Author Archives: dave cieslewicz

I’m writing this on Monday, but I know exactly where I’ll be when this posts at 6AM on Saturday. I am in a deer stand on the far side of what we call the “front hill” at the Jordahl farm in Richland County. It is dark and cold, but it was a long, hilly walkContinue reading “Eulogy And The Hunt”

Today is the most wonderful day of the year. It’s the Friday before opening day of gun deer season in Wisconsin. If you stop by Farm and Fleet (or is it Fleet Farm?) you’ll find it to be “Orange Friday.” And it’s not about fruit or Protestants in Ireland. About a half million hunters willContinue reading “The Best Day of the Year”

Dane County and the City of Madison passed their 2023 budgets this week. The net result is that local government is moving ahead with one flawed and unnecessary building project while it continues to dither about a necessary one. Last night the Madison City Council did what I expected they’d do. To make up forContinue reading “The Wrong Building”

Rumors that the Democratic Party is paying Donald Trump to run for the presidency yet again cannot be confirmed. But a person can understand the suspicions (that I just made up). Democrats pour tons of resources into efforts to get out their vote, but nothing works quite like The Donald. There are many intertwined reasonsContinue reading “Thank You, Donald Trump”

Going into the midterms Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson was thought to be the most vulnerable Republican incumbent in the nation. His approval ratings had long been under 40%, he had promised not to seek a third term and his public statements revealed an unhinged extremism that should have turned off Wisconsin’s independent voters. He evenContinue reading “Mod Dems: A New Party Within a Party”

It looks like we’re going to have a spirited Madison Mayor’s race. On Thursday Gloria Reyes formally announced that she’ll take on Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, who is likely to announce her bid for reelection later this week or next. Rhodes-Conway has served in the oddest of times, so it’s hard to judge her tenure.  First,Continue reading “On the Reyes”

This week the Madison City Council will take up a budget amendment to give themselves a raise. They should nudge their pay up a bit, but not as much as proposed. The proposal before the council would more than double their pay from about $15,000 a year to around $32,000. That’s too much for thisContinue reading “Give ‘Em a Raise”

In response to open records requests by the Wisconsin State Journal, the Madison School District finally gave the public its own information. Or at least some of it. In September the District fired new Sennett Middle School Principal Jeffrey Copeland only a few weeks into his job. The backlash from parents and staff was strong.Continue reading “He Got Fired For That?”

The biggest loser in Tuesday’s election was Donald Trump and his style of politics. Not only did his endorsed candidates get trounced overall, but it’s entirely possible that his aggressive campaigning in the closing weeks tipped the balance away from his party. Don’t forget that Trump isn’t just a polarizing figure; he’s a polarizing figureContinue reading “Trump Loses Big Time”

Yesterday I tacked on a paragraph to the end of my blog offering some hope to my fellow Democrats. I suggested four reasons that the expected Republican wave might not occur. I wasn’t serious. I was just trying to be nice. But it turned out to be prescient in the way that blind squirrels sometimesContinue reading “Why the Dems Aren’t Blue Today”