Author Archives: dave cieslewicz

Liberals are leaving the First Amendment behind. An organization I once revered is no longer recognizable. It’s an analogy for the growing split between my generation of liberals and the new hard-left. The American Civil Liberties Union was the first nonprofit I joined. I was 17 or 18-years old and the editorial director for myContinue reading “What’s Become of the ACLU?”

Defunding the police is the dumbest political slogan ever. But it will stick to Democrats like Velcro unless they take strong counter-actions. In my long career around politics, and commenting about it, I’ve learned the value of just shutting the heck up some times. This is a lesson the hard-left might want to consider, becauseContinue reading “REFUND the Police”

I make no secret of my contempt for Sen. Ron Johnson. He’s a fool, and a humorless one at that. But YouTube was wrong to censor him. The other day YouTube blocked a video of Johnson’s June 3rd appearance at the Milwaukee Press Club in which he criticized the Trump and Biden administrations for, “notContinue reading “YouTube Should Allow Johnson To Be An Idiot”

Few issues put the split between liberals and the hard-left in more stark relief than the proposal to build a new Dane County jail. Here are the basics. The county currently runs three jails. The main facility is in the Public Safety Building and it is a relatively new, modern jail. But the old jailContinue reading “Build a New Jail”

If you think Joe Manchin is too conservative, how would you like to have Mitch McConnell running the Senate again? Hard left Democrats and activists are beside themselves about Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona are the two main flies in the progressive’s ointment. About a week ago,Continue reading “Manchin or McConnell?”

Sometimes I wonder why I’m still a Democrat. Then the Republicans remind me. In just the last few days, legislative Republicans have debated or passed bills or motions that would do the following: Short-change education funding to the extent that they are risking losing $2.3 billion in Federal funding under the COVID relief bill. ProhibitContinue reading “Republicans, Help Me Out Here”

In a sign that the Democratic Party might continue in a pragmatic fashion, former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe easily won his party’s primary on Tuesday. This bodes well for 2022. McAuliffe, who was prohibited by law from seeking a second consecutive term but who was free to run again after sitting out for awhile, bestedContinue reading “Good News From Virginia”

Over 500 colleges and universities will require students to be vaccinated before showing up on campus this fall. But not the University of Wisconsin. That has to change. Marquette, the state’s largest private school, joined Beloit College and Lawrence University yesterday. Nationwide, the list is growing fast. In April, only about a dozen schools wereContinue reading “Immune From Reality”

Last week featured two of the least surprising stories of the year. The UW picked Chris McIntosh to be its new Athletic Director and Gov. Tony Evers announced that he would run for reelection. McIntosh has the job, despite getting some flack for being hired in a process that wasn’t inclusive enough. But, of course,Continue reading “Can Evers Win Again?”

The Wisconsin Democrats are holding their virtual convention this weekend. Let’s take a look at how they’re doing. Let’s start with the reasons for optimism. 1. They’re printing money. In the last cycle Wisconsin Democrats out raised the other guys $23 million to $9 million. That’s a huge reversal of fortune from the days, notContinue reading “Sizing Up the Dems”