. 

But then check out Nath's Twitter feed. 

Hope and change quickly become doom and gloom.

In October, Nath predicted "a very VERY bad thing will happen. It will be disastrous … devilish … and destructive." She continued, "Through that storm, I hope poisonous people, divisive propaganda, deceitful plots and treacherous CONSPIRACIES are EXPOSED."

Six months earlier, Nath had an even more dire warning. She said World War III was on its way:

"Churches will be burnt, vandalized & destroyed. Christians will be afraid to say they are christians. Christians will be secretly praying at home. Pope will resign. Jews & whites will be attacked. WW III is coming … a war of race, religion, color, gender!"

In between those predictions, Nath has left no doubt that she is on the fringes of the Republican Party. 

She labeled climate change "nonsense," the media "corrupt" and the United Nations "invaded," apparently by Muslim-majority countries. Elsewhere, she has harsh words for Muslims who emigrate to Europe and the United States.

"First (they) come, then breed heavy, occupy, then play victim, point finger, start hatred and incite violence, then massacre and take over! BOOM … MISSION ACCOMPLISHED," Nath wrote on Aug. 22. "Age-old strategy hasn't changed a bit!"

Nath also praised the work of rightwing filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza — posting a picture with him — and retweeted a post raising questions about former President Barack Obama's background.

Asked if she believes Obama was born in America, Nath said, "There's a question about it. I don't know."

At least Nath doesn't dispute writing the inflammatory tweets, which are mixed in with inspirational memes in which she quotes herself on issues such as diversity and perseverance.

As for the predictions of war and mayhem, she said in a 25-minute interview that she wrote those things because she was worried about the direction of society.

"If we don't change, this is going to happen," she said, adding, "It has created an urgency in me that I have to be part of the change."

Nath denies that she is anti-Muslim.

She said it is her concern that some Muslim immigrants aren't grateful enough for the benefits they receive when they arrive in America. As for the things they don't like, she said, they should try to change them. 

"You're fleeing a situation which is risky and dangerous, and the country's welcoming you," Nath said. 

Not surprisingly, she is glowing in her praise of President Donald Trump. In one tweet, she wrote, "All presidents before you were just talking parrots. You are actually doing work."

Asked about Trump's limits on immigration, she said all countries have to set and enforce boundaries.

She said she became an American citizen about seven years ago after arriving in Milwaukee in 2000 as part of a job transfer. She now runs a consulting business, Trayix, and Spindle India, which runs IndiaFest, a local ethnic festival in Bay View. An estimated 3,000 people paid between $5 and $10 to attend last year.

Spindle is currently delinquent in its corporate filings with the state. Nath has not yet provided federal tax records detailing the nonprofit's finances since it was founded in 2013. 

Nath defended her criticism of the U.N., saying it has been "diluted," and the media. "The one-sided narrative pushed in the media is creating division. We need to see all sides," Nath said.

At the end of the interview, the first-time candidate finally began sounding like a veteran politician. She said her Twitter feed must not be taken out of context.

She was not planning to run for public office when she was spinning these conspiracies. She said people should pay attention to what she says now that she is an official candidate. 

"What I wrote, I was not a politician," she said. "What I said, throw it out."

If only it were that easy. 

Contact Daniel Bice at (414) 224-2135 or dbice@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanielBice or Facebook at fb.me/daniel.bice.