Author Archives: dave cieslewicz

Republicans laid in wait for the Independence Day weekend. Then they dug out an old video clip of Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes saying something perfectly reasonable about the founding of our country (slavery was a bad thing) and attempted to fill the holiday weekend news lull with distortions about it. This speaks volumes. Did theContinue reading “Maybe Mandela”

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”

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”

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?”

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”

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?”

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”

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”

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”

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”