Author Archives: dave cieslewicz

Yesterday was a great day for a hike. Friend Spencer Black introduced me to the rugged trails between Brigham County Park and Blue Mound State Park.

Let’s face it people. Tuesday was a disaster for Democrats. They lost the Virginia governor’s office in a state that Pres. Joe Biden won by 10 points just a year ago. They nearly lost the New Jersey governor’s office in a state Biden won by 13 points. And none of it had that much toContinue reading “It’s Not Too Late for Dems”

Downtown Madison from above a cattail swamp along the Lakeshore Path.

As if we needed more evidence that the Democrats’ move to the left is going to destroy their chances in the mid-terms, we got more of it this morning. The biggest message came in New Jersey where Gov. Phil Murphy was expected to cruise to victory. Last week, NPR touted Murphy as a Bernie SandersContinue reading “A Hard Night for the Hard Left”

A maple tree along the Lakeshore Path, UW Madison.

Sen. Joe Manchin has succeeded in getting on even my nerves. I have defended Manchin for his recalcitrance on getting on board with Pres. Joe Biden’s Build Back Better plan. While I like Biden’s plan, my point has been that the whole thing would have been DOA if Manchin didn’t win a state that wentContinue reading “Manchin’s Gotta Get With the Program”

The pedestrian bridge over Campus Drive this afternoon.

A 2018 study for the nonprofit group More in Common found that about 86% of Americans are not bat-shit crazy. To quote the study, The Hidden Tribes of America: A majority of Americans, whom we’ve called the “Exhausted Majority,” are fed up by America’s polarization. They know we have more in common than that whichContinue reading “Eighty Percent of Us Aren’t Nuts”

On Hillington Green.

Good Sunday morning and happy Halloween. Denny Burke’s Sunday jazz selection is Swanee River Boogie performed by pianist Albert Ammons. Today we’re going to turn over the YSDA podium to Michael Mandelbaum. He is the Christian A. Herter Professor Emeritus of American Foreign Policy at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, a memberContinue reading “The Merits of Merit”