Category Archives: Uncategorized

Why won’t the UW fire athletic director Chris McIntosh and football coach Luke Fickell? I have my theories. One of them, as expressed over in my Isthmus blog this week, was that Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin, who could fire McIntosh outright and Fickell by extension, had not yet heard enough from big donors, both those whoContinue reading “Is Fickell Too Big To Fire?”

Yesterday, in a piece on the government shutdown, I noted in passing an interesting trend in the Republican Party: Trump devotees who are breaking with him over a more traditional form of populism. I’d like to explore that a little more today. Trump practices a form of huckster populism. He’s a demagogue playing to people’sContinue reading “A Glimmer of Hope in the GOP”

Now it’s getting serious. For the first couple weeks of the government shutdown it was almost a parlor game. Who would get the blame? Who would blink first? It was about strategy and maneuvering and messaging. Take your turn to roll the dice, move your piece on the board, pick a card. Sure, there haveContinue reading “Shutdown Showdown”

Today we’re not messing around. We’re taking on the big issues. Enough with the stupid football uniforms already. Last night we reached a new low in dumb uniforms with the Pittsburgh Steelers’ alleged throwback unis. I’m pretty sure that no Steeler from the 1930’s would have been caught dead in the get up that AaronContinue reading “Enough With the Stupid Uniforms”

Last week a student was beaten in a bathroom at Madison’s West High School. The school district would like you to know that there’s nothing to see here. Press reports of the incident were sketchy due to the standard lack of information provided by the district. Then a video of the incident, recorded on aContinue reading “What’s Going On at West High?”

In most walks of life there is forgiveness. But especially these days, in politics there is no redemption. Witness Kamala Harris. She tried hard to get to the center, but she couldn’t shake some things she had said as a successful California Democrat. The most effective ad against her used her previously stated position inContinue reading “Why Won’t the Left Disavow Platner?”

I find that I write a lot of posts criticizing the left — which is, more or less, my own side. I write much less stuff that’s critical of Trump, the GOP and the hard-right then I could mostly because if I went after every outrage and every dumb thing they did I wouldn’t haveContinue reading “Who Hates America?”

Here’s a special Saturday morning edition of YSDA. Let’s call it No Kings, No Coaches. While the Badger football team is being dismantled by Ohio State at Camp Randall this afternoon thousands of people will be out in the streets hoping to dismantle Donald Trump. We’ve commented sufficiently on the No Kings (Except Elvis) rallies,Continue reading “How About Barry as Interim AD?”

Americans are becoming more frustrated with the ongoing federal government shutdown. But while each party labors to cast all the blame on the other one, the most recent poll finds that most people blame them both. An AP/NORC poll that was reported this morning shows that 60% of Americans blame Trump and the Republicans whileContinue reading “Dems Should Reopen the Government”

If you go to a No Kings rally on Saturday don’t bother to look for me. I’ll be enjoying the fall colors on the Fall Art Tour in the Driftless Region of southwest Wisconsin — a much better way to spend my day. I’m no fan of street protests in any event. I think aboutContinue reading “Why “No Kings” Won’t Kill the King”