Author Archives: dave cieslewicz

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”

Robin Vos is a nightmare for a columnist. The Republican from Burlington and long-time Assembly speaker never does anything that is in the least bit surprising.  What you’d like, as a writer, is a subject that gives you an opening to explore an angle that is unexpected. In Vos’ case that would be an opportunityContinue reading “Inspector Clouseau is on the Case!”

It’s no secret that I have a lot of issues with Critical Race Theory, but efforts by state legislatures to prohibit it are a mistake. A fundamental part of being a classical liberal is that we believe in maximum free speech. Let ideas get exposed to lots of healthy debate and the good ones willContinue reading “Don’t Ban Critical Race Theory”

There was so much wrong with Donald Trump and his administration that it was hard to get your head around it. But Michael Flynn has brought it all into stark relief: he’s a traitor and he’s a fool, just like his old boss. I would say that it was a strategy if I thought theContinue reading “Flynn’s a Traitor”

In what will surely be a nominee for “Least Surprising News Story of 2021”, Chris McIntosh is expected to be elevated from Deputy UW Athletic Director to the top job later on today. The iconic Barry Alvarez, the man with a statue at an entrance to Camp Randall, has expressed his will and now ChancellorContinue reading “McIntosh Needs to Play a New Game”

So, here’s an interesting political strategy question: Would Joe Biden and Democrats be better off striking an infrastructure deal with Senate Republicans or pushing through their own bill? Here’s the basic lay of the land. The Dems can get anything through the House, but in the Senate they’ve got two options. The first is toContinue reading “Deal, No Deal?”

My father didn’t die in the war. Technically, Memorial Day isn’t about him, but forgive me if I reflect on what his generation meant. Memorial Day is set aside to remember the men and women who died in uniform while fighting for our country. Veterans Day is the more appropriate time to remember all vets,Continue reading “My Father’s Wings”

There is a growing backlash against the hard-left. The left-center is reasserting itself. For the last several years, the intolerant, illiberal hard-left has intimidated politicians, consultants, writers, many corporate leaders, much of the media and virtually all of academia. Not towing the hard-left line could get an editor or a CEO fired, a politician sackedContinue reading “The Left-Center Resurgence”