Author Archives: dave cieslewicz

Twelve years ago 14 Democratic senators bolted from the Wisconsin capital to deny majority Republicans a quorum. The legislation they were trying to block, or at least slow down, eventually was forced through without them and became Act 10, which pretty much shut down public employee unions in the state. At the time I supportedContinue reading “Was It Right to Walk to Stop Walker?”

This week’s debt limit deal was a huge victory for the political center. But there are still lots of folks on the hard edges of either side who believe that the key to their future success is to fire up the base with more extreme positions. I’ve never bought that argument. One of our recurringContinue reading “Moderation Still Wins”

Credit the Democrats. They were the adult party in the room. Despite a substantial part of the hard-left in the party (including sadly, but not surprisingly, my own congressman) that voted against the deal, there was never any question that the Democrats would assure the votes to keep us out of default. Moderate Republicans alsoContinue reading “Hard-Right Weakens Itself”

I went to a ball game at AmFam Field with some friends last week. It was a cool and windy day, so the roof was closed, making it pleasant inside. Our seats were great. My over-priced brat was made better by Stadium Sauce. And the Brewers shut out the Astros in a game that wentContinue reading “Brewers Will Get Their $$$”

Tim LeMonds is used to seeing his name in the press. After all, it’s his job. So why has he been trying so hard to keep his name out of the papers recently? LeMonds is the spokesperson for the Madison public schools. He’s quoted routinely on all kinds of issues that come up in theContinue reading “MMSDs’ Culture of Opaqueness”

Maybe some day Annie Kuster will be as much a household name as Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. Rep. Kuster (D-New Hampshire) is a leader in the New Democrat Coalition, a group of moderate Democrats that has announced its early support for the budget deal between Pres. Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy that would avert aContinue reading “Deal Strengthens the Middle”

For Memorial Day here’s a song by Tim Buckley, Once I Was. It’s not specifically about veterans, but it was used in the final scene of the 1978 Vietnam War drama, Coming Home. It’s a poignant reminder of the cost of war and lives cut short, sometimes to protect our freedom or to fight tyranny,Continue reading “Once I Was”

There’s an old saying in politics. When you’ve dug yourself a hole, drop the shovel. That’s true many times, but not always. A case in point is Target and its celebration of Pride Month. They went all in with rainbow displays and tee shirts with provocative messages. And they went full-out LGBTQ++++ with a swimwearContinue reading “Off Target”

UW men’s basketball coach Greg Gard received a $30,000 bonus for his team’s appearance in the NIT. The school got paid about $26,000 for being there. So, essentially, in a disappointing season that saw the Badgers miss the big dance, Gard pocketed all the money the school got for going to the little dance, andContinue reading “Gard Got It All”

One of the things I hear about from readers most consistently is my somewhat frequent assertion (I just did it again yesterday) that Donald Trump is a fascist. Well, he is. He meets the definition. Here’s part of the definition of a fascist from my online dictionary: “a person who is extremely right-wing or authoritarian; a person who is very intolerant or domineering.” You don’t think TrumpContinue reading “Yeah, Trump’s a Fascist”