Author Archives: johntorinus
Tiffany does 180 on Trump’s Iran war
To distance himself from Donald Trump’s nosedive in public approval ratings, Tom Tiffany is doing a 180 degree turn on the president’s war against Iran. Rep. Tiffany of northern Wisconsin, the Republican nominee for governor, has always super-glued his political … Read the rest
Use $3 billion surplus to move state forward
In our unstable hyper-partisan political era, the $3 billion Wisconsin budget surplus has become a political football. Shouldn’t it be appreciated, instead, as a huge strategic opportunity? Invested well, those one-time funds could be used for initiatives that break new … Read the rest
Trump-centered campaigns avoid gut-level issues
American political campaigns can really be off-putting, either because they are too sleazy, too shallow or just too dumb. Let’s start with dumb. Just how dumb does President Trump think we are when he offers each American about $5000 if … Read the rest
Belief that most people are nice confirmed
Since crossing into my 90th year on this planet and graduating to walking with a “walker,” my long-held belief that most Wisconsin people are nice people has been confirmed. Visitors to our fair city often remark that local people are … Read the rest
Crowley, Tiffany: How about health care price caps?
Just how lightweight is the campaign for Wisconsin governor between Democrat David Crowley and Republican Tom Tiffany? They are essentially punting on the biggest affordability issue in the state and nation: Health costs are projected to rise by more than … Read the rest
Kwik Trip’s ingenuity, principles spell 1000 stores
Is it a gas station? Is it a convenience store? A bakery? A grocery store? Take-out full meal restaurant? Is it a winner? Yes, it’s a winner. And Kwik Trip, a Wisconsin entrepreneurial success dating back to 1965, is also … Read the rest
Will Crowley, Tiffany step up on the big issues?
We journalists love to cover political elections, like horse races – who’s ahead in the polls and ballot boxes and who’s not? Who’s gaining and who’s falling behind? Covering the underlying political and societal issues is far more complicated and … Read the rest
Crowley building team of rivals
David Crowley is showing major league political smarts as the Democratic nominee for the Wisconsin governorship. He has signaled a double-barreled campaign. For openers, the Milwaukee County executive, who won by a razor-thin margin over Rep. Francesca Hong in the … Read the rest
Frontline warfare extinct? Economic war next?
At the end of an eight-week exchange between American and Japanese journalists many moons ago, I had the opportunity to visit Hiroshima. That city had rebounded from the first atomic attack at the end of World War II, but dramatically … Read the rest
Crowley: a long shot vs. Hong
Let's do some gubernatorial math with fewer than two weeks to go before the August 11 primary. It's not over yet, even though Rep. Francesca Hong has an apparently unstoppable lead in the polls. The Democratic Socialist (she’s not a … Read the rest
