In June primaries Buffalo, New York selected the country’s first openly socialist mayor of a major American city since Frank Zeidler was mayor of Milwaukee in the 1950s, and New York City’s city council moved decidedly to the left (these are Democratic cities where a primary victory largely assures election in November). In this columnContinue reading “The Challenges and Possibilities for Progressive Cities”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
The Moderate Case for HR-1
Let me try to make a moderate’s case for two progressive goals: the elimination of the Senate filibuster and the Democrats’ voting rights bill, HR-1. The moderate case goes like this. When 75 million people vote for an autocrat, American democracy, and the liberal Enlightenment values that it is based on, are in serious trouble.Continue reading “The Moderate Case for HR-1”
Pretty Sure it’s Corrupt
It looks like PSC now stands for Pretty Sure it’s Corrupt. Attorney General Josh Kaul needs to start an investigation into former Public Service Commissioner Mike Huebsch for possible misconduct in public office. And at least two other commissioners have conflicts that, while not criminal, should have prevented them from being appointed to the PSC inContinue reading “Pretty Sure it’s Corrupt”
America’s Promises
America makes some outlandish promises. The story of the country is all about the struggle to keep them. When I was a young county supervisor I sat on the zoning committee. My city of Madison colleagues and I on that committee were often the target of heated comments about how much we disrespected freedom. Why?Continue reading “America’s Promises”
Three Threats to Freedom
On the eve of Independence Day I find myself more grateful for my freedom than ever before. That’s because I no longer take it for granted. It wasn’t so long ago that I thought that blood and soil nationalists and ivory tower Marxists were only to be found on the fringes of American life andContinue reading “Three Threats to Freedom”
The No-Spin Zone
It’s the start of a holiday weekend, so let’s talk baseball! Now, most of our readers are in Wisconsin, so I have to be sensitive to the fact that due to a half decade of baseball absence in Milwaukee or to the dominance of Chicago media in the southeast corner of the state or toContinue reading “The No-Spin Zone”
Six Months of This Stuff
If you’re like me, a moderate Democrat, how many times have you thought to yourself, ‘that’s just bat-shit crazy,’ and yet you said nothing out of fear of being thought of as, or actually called, something awful? That’s the heart of why I started this site at the first of the year: to embolden left-centerContinue reading “Six Months of This Stuff”
Gender Neutral Isn’t Politically Neutral
I am a moderate Democrat. I would like to see Gov. Tony Evers get reelected. But if he keeps going like this, well, hello, Gov. Kleefisch. Last week I offered some gentle advice about how he might better handle his budget battle with the Republicans in a piece I titled subtly, “Veto the Damn Budget,Continue reading “Gender Neutral Isn’t Politically Neutral”
Trivia Trumps Substance
One of the hallmarks of the woke left is to obsess over insignificant or manufactured issues, often while ignoring real injustices. The classic example of this is the Chamberlin Rock. It is (or was) a very big rock that sat on a pretty hillside overlooking Lake Mendota and Picnic Point on the UW campus. ForContinue reading “Trivia Trumps Substance”
Why the Infrastructure Bill is a Big Freakin’ Deal
When Obamacare became law then Vice President Joe Biden was caught on mic saying that “This is a big freakin’ deal” as he embraced the President. Only he didn’t say “freakin’.” Last week the Supreme Court upheld the right of a would-be high school cheerleader to use the same word. Free speech advocates were heardContinue reading “Why the Infrastructure Bill is a Big Freakin’ Deal”
Yellow Stripes & Dead Armadillos 