Yellow Stripes & Dead Armadillos
A safe place for moderates in a polarized world
Latest from the blog
Notes on Conservatism
One of my summer projects was to do some ideological remodelling. I ripped my convictions down to the studs and then rebuilt them. But I left the foundation in place. I never questioned being a moderate. The question was whether I wanted to build back as a nonpartisan, moderate Democrat or a conservative independent. So,…
How Much Does it Matter?
Okay, folks, let’s take a deep breath. Even though we’ve dodged the bullet of a Francesca Hong nomination, the predictable breathless babbling is oozing up from both sides. To hear the partisans tell it this will be yet another “most consequential election of our lifetimes,” never mind that we’ve already had a couple dozen of…
We’re Back
Welcome back to regular installments of YSDA. I took the summer off — except for far more frequent check-ins on the Wisconsin gubernatorial primary than I had anticipated as the Democrats were a lot more entertaining than we had a right to expect. The idea was to spend time on book projects. That was pretty…
A Crazy Idea
Back in May I decided to once again take the summer off to focus on book writing projects. But I added one fateful caveat: I would occasionally write about the Wisconsin governor’s race. How was I to know that the Democrats would turn their primary into a demolition derby? I couldn’t look away. Now that…
Thanksgiving
This is a day of thanksgiving in more ways than one. When it was revealed last week that Francesca Hong had Tweeted about her desire to cancel Thanksgiving because it is a “colonizer” holiday, I thought that was the least of the troubles ahead for the presumptive Democratic nominee. Instead, it may have been the…
Your DSA Platform Questionnaire
It’s likely to be too little too late. My very limited sample size along the Maple Mile (the mile-long walk I take each day through my Madison West Side neighborhood with my dog, Maple) shows that David Crowley lawn signs have popped up in the last few days. They now outnumber the Francesca Hong signs…
The Post Mortem Before the Election
Moderates might take some solace in Abdul El-Sayed’s much narrower than expected victory in this week’s Michigan Senate primary. But I don’t think it provides much hope in heading off Francesca Hong. For one thing, Michigan moderates could rally around one candidate in Haley Stevens while our primary has been a mess and three moderates…
Some Hope for the Fall Race
An article in yesterday’s State Journal gave me some hope that the fall campaign between presumptive gubernatorial nominees Tom Tiffany and Francesca Hong might be more enlightened than I have thought. Okay, so probably not, but you never know. The occasion for my (very limited) optimism was a lengthy piece in which the paper printed…
Some Questions For Francesca Hong
At this point, based on the latest Marquette poll results, it looks like a certainty that Francesca Hong will be the Democratic nominee for governor. Tony Evers’ Hail Mary in the form of David Crowley looks to be either falling to the end zone turf or being intercepted and run back the other way by…
Socialism is Toxic in November
Being a socialist could well bury a candidate in the general election. The trouble for Democrats is that it could win a candidate their nomination in August. It was conceded that the latest Marquette poll, which came out yesterday, was going to be of limited utility. But limited is not the same as useless. I…
Disarray
My party is being very much my party. Just as its crowded gubernatorial primary was coalescing around the candidate most likely to win in November, that candidate’s campaign stumbled hard, her less electable opponents pounced and, just like that, somebody else will get the nomination. Sara Rodriguez, who had been steadily gaining momentum saw it…
Still Anybody’s Race
Since I last wrote about the Wisconsin governor’s race a whole lot of water has rushed under the bridge. Let’s review. Up until Monday, it appeared as if the race was coming down to Francesa Hong, representing the hard-left wing of the Democratic Party, and Sara Rodriguez, representing the moderates. Hong has been surprisingly strong…
Who’s Behind the Rodriguez Smear?
When I shut down my blog for the summer I noted that I would occasionally comment about the governors race. It looks like we have the most convincing evidence to date that Sara Rodriguez is the front runner for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. That evidence comes in the form of the latest story, this one…
Sara Rodriguez for Governor
When I shut down my blog for the summer I noted that I would occasionally comment on the Wisconsin governor’s race. For Democrats it’s time to choose. For me the choice for Wisconsin governor is Sara Rodriguez. Rodriguez’s camp has been picking up a little steam lately. She won the straw poll at the Democratic…
Dems’ Straw Poll Gives Us Some Signs
Last month when I announced that I’d be taking the summer off to develop a new book project, YSDA readers — and the YSDA adjacent — rejoiced. Dark clouds would not be making a daily appearance in their inbox. The summer would be all sea shells and balloons. But some failed to read the fine…
See You in September
Last year I took the summer off to finish a book. It worked. Wisconsin Watershed: Tony Earl and the New Democratic Party will be published by Michigan State University Press later this year. I enjoyed that project so much that my plan is to try to finish a book every year for as long as…
Weird Politics
It could by 1978 all over again. The politics behind the failed bipartisan state surplus deal is starting to look much like what happened almost 50 years ago. A quick recap. A couple weeks ago, after lengthy negotiations. Democrat Tony Evers and the Republican leadership struck an agreement to spend just under $2 billion of…
Mod Dems May Slump Toward Defeat
When the field was set for the Wisconsin governors race late last year I thought I had it figured out. Republicans would nominate Tom Tiffany, who would be a weak candidate in November. The Democratic contest would come down to Sara Rodriguez, representing the moderate wing of the party, while Mandela Barnes would be the…
The Four Party Solution
Yesterday, I offered my own take on what an honest post mortem on the 2024 election would look like for the Democrats. I concluded that the best solution going forward would be to split the party into two sub parties — progressives and moderates — with each agreeing to come together behind one candidate after…
The YSDA ’24 Post Mortem Report
Poor Ken Martin doesn’t know which way to turn. First, the DNC Chair commissions a report from a Washington insider consultant (always a great idea!) to review why Democrats lost in 2024. Then, after he sees a draft and doesn’t like it, he announces nobody may see what he doesn’t like. Now last week for…
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