Author Archives: dave cieslewicz

We here at YSDA complain pretty much all the time about the “elite” wing of the Democratic Party. So, we were hurt to hear Pres. Joe Biden lump us in with all those NPR tote bag carriers when he attacked anybody who wants him to step aside after his disastrous debate performance as an “elite.”Continue reading “It’s Not Just Elites”

Credit Joe Biden with self-awareness. He is the person he describes himself to be. He is, above all, a survivor. And that pretty much explains how we got to where we are right now. The key trait that has animated Biden’s long career is a keen desire and an ability to remain in office. HeContinue reading “Understanding Biden”

The Red Gym on the UW Madison campus is often photographed, but not from this angle. Last week’s photo was of the two birch trees at the end of the seldom-used walkway between the Red Gym and Alumni Park to the left. Odd Angles is a regular Sunday morning feature at YSDA. On my manyContinue reading “An Odd Angle”

It was disastrous because it wasn’t disastrous enough. Joe Biden’s interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos this evening was okay. He looked and sounded better than he did at the debate on June 27th, but that’s a mighty low bar. He did even better earlier in the day at a rally in Madison, though that wasContinue reading “YSDA Special: Biden’s Interview”

It feels like the dam has burst. It started with virtually every liberal and center-left pundit minutes after the debate ended. Then it spread to major donors and then to a handful of low-profile House members. Then polling showed a modest widening lead for Donald Trump. Now the call for Joe Biden to step asideContinue reading “Next!”

Happy Independence Day. To celebrate I’m going to highlight one of my favorite essays of the past several years. It comes in the unlikely form of a Super Bowl commercial from Bruce Springsteen in 2021. Yeah, he’s selling a Jeep, but what he says is profound, if for no other reason than it doesn’t getContinue reading “The Center”

Let’s just say for the sake of argument (and my sanity) that Joe Biden does the right thing, or is forced to do the right thing, and steps aside. Who replaces him? If it’s Kamala Harris or Gavin Newsom we might as well stick with Joe. Harris has a minus 20 net approval rating. OnlyContinue reading “Forget Identity, Just Win”