Category Archives: Partisan Politics
Trump pall and Republican exodus
The unusual exodus of Republican legislators from the Wisconsin Senate and Assembly undoubtedly stems from differing personal factors by each office holder. But the dark pall over the Republican Party cast by President Donald Trump surely also figured heavily into … Read the rest
Goodby Project 2025, hello project 2026: Let’s mint more millionaires
It’s looking like Project 2025, the extremist attempt to put white, male-dominated Christian Nationalism in the forefront of national politics, is increasingly in the rear view mirror. It’s falling apart as a political theology as President Trump’s disapproval ratings plummet … Read the rest
Wisconsin GOP congressmen: All doves
If any of the seven Wisconsin Republican congressmen try to tell you that they are fiscal conservatives, tell them you no longer buy their story. They may have truly held to fiscally conservative principles once upon a time, but their … Read the rest
Don’t count on citizen referenda anytime soon.
Both parties in Wisconsin have been working to use direct democracy as a tool to adopt laws that do what they want to do. To get around Gov. Tony Evers’ veto power, Republicans have come up with six constitutional amendments … Read the rest
Sen. Feyen: Issues to tackle
Health Care Costs, Health System Mergers, Partisan Politics, University of Wisconsin System, Washington County, West Bend, Wisconsin Surplus
Welcome to West Bend, State Senator Dan Feyen (pictured below). And thanks to the opportunity to respond to your survey about the highest needs for public policy in Wisconsin. My response is below. You replaced Duey Strobel as the senator … Read the rest
Override Tiffany caucus on budget, Ukraine
You would think that in a democracy majorities rule. You would be wrong. A relatively small band of right-wing Republicans in the House of Representatives is defying a big majority in both houses of Congress. The major issues of the … Read the rest
State remapping deal promises more bi-partisanship
At least at the state level, there are encouraging early signs of bipartisanship that has been missing for the better part of two decades. It has something to do, me thinks, with the Supreme Court-ordered rearrangement of the Wisconsin legislative … Read the rest
Tired of Trumpian losses, Gallagher leaves House
Thank you for your service, Mike Gallagher. In the aftermath of his recent decision not to run for a fifth term, critics on the far right of the Trump-infested Republican Party won’t mouth those gracious words, the words that many … Read the rest
Escape checkmate on border control, Ukraine
Where, oh, where is the Republican Party of Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan, historic U.S. hawks? How did it become the party of Charles Lindbergh, the notorious isolationist of the 1930s? Lindbergh campaigned vigorously against foreign entanglements right up until … Read the rest
How to use bloated state surplus in 2024?
Citizens of Wisconsin received a big bonus under their collective Christmas tree. The state surplus grew by $2 billion during 2023 to $6.7 billion. That enlarged surplus will enable our political leaders to invest in a good number of strategic … Read the rest
