Wisconsin
updated
9:21 a.m.
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I think we already did this . . . maybe even twice, or more, depending upon what you count . . . what should we do with the Houses in James Madison Park? Read it and weep....
This Side of Town - 8:07 a.m. - 2 clicks 
There are two approaches that politicians usually take in dealing with foreign trade. The first is Feingold's fair trade approach: trading freely with only countries that have the same worker and other protections as we do in our country. The second is the free trade approach where you trade with foreign companies and hope that through the forces of the fre...
Uppity Wisconsin - 8:07 a.m. - 5 clicks
Keeping in the Waxing America tradition of horserace analysis, here's the morning line on the crowded Wisconsin 77th Assembly District field. We've been tracking activity at the Westside Community Market, and once again last week there were five candidates working the crowd: Democrats Brett Hulsey, Dianne Hesselbein, Doug Zwank, and Fred Wade, along with the Green Party's Ben Manski. John Imes has...
Waxing America - 4:03 a.m. - 6 clicks
Someone should tell the Republican Party of Wisconsin that just because wannabe journalist Chuck Sykes says it on his radio show doesn’t make it so: The Wisconsin Republican Party is retracting its blasting of a fundraiser for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Barrett with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi because the event never happened. The state [...]...
Blogging Blue - 4:03 a.m. - 6 clicks
In an interview with Madison’s 27 News, Republican U.S. Senate candidate made it clear he believes the Earth is only thousands of years old, not billions, as is widely accepted by science, saying, “I believe in creationism; I just happen to believe we were created the way we are.” Here’s the rest of what [...]...
Blogging Blue - 3:46 a.m. - 4 clicks
Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, a Republican in Democratic clothing, is facing a primary challenge from Chris Moews (pronounced Mays), a Milwaukee police lieutenant who's actually a Democrat. And since there's a big GOP primary, which means Democrats might actually decide who gets the nomination, Clarke, although still the favorite, is a little worried. His campaign's strategy is an i...
Uppity Wisconsin - Wed 9:41 p.m. - 10 clicks
Here's some hot news: Johnson heavily outspending Feingold on television. Ya think? And such memorable stuff, too. The Johnson Way: Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Free, Strong and Independent. Did we forget Clueless? ...
Uppity Wisconsin - Wed 9:27 p.m. - 7 clicks
How much blood is there in the Lake Country turnip , where the recession is knocking down property values - - which, in turn, is where most municipalities get the tax dollars that fuel public services. We'll know by the end of the year. ...
The Political Environment - Wed 9:27 p.m. - 6 clicks
Anonymous email leads to charge on WTMJ 620 by Charlie Sykes leads to press release by Republican Party of Wisconsin. None of it’s true of course, and I don’t expect to hear anything on Sykes’ show tomorrow about it. Unless of course he uses his microphone on Wisconsin’s largest radio station to lash out at [...]...
Left on the Lake - Wed 9:27 p.m. - 7 clicks
... if he wants us to seriously believe that his boxing glove ad isn't some sort of dog whistle taunt suggesting that he was going to beat Tom Barrett like the man who attacked Barrett at Summerfest. "That was not......
Brew City Brawler - Wed 8:49 p.m. - 7 clicks
It seems like every time he opens his mouth, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ron Johnson says something really really stupid. In an interview with the Wisconsin Radio Network on August 30, Johnson made it abundantly clear he believes communist China is a great place to do business, saying, “I’d encourage people to go [...]...
Blogging Blue - Wed 8:49 p.m. - 5 clicks
Hilarious. The Republican Party of Wisconsin issues a press release blasting a Nancy Pelosi fundraiser for Tom Barrett that was allegedly held on Tuesday. Only problem? It didn't happen! The dumbass at the RPW says he fired off the press......
Brew City Brawler - Wed 8:01 p.m. - 11 clicks
From my email inbox comes news Democratic Lt. Governor candidate Henry Sanders, Jr. has picked up the endorsement of former Wisconsin Governor Pat Lucey. Here’s what Gov. Lucey had to say about his endorsement of Sanders: “As governor, I tackled many of the same economic challenges we’re facing now in Wisconsin, so I know [...]...
Blogging Blue - Wed 7:42 p.m. - 5 clicks
Here’s a link to the Hill’s 50 Wealthiest Legislators in Washington! Somebody there missed Herb Kohl…since the 50th person is at $5.1 million, Senator Kohl should certainly have been on this list. The Milwaukee Bucks alone should put him near the top. Wisconsin didn’t do too badly: #26 Representative Jim Sensenbrenner is the Wisconsin [...]...
Blogging Blue - Wed 7:20 p.m. - 7 clicks
The Wisconsin State Journal has this editorial calling for freshening up some of the main routes into the city to impress people visiting the city: A lousy first impression for visitors to the city of Madison And while they go on for quite a bit, even referencing Paul Soglin’s blog entry on signage (which raises [...]...
Forward Our Motto - Wed 6:02 p.m. - 8 clicks
Scott Walker's tasteless and thoughtless new TV commercial, in which he dons boxing gloves and promises to come out swinging and keep on punching at Tom Barrett until he knocks his block off (that's not the language but it's the image) has gotten him a heap of publicity -- the kind you don't want, unless you subscribe to the theory that all publicity is good. The Associated Press, which first ...
Uppity Wisconsin - Wed 6:01 p.m. - 7 clicks
Word is that the Journal Sentinel is about to launch a big new project, with several staffers, to fact check statements being made during this election campaign. Ho hum. It will, of course, be a pox on everyone's houses. It's totally predictable that no political statement will completely pass the newspaper's test. Here's hoping they start there fact checking ...
Uppity Wisconsin - Wed 6:01 p.m. - 7 clicks
Best blog headline of the week, from former Madison Ald. Brenda Konkel: "Am I running for mayor?" Reminiscent of the debate opener by James Stockdale, onetime admiral who was running for vice president with Ross Perot in 1992. Asked LeMay: "Who am I am and what am I doing here?" No one seemed to know. ...
Uppity Wisconsin - Wed 5:44 p.m. - 6 clicks
I thought I would post some sports related news since it appears to be breaking and a long time coming. The Big Ten has broken the conference into two divisions. Division 1 Michigan Nebraska Iowa Michigan State Minnesota Northwestern Division 2 Wisconsin [...]...
Blogging Blue - Wed 2:47 p.m. - 8 clicks
About the Downtown Plan . . . which means you should probably be paying close attention, I wonder what else they want . . . mark your calendar for September 23. From: Tina Kurt [kurtt@hammescosports.com] Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 2:17 PM To: Tina Kurt Subject: FW: Madison’s Downtown Plan – Newsletter & Public Meeting [...]...
This Side of Town - Wed 6:41 a.m. - 6 clicks
Now that the commentariat has had the chance to chew over Glenn Beck’s vanity rally in DC this past Saturday, I thought I would throw in my two cents’ worth. It is little known – in fact, only I and my bewildered son are aware – that I am the preeminent Beck scholar in Milwaukee and, probably, the nation. As much as I can stand it, I have listened to part of his radio show in the morning and wa...
Plaisted Writes - Wed 6:41 a.m. - 14 clicks
This is just hilarious…. Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker (D-Weston) raised a few eyebrows when he called for an audit into student governance matters at UW-Stevens Point at the behest of his son, Jeff Decker. The younger Decker raised issues on the legality of the allocation of student fees. But Jeff Decker, 31, said [...]...
Blogging Blue - Wed 5:07 a.m. - 10 clicks
On Saturday, a Republican campaign office in Cudahy was vandalized when an unknown individual punched out a glass window, which is now boarded up. In his statement condemning the vandalism, RPW Chair Reince Priebus, ever the partisan hack, took the opportunity to attack Democrats for the mess he asserts they’ve made in Madison and [...]...
Blogging Blue - Wed 3:48 a.m. - 7 clicks
The US Environmental Protection Agency is looking for comment on a proposal that would require environmental justice considerations be included during agency rule-making. Sounds like a good idea - - if you believe that environmental justice is an important standard for government to meet. Wonder if the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, which has an Environmental Justice T...
The Political Environment - Tue 10:43 p.m. - 7 clicks
Trains are green friendly transportation that will create economic growth. How much more needs to be said to make the argument about why trains are the way to go in Dane County and all over Wisconsin? Throw in a bit of nostalgia about riding the rails, and the deal should be ready for everyone’s signature. But where other [...] ...
Caffeinated Politics - Tue 10:43 p.m. - 6 clicks
Wauwatosa is at war with itself. The loser will be...Wauwatosa, where the city is wobbly on development and innovation. On the one hand, its city leaders are probably going to lend millions of taxpayer dollars to get the new, sprawlified UWM Engineering School and private sector Innovation Center built on County Grounds property within the city boundaries. But now its Mayor belatedly s...
The Political Environment - Tue 8:30 p.m. - 7 clicks
A bad economy can sink a TIF and a municipality's fiscal stability, as The Daily Reporter tells us . Wauwatosa is betting on the come with regard to the UWM/County Grounds TIF - - projected to need 27 years to pay off. ...
The Political Environment - Tue 6:07 p.m. - 5 clicks
With the Madison Metropolitan School District set to open on Wednesday, time for a couple of back to school music videos. Chuck Berry, “School Days.” Fela Kuti, “Teacher Don’t teach Me No Nonsense.” Thomas J. Mertz ...
Advocates for Madison Public Schools - Tue 3:40 p.m. - 8 clicks
When we last left Wisconsin Republican Senate candidate Ron Johnson, his campaign was trying to put out the fire from yet another revelation that his vocal "anti-big government" teabaggerism ran contrary to his "hand out to the big government" business record. How does a good teabagger try to reconcile such an uncomfortable part of his history? Easy...by rewriting his own history , of cours...
DailyKos (Wisconsin) - Tue 3:09 p.m. - 9 clicks
Folks have been mulling over the names of those who might challenge Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz in 2011. At our home the topic has come up over and over as friends gather. I have argued that a strong challenge from the left is inevitable given the issues that have percolated over the past several years. How truly [...] ...
Caffeinated Politics - Tue 8:26 a.m. - 11 clicks
In wake of the DCCC unleashing some ads targeting Sean Duffy, Charlie Sykes had Sean Duffy on his show. Charlie appeared to regret giving him the forum. The reason? Duffy said he was not in favor of privatizing Social Security......
Brew City Brawler - Tue 7:41 a.m. - 17 clicks
Last week's shot at Fortunate Son-In-Law Ron Johnson by Republican ex-candidate T. Wall was pretty harsh: ...I realize that Johnson says he'd spend every penny of his fortune to win, but what that really means is the voters have a candidate who wants it too bad. That's someone who wants desperately to be Senator rather than doing it for the right reasons. Is this the kind of Senator we want? Now D...
Waxing America - Tue 5:46 a.m. - 10 clicks
Charlie Sykes, who can call in sick with a case of the sniffles and would fill his tasseled loafers with tears if he had to spend a day on a factory floor, spent part of today's show's bashing the elitist......
Brew City Brawler - Mon 9:03 p.m. - 15 clicks
Charlie Sykes kicked off this morning's incitement raging about CBS crowd estimates pegging attendance at the Glenn Beck at 87,000 to 96,000. Whoever came up with that was "smoking something," Sykes declared to his hapless listeners. His estimate for the......
Brew City Brawler - Mon 8:21 p.m. - 12 clicks
Again - - just passing on the facts from WisDOT : As of Aug. 29 - - 76 motorcycle driver deaths this year; 60 through the same period in 2009. As I noted earlier , this is not a good trend. ...
The Political Environment - Mon 8:04 p.m. - 15 clicks
This call of a Monmouth race is hilarious, as a horse named "My Wife Knows Everything" beats out one named "The Wife Doesn't Know." Posted here so Soglin can't claim to be the only Waxing America horse racing source: -Barry Orton...
Waxing America - Mon 2:07 p.m. - 13 clicks
Walker's PR team tries to phony up an East Coast bar into a Wisconsin scene. And gets caught. Amateurish, but indicative of the larger issue: Walker's ineptitude, whether at the top of the County government organizational chart or a gubernatorial campaign. ...
The Political Environment - Mon 2:07 p.m. - 14 clicks
Apparently. What's Worse: Scott Walker Lying about Tom's Jobs Record or Lying About Wisconsin Beer? -- which, by the way, constitutes a sin against the Holy Spirit. hiho Mp ...
The Motley Cow - Mon 12:28 p.m. - 16 clicks
Date: Sat, 09/11/2010 (All day) Fighting Bob Fest is an annual Chautauqua featuring progressive speakers, networking opportunities, and entertainment. Fighting Bob Fest carries on the tradition of Robert “Fighting Bob” La Follette by providing a forum for progressive ideas on issues facing Wisconsin and the nation. ...
Uppity Wisconsin - Mon 11:42 a.m. - 10 clicks
Watch for Ozone, DNR says (And I add, again ) An Air Quality Watch is issued when conditions are favorable for air pollutants to reach the Orange level based on the Air Quality Index . Start Time: 4:00 PM CST Monday, August 30, 2010 End Time: 11:00 PM CST Tuesday, August 31, 2010 Counties: Door, Kenosha, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, and Sheboygan...
The Political Environment - Mon 11:04 a.m. - 9 clicks
The Business Journal explains how several agencies, lenders and entrepreneurs partnered to move Nature Tech, an insulation manufacturer, from concept to launch in a lower-income Milwaukee neighborhood. It means a closed printing business will reopen with a new purpose on a reclaimed brownfield site, employ local people, and do something unusual in America these days - - make products - - i...
The Political Environment - Mon 10:48 a.m. - 10 clicks
From picturesque Door County all the way south through Milwaukee to the Illinois line, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says harmful levels of ozone and fine particulate matter could be forming in the air all day Sunday. Later Sunday, the DNR made the advisory official: Advisory for Ozone (Orange) Start Time: 3:00 PM CST Sunday, August 29, 2010 End Time: ...
The Political Environment - Sun 12:01 p.m. - 9 clicks
The crowd at the fundraiser for the only real Democrat in the race for Milwaukee County sheriff, Chris Moews, overflowed down the stairs at Brocach this past Thursday. It was a diverse crowd, where law enforcement rubbed elbows with defense attorneys and others in the community united in a vibrant attempt to liberate the sheriffs office from the arrogant right-wing blowhard who currently h...
Plaisted Writes - Sat 4:45 p.m. - 32 clicks
After Qwik CO Bz Stop , Scott Tweets To U 2 Keep U Updated Outstate 2 Day : Met a bunch of Lew Latto fans. @ foDaveRoss , @ Duffy4Congress & @ daneforsenate were w/ us in Superior. #believeinwi about 2 hours ago via HootSuite Great stop in Superior! I've been up many times and I'll b back in town on the 11th about 3 hours ago via we...
The Political Environment - Sat 12:09 p.m. - 11 clicks
I'm really pleased about this: next month Rep. Tammy Baldwin will receive the Jane E Lawton Commemorative Award from the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA). NATOA presents the award annually to an elected official to recognize extraordinary service on behalf of local governments and communities throughout the United States. It was created in memory of the Hono...
Waxing America - Fri 1:42 p.m. - 11 clicks
To follow up on this post last week, it’s no surprise that other towns along the proposed high speed rail line between Milwaukee and Madison would like to be the replacement stop for Oconomowoc. I predicted as much when writing about it last week. The whole article is here. But this humdinger of a quote [...]...
Left on the Lake - Thu 9:40 p.m. - 6 clicks
One of the more amusing aspects of this lunatic political season is Charie Sykes' petulance over his inability to cajole the Journal Sentinel into pushing his talking points (by which of course I mean the talking points he gets from/concocts......
Brew City Brawler - Thu 9:04 p.m. - 14 clicks
"Tea party" favorite Ron Johnson, who is trying to leverage his marriage to the "shrink-wrap princess" to unseat Senator Russ Feingold, had better be kept away from microphones for the rest of the campaign. WKOW-TV yesterday broke the story that, despite Johnson's insistence that ""I have never lobbied for some special treatment or for a government payment," his company (Pacur, Inc., named for Pat...
Waxing America - Aug 26 - 11 clicks
