Brewtown Politico

Progressive talk coming to town via Chicago

2007-11-10T14:14:00.000-06:00

I come out of retirement briefly to announce a victory of sorts in the quest for progressive talk radio in MKE. Chicago's WCPT-AM is moving from 850AM to 820AM.

It's still a daytime only station, but the move greatly expands its reach allowing Milwaukeeans to receive it on their radios.

Read more at the station's website.

Videos to watch

2007-01-11T19:32:00.000-06:00

Thanks to all who have contacted me following the announcement that I'm taking time off from blogging. Here are a few videos I'd like to leave you with.

Closing a chapter

2007-01-09T18:16:00.000-06:00

Four years ago, I started up Brewtown as a general blog about politics, sports, and pop culture from a Milwaukee perspective. Over time, it evolved into its current incarnation with an emphasis on politics.

Since I've started the site, the Iraq war started, the 2004 election occurred, and the Democrats took back Congress among other developments. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank those of you who have taken the time to visit this site over the years. Hopefully, it has had something to offer you and has played a small part in raising issues and moving our community and country forward.

With that, Brewtown Politico is going into hiatus. I have ideas in mind for my next venture, but haven't decided whether it'll be a blog or something different. I'll continue to see some of you down at Drinking Liberally, and elsewhere. Until then, best wishes.

Hegerty out in November

2007-01-05T21:37:00.000-06:00

Milwaukee's police chief Nan Hegerty announced today that she will resign in November.

She has served in that position since being appointed in 2003. It appears that Hegarty has had strained relations with the rank and file, and Mayor Tom Barrett. The Frank Jude beating was the beginning of the end, and now the Fire and Police Commission and the mayor will have some time to consider a new candidate.

The police chief can't control everything. Considering how many of today's violent crimes are being committed by people with obvious anger management issues, the problem has to be confronted on multiple levels. A new police chief can raise the bar though, and set a new course for dealing with the problem.

Heh, nice.

2007-01-04T23:39:00.000-06:00

Tim Grieve posts this bit on Salon today:

From the "Don't Let the Door Hit You on the Way Out" Department, the New York Post reports that incoming House Ways and Means Committee chairman Charlie Rangel has sent Dick Cheney packing from his "palatial" digs just off the House floor.

The office has traditionally belonged to the Ways and Means Committee chairman, but Republicans lent it to Cheney when he became vice president. According to the Post, Rangel was so eager to oust Cheney from the space that he sought approval for the move from Nancy Pelosi within hours after the polls closed in November.

The Vice President is the president of the Senate under the Constitution, and has an office on that side of the Capitol, but he has no business occupying office space on the other end in the People's House. Well done.

Quote of the Day: McGovern edition

2007-01-04T01:51:00.000-06:00

"I have to tell you something I've never said before publicly. I voted for him in 1976." -George McGovern

McGovern, the 1972 Democratic presidential nominee, was on Larry King Live this week talking about the late Gerald Ford.

Hat tip to Political Wire

MN Congressman will use Koran at swearing in

2007-01-03T17:28:00.000-06:00

Incoming Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN) will use a Koran rather than a Bible at his swearing-in on Thursday. He is the first Muslim member of Congress, and will get to use a Koran once owned by Thomas Jefferson.

Rep. Virgil Goode, a Virginia Republican who represents the area where Jefferson lived, was one of those who criticized Ellison for wanting to use the Koran, calling for strict immigration policies specially crafted to keep Muslims out of the United States.

The English translation of the Koran from Jefferson's collection dates to the 1750s. Jefferson sold his collection to the U.S. Congress after its library was lost when the British burned the Capitol during the War of 1812. Much of his collection was destroyed in an ensuing fire in 1851 but the Koran that Ellison will use survived, Dimunation said.

Edwards on Hardball

2006-12-31T14:44:00.000-06:00

I'm not backing a horse in the 2008 race yet, mostly because we don't yet know who all the candidates are. That being said, John Edwards is already running an aggressive campaign and engaging voters in Iowa, New Hampshire and across the country. ConnecticutBLOG captured a recent appearance on Hardball.

Edwards has also cleverly coined the phrase "McCain Doctrine" to describe the push to substantially increase US forces in Iraq.

Disputed Florida race not over yet

2006-12-30T11:41:00.000-06:00

Looks like the Florida Congressional election with 18,000 missing votes will be taken up by the House of Representatives.

Rep. Rush Holt, a New Jersey Democrat who has pushed for better safeguards on electronic voting machines, said on Friday he would make a procedural point to establish the swearing-in of Florida Republican Vern Buchanan does not prejudice ongoing challenges by his Democratic opponent, Christine Jennings.

"This is a district, Sarasota area in Florida, where there's no way of knowing whether the result presented by Florida's secretary of state is valid. In fact, I think there is significant evidence that it is not," Holt told reporters.

Buchanan was certified the winner of the November 7 election by a 369-vote margin. Oddly, about 18,000 ballots in Sarasota County had no votes recorded for the disputed House race, while other races on those ballots were voted on.

The disputed Florida seat had been held by Republican Rep. Katherine Harris (news, bio, voting record), the former Florida secretary of state who certified George W. Bush as the winner of the disputed 2000 presidential race in Florida over
Al Gore.

CIA officer: Saddam will be a martyr

2006-12-29T20:06:00.000-06:00

Former CIA field officer Robert Baer has an editorial on Time's website speaking to how Sunnis will view the era of Saddam Hussein following his execution.

"It doesn't matter to the Sunni that Saddam is guilty of the crime he's charged with: the massacre of 140 Shi'a villagers in 1982 in reprisal for an attempt on Saddam's life. At the risk of oversimplification, the Sunnis think the Shi'a villagers deserved it. It was that kind of rough justice that Saddam used to keep Iraq together.

Nor do the Sunni care that Saddam is guilty of a lot more bloodshed, from gassing the Kurds at Halabjah to the invasion of Kuwait. Nor do they care he was a catastrophically incompetent leader who more than the United States led to their downfall.

All they care about is this: as the current war grinds on, as Iraq's death toll starts to approach Saddam's deadly legacy, as the Sunnis lose more and more of their power, as memories fade, Iraq's Sunni will think of Saddam's rule as a golden era. They'll remember Saddam as the leader who kept Iraq together, kept them on top and prosperous, kept the Shi'a and the Kurds in their place, and kept the Iranians from invading during the Iran-Iraq war."

AG rules ban doesn't apply to partner benefits

2006-12-29T18:08:00.000-06:00

Outgoing Wisconsin Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager issued decision that the amendment banning gay marriage and civil unions that passed in November doesn't apply to domestic partnerships in the state.

Madison officials had inquired about this since domestic partner benefits are offered to city employees. As the article mentions, Lautenschlager's declaration is advisory, but courts often rely on such opinions to render decisions.

Quote of the Day: Ford on Iraq edition

2006-12-28T21:45:00.000-06:00

"I don't think, if I had been president, on the basis of the facts as I saw them publicly," Ford said, "I don't think I would have ordered the Iraq war. I would have maximized our effort through sanctions, through restrictions, whatever, to find another answer."
-President Gerald Ford

Ford revealed his opposition to Bush's invasion of Iraq in a 2004 interview with journalist Bob Woodward . The interview was "embargoed" until Ford died earlier this week.

RIP President Ford

2006-12-27T10:08:00.000-06:00

Former President Gerald Ford has died.

In 1974, then Vice President Ford succeeded Richard Nixon who resigned following the Watergate scandal. Ford had been appointed to the job of VP after Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned after pleading no context to tax evasion making him the only unelected president in American history. Until then, Ford had served in the House of Representatives as a Congressman from Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was 93.

The Mic stays put

2006-12-23T19:34:00.000-06:00

Clear Channel has reversed its decision to convert Madison's progressive talk station to a sports format after a backlash from listeners.

The ratings have been good for the station. Criticism has been directed towards those who haven't done an adequate job of selling commercial time to support it.

Let this be a lesson

2006-12-21T18:58:00.000-06:00

Former State Senate candidate Donovan Riley will pay a $10,000 fine, and surrender his law licenses in both Illinois and Wisconsin.

Riley, a Wisconsin resident who worked in both states, was found to have voted in both Wisconsin and Illinois in the 2000 election.

Worth the price? Not so much.

La la la

2006-12-21T00:14:00.000-06:00

"We're not winning, we're not losing."

There's your commander in chief George Bush, Jr. after only last month saying that we were winning in Iraq. Rather than exhibit leadership, he's been the cheerleader who is years behind coming to grips with his failed crusade.

In the meantime, even the conservative National Review columnist Rich Lowery is conceding what many war supporters have been denying for too long:

"Most of the pessimistic warnings from the mainstream media have turned out to be right — that the initial invasion would be the easy part, that seeming turning points (the capture of Saddam, the elections, the killing of Zarqawi) were illusory, that the country was dissolving into a civil war."

Battle: 1 War: 0

2006-12-19T18:49:00.000-06:00

For the supporters of the marriage amendment in November's election, civil unions are not dead in Wisconsin like many of them had hoped. While the amendment did include civil unions, the debate goes on. From the Cap Times:

Young voters - particularly college students - tended to be overwhelmingly against the amendment, and heavy turnout on some UW campuses was credited with helping Democrats regain control of the state Senate.

"Everybody looks at this and feels it's just a matter of time. Young people clearly don't have the same" views as older voters, Doyle said. "It's a generational thing."

The fact that young people are much more supportive of civil unions and gay relationships in general means as time goes on, civil unions will likely be recognized in Wisconsin despite the wishes of those kicking and screaming into the modern era.

2006 in review: Jib Jab style

2006-12-17T20:03:00.000-06:00

Jib Jab reviews 2006 in its latest cartoon.

Ah, what a year.

Midwest buyout is bad for city and state

2006-12-15T18:43:00.000-06:00

AirTran is taking the won't-take-no-for-an-answer approach to its bid to buy out locally owned Midwest Airlines. Joe Leonard, Airtran's CEO, was in town Thursday schmoozing with local leaders to make the deal sound like a win-win for Midwest customers.

I have nothing against AirTrain. They've carved out a niche as a budget airline, and have done quite well. However, as any Milwaukeean who flies out of Mitchell airport knows, Midwest offers Milwaukee direct flights to a lot of cities. Many of these routes would be at risk with a buyout from an outside firm. Also, as someone who is on the taller side, Midwest's four across seating is a godsend.

Add to that the fact that a buyout would result in Milwaukee losing another major local company to an outside buyer, and I think you can count it as a net loss for the community.

Full disclosure: A few more flights on Midwest, and I'll be eligible for a free roundtrip ticket.

Sen. Johnson recovering from surgery

2006-12-14T13:36:00.000-06:00

The AP is reporting that Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD) is in critical condition following emergency surgery. He suffered bleeding in the brain caused by a congenital condition.

Johnson's condition, also known as AVM, or arteriovenous malformation, causes arteries and veins to grow abnormally large and become tangled.

The condition is believed to affect about 300,000 Americans, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. The institute's Web site said only about 12 percent of the people with the condition experience symptoms, ranging in severity. It kills about 3,000 people a year.

It sounds like he's doing well from the report. The story is making big news, because if Johnson needed to be replaced, Gov. Mike Rounds (R-SD) would likely name a Republican giving control back to the GOP in the Senate. As happened after the 2000 election, a 50-50 tie would give the deciding vote to Vice President Dick Cheney.

Dems freeze earmark spending

2006-12-12T19:37:00.000-06:00

This is a good thing. Appropriations chairmen Rep. David Obey (D-WI) and Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) have said earmark requests from Senate and House members will be frozen until appropriate lobbying reforms are passed.

Congress adjourned Saturday after failing to finish its work on the 2007 budget. Work will have to be completed on it in January when control of the House and Senate is turned over to the Democrats.

Hat tip One Wisconsin.

Cheney's search keywords

2006-12-12T13:32:00.000-06:00

Vanity Fair speculates on what Dick Cheney's searches on Google may be on his computer.

My favorite: bunker refurbish HDTV

Time to educate politicians on Islam

2006-12-11T18:14:00.000-06:00

First it was President Bush not knowing the difference between Sunnis and Shi'ites. Now we have future House Intelligence Chairman Sylvester Reyes (D-TX) thinking that al Qaeda is predominantly made up of Shi'ites.

"Predominantly -- probably Shi'ite," he said in a recent interview with Congressional Quarterly, a periodical that covers political and legislative issues in Congress.

Unfortunately for Reyes, the al Qaeda network led by
Osama bin Laden is comprehensively Sunni and subscribes to a form of Sunni Islam known for not tolerating theological deviation.

Many Americans don't know the distinction either, but they're not the ones in charge of intelligence gathering and foreign policy in this country.

Cool photo blog

2006-12-10T12:29:00.000-06:00

I came across this site today while aimlessly websurfing with my morning coffee.

Even if you haven't lived there or visited, the New York Daily Photo has some great snapshots of life in this great city.

Jim gets demoted

2006-12-08T09:18:00.000-06:00

Outgoing House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) will relinquish the gavel when the Republicans become the minority party in January. He was reportedly seeking a position as the Ranking Member on the committee in the new Congress. Unfortunately for Jim, that position will go to Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX).

To add insult to injury, Sensenbrenner didn't get a Ranking Member on any other committees. He has been serving in the House of Representatives since 1979.

WisPolitics has the list of new Ranking Members in PDF format.

Crossposted at Sensenbrenner Watch.

Telling

2006-12-06T17:46:00.000-06:00

"The situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating. There is no path that can guarantee success, but the prospects can be improved."

From the opening of the Iraq Study Group report's Executive Summary.

Thank you Lincoln Chafee

2006-12-05T00:21:00.000-06:00

Sen. John Bolton has resigned as Ambassador to the United Nations. He was given a recess appointment to the job two years ago after the US Senate refused to confirm him.

With the Senate wrapping up business under Republican control, George W. Bush had called for Bolton to be renominated for the job. Outgoing Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-RI), a member of the Foreign Relations Committee which has jurisdiction over the matter, publically opposed Bolton. This led to the committee headed by Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) refusing to hold a vote on the nomination once it became clear the votes weren't there for an endorsement.

Sporadic blogging ahead

2006-11-29T20:26:00.000-06:00

I have to head out of town for work for the next week so blogging may be sparse.

For now, I leave you with a fascinating Charlie Rose show about the human brain. It covers a wide range of subjects ranging from the psychotherapy of Freud to perception and cutting edge brain research.

A stupid debate

2006-11-29T20:22:00.000-06:00

I have to wonder what it is with guys like Rush Limbaugh, President Bush, and others insisting that the Democratic Party be called the Democrat Party. Here's what Limbaugh was saying on his show yesterday about the matter.

"Well, uh, ladies and gentlemen, they are not the Democratic Party. I know what they're trying to accomplish here. They're attempting to kill two birds with one stone by having the title of their party have Democrat as a root word, but Democratic itself is a word that conveys action and conveys philosophy and conveys behavior, all of these things, versus the Republican Party."

Who is this they he refers to? It has been called the Democratic Party since the days of President Andrew Jackson in the 1820s. Democrats are members of the Democratic Party. Check your dictionary, Rush. You too can learn English despite your self-inflicted hearing loss.

"Is it really fair for one party to have a title or a name that implies they are a certain kind of people at the exclusion of all other political parties? That's why they want this to be utilized in that way, because it implies something, it states something about them that it doesn't state about the Republicans."

Wow, jealous much? If the Republican strategy has devolved into ideas like not acknowledging the very name of the opposition party, no wonder they lost control of Congress.

A WWI movie worth seeing

2006-11-28T22:26:00.000-06:00

I received Joyeux Noel (Merry Christmas) from Netflix and watched it tonight.

It was released last year, and is based on the true story of the Christmas Truce of 1914. During World War I, on Christmas Eve of that year, a group of Scottish, German, and French soldiers called a cease fire for the evening so they could observe the holiday, share gifts, have mass together, and bury their dead.

The characters in the film speak in English, German, and French with subtitles where they're appropriate.

Durbin urges Obama to run in '08

2006-11-28T18:32:00.000-06:00

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) is urging his colleague, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) to run for president in 2008. He has started an online petition to build interest and support.

Durbin was elected in 1996 to fill the seat vacated by the late Sen. Paul Simon. He will become Senate Majority Whip in the Senate when Congress convenes in January.

There's no doubt Obama's talented, and charismatic. I'm not yet sold on an Obama 2008 candidacy though. The fact that he was elected by beating Alan Keyes for his Senate seat means he hasn't been truly tested outside of running for State Senate in Illinois, and losing a run for the House in 2000. That's not to say he wouldn't withstand the scrutiny that comes with running for president, but it's something to consider.

Election reform hearings ahead

2006-11-26T17:33:00.000-06:00

With the Democrats taking over Congress, electronic voting is going to get some much needed scrutiny. Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-CA) will chair the Rules and Administration Committee which has jurisdiction over how federal elections are conducted. The San Jose Mercury News states that an aide to Feinstein confirmed that wide ranging hearings will be taking place.

A network of computer scientists and voting advocates have pushed for better security and transparency since Congress passed the Help America Vote Act in 2002 in response to the 2000 crisis. That legislation provided federal money to upgrade systems, but did not require a paper trail.

Many of those critics say new touch-screen systems are not dependable, and are focusing on what may be the most serious controversy of the election, a possible software failure in a congressional race in Florida.

In that election, almost 18,000 people in Sarasota County who voted in various races did not vote in the hotly contested congressional contest between Republican Vern Buchanan and Democrat Christine Jennings. That rate of 15 percent "no votes" was four to five times higher than the rate in surrounding counties.

Florida race shows why electronic voting sucks

2006-11-22T13:57:00.000-06:00

The race to fill Rep. Katherine Harris' seat in Congress illustrates the degree of the problem when it comes to using electronic voting machines. The Orlando Sentinel reports that nearly 18,000 voters registered "no choice" in the race for Congress between Republican Vern Buchanan and Democrat Christine Jennings (about 15% of Sacramento County). There is little to no chance that all of these people chose not to vote for Congress since these same people chose to vote for agriculture commissioner on the same ballot.

Buchanan won by 369 votes based on the votes that were registered. As the article mentions though, the missing votes solidly backed Democrats in the five statewide races. Unfortunately, the machines contain no paper trail to audit the results.

"Wow," University of Virginia political analyst Larry Sabato said. "That's very suggestive -- I'd even say strongly suggestive -- that if there had been votes recorded, she [Jennings] would have won that House seat."

David Dill, an electronic-voting expert at Stanford University, put it this way: "It seems to establish with certainty that more Democrats are represented in those undervoted ballots."

The Sentinel reviewed records of 17,846 touch-screen ballots that included no vote in the tightly contested 13th District congressional race to determine whom voters selected in other major races.

Drinking Liberally: Thanksgiving eve edition

2006-11-22T13:27:00.000-06:00

Tonight, you can kick off your Thanksgiving weekend with your Drinking Liberally friends.

We'll be at Club Garibaldi tonight beginning at 7pm. Come on down and enjoy $2 off New Glarus Spotted Cow pitchers, 30 cent hot wings, and some good conversation.

It's located at 2501 S Superior St in Milwaukee's Bay View neighborhood.

Remembering JFK

2006-11-22T10:36:00.000-06:00

President John F. Kennedy was assassinated 43 years ago today on November 22, 1963. Here is his inaugural address from January 20, 1961.

Part one:

Part two:

Congress skips town without finishing its work

2006-11-21T19:08:00.000-06:00

The Republican Congress has decided to go home without completing the budget for Fiscal Year 2007.

Instead, they chose to pass a temporary spending bill that funds the government until Democrats take over next year. Way to pass the buck, guys.

Bull Moose shuts its doors

2006-11-21T19:03:00.000-06:00

Bull Moose blog is going into hiatus after editor Marshall Wittmann got hired as Communications Director for Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT).

Maybe it's partially because I'm a fan of Teddy Roosevelt (a great Republican president), but I always enjoyed Bull Moose for its independent streak and insight. The blogosphere could use a few more like it to provide some balance. Too often it seems, some gravitate to emotionally charged sites like Free Republic or Democratic Underground for their red meat politics of the day.

Time for William Jefferson to go

2006-11-20T19:00:00.000-06:00

The runoff election in Louisiana is set for December 9th between Democrats William Jefferson and Karen Carter. The Louisiana Democratic Party, and the blogs Daily Kos, Swing State Project, and MyDD have all endorsed Carter.

Jefferson has been plagued by ethical problems, exemplified by his being investigated by the FBI for allegedly receiving bribes of $100,000 and $400,000. Jefferson has refused to resign, and is now seeking to retain the seat. Now that corrupt Republicans like Tom DeLay, Randy "Duke" Cunningham, and Bob Ney are out, Louisiana Democrats in Jefferson's district should take a stand on ethics and boot Jefferson out.

For more information on his opponent Karen Carter, check out her site.

Pro-choice Republicans stepping up

2006-11-18T12:09:00.000-06:00

After the Republicans lost badly on election night, there's a lot of positioning going on within the party. The Republican Majority for Choice is one of the groups involved. They say their views on reproductive rights represent the majority of the party, but that party delegates have had control of the platform on the issue.

Many Republicans are blaming the election results on the centrist wing of the party, because of the number of losses in places like the northeast. That doesn't tell the whole story though. Guys like Sen. Lincoln Chafee didn't lose because they were moderate, they lost because they were tied to a party that has abandoned independent and moderate voters in favor of a right-wing base strategy.

As this Bloomberg article notes, almost 40% of House Republicans in the new Congress will be from the south. What's more eye opening is that Rep. Chris Shays (R-CT), who narrowly won re-election, is now the only Republican House member left from New England.

Rummy funny

2006-11-17T00:02:00.000-06:00

Late Late Show host Craig Ferguson pays his respects to outgoing Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Pelosi, Hoyer win top leadership spots

2006-11-16T11:21:00.000-06:00

House Democrats have unanimously elected Nancy Pelosi to Speaker of the House and current House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer to become Majority Leader in the 110th Congress. Hoyer garnered 149 votes to 86 votes for Jack Murtha.

Here's how the leadership breaks down:

Nominee for Speaker:
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

Majority Leader:
Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD)

Majority Whip:
Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC)

Caucus Chair:
Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL)

Vice-Caucus Chair:
Rep. John Larson (D-CT)

Murtha pretty much killed his chances when he came out against ethics reform legislation supported by Pelosi and House Democrats. Republicans will make a big deal out of this since Pelosi had endorsed Murtha, but in the end this stuff is largely inside baseball. Quoting Rep. Dave Obey (D-WI):

"There's such universal respect and affection for Nancy. She's gutsy as hell and she's willing to take a chance," he said. "It was bitter between the two candidates, I suppose, but it wasn't bitter among the members of the caucus. People get over this stuff."

Late night video

2006-11-16T02:09:00.000-06:00

Genesis - Land of Confusion (1986)

Fox News, always good for a laugh

2006-11-15T15:50:00.000-06:00

The conservative World Net Daily is claiming that Fox News gave $2 million to "Palestinian terror groups and security organizations in the Gaza Strip" in exchange for the release of two reporters being held hostage. They indicate this has been confirmed by the Fatah Party.

Now we have an internal Fox News memo obtained by the Huffington Post that tells staff to be "Be On The Lookout For Any Statements From The Iraqi Insurgents...Thrilled At The Prospect Of A Dem Controlled Congress".

I can't add anything to further illustrate their hubris.

I'm so doing this

2006-11-14T18:02:00.000-06:00

A group of political junkies has put together an online Fantasy Congress game.

Start a team at the Fantasy Congress site and start drafting your House and Senate members. As with other fantasy sports, you can start your own league. Points are acquired as your members introduce legislation and have it advanced through the process.

To some it may seem pretty dorky, but I'm sure there are a few readers and fellow bloggers who won't be able to resist. If you're interested in joining a league, shoot me an email.

Post election political geography

2006-11-14T17:52:00.000-06:00

Chuck Todd has a good assessment of the geographical trend in voting patterns nationally.

Forget "red" and "blue." The country is basically divided into four voting blocs: the Democratic Northeast, the Republican South, the populist Midwest and the libertarian West. Democrats probably have a decent grip on those populist Midwest voters for a while (at least until the area transforms completely into a new economy). As for the libertarian West (home of the first state -- Arizona -- to reject a gay marriage ban), this is a region that is more up for grabs than it should be. And it's because the Republican Party has grown more religious and more pro-government which turns off these "leave me alone," small-government libertarian Republicans.

The Republican Party started selling out its socially liberal voters beginning in 1980 when it abandoned the principles championed by Barry Goldwater. Until the GOP leadership is willing to stand up to the religious right, it risks becoming marginalized as a predominantly southern party.

Clear Channel yanks the Mic

2006-11-14T17:35:00.000-06:00

Madison's successful progressive radio station 92.1 FM The Mic will get a makeover after the new year when it becomes the new home of Fox Sports radio. It's surprising considering that its ratings have been good throughout most of the past two years.

It was revealed a few weeks back that a memo was circulated to ABC stations containing a list of 90 advertisers refusing to run their commercials during Air America programming. Companies like McDonald's, Levi's and Toys R Us advertise on Clear Channel stations too so it would make sense that the same policy is in place there. Read the full memo here.

The Mic also carried successful progressive talkers Ed Schultz, Stephanie Miller, and local shows in addition to carrying the fledgling Air America network.

Murtha vs. Hoyer for Majority Leader

2006-11-13T13:55:00.000-06:00

The next election to watch isn't next year or 2008, but rather the race to become the Democratic Majority Leader in the House of Representatives.

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) is in line to become Majority Leader in January. However, this isn't a monarchy whereby the line of succession is written in stone. It wasn't until Rep. John Murtha (D-PA), previously a supporter of the Iraq conflict, spoke out about the lack of progress and called for a change in strategy including the redeployment of troops that many Democrats grew a spine on the issue. Hoyer has been more supportive of the war in the past contributing to his reputation as a Blue Dog Democrat. However, Hoyer is more liberal on social issues than Murtha who opposes abortion rights.

Something to consider is that Murtha's leadership on criticizing Iraq policy contributed to Democrats retaking the House in the election. Political Wire points to articles in Roll Call and the Hill reporting Rep. Nancy Pelosi, soon to become House Speaker, has thrown her support behind Murtha.

Pocketbook issues are the key to Dems' success

2006-11-13T12:46:00.000-06:00

The Trib followed Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman Rahm Emanuel throughout this campaign season and gained access to strategy meetings. An article in the paper details what they observed.

Moving forward, Democrats need to take this opportunity given to them by voters to regain the confidence and trust of those who until this past election have largely voted Republican. The populist mantra has been hijacked by people like County Exec Scott Walker, Rush Limbaugh and George W. Bush. In the next Congress, Dems can reclaim it by focusing on issues like affordable and accessible health care, raising the minimum wage, job training, tax reform, college tuition, and energy prices to name a few.

Conservatism is not a governing philosophy, it's a critique of government. It's easy to regurgitate the idea of lower taxes, and shrinking government, but Republicans haven't defined where the threshold is on either of them. They've also grown the size of government while failing to fund it thereby ballooning the deficit.

The opportunity for Democrats is to restore faith that government can work for the citizenry where the private sector fails to, and do it in a fiscally sound manner. When run competently, government can open doors that have been shut in the past for workers, and provide hope for those who have lost it.

That new mall

2006-11-12T23:20:00.000-06:00

Stacie sounds off on the new Bayshore over at the Vast Dairy State Conspiracy (click on the bypass this message link to read the post).

I stopped at the Bayshore Town Center a few weeks back. It's an improvement over its predecessor and other shopping malls we've come to know over the previous decades. While you're walking around outside, there is a sense of place that kicks in.

Considering Glendale didn't really have a downtown before, I can see why they moved in this direction. In the end though, it's still an imitation of an authentic city shopping district which is what the modern shopping mall has always been.

Russ says no run for president in '08

2006-11-12T09:56:00.000-06:00

Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) has decided against a run for president in the 2008 election. From the press release:

I'm sure a campaign for President would have been a great adventure and helpful in advancing a progressive agenda. At this time, however, I believe I can best advance that progressive agenda as a Senator with significant seniority in the new Senate serving on the Foreign Relations, Intelligence, Judiciary and Budget Committees. Although I have given it a lot of thought, I cannot muster the same enthusiasm for a race for President while I am trying simultaneously to advance our agenda in the Senate. In other words, if I really wanted to run for President, regardless of the odds or other possible candidates, I would do so. However, to put my family and all of my friends and supporters through such a process without having a very strong desire to run, seems inappropriate to me. And, yes, while I would strongly prefer that our nominee in 2008 be someone who had the judgment to oppose the Iraq war from the beginning, I am prepared to work as hard as I can through the Progressive Patriots Fund, and consistent with my duties in the Senate, to maintain or increase our gains from November 7 in the Congress and, of course, to elect a Democrat as President in 2008.

Checking in

2006-11-09T10:08:00.000-06:00

Hello from the nation's capitol. I'm out in DC visiting friends and family this week and taking in the aftermath of the election and the overdue ouster of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

I've been in northern Virginia for most of the past day, and there are still Webb and Allen signs everywhere. It looks like this race could formally be over today, the Associated Press having already called the race for Democrat Jim Webb. There's next to no chance that Republican George Allen would be able to close the 7200 gap with a recount barring some very unusual circumstances.

I was sad to see that Kathleen Falk lost a close race to become Wisconsin's next Attorney General. Early on in the returns, it was noticable that many people were voting for Doyle and then crossing over to vote for Republican JB Van Hollen for AG. Congratulations and best of luck to him.

Back to Congress, the Democrats will be controlling both the House and the Senate for at least the next two years. I'll urge the Dems to work with the president where it's possible (e.g. immigration, minimum wage). The Iraq war is still the focal point of where change is necessary though, and now at long last maybe we can have some oversight into this conflict that has cost the country hundresds of billions of dollars and 2,839 lives. With regard to Robert Gates, he's not a neo con, he's from the Brent Scowcroft more pragmantic school of foreign policy. We'll see if the shift in ideology results in a change in policy at the Pentagon if he's confirmed.

Hope Drinking Liberally was festive last night. See you all soon.

Off for a few days

2006-11-08T09:43:00.000-06:00

I'm off on vacation through the remainder of the week so there probably won't be any posting in the coming days unless I find time to use a computer.

Talk to you all next week.

It's time to celebrate, and then get to work

2006-11-08T02:13:00.000-06:00

It was a fascinating night to follow the returns. After being glued to the television and the computer for the first few hours, I headed out and stopped by the Kohl/Moore party and then to newly elected State Sen. Jim Sullivan's victory party at Miller Park. Sullivan defeated reactionary Republican Tom Reynolds in Wisconsin's 5th State Senate district in a victory against extremism in our state legislature. Sullivan's win also contributed to the Democrats taking the State Senate in Wisconsin.

Nationally, the Democrats have reclaimed the House of Representatives bringing back a check on the balance of power in Washington. In Wisconsin, Steve Kagen defeated John Gard to contribute to that victory. Gov. Jim Doyle has retained the governorship with an impressive margin (a year ago, I predicted a Doyle victory by 5%). The balance of power in the Senate appears to be going down to the wire in Virginia with the Allen-Webb race. In Wisconsin, the Attorney General's race may not be decided tonight either between Falk and Van Hollen. Even with those races to be decided, we've already seen a huge shift in power in the state and the country.

It certainly is disappointing that the marriage amendment passed for those of us who fought against it. Given that younger voters tend to view gay marriage as less of problem than the general populace, I like to think the country is moving in the right direction. If this amendment were on the ballot a few years down the road, perhaps the result may have been different.

On balance, it's a time to rejoice given the results we have seen tonight. Once the celebrating ends, and the newly elected are inaugurated, the hard work will need to be done to address the important domestic and international issues the current leadership has failed to. The country is hungry for leadership based on the results today.

Telling stat of the day: Not one Democratic incumbent in Congress lost tonight, a mirror image of what Republicans experienced in 1994.

Polls are closed in Wisconsin

2006-11-07T20:00:00.000-06:00

So far nationally, the Democrats have picked up Senate seats in Ohio and Pennsylvania, and held New Jersey.

Here are a few pages you can visit to get the most up to date election results tonight:

Wisconsin:
WisPolitics Election Scorecard
JSOnline Election Results
WKOW - Madison
WLUK - Green Bay

National:
CNN - Wisconsin results
TPM Cafe Election Scorecard
ABC News coverage

You can watch local bloggers Folkbum and Owen on Channel 4's election night coverage in Milwaukee at 9pm.

Back from GOTV

2006-11-07T18:57:00.000-06:00

Today, I voted at around 1pm today and was #292 at Ward 237 in Milwaukee. I just now got back from doing some get out the vote work. Of the calls I made to traditionally Democratic voters, very few people hadn't already voted so take from that what you will.

There was one report out of a Kenosha ward where someone was supposedly telling arriving voters they were out of registration forms. If that's true, the city clerk ought to get some forms over there right away. They're available right on the state website. On the other hand, if that person was trying to turn away potential voters, that's pretty despicable.

One more hour folks. Vote if you haven't yet. If you're in line by 8:00pm, you're allowed to cast a ballot.

Speak through your vote Tuesday

2006-11-06T22:17:00.000-06:00

Here's a short list of voting resources in Wisconsin. Click on the appropriate link below to find out where your polling place is located.

City of Milwaukee
City of Madison
City of Green Bay
City of Waukesha
City of Kenosha
City of Racine
For other locations, visit mypollingplace.com, and put in your zip code. Follow the instructions to determine where to vote.

If you're not yet registered to vote at your polling place, information about what you need to register and vote on the same day is available on the Wisconsin Elections Board website.

Endorsements

2006-11-06T20:38:00.000-06:00

A sample ballot is available on the City of Milwaukee site. Here's where Brewtown Politico comes down on tomorrow's important races:

Governor: Jim Doyle
Attorney General: Kathleen Falk
US Senate: Herb Kohl
US House 4th District: Gwen Moore
US House 5th District: Bryan Kennedy
US House 8th District: Steve Kagen
State Senate 5th District: Jim Sullivan
State Senate 7th District: Jeff Plale
Milwaukee Co. District Attorney: John Chisholm
Milwaukee Co. Sheriff: Don Holt

NO on QUESTION 1: “Marriage. Shall section 13 article XIII of the constitution be created to provide that only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state and that a legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized in this state?”

NO on QUESTION 2: Death penalty in Wisconsin. “Should the death penalty be enacted in the State of Wisconsin for cases involving a person who is convicted of first-degree intentional homicide, if the conviction is supported by DNA evidence?”

Obey would head Appropriations if Dems win

2006-11-06T13:53:00.000-06:00

A Reuters article points out Wisconsin's own Congressman Dave Obey could have significant influence in Congress after tomorrow's election. If the Democrats take back the House of Representatives in tomorrow's election, Obey would become Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee which has jurisdiction over the federal budget. He represents Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District in the northwestern part of the state.

A Democratic takeover of the U.S. Congress would put two of the most outspoken critics of the Iraq war in charge of dispensing the money President George W. Bush will seek for combat, adding pressure for a new approach to the increasingly unpopular war.

In the House of Representatives, Rep. David Obey of Wisconsin would rise to Appropriations Committee chairman if Democrats win this week. At every opportunity, the scrappy Obey reminds fellow lawmakers of his opposition to the Iraq war, calling it the "dumbest war since the War of 1812."

"David Obey can be a cantankerous fellow. I don't think he'd be in the business of giving the president an easy time," said Brookings Institution senior fellow Stephen Hess.

Hovind guilty of tax fraud

2006-11-06T13:42:00.000-06:00

Creation Science Museum founder Kent Hovind was convicted of tax fraud late last week. He had run the Dinosaur Adventure Land theme park which showcased the view that humans and dinosaurs co-existed together on earth. Reportedly, he paid the workers at the park under the table and said he didn't have to withhold taxes, because he and his employees were "workers of God."

Hovind is a prominent evolution critic who dismisses the theory outright, and has a national television show espousing his views. He gave a presentation entitled "Creation vs. Evolution... which has more merit?" at UW-Milwaukee last December.

Military Times calls for Rumsfeld to be fired

2006-11-04T12:39:00.000-06:00

An editorial in the Military Times newspapers calls for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to be fired. It comes in response to President Bush stating earlier this week that he expects Rumsfeld to stay on for the duration of his term ending in January 2009. Here's an excerpt.

Rumsfeld has lost credibility with the uniformed leadership, with the troops, with Congress and with the public at large. His strategy has failed, and his ability to lead is compromised. And although the blame for our failures in Iraq rests with the secretary, it will be the troops who bear its brunt.

This is not about the midterm elections. Regardless of which party wins Nov. 7, the time has come, Mr. President, to face the hard bruising truth:

Donald Rumsfeld must go.

It will appear Monday in the Army Times, Navy Times, Air Force Times, and Marine Times. I suppose they're part of the liberal media conspiracy too.

Audio of downtown rally

2006-11-03T22:43:00.000-06:00

WisPolitics reports on the rally downtown at the Milwaukee Theatre event featuring former President Clinton. Read the full report and listen to the clips here.

Clinton poked fun at the Republican campaign strategy, saying it tries to turn Democrats into two-dimensional cartoons that will raise taxes, fail to keep the streets safe and shy away from standing up for America overseas.

Later in the speech, he got a hearty laugh by paraphrasing what he said was the Republican message.

"If you vote for those Democrats, they will tax you into the poorhouse, and on the way to the poorhouse you will meet a terrorist on every street corner," Clinton said. "And when you try to run away from the terrorist, you will trip over an illegal immigrant."

Quote of the Day: Egyptian king edition

2006-11-03T18:12:00.000-06:00

“True wisdom is less presuming than folly. The wise man doubteth often, and changeth his mind; the fool is obstinate, and doubteth not; he knoweth all things but his own ignorance.”

--Akhenaton, King of Egypt during the 14th century BC.

What, no Osama tape yet?

2006-11-03T17:58:00.000-06:00

Friday night, and no sign of the Osama pre-election talk show. It almost doesn't feel like Election Day's coming.

Friday, the heavy hitter comes to town

2006-11-02T19:02:00.000-06:00

Former President Bill Clinton will be in Milwaukee Friday at a rally in support of Gov. Jim Doyle and Wisconsin Democrats. The event is free and open to the public.

It's being held at the Milwaukee Theatre downtown on 6th and Kilbourn. Doors open at 2pm with the event scheduled to start at 2:30.

Tickets are not needed for this event. If you're attending though, RSVP at www.doylelawton.com or call 1-877-646-2006.

Republican leader blames generals in Iraq for missteps

2006-11-02T01:45:00.000-06:00

House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) blamed US generals in Iraq for failures in the war in an interview with Wolf Blitzer. When questioned on whether or not Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld deserves the blame for how the Iraq war has been conducted, Boehner brushed it off and pointed the blame at the generals:

BOEHNER: Wolf, I understand that, but let's not blame what's happening in Iraq on Rumsfeld.

BLITZER: But he's in charge of the military.

BOEHNER: But the fact is, the generals on the ground are in charge, and he works closely with them and the president.

Yet another reason why Boehner and other Republicans in the House need to be removed from power on Election Day next Tuesday.

Green says he'll oppose amendment after it's passed

2006-11-01T21:33:00.000-06:00

In a letter to the Log Cabin Republicans, gubernatorial candidate Mark Green says he would oppose the second sentence of the amendment if it is used to thwart the rights of gay couples.

"During our meeting, Congressman Green said he would oppose any attempt to use the second sentence of the amendment to take away the rights of lesbians and gays to be able to visit their partners in the hospital under the hospital visitation statute or make medical decisions about them through medical power of attorney."

Congressman Green ought to oppose the amendment that's on the ballot since it bans civil unions and benefits for gay couples that married couples enjoy, but he has come out in support of its passage. Once again, the language of the marriage amendment courtesy of our Republican legislature:

"Only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state. A legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized in this state."

What the guy meant to say

2006-11-01T20:15:00.000-06:00

John Kerry's prepared remarks from the other day:

"I can't overstress the importance of a great education. Do you know where you end up if you don't study, if you aren't smart, if you're intellectually lazy? You end up getting us stuck in a war in Iraq."

He screwed up a Bush-isn't-very-bright line in his speech. Even given the explanation, Republicans will continue to pretend he was talking about US troops rather than Bush up through Election Day in an effort to mislead voters. They're banking on enough of us not catching on before then.

Oh by the way, 102 more US troops were killed in Iraq in October. The fact that it's not getting more attention than the above story is what's outrageous.

Obama rallies voters downtown

2006-10-31T22:21:00.000-06:00

Illinois Senator Barack Obama urged Wisconsin voters to back Gov. Jim Doyle and Democrats at a rally in Pere Marquette Park today.

If you missed it, Pundit Nation offers up some good photos of the event.

Quote of the Day: Mahatma Gandhi

2006-10-31T12:38:00.000-06:00

"Seven blunders of the world that lead to violence: wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice, politics without principle," - Mahatma Gandhi.

Via Andrew Sullivan.

Slick polling map

2006-10-30T19:04:00.000-06:00

Majority Watch has their latest polling data up. It's displayed with an interactive map so you can peruse the most competitive races.

Their methodology is here.

Quote of the Day: Viguerie edition

2006-10-27T18:29:00.000-05:00

Richard Vigeurie, the chairman of ConservativeHQ.com and founder of Conservative Digest, offers this up in an emailed release:

“The big-spending, high-deficit, morally-deficient Republican Party hasn’t anything to offer conservatives except Halloween scare tactics about the Democrats. But since the GOP majority in Congress has engaged in an unprecedented spending spree, conservatives know that Democrats cannot be any worse and that divided government may lead to less spending,” Viguerie said.

“And conservatives have learned that, while Republicans sometimes provide significant symbolism on social issues, in truth, many of them have a disdain for values voters,” he added.

“Trying to frighten conservatives by yelling ‘Nancy Pelosi’ and ‘Harry Reid’ won’t work this time."

Viguerie recently released a book entitled Conservatives Betrayed: How George W. Bush and Other Big Government Republicans Hijacked the Conservative Cause.

Bad political websites

2006-10-27T01:48:00.000-05:00

CNET ranks the worst political websites on the net.

Among the winners are House Speaker Dennis Hastert who notes on his page that he was "ednorsed" by the Northwest Herald, and Rep. Dan Burton of Indiana who imitates Indiana Jones on his welcome page.

Hat tip to Political Wire.

Limbaugh the idiot

2006-10-26T21:00:00.000-05:00

Crooks and Liars has video from Countdown showing conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh accusing Michael J. Fox of exaggerating the effects of Parkinson's disease in political advertisements. It gives you a glimpse into what a pathetic personality Limbaugh is, as he flails his arms in a mocking fashion during the broadcast.

Fox is supporting Gov. Jim Doyle in the Wisconsin governor's race, and today the governor called out the attacks by Limbaugh on Fox as unspeakable.

UPDATE: Corrected the Crooks and Liars link.

Firefox II

2006-10-25T19:39:00.000-05:00

Happy day. The new Mozilla Firefox 2.0 browser is out. I downloaded it and used it at work today without issue.

The tabbed browsing now has more features, and the browser is quicker and more secure. Also, there's a built in spell check, which could could help some of the spelling deficient bloggers out there.

You can download it here.

Pumpkin carving liberally tonight

2006-10-25T10:59:00.000-05:00

Tonight's another Drinking Liberally Wednesday. In the spirit of Halloween, our group will be teaming up with Milwaukee's Brew City Bruisers to carve pumpkins for the Beulah Brinton Pumpkin Palace. Pumpkins will be provided.

The fun starts at 7pm at Club Garibaldi, 2501 S Superior Street in Bay View. I'll be working late, but look forward to seeing some freaktastic jack-o'-lanterns upon my arrival.

Fox endorses Doyle

2006-10-24T13:39:00.000-05:00

In a new television spot, Michael J. Fox urges voters to re-elect Jim Doyle on November 7th. He points out the investments that Doyle has put into embryonic stem cell research in Wisconsin.

Meanwhile, Doyle's Republican opponent Congressman Mark Green has stood in the way of advancements in embryonic stem cell research. His votes speak loud and clear.

On May 24, 2005, HR 810, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act came up for a vote. It would have allowed for funding research on embryonic stem cells derived from embryos from fertility clinics that would have otherwise been destroyed. Mark Green voted no.

The bill passed, but President Bush vetoed it. On July 16, 2006, the House held a vote on overriding Bush's veto of the bill. Again, Green voted no.

When Mark Green says he supports stem cell research, he's talking about another bill which passed the House 431-1 to support cord stem cell research.

Tillman: "Somehow nobody is accountable for this."

2006-10-23T22:45:00.000-05:00

Pat Tillman's brother Kevin has written an article about the Iraq war that merits reading, and some reflection. Rather than clip a section from it, I'd urge you take a minute and read it in its entirety.

Kevin is a former baseball player, drafted by the Anaheim Angels in 1999. After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, he quit baseball and enlisted in the Army. His brother Pat did so as well, turning down a big contract to play for the Arizona Cardinals in the NFL. They served together in Iraq, and later in Afghanistan. Pat died from friendly fire in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004. The cause of his death wasn't disclosed to the family by the Pentagon for over a month after the incident.

UWM - MU series back on

2006-10-23T22:13:00.000-05:00

UWM will play Marquette in men's basketball again starting in 2007.

A pair of "unidentified UWM donors" reportedly stepped forward to make up for the discrepency between the two sides.

Away on November 7th? Vote absentee

2006-10-21T12:23:00.000-05:00

If you're tied up or out of town on Election Day, there is always the option to vote absentee in Wisconsin.

Head over to the state website to download an application for an absentee ballot. It's in PDF format so you must have a version of Adobe Reader installed. Mail the completed application to the municipal clerk in the city, village or town where you live.

E.g. in the city of Milwaukee, send your application to:
SUSAN M. EDMAN, EX. DIR.
200 E WELLS ST, ROOM 501
MILWAUKEE, WI 53202-3565

You also have the option to vote absentee in person at your clerk's office up until 5:00pm on Monday, November 6th, the day before the election.

Doyle-Green debate video online

2006-10-21T12:08:00.000-05:00

WISC-TV in Madison has put video of the final debate for governor online.

The debate was a little more heated than the previous two yawn fests. While you're watching it, you can also follow the live reaction from Michael and Anne over at Pundit Nation.

Madison's wisdom

2006-10-19T23:15:00.000-05:00

"Of all the enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes. And armies, and debts, and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few.

"In war, too," Madison continued, "the discretionary power of the Executive [Branch of Government] is extended. Its influence in dealing out offices, honors, and emoluments is multiplied; and all the means of seducing the minds are added to those of subduing the force of the people. The same malignant aspect in republicanism may be traced in the inequality of fortunes, and the opportunities of fraud, growing out of a state of war...and in the degeneracy of manners and morals, engendered by both. No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare."
--President James Madison in 1795.

Madison, the nation's fourth president, presided over a tumultuous period in our country's history, not least of which was the War of 1812. He co-wrote the Federalist Papers, and became known as the father of the US Constitution. As a check against what Madison warned about, he and others gave Congress the exclusive power to declare war. We have witnessed the results of what happens when a president declares war on his own, or is simply handed the power to do so by Congress.

"The Constitution expressly and exclusively vests in the Legislature the power of declaring a state of war [and] the power of raising armies. A delegation of such powers [to the president] would have struck, not only at the fabric of our Constitution, but at the foundation of all well organized and well checked governments. The separation of the power of declaring war from that of conducting it, is wisely contrived to exclude the danger of its being declared for the sake of its being conducted."
--Madison in 1793.

Iraq 2003 in review

2006-10-18T13:27:00.000-05:00

Tuesday's Frontline, titled the Lost Year in Iraq, reviews the events in Iraq in 2003. Among those interviewed are former CPA Administrator L. Paul Bremer, Lt. Gen. Jay Garner, and Richard Clarke. It's available for viewing online if you missed it.

Despite the efforts on the ground in Iraq by both military and civilian personnel, the biggest mistakes were policy decisions made by the Pentagon in the post-war period. The one that stands out the most was the order to disband the Iraqi Army rather than use them in post-war reconstruction. That decision had a direct impact on the size of the insurgency.

"The problem you have there is, with that order, you suddenly tell somewhere between 300,000 and 400,000 soldiers that they're out of jobs, and they're all still armed. Now, whether they became terrorists, we don't know. But to me, that's just not a good beginning. Sun Tzu says you don't want to go to bed at night with more enemies than you woke up with that morning. Well, we went to bed with a whole lot more enemies that night than we had begun the day with.

But again, I don't fault Ambassador Bremer for that. I think that was another decree that he brought over in his briefcase; I think he was told to do that." -Lt. Gen. Jay Garner

Garner led the post-war reconstruction efforts in Iraq following the fall of Baghdad. He served as director of the Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (OHRA), but was replaced by Paul Bremer after only a month.

Green is W's biggest backer in the Badger State

2006-10-17T14:32:00.000-05:00

The local daily published an article noting what many of us knew months ago. Gubernatorial candidate Rep. Mark Green is the president's best friend in Wisconsin when it comes to supporting the Bush agenda. He served as Co-Chair of the Bush/Cheney 2004 campaign in the state, and has a voting record in Congress supporting the president 90% of the time. In the words of a friend of mine, what do Wisconsin Republican congressmen Jim Sensenbrenner, Paul Ryan, and Tom Petri have in common? They all opposed President Bush in Congress more often than Mark Green.

Washington is under one-party rule by Republicans right now. In Wisconsin, the legislature is controlled by Republicans with only Democratic Governor Jim Doyle preventing such a situation here. If Mark Green wins on November 7th, and the Dems fail again to pick up the State Senate or Assembly, Republicans will rule mirroring what we have in Washington now. That's what the party bosses at the state GOP would love to see, but I'm optimistic that's not what most Wisconsinites want. In three weeks, we'll have a say.

On the AAR chapter 11 filing

2006-10-17T11:12:00.000-05:00

Radio talk network Air America Radio filed for bankruptcy protection Friday. It's disappointing for those who would like to see a progressive Milwaukee station, but the network plans to restructure and continue to air its programming.

A valid criticism of how the network was setup is that management decided to pursue an expensive strategy of purchasing individual radio stations around the country to fill them with their programming. The more traditional approach to radio is syndication where stations purchase a company's programming a la carte. Successful progressive talkers like Ed Schultz and Stephanie Miller have done just that with the Jones Radio network.

According to AAR founder Sheldon Drobny, he tried to purchase the network before the ownership filed, but was turned away. Drobny and his partners at Nova M Radio now plan to launch their own network featuring Mike Malloy, and John Zogby.

Clarke remains the favorite for Sheriff

2006-10-16T21:52:00.000-05:00

Over at Watchdog Milwaukee, John-David Morgan scribes about the breakdwon of support for Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke and challenger Vince Bobot in the recent Democratic primary. In short, Clarke cleaned up on the north side while Bobot carried the east side, downtown, and the south side of the city.

Clarke's Republican opponent in the general election is Don Holt of the Wisconsin State Patrol. Morgan makes a good case that Clarke is the likely winner in the general election. He has attracted support from local Republicans, but continues to run as a Democrat despite his refusal to officially join the party. The most interesting results from the November 7th election may be how many Republicans cross over for Clarke, and how many Dems decide to vote for Holt.

Marquette - UWM talks break down

2006-10-16T13:31:00.000-05:00

This is a shame. After years of the Marquette and UW-Milwaukee men's basketball not playing each other, negotiations have broken down over resuming the series. Since the schools are only a few miles apart in the city of Milwaukee, there's a natural rivalry that is sure to generate interest. The article indicates the sticking point is the amount of money Marquette is offering UWM for the games at the Bradley Center. UWM Athletic Director and Marquette coach Tom Crean appear to be at a standstill for now.

Haidet's contention is that MU would be able to offset the up-front money it would pay UWM with the sizable crowds it would be sure to draw at the Bradley Center.

"There's a lot of money to be made when you have a sellout crowd," Haidet said. "Certainly, I would think that any game played between the two of us is going to be a sellout, wherever it's played."

Even so, Crean said there were no further counteroffers forthcoming.

Santorum's in trouble

2006-10-15T13:32:00.000-05:00

Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) has some more bad news regarding his struggle to hang on to his Senate seat. According to various news sources, neither the Republican National Committee (RNC) or the National Republican Senatorial Committee plans to run ads on his behalf.

It's revealing that the party would pull resources from Santorum, who is chairman of the Senate Republican Conference. Instead the groups are focusing on tough re-election fights in Tennessee, Missouri and Ohio.

More Santorum news at Santorum Exposed.

UPDATE: Social conservatives are set to go all out to fight for Santorum's re-election. Pastors are planning on stuffing voter guides into Sunday church bulletins, and Santorum backers from England will be crossing the pond to help out.

Colin Hanna, head of a PA conservative group called Let Freedom Ring defined the stakes: "If Rick Santorum were to lose, it would be cited as a turning point in the social conservative movement."

Colbert highlights Lasee's nonsense

2006-10-12T22:27:00.000-05:00

On the Colbert Report this week, Stephen Colbert highlighted a bill proposed by State Rep. Frank Lasee (R-Bellevue) to arm school teachers in Wisconsin.

Watch the video here.

Charge this man

2006-10-12T21:41:00.000-05:00

Fred points to a story from the Animal Legal Defense Fund, and it's not good. Earlier this year, a dog recovered a bag from Tichigan Lake that contained the bodies of several drowned cats. The Racine County Sheriff's Department tracked down a local man named Mike Miller who admitted to drowning the cats after feeding them for nearly two years. Previous efforts to humanely trap the animals allegedly went unheeded by Miller.

The ALDF has contacted the Racine County District Attorney Michael Nieskes who hasn't taken any action against the man so far:

ALDF learned of the situation after a Racine resident read in a newspaper that authorities would not take action because no law was being broken. But a quick look at Wisconsin code reveals that Miller’s alleged actions are illegal under Statute 951.02, which prohibits treating any animal in a cruel ("causing unnecessary and excessive pain or suffering") manner. Drowning results in a slow, agonizing death, causing an animal to suffer up to 20 minutes and is condemned by the American Veterinary Medical Association in its 2000 Report of the AVMA Panel on Euthanasia.

ALDF sent a letter to the Racine County District Attorney urging criminal cruelty charges, but no response has been received.

National GOP conceding Minnesota Senate race

2006-10-11T19:54:00.000-05:00

The National Republican Senatorial Committee won't be running television ads in the race for Minnesota's open US Senate seat.

Recent polling shows Democrat Amy Klobuchar well ahead of her Republican opponent Mark Kennedy. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee won't be running ads either which essentially says the national parties agree their money is better spent on a more competitive race. The Democrats will likely retain the seat being vacated by the retiring Sen. Mark Dayton.

Don't be fooled. Amendment bans civil unions

2006-10-11T16:55:00.000-05:00

WKOW 27 in Madison is reporting that canvassers for the "Vote Yes For Marriage" campaign have been telling residents that the amendment on the November 7th ballot doesn't address civil unions.

On the contrary, the amendment is pretty clear that it does, and the Vote Yes campaign pointed out that its own website agrees with that claim. The article mentions that Vote Yes doesn't train volunteers on how to approach voters. Maybe they should start if they want to have an honest debate based on facts rather than confusion.

To review, here's the language of the amendment:

"Only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state. A legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized in this state."

Making of Milwaukee on MPTV

2006-10-10T18:26:00.000-05:00

I watched the first part of the Making of Milwaukee series last night, and it was pretty good for the most part. Longtime Milwaukee historian John Gurda narrarates the three part series, the second part of which airs tonight.

The series is based on Gurda's own book of the same name which came out a few years ago.

Part 2 airs tonight locally on Channel 10 WMVS at 7pm with part 3 airing Wednesday night. More information about the series is online at the Making of Milwaukee site.

Introducing Hastert's opponent: John Laesch

2006-10-08T12:26:00.000-05:00

Mother Jones has a good profile of Democratic Congressional candidate John Laesch. He is running against House Speaker Dennis Hastert in Illinois' 14th Congressional district. The only incumbent speaker who has lost re-election was Democrat Tom Foley who was defeated in the 1994 Republican landslide. Also, Hastert has never been reelected with less than 64% of the vote.

Since last week, with the Speaker under fire, Laesch has suddenly gotten national attention and is being taken more seriously. Laesch's campaign site is here. Here's one ad supporters began running via YouTube in September:

The first days of a Democratic House

2006-10-07T15:38:00.000-05:00

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi put forward the following proposal for the first 100 hours of the 110th Congress should Democrats take control after the November election. It's a beginning, but the prospect of such initatives seeing the light of day is long overdue.

Day One: Put new rules in place to "break the link between lobbyists and legislation."

Day Two: Enact all the recommendations made by the commission that investigated the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Time remaining until 100 hours: Raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour, maybe in one step. Cut the interest rate on student loans in half. Allow the government to negotiate directly with the pharmaceutical companies for lower drug prices for Medicare patients.

Broaden the types of stem cell research allowed with federal funds "I hope with a veto-proof majority," she added in an Associated Press interview Thursday.

All the days after that: "Pay as you go," meaning no increasing the deficit, whether the issue is middle class tax relief, health care or some other priority.

Wisconsin 8th Congressional race could be close

2006-10-06T18:59:00.000-05:00

National Journal released its rankings of the most competitive Congressional districts in the country. Telling stat: Of the top 30, 29 of them are Republican held seats.

The election to fill the seat being vacated by Mark Green ranks #24 on the list. The race is between Democrat Steve Kagan and Republican John Gard.

The rest of Wisconsin's districts are pretty much not competitive. Like too many districts around the country, they tend to be solidly Republican or Democratic due to how the lines were drawn after the 2000 census. Someday soon, we must address the need for reform when it comes to redistricting. It's hard to get excited about a race when you know the outcome before it even begins. Thankfully, the 8th CD is an exception this year.

Thoughts on Hastert

2006-10-06T18:17:00.000-05:00

House Speaker Dennis Hastert still hasn't resigned his position after the political fallout over the Foley scandal, and the debate continues as to whether he should.

The smartest thing for him to do to take some of the heat off may be to simply announce he won't seek the Speaker's chair in the 110th Congress should Republicans retain control of the House. The odds currently are that Republicans will be in the minority, and there is little chance that his colleagues will elect him to the job again if they remain in the majority.

Based on this latest poll from Survey USA, the status quo may not be the best strategy for Hastert and House Republicans:

Eisenhower's military-industrial complex

2006-10-05T23:20:00.000-05:00

The last great Republican president, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, warned our country of what was to unfold if we weren't vigilant.

Excerpt from the documentary Why We Fight:

"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together." -Eisenhower in his farewell address to the nation.

Imperial history of the Middle East

2006-10-04T22:17:00.000-05:00

From Maps of War (larger version here).

Progress on public housing in Milwaukee

2006-10-04T20:10:00.000-05:00

This is an important story that merits attention since it affects those whose needs are all too often ignored. Mayor Tom Barrett called a meeting that included County Exec Scott Walker, representatives of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development along with the Helen Bader Foundation. The topic at hand was the state of public housing for those with chronic mental illness.

The meeting, closed to the media and the public, was called in the aftermath of stories published in the Journal Sentinel that revealed the horrific living conditions of hundreds of people in Milwaukee with chronic mental illness.

The newspaper found people in the care of county psychiatric workers living in filthy rooming houses and apartments. They included places with rats, broken toilets, dangling electric wires, broken smoke detectors and no heat or running water. In some places, landlords served spoiled food that they had retrieved from other people's garbage. One woman regularly was left to sit in her own waste.

Such action is long overdue. The paper deserves credit for its series on the sorry state of public housing in the area as do those who are now cooperating to improve it.

Baseball playoffs prediction thread

2006-10-03T22:00:00.000-05:00

American League

Detroit Tigers vs. New York Yankees

Oakland A's vs. Minnesota Twins

National League

St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Diego Padres

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. New York Mets

The lineup of teams in this year's playoffs is quality. The likes of the Twins, Padres, and Mets are all entertaining to watch. I'll go with the Mets to win the World Series.