Yellow Stripes & Dead Armadillos
I Might Have Been a Tory
Ok, so this isn’t going to be your traditional rah-rah Independence Day piece. I’m also going to take a break from lamenting the state of our democracy right now — there’s a lot to lament. Nope, today is for idle musing about which side I’d have been on in 1776. The more I read aboutContinue reading “I Might Have Been a Tory”
Liberals Should Want to Save the Filibuster
Be careful what you wish for. Pres. Joe Biden, who has resisted calls from progressives to eliminate the Senate filibuster, said yesterday that he would make an exception for a bill that would codify Roe and reestablish abortion as a national right. His statement is mostly symbolic. He said the same thing about his votingContinue reading “Liberals Should Want to Save the Filibuster”
How Much Will Roe Matter?
Before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last week abortion did not even register as a significant issue among voters. That’s probably because it seemed like settled law; not something you really had to think about. In fact, the level of public support for Roe remaining the law of the land had been remarkablyContinue reading “How Much Will Roe Matter?”
A Catalogue of Gableman’s Incompetence
If you’re like me, you’re having a hard time keeping up with the inanity, the hypocrisy, the wasted money, and the sheer incompetence of the Gableman “investigation” into the 2020 elections. So, as a public service, I’ve gone back and combed through news articles to provide you the reader with a retelling of the sorryContinue reading “A Catalogue of Gableman’s Incompetence”
Abortion: Now What?
What happened yesterday was, unfortunately, not surprising. Even before the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked, it looked as if this would happen once hard-right conservatives held five seats on the Court. What happens next is anybody’s guess, but maybe we can at least parse out some questions about the future. WhatContinue reading “Abortion: Now What?”
Reading the Latest MU Poll Tea Leaves
The latest Marquette University Law School Poll came out yesterday. All those numbers. Let me tell you what they mean. Because, of course, I know. Who should be elated? Gov. Tony Evers. In the MU poll that came out in April, Evers was the most popular pol in the state, albeit with a modest 49%Continue reading “Reading the Latest MU Poll Tea Leaves”
RoJo Does It Again
It seems like every week Sen. Ron Johnson gives us more reason to be embarrassed that this guy represents Wisconsin. This week was no exception — and it’s only Wednesday. Yesterday it was revealed that Johnson had agreed to deliver in person to Vice President Mike Pence the bogus, but official-looking, documents of the 10Continue reading “RoJo Does It Again”
Rachel & Lachele’s Wedding
I hold some conservative views. One of them is that we should honor hard work. That’s why I support a higher — much higher — minimum wage. I understand that increasing the minimum wage will probably eliminate a relatively small number of jobs in the short-run, but I think it’s important in the long-run forContinue reading “Rachel & Lachele’s Wedding”
Tim Michels: Jerk
I’ve made political ads. They’re painstaking. You decide on the theme. You work over the script. Then you film and film and film. You do the same line over and over again. Then you go into the editing room and pick the one that you think works best. Is my inflection just right on thatContinue reading “Tim Michels: Jerk”
The Crucial 3rd District
If Democrats find a way to hang on to the 3rd Congressional District in Southwestern Wisconsin this fall, it will almost certainly mean that Gov. Tony Evers will win a second term, that Sen. Ron Johnson will be defeated and that the Democrats will hold the Senate and stem their losses in the House. TheContinue reading “The Crucial 3rd District”
Some Good News For Evers
Something very strange could happen in Wisconsin in November. Aaron Rodgers might just go quietly about his business without saying anything weird? Well, no, not that strange. It’s possible that national Democrats could get crushed while Democratic Gov. Tony Evers could win a second term and a Democrat might beat Republican Sen. Ron Johnson. That’sContinue reading “Some Good News For Evers”
Boudin’s Recall Bodes Well For Dems
To no one’s surprise, progressive prosecutor Chesa Boudin was recalled this week in San Francisco. This comes on the heals of the recall of three far-left school board members in the same city, one of the most liberal places in America. What’s going on? What’s going on is good news for Democrats. It suggests thatContinue reading “Boudin’s Recall Bodes Well For Dems”
Trend is Tough for Evers
Heading back to the Emerald City from the North Woods a little later so I’ll keep this one brief. I started thinking about this yesterday on the way to the dump. I had to go back 32 years for the last time that a Wisconsin governor defied the mid-term curse. Traditionally the party that controlsContinue reading “Trend is Tough for Evers”
College Sports Improving Rapidly
In the last year or so two major changes have combined to make big time college sports more fair to the players. First, the NCAA finally caved to the inevitable and allowed players to make money off their own “name, image and likeness” — basically they could make commercials for local car dealerships or whatever,Continue reading “College Sports Improving Rapidly”
Midwest: Walleyes
The fate of the iconic walleye was sealed on December 12, 2000. That’s the day that the Supreme Court essentially awarded the presidency to George W. Bush over Al Gore. Gore was a leader on climate change and his administration would have pushed aggressive policies to fight it at a time when something still mightContinue reading “Midwest: Walleyes”
The Culture Wars Are Over; Liberals Won
My Google calendar reminded me the other day that it was the start of LGBTQ+ Month. In February it let me know that it was Black History Month. In March it was Women’s History Month. I watched a lot of college basketball that month. I saw a Buick commercial approximately one million times in whichContinue reading “The Culture Wars Are Over; Liberals Won”
Lasry: Dog Ate My Homework
The rest of the class got the assignment in on time. Only Alex Lasry made an excuse for why he couldn’t. I guess the dog ate his homework. Let me begin by acknowledging that everybody I know who knows Lasry says that he’s a good person. Decent, hard-working, likable. That’s fine and the quality ofContinue reading “Lasry: Dog Ate My Homework”
Knudson Throws in the Towel
Wisconsin Elections Commissioner Dean Knudson abruptly resigned last week. Knudson is a sane Republican who admits the obvious — Donald Trump lost — and thinks his party should move on from conspiracy theories. For that he’s been vilified by some of his fellow party members and he says that party leadership made it clear toContinue reading “Knudson Throws in the Towel”
The Need for the Long Game
My book, Light Blue is subtitled, “How center-left moderates can build an enduring Democratic majority.” Today, let’s talk about “enduring.” Democrats are likely to get toasted in this fall’s midterm elections. For those of us who shade left of center, that’s bad news, but not as bad as what might happen in 2024. Luckily, differentContinue reading “The Need for the Long Game”
The Middle May Be Bigger Than We Think
In a friendly conversation over a couple of beers the other night, some left-center and right-center friends and I discussed the sad state of the two parties. The Republicans are obsessed with relitigating the 2020 elections while Democrats obsess over various issues of identity, like which bathroom transgender people can use. Meanwhile, the bulk ofContinue reading “The Middle May Be Bigger Than We Think”
Another Mass Shooting; Expect Nothing to Happen
Last week 10 people were gunned down at a Buffalo supermarket in what appears to be a racist attack. Yesterday, 19 children and two adults were murdered in a Texas elementary school. In both cases the killer was a young man with a military-style weapon that nobody outside of the military should be able toContinue reading “Another Mass Shooting; Expect Nothing to Happen”
One Way Woke is Good
The change in priorities is most striking on that bellwether of the hard-left, the Madison City Council. It used to be that the First Commandment was to honor thy neighborhood. Neighborhoods — often led by just a few highly motivated and opinionated activists — were all powerful. Alders were loathe to oppose anything their neighborhoodContinue reading “One Way Woke is Good”
Midwest: Wisconsin Idea Has to Flow in Both Directions
The senseless dustup over the appointment of UCLA Law School Dean Jennifer Mnookin as the new UW Madison Chancellor has raised a more interesting — and worthwhile — question about the Wisconsin Idea. In case you were tending to more important matters, here’s a quick recap. The Board of Regents — both Democratic and RepublicanContinue reading “Midwest: Wisconsin Idea Has to Flow in Both Directions”
Lessons From John Fetterman
One big reason that Donald Trump won in 2016 and went on to take over the Republican Party is that he didn’t sound like a typical politician. In a counterintuitive way, the most demonstrably lying politician in history came off as genuine. Nobody would say things that offensive, that absurd, that nuts if he didn’tContinue reading “Lessons From John Fetterman”
Over the Mnookin
Heading back to the Emerald City this morning, so we’ll make this a quick one. The UW Regents hired Jennifer Mnookin to be the next UW Madison chancellor. She’s currently the dean of the UCLA law school and she went to Harvard, Yale and MIT. All fine schools, but she has no ties to Wisconsin.Continue reading “Over the Mnookin”
Rare
Whether or not the Democrats can ride what appears to be the impending overturning of Roe v. Wade to victories in November turns on one word: rare. When I wrote about this last week I said that I liked Bill Clinton’s formulation that abortion should be “safe, legal and rare.” I suspected when I wroteContinue reading “Rare”
Midwest: A New Voice
I admit it. I’ve got a chip on my shoulder when it comes to the Midwest. Virtually all of our national media and culture (movies, TV, radio shows, publishing houses, etc.) comes from the coasts. And their attitude toward the middle of the country? To paraphrase Rick played by Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, “They’d despiseContinue reading “Midwest: A New Voice”
Keep Politics Out of Math
Florida rejected a bunch of math textbooks because they allegedly contained a liberal bias. The left went nuts. I tended to side with the left until I read the New York Times’ breathless take on the whole thing. Here’s one example of a math problem that was flagged as a problem by a Florida textbookContinue reading “Keep Politics Out of Math”
Light Blue Gets Good Review
Last week, Capital Times editor and publisher Paul Fanlund wrote a nice review of my book, Light Blue: How center-left moderates can build an enduring Democratic majority. With his permission we repost it here. By Paul Fanlund When you’ve been a journalist in Madison as long as I have, you’ve seen the gamut of personalityContinue reading “Light Blue Gets Good Review”
He Shoots! He Scores!
Tom Nelson has joined Alex Lasry and Sarah Godlewski with a television ad buy. The least-funded of the four major candidates vying to take on Sen. Ron Johnson in November will probably have the smallest reach, but the ad itself could pack a bigger punch. The fourth candidate, Mandela Barnes, has yet to hit theContinue reading “He Shoots! He Scores!”
Abortion Opponents Aren’t Evil
A few months ago we ended the practice of posting long opinion pieces by others verbatim. A reader and veteran journalist brought our attention to the concept of “fair usage.” That’s the principle (and law) that says it’s okay to quote bits and pieces from another writer but not to cut and paste their entireContinue reading “Abortion Opponents Aren’t Evil”
Midwest: Firewood
I’m late with my Midwest post this Sunday, but I’m still getting it in before Sunday ends — and I have a good excuse. It’s the firewood window up here in the U.P., and so I was using every daylight hour I could to put in my stock for the fall. I count the firewoodContinue reading “Midwest: Firewood”
Safe, Legal & Rare
For the third time in six years Democrats and liberals are being given an opportunity to turn tragedy into progress. Will they blow it again? What was surprising about the leak of the draft of a decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade was the leak itself, not its substance. From the moment the SupremeContinue reading “Safe, Legal & Rare”
Sorting Through the Leaked Roe Draft
Somebody violated protocol and leaked an early draft of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade. This has sent people off, as you might expect it would, but let’s try to sort through it as rationally as we can. The first thing to observe is that the leak itself was aContinue reading “Sorting Through the Leaked Roe Draft”
Pledge Wins; Prayer Loses
I’m headed north today, so we’ll just have a quick update on an issue we addressed a few weeks ago. As the new Dane County Board reorganizes itself after the spring elections, there was a move to eliminate the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance before the board meetings. There was also a proposal toContinue reading “Pledge Wins; Prayer Loses”
Midwest: Where Is It?
Now on week three of my promised Sunday morning series about the Midwest, some thoughtful readers have chimed in to ask: do you even know what you’re talking about? Now, in truth, that question is asked regularly on any number of topics I have addressed in this and other spaces. It’s not even limited toContinue reading “Midwest: Where Is It?”
Am I an Eisenhower Republican?
Fellow Madison blogger David Blaska has accused me of being an Eisenhower Republican. I think I’ll take that as a compliment. Dwight Eisenhower was my President when I was born in 1959. Consider these things about Eisenhower: His proudest accomplishment was the Interstate Highway System, the biggest single public works project in American history. (FDR’sContinue reading “Am I an Eisenhower Republican?”
Sifting Through the Latest Marquette Poll
One of the best things that has happened in Wisconsin over the last several years is the advent of the Marquette University Law School Poll. The detailed poll, run by Charles Franklin, never fails to provide interesting data, mostly on politics but also on the state of the state more broadly. For a political columnist,Continue reading “Sifting Through the Latest Marquette Poll”
$1000 For Dane County Employees? Bad Idea
Let’s say you’re a public official with $3 million burning a hole in your pocket. Pick the option that aligns with your values. Get it out to local small businesses contending with the lingering effects of the COVID-19 shutdown. Increase efforts to attack the homeless problem, which was made worse by COVID. Bolster food pantries,Continue reading “$1000 For Dane County Employees? Bad Idea”
Let’s Make a Virtue of Resilience
From time to time here at YSDA we consider creating a new weekly feature which would be called something like Oh, For Cryin’ Out Loud. In OFCOL we’d highlight the inanity of the week. Michael Gableman alone could provide fodder nonstop. The only challenge would be to decide which of Gableman’s stupid moves and dumbContinue reading “Let’s Make a Virtue of Resilience”
Midwest: Rust Belt No More
What other region would put up with a moniker like “The Rust Belt”? Would the West Coast be okay with “The Drought Belt”? How about “The Wildfire Belt” for the Mountain states? Or the “Flooded Cities Belt” for the East Coast? But virtually every news outlet, including local ones, uses “Rust Belt” without a secondContinue reading “Midwest: Rust Belt No More”
Purge the Activists
I’ve served as an aide to politicians and as a politician myself and here’s what I’ve learned: activists have no role in a public official’s office, and when they start pushing for their own agendas they should be shown the door as soon as possible. This comes up now as the Biden Administration is bleedingContinue reading “Purge the Activists”
Leave Mickey Alone
Anybody else tired of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis kicking Mickey Mouse around? Here’s the back story. A few weeks ago Florida passed a law, supported by DeSantis, which restricted formal teaching about gender identity (but not any discussion of it) in K-3 education. The left went ballistic, dubbing it the “don’t say gay bill.” UnderContinue reading “Leave Mickey Alone”
The Pay for Grades Hoax
The UW Madison is about to do yet another really dumb thing. According to a story in today’s Wisconsin State Journal, Chancellor Rebecca Blank, who will soon (but not soon enough) leave for her new job at Northwestern, is proposing that the school should pay athletes for being students. That’s right. Blank would pay theContinue reading “The Pay for Grades Hoax”
Midwest: Bad Weather
This week we’re inaugurating a new weekly feature here at YSDA: a Sunday morning essay about the Midwest. I’ve been thinking about the Midwest for a long time, at least going back to my days as Mayor of Madison. I would go to national conferences, many in Washington, DC, and get the feeling when IContinue reading “Midwest: Bad Weather”
A New Party of the Center
America is likely to get a moderate third party in the same way that a woman needs a man, which as we all know, is the way a fish needs a bicycle. I’ll pause here and let you sort that out. Okay, let’s move on then. My point is that it’s all but impossible toContinue reading “A New Party of the Center”
Senate Race: Anybody Else?
Sen. Ron Johnson is a national embarrassment for Wisconsin. I want him gone. So, in the August Democratic primary I’ll vote for the candidate that I think has the best chance to beat RoJo. That’s my only real consideration. I wish I could have another one. That other consideration would be what that Democrat standsContinue reading “Senate Race: Anybody Else?”
Don’t Cancel Jefferson
We’ve been struggling with a way to write about the move by the Madison School Board to change the name of Jefferson Middle School — in a way that says something more enlightening then that it’s a really bad idea. Well, our old friend Harry Peterson published an oped in the Wisconsin State Journal recentlyContinue reading “Don’t Cancel Jefferson”
UW Screws Up Again
What is it with my alma mater? Last year the UW became a national curiosity (to put it gently) when it banished a boulder for committing the offense of being referred to by an ugly name. Once. A century ago. At a time when the ugly name was in common usage. On the heels ofContinue reading “UW Screws Up Again”
Economic Justice Bill of Rights Misses the Mark
I agree with everything in the Economic Justice Bill of Rights being touted right now by the Legislature’s most liberal Democrats. And I think it’s a terrible idea. This is a political document and, as such, it reveals just how out of touch liberal Democrats are. It’s a political document because, with Democrats in deepContinue reading “Economic Justice Bill of Rights Misses the Mark”
Wednesday Catchup
Since we reduced YSDA from a daily blog to three days a week we find ourselves leaving stuff on the cutting room floor. And, of course, without our wisdom and guidance, you’re left wondering what to think about important issues. Well, let’s solve that problem by doing some quick hits. First, there’s the heartbreak ofContinue reading “Wednesday Catchup”
Reparations Are a Terrible Idea
I’m spending the week in California, where the weather is wonderful, and the politics are like the weather in Wisconsin. The latest bright idea to come out of the Golden State is reparations for slavery, or for something. We’ll get to the ‘or for something’ problem in a minute, but specifically, what’s going on isContinue reading “Reparations Are a Terrible Idea”
“Light Blue” Banned!
Since we released our e-book, Light Blue: How center-left moderates can build an enduring Democratic majority, earlier this month sales have been, uh, modest. Then we remembered that one of the very best marketing strategies for books is to get them banned. And there’s plenty of stuff in Light Blue that should get the bannersContinue reading ““Light Blue” Banned!”
God Help Me, Blaska for School Board
If I was still a practicing Catholic I would vote for David Blaska and then rush to the confessional to confess a venial sin and get my comeuppance of three Our Fathers and three Hail Marys. And it’s a Hail Mary that I will toss up when I cast my write-in vote for Blaska forContinue reading “God Help Me, Blaska for School Board”
The Portal Changes All
It was subtle, but it said it all. Last week in a column he cleverly titles “Open Jim”, new Wisconsin State Journal sports page editor Jim Polzin answers a reader’s question, which goes like this: “What does the Wisconsin men’s basketball team need in the transfer portal?” The “transfer portal” is a phrase that hasContinue reading “The Portal Changes All”
Transgender Athletes & Profiles in Courage
To my knowledge nobody is out there working on a new volume of Profiles in Courage replete with fresh new examples. But last week did bring us a couple candidates, and so let’s acknowledge them here. Governors Spencer Cox of Utah and Eric Holcomb of Indiana each vetoed bills that would ban transgender athletes fromContinue reading “Transgender Athletes & Profiles in Courage”
Simkin For Our Schools
I have been strongly critical of the current Madison School Board and the direction it has taken us in the last few years. There has been a breakdown in basic safety and order. Staff and teachers feel like this Board doesn’t have their backs. The Board seems focussed on kids who are disruptive and under-achievingContinue reading “Simkin For Our Schools”
Dems Win on Redistricting (In a way)
Think of it this way. You’re the Packers. You’ve had a dismal first half of the season. (I don’t know. Maybe Aaron Rodgers left the team for an eight week Panchakarma cleanse.) You went 0-8, but now Rodgers is cleansed and you’ve gone 5-2 with a couple games remaining. You’re not going to make theContinue reading “Dems Win on Redistricting (In a way)”
Pledge of Resistance
In the category of ‘oh, why open up this can of worms?‘ comes a story from yesterday’s Wisconsin State Journal about Dane County Supervisor Heidi Wegleitner’s attempt to end the practice of reciting the Pledge of Allegiance before board meetings. Her proposal would also eliminate any reference to an opening prayer. Let’s start with theContinue reading “Pledge of Resistance”
Bet on Evers
While it’s far from a sure thing, I am feeling increasingly confident that Democratic Gov. Tony Evers will eke out a victory in November. Here’s why. Let me deal with the headwinds first. It’s a mid-term election and mid-terms can be brutal for the party that controls the White House. Evers’ Democrats are likely toContinue reading “Bet on Evers”
Language Lessons
God help me, I listen to public radio and read the New York Times. People talk and write in those places in ways that normal human beings just don’t. What’s worse is that the gap between how liberal elites talk (or at least the language they accept) and how average Americans speak is growing andContinue reading “Language Lessons”
Madison School Board is Out to Lunch
After two melees outside of East High School last fall, after a student was beaten outside of West, after another student showed up at La Follette with a loaded handgun and had to be wrestled to the ground by Madison police, after another La Follette student with special needs was beaten so badly that heContinue reading “Madison School Board is Out to Lunch”
The Party of Dane County Will Lose
It’s pretty much all over now. The Wisconsin Supreme Court has spoken and it has locked in another decade of Republican rule — unless Democrats figure out how to win again in rural and small town Wisconsin. Last week Justice Brian Hagedorn joined the court’s three liberals in selecting Gov. Tony Evers’ redistricting maps overContinue reading “The Party of Dane County Will Lose”
‘Don’t Say Gay’ Doesn’t Say That
If you’re looking for a Democrat you might try a graveyard. No, they’re not in residence there yet. That will come in the fall. But you can hear them whistling as they walk past. The case in point today is education. Republicans have introduced a flurry of bills designed to make a political point. InContinue reading “‘Don’t Say Gay’ Doesn’t Say That”
Fans Are Shut Out Again
Let me stipulate that this is not the most important issue facing the world right now. That would be what’s going on in Ukraine, but you have a thousand options for commentary on that, and I don’t have anything fresh to say after my earlier post on the subject. This is a humanitarian disaster broughtContinue reading “Fans Are Shut Out Again”
A Softer Sell on Climate Change
I believe that human-caused global climate change is the most serious existential threat to the human race short of nuclear war. It’s a catastrophe. So why do I want liberals to stop saying that it is? Because talking about climate change like we have been is not working. How many times over the last couple ofContinue reading “A Softer Sell on Climate Change”
Baldwin Keeps the Wolves At Bay
Would I kill some wolves to keep Sen. Tammy Baldwin in Washington? You bet I would. Last week, Baldwin joined crazy conservative Sen. Ron Johnson and two Republican senators from Wyoming in introducing a bill that would delist the gray wolf and turn management of the species back to the states. This has raised howlsContinue reading “Baldwin Keeps the Wolves At Bay”
Biden Takes the Right Tack
In his State of the Union speech earlier this week Pres. Joe Biden tacked to the center. In doing so, he gave his party some slim hope for the fall. I especially liked three things the president said and one set of things he didn’t say. First, he clearly and forcefully rejected the “defund theContinue reading “Biden Takes the Right Tack”
Please Make It Stop
It’s getting pretty hard to write about Michael Gableman. How many times can a guy use words like idiot, fool, incompetent and bungler, in a post? How many times can a reader stand to see “investigation” in quotes? How many references can one make to clowns and circuses before he gets a cease and desistContinue reading “Please Make It Stop”
Did Putin Just Save Democracy?
He’s a dangerous egomaniac who doesn’t listen to anybody. There’s not much there even when he’s all there, and now there’s reason to believe that he’s not. No, I’m not talking about Donald Trump, but rather his old boss Vladimir Putin. And yet, maybe no one has done more to revive liberal democracy than theContinue reading “Did Putin Just Save Democracy?”
Pfaff Gets It, His Party Doesn’t
Nothing illustrates just how far gone the Democratic Party is, how out of touch they are with average citizens, and how little interest they have in winning elections, then this week’s votes on bail reform in the Wisconsin Legislature. Some quick background. In December a man with a long criminal history drove through a crowdContinue reading “Pfaff Gets It, His Party Doesn’t”
Public Safety Can’t Be Left to Public Officials
It’s time for sensible people in Dane County — which, I am convinced are the vast majority of people here — to wrest control of public safety issues from our paralyzed public officials. Three issues demand a reasoned approach. First, there is the Dane County jail. Former Sheriff (and star public servant, in my book)Continue reading “Public Safety Can’t Be Left to Public Officials”
Liberals Value Education Above All Else
Much of the Democratic Party is now made up of extremely liberal, affluent and well-educated urbanites. They’re super woke and pro-union, but when woke and solidarity run head-on into the education of their offspring, education is going to leave their other values in pieces on the side of the road. What liberals understand, intuitively ifContinue reading “Liberals Value Education Above All Else”
Marathon Completed
Welcome to the 365th day of consecutive posts here at YSDA. I made it. I’ve crossed the finish line. I get the medal and the t-shirt. And two tickets for use at the beer tent. For reasons I can’t put my finger on, I decided several months ago to see if I could post aContinue reading “Marathon Completed”
Vos: Not Crazy Enough?
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos is the longest-serving speaker in Wisconsin history. To some on the hard-right in his own party he may have over-stayed his welcome. Vos has spent most of his career holding onto power by appeasing the crazies in his own caucus just enough. That explains his embarrassing “investigation” into last November’s electionContinue reading “Vos: Not Crazy Enough?”
Bice Opens the Door to Questions About Barnes
This was coming. Let’s see how far it will go. Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes has been running away with the Democratic nomination to take on Sen. Ron Johnson. It has been clear for some time now that the only way any of his three main challengers can catch up is to make the case thatContinue reading “Bice Opens the Door to Questions About Barnes”
Dems Should Support Bail Reform
Wisconsin’s legislative Republicans are passing a series of bills aimed at putting Democratic Gov. Tony Evers on record against them and, they hope, on the wrong side of hot-button issues. Since he took over as governor, Evers has vetoed 66 bills, but the pace has picked up recently. Evers has vetoed measures sent to himContinue reading “Dems Should Support Bail Reform”
PSC Must Kill Cardinal-Hickory
The Public Service Commission must rescind its approval of the Cardinal-Hickory Creek power line. Every day they dither, more rate-payer money is wasted and a deeper scar gets torn unnecessarily through the Driftless Region. A federal court has closed off any chance that the line can cross the Mississippi River at its planned spot, andContinue reading “PSC Must Kill Cardinal-Hickory”
Saturday Evening Drove Me From the Left
Maybe nothing better describes why I’ve been driven from the Democratic left to the center than what happens on public radio at dinner prep time on Saturday evenings. For a couple of decades I loved chopping and simmering stuff while listening to A Prairie Home Companion. Garrison Keillor was an unabashed liberal Democrat, who oftenContinue reading “Saturday Evening Drove Me From the Left”
‘Seinfeld’ As Political Movement
The other day, in the Wall Street Journal, Peggy Noonan gave advice to her Republican Party. What is their job, she asked? “It is to be sane,” she wrote. “It is to stand against excess. It is to put itself forward as worthy of leadership. It has to be centrist in its mood and attitudes, and inContinue reading “‘Seinfeld’ As Political Movement”
Cold
Tomorrow it will be eight degrees for a high here in Watersmeet. A nice breeze will make it less toasty, though. I’m going skiing. Nothing unusual about that. I’ve been out cross country skiing on 10 of the last 12 days. I love winter. I love cold weather. Now, there’s nothing wrong with people whoContinue reading “Cold”
What the Hell’s Going On?
On February 3rd state Department of Justice personnel, Dane County Sheriff’s deputies and Madison police sought to arrest a man named Quadren Wilson on the city’s far east side. Several shots were fired, none by Wilson, and Wilson was hit five times. He was taken to a hospital for treatment, but then released after onlyContinue reading “What the Hell’s Going On?”
In Praise of Pols
We’ve been saving up small stories of moderate, bipartisan political courage and today we’d like to share them with you along with a nice round of applause for the pols who have done the right thing. Let’s start with former Vice President Mike Pence. Last week Pence finally came out and said plainly that DonaldContinue reading “In Praise of Pols”
Let’s Pay Off Everyone’s Car Loan
The government should pay off all of our car loans. It’s the progressive thing to do. The hard-left is disappointed that Pres. Joe Biden hasn’t made good on a pledge to pay off $10,000 of every student’s loan debt, no questions asked. Progressives think even Biden’s pledge was too modest. Sen. Elizabeth Warren would goContinue reading “Let’s Pay Off Everyone’s Car Loan”
Biden’s Sister Souljah Moment
When I started writing in support of Judge J. Michele Childs for the Supreme Court I didn’t realize that she would be opposed by the hard-left in the Democratic Party. So, that was a happy surprise. Now there’s reason to support her all the more. Last week the Washington Post reported on the growing unrestContinue reading “Biden’s Sister Souljah Moment”
Refocussing Affirmative Action
Good Sunday morning. Today we’re going to hear from our old friend, New York Times columnist John McWhorter. In this post from last month, in light of the most recent legal challenge before the Supreme Court, McWhorter makes the case for keeping affirmative action, but retooling it to focus on addressing economic disadvantages instead ofContinue reading “Refocussing Affirmative Action”
Suck It Up, People
Today we’re going to hear from Jessica Bennett, an opinion writer for the New York Times. Bennett’s piece, headlined If Everything is ‘Trauma,’ Is Anything? appeared on February 4th. One of our enduring themes here at YSDA is that we’ve become a culture of whiners. Instead of encouraging the positive human trait of cheerfully turningContinue reading “Suck It Up, People”
Biden Moves Center
This has been a good week for Pres. Joe Biden. There are indications that he may have concluded that he’s done enough to placate the hard-left in his party and now he’s going to move back to the center. This week Biden dusted off a fight against cancer that he started as Vice President, madeContinue reading “Biden Moves Center”
Why Does Lasry Continue?
Senate candidate Alex Lasry just dumped another $2 million into his own campaign. When a guy can treat that kind of cash like kindling, well, I guess his kids will still be able to eat, but you start to wonder what the point is. I’m at a loss to understand what Lasry’s theory of theContinue reading “Why Does Lasry Continue?”
Liberals Are Not Dumb
The other day a close friend who is an occasional YSDA reader and a certified Madison liberal offered this pithy, sarcastic analysis of our work: “Yeah, liberals are dumb. We get it, already.” That got me to thinking. Well, no, I don’t think my fellow liberals are dumb, exactly. I think too many of themContinue reading “Liberals Are Not Dumb”
Judge Childs For Supreme Court
When liberals talk about diversity what they mean is diversity of race and gender. Well, they don’t actually mean quite that either. For example, the Madison school board has been touted by liberals as the most diverse in history, yet six of the seven members are women and there are no white men on theContinue reading “Judge Childs For Supreme Court”
Let’s Not Have to Mourn Our Morning Paper
You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone. That’s how Madisonians might feel if they wake up one morning and discover that their morning daily newspaper has been bought up and hollowed out by a “vulture capital” group. Alden Global Capital is making a hostile takeover attempt to acquire a controlling interest in LeeContinue reading “Let’s Not Have to Mourn Our Morning Paper”
Dems See an America Most Americans Don’t Recognize
Good Sunday morning. Today we’re going to hear from Christopher Caldwell. Caldwell is a contributing editor at The Claremont Review of Books. He is the author of “Reflections on the Revolution in Europe: Immigration, Islam and the West” and “The Age of Entitlement: America Since the Sixties.” This piece appeared on January 25th in the NewContinue reading “Dems See an America Most Americans Don’t Recognize”
Electoral Count Act is the Thing Now
I’ve got guests and we’re out there on the cross country ski trails of the U.P., and so I’m not sitting around in my nice warm chair writing blogs. What I’m saying is that it’ll be a cut-and-paste weekend. Today we’re going to hear from Larry Diamond. He is a senior fellow at the HooverContinue reading “Electoral Count Act is the Thing Now”
Mandela Runs Conservative Race
Mandela Barnes is running as if he’s already got his party’s nomination sewn up. I’m not so sure that kind of cautious approach is going to win the day. Last week the Wall Street Journal ran a lengthy story about the top Democrats looking to unseat Republican Sen. Ron Johnson. State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski, BucksContinue reading “Mandela Runs Conservative Race”
Manchin’s Justice
Let’s just cut to the chase. It comes down to this: which Black woman jurist will be acceptable to Sen. Joe Manchin? That’s really all that matters now that Justice Stephen Breyer has announced his retirement. Pres. Joe Biden has locked himself into selecting a Black woman, but he still needs all 50 Democrats, includingContinue reading “Manchin’s Justice”
Dems Keep Missing the Point
One thing the party in the majority can do, if not actually pass legislation, is to control the agenda, begin the conversation. For the last several months Democrats have been talking about topics that aren’t top of mind for most voters. The two topics Democrats want to talk about are voting rights and their BuildContinue reading “Dems Keep Missing the Point”
Redistricting: Short-term Pain for Long-term Gain
Democrats are pursuing a redistricting strategy that could result in an absolute bloodbath this fall, but better news for them over the coming decade. That’s my takeaway from this interesting analysis by the Associated Press. Democrats will start out with two big disadvantages in the mid-terms. The first is just history. On average, the partyContinue reading “Redistricting: Short-term Pain for Long-term Gain”
Stay the Course in Green Bay
Here’s how bad it is. If, with two minutes remaining in Saturday evening’s Packers-Niners game, the devil had appeared in my Fritos bag to offer me a bargain — Packers win for Trump victory in 2024 — I would have… had to say I’d get back to him. Of course, of course, I’d do theContinue reading “Stay the Course in Green Bay”
The Case For More Biden Pressers
Good Sunday morning, Packers fans. I wish I could say that pitchers and catchers report in three weeks, but there’s a lock out. Sometimes here at YSDA we like to assign ourselves the task of making a counter-intuitive argument. It’s like doing an extra set of stomach crunches. Tones the writing muscles. Makes us betterContinue reading “The Case For More Biden Pressers”
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Yellow Stripes & Dead Armadillos 