Author Archives: dave cieslewicz

Rep. Janel Brandtjen (R-Menomonee Falls) and chair of the Assembly Elections Committee is a stark-raving lunatic. And I’m being kind. It’s not jut me who thinks this. Her Republican colleague and her counterpart as chair of the Senate committee on elections, Sen. Kathy Bernier of Chippewa Falls, has called Brandtjen’s continued insistence that Wisconsin’s electoralContinue reading “Brandtjen is a Lunatic”

My choices in the Democratic primary to take on Sen. Ron Johnson are now down to two. My top choice, Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson dropped out this morning and endorsed Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes. Also still in the race — and in the race for my vote — is State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski, whoContinue reading “And Then There Were Two”

The big news is that two of the three candidates on the stage tonight said they would support paid family leave. Tim Michels and Tim Ramthun both said they would support a proposal first made by South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem to require that in the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade.Continue reading “YSDA Special: GOP Debate”

When I was in high school and college one of my favorite things to do on a hot summer weekend afternoon was to ride my bike from my home in West Allis to Lake Michigan. That route took me through the industrial landscape of West Allis, West Milwaukee and Milwaukee before I got to theContinue reading “Midwest: The Industrial Landscape”

A key insight into understanding Joe Biden is that he is not a moderate; he’s a survivor. It’s not so much that Biden adheres to a moderate point of view, rather he hews to the center of gravity in the Democratic Party. And now, with the center of gravity lurching hard-left, Biden has lurched withContinue reading “Understanding Biden”

On one level it’s very simple. All I want is a Democratic candidate who can defeat Republican Sen. Ron Johnson in November. I have four top choices, so why can’t I just pick one?  Well, it’s complicated and I don’t think I’m alone in feeling this way. Democrats are in an intensely practical mood. MostContinue reading “Three Still in Play”

Ready for some happy news for a change? There are a couple of bills working their ways through Congress that are both bipartisan and much needed. The first bill (it’s actually a set of proposals) would clarify how electoral votes are counted. Nobody cared about this vague law from 1887 because until Donald Trump, decentContinue reading “Some Surprisingly Good News”

I never write anything I don’t believe — at least at the time I wrote it. But sometimes I like to go against the grain, to be contrary not just for the joy of being obstinate (though there is considerable fun in that), but as a way to think through a situation. Sometimes it’s helpfulContinue reading “Biden in ’24!”

The left and Democrats are wasting ungodly amounts of political capital on splitting semantic hairs over senseless controversies about things that only a tiny minority of Americans care about. The most recent case in point is the insane back and forth between Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri and UC Berkeley Prof. Khiara Bridges overContinue reading “Dems Waste Capital on Semantics”

The answer to your question is yes, I am getting tired of defending Joe Manchin. And yet, I’m going to do it again. The last remaining conservative Democratic senator, Manchin is taking heat from his fellow Democrats once again for killing their fondest dreams. This time he took what wind was left out of theContinue reading “Defending Joe Manchin… Yet Again”