Category Archives: Uncategorized

Former Congressman Barney Frank died yesterday. He contributed a lot to his country and his party, but one of his most significant contributions was made in his final days. In the last few months Frank has been promoting his final book, The Hard Path to Unity: Why We Must Reform the Left to Rescue Democracy.Continue reading “Barney Frank’s Final Contribution”

It pays pretty well and the benefits are excellent — health care, pension, paid vacation. You get your own office and (bonus!) it comes with its own private bathroom. And the parking? We’re talking rock star quality. Covered, heated, and just steps away from an elevator that whisks you up to your desk on theContinue reading “Hong for Mayor?”

This summer I’m studying to be a conservative. At the end of this month I’m going to take a hiatus from YSDA, just as I did last year. Mostly, I want to focus on a new book project, but I’ve got other important goals on my list. Improve my golf swing and my fly cast,Continue reading “A Conservative By September?”

For me late night TV ended on May 20, 2015. That was the last Late Show hosted by David Letterman. I mostly gave up on late night because Letterman was the last host whose humor hit a sweet spot for me. But I also have to admit that I might have given it up anywayContinue reading “No Tears For Colbert”

Talking about a revolution can sometimes sound like a whisper. Other times it sounds like a brief orchestral piece without any words at all. In any event, revolution is in the air in Watertown, Wisconsin. When the local high school’s music director chose a piece for this year’s graduation ceremony called  “A Mother of aContinue reading “The Sun Goes Down on Watertown”

What an interesting mess this has become. My guess is that if the surplus spending deal, cobbled together by Gov. Tony Evers, Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, had been introduced a year ago it would have easily passed. But last night it went down in the Senate and is, at leastContinue reading “Sorry, No Deal”

It’s hard to get a read on the reaction to the deal on the state surplus announced yesterday. After months of negotiations, Gov. Tony Evers, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu announced an agreement on how to spend most of the projected $2.4 billion in the bank. It would go toContinue reading “Is Lame Duck Deal Lame?”

Your head might be spinning with all the action from states and courts over redrawing Congressional districts — frantically in order to get them in place for November’s elections. Here from a story in the New York Times on Saturday is the best bottom line analysis I’ve seen : At the end of April, theContinue reading “Upshot of the Gerrymander Wars”

Any fellow Democrats out there have this experience? You hear a ding on your cell phone. You think it might be a friend. And it is, in fact, someone posing as a friend. “Hi, Dave. This is Ron Smith. I’m running for an obscure House seat in rural Oregon. A Democrat hasn’t won here inContinue reading “The Act Blue Blues”

I’m still in mourning over the whole Graham Platner thing. Last week, Maine Gov. Janet Mills dropped out of the Democratic primary to take on the squishy, spineless Republican Sen. Susan Collins. That makes Platner the presumptive nominee in November. God help us. Collins is the annual winner of the Senate’s Talks a Good GameContinue reading “We Can Still Mess This Up”