Feb
16
In Praise of Flip-Floppers
Posted by: Ryan Scoville | February 16, 2012 | 3 Comments
Consider the flip-flopper critique, one of the more common tools of attack in contemporary politics. Ron Paul has used it against Newt Gingrich. Many have used it against Mitt Romney. Some call President Obama the “flip-flopper-in-chief”; others speak similarly of Governor Walker. The term is efficient—in just a few syllables, it suggests that the target [...]
Jan
27
The Two Political Half-States of Wisconsin
Posted by: Alan J. Borsuk | January 27, 2012 | 3 Comments
Gov. Scott Walker’s job performance is drawing strong disapproval—in the city of Milwaukee. Gov. Scott Walker’s job performance is drawing strong approval—in the rest of the Milwaukee media market. A big thumbs up for Walker across most of the state of Wisconsin. A big thumbs down in Madison. The two half-states of Wisconsin—one with clear [...]
Jan
24
The Roots of Progressivism Lie in . . . the Republican Party?
Posted by: Edward A. Fallone | January 24, 2012 | 10 Comments
Tonight, when President Barack Obama delivers his third State of the Union address, he is widely expected to channel the progressive rhetoric of Theodore Roosevelt. It was Roosevelt’s “New Nationalism” speech in 1910 (quoted in my previous post here) that called for the federal government to play an active role in regulating the economy. When he speaks [...]
Jan
20
A “Paper-Shuffling Bureaucrat” at Center Stage in Wisconsin Politics
Posted by: Alan J. Borsuk | January 20, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Kevin Kennedy refers to himself as “just a paper-shuffling bureaucrat. – I haven’t moved to rock star status.” But sometimes, timing is everything. So that’s why there were a gaggle of television cameras, a cluster of reporters, and about 200 others in the room when Kennedy joined Mike Gousha for an “On the Issues” session [...]
Jan
19
Providing Straight Information on Public Opinion in a Historic Political Time
Posted by: Alan J. Borsuk | January 19, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Amid the amazing tumult on the Wisconsin political scene, with partisanship and passion running so high, how can you get straight information about what voters are thinking? One good answer: You can run a large-scale polling project, adhering to the highest standards of professionalism and non-partisanship. You can poll repeatedly throughout the year, so that [...]
Jan
5
Friends of Scott Walker v. GAB Changes the Recall Rules Mid-Stream
Posted by: Edward A. Fallone | January 5, 2012 | 9 Comments
Today, Judge J. Mac Davis ruled that the Government Accountability Board must take “affirmative steps to identify and strike duplicate, fictitious or unrecognizable signatures as it reviews the recall petitions expected to be filed against Gov. Scott Walker.” The ruling comes in the case of Friends of Scott Walker v. GAB, filed in Waukesha County [...]
Nov
13
The Original Intent of the Recall Power
Posted by: Edward A. Fallone | November 13, 2011 | 1 Comment
Some opponents of the effort to recall Governor Scott Walker have claimed that the recall provisions of the Wisconsin State Constitution are intended solely to permit the recall of elected officials when they have engaged in criminal or grossly unethical conduct. The latest example of this claim can be seen in the column by Jonathan [...]
Nov
4
Senator Feingold on Civility
Posted by: Andrea K. Schneider | November 4, 2011 | 3 Comments
Last week in honor of ABA Mediation Week, the DR Society here hosted former Senator Russell Feingold for a talk on Civility in Public Discourse. We had a wonderful off-the-record hour (so I can’t tell you all the good stories!–here is me cracking up at one) but what I can say is heartening in terms [...]
Oct
28
The Bride of Dracula: A Halloween Story
Posted by: Edward A. Fallone | October 28, 2011 | Leave a Comment
It is Halloween, and time for my annual attempt at political satire. Previous attempts at spooky political humor can be found here and here. Public response to these efforts has been overwhelming, but I am going to keep doing it anyway. Scene: A decrepit stone mansion in suburban Minnesota. A great entry hall is lit [...]
Sep
27
Evolution and the Constitution
Posted by: Edward A. Fallone | September 27, 2011 | Leave a Comment
Recent news reports make much of the fact that, with one exception, none of the current Republican candidates for President has been willing to embrace the theory of evolution as the commonly accepted explanation of how the multiple forms of life currently existing on our planet came to be. Instead, several of the Republican hopefuls have argued pointedly that [...]
Sep
19
Bipartisanship? Cooperation? Will These Ideas Fly?
Posted by: Alan J. Borsuk | September 19, 2011 | 2 Comments
Republican State Sen. Dale Schultz of Richland Center and Democratic State Sen. Timothy Cullen of Janesville did two things a few months ago that were quite remarkable in the light of the super-charged, partisan atmosphere in Madison (and elsewhere) this year. For one, they had lunch together. And for another, they decided to spend a [...]
Aug
22
The Constitutional Right of Recall
Posted by: Edward A. Fallone | August 22, 2011 | 4 Comments
The largest newspaper in Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, continues to take the editorial position that the public’s right to recall elected officials should only be exercised in cases of misfeasance in office or of criminal conduct. The editorial page actively disparages the use of the recall process in cases where voters simply disagree with the [...]
Blog Editors
- Alan Borsuk
- Bruce E. Boyden
- Edward A. Fallone
- Melissa L. Greipp
- Scott C. Idleman
- Lisa Mazzie
- Michael M. O'Hear
- Ryan Scoville
