Author Archives: dave cieslewicz

Kamala Harris didn’t get a bump out of her debate last week, where it was widely believed, even among Republicans, that she bested Donald Trump. But other indicators look good for the Democrat. First, about that lack of impact from the debate. We expected as much. People are just so locked in that it’s hardContinue reading “Harris Reverses Excitement Gap”

Why do we elect county sheriffs? The question comes to mind now because Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt has once again done what elected sheriffs seem prone to do: misunderstand their job. Here’s the main thing they don’t get: they were not elected to the Supreme Court. For some reason conservative sheriffs have decided thatContinue reading “Stop Electing Sheriffs”

For the first half hour of last night’s presidential debate I thought Donald Trump was remarkably disciplined and on message. He even got off some complete sentences. Then Kamala Harris brought up his rallies. “People get bored and walk away.” It was a line calculated to get under Trump’s skin. And, boy, did it. TrumpContinue reading “Harris Rallies”

I do not think that the entire election will turn on tonight’s debate. Even after Joe Biden’s disastrous performance in June, polling numbers only nudged down slightly for him. The reason is that voters are so polarized, so locked-in and so split down the middle. No matter what happens there just isn’t much room forContinue reading “Our Take on Tonight’s Debate”

After I lost my last election for mayor in spring of 2011 I was at loose ends. I went from having one of the most intense jobs in the city to having nothing to do.  One morning, about a month after I left office, I was wandering (and also wondering about what I might doContinue reading “The Apostles Don’t Need to be a National Park”

This week’s quote comes to us courtesy of a headline in the Wisconsin State Journal. The story was on the reintroduction of beer sales at UW football games and the headline read: “Sale of Alcohol Appears Strong” A) Sun to Rise in East this Morning, Set in West Later Today B) Oxygen Found Necessary ForContinue reading “The Q&Q For 9/7/24”

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes is right. In the wake of the latest fatal school shooting, this one in Georgia, Barnes is once again asking the Madison school district to return police officers to its high schools. It never made any sense to remove these cops in the first place. Officers had been in theContinue reading “Put Cops Back in High Schools”

Okay, folks, it’s now after Labor Day and my prohibition on paying any attention to the polls has been officially lifted. Now that the dust has settled (kind of) on the summer of: Biden’s disastrous debate, assassination attempt on Trump, successful GOP convention landing with a thud after Trump’s 90-minutes of grievance, Biden’s dropping out,Continue reading “Questions For the Fall”

The Madison school district will ask voters to approve a $507 million capital spending program in a November referendum. Voters should send them back to the drawing board. It’s the progressive thing to do.  That biggest-ever ask would replace five schools and substantially renovate two others, but some of those buildings are well below capacityContinue reading “Madison Needs to Close Some Schools”

When I was fighting (I’ve come to hate that over-used word, but in this case it really was a hell of a fight) to get the Edgewater Hotel built in Madison, one thing I touted was the jobs it would create in an economy still recovering from the 2008 crash. In response I was accusedContinue reading “Harris & McDonald’s, I’m Lovin’ It”