Caffeinated Politics

Can we all agree on one thing? Didn’t it feel wonderful this weekend, regardless of what political party is our home, or what policy views we hold, or political philosophy we ascribe to, that it was fun to talk about the Wisconsin governor’s race with friends in the neighborhood or even with strangers at the next table over in a restaurant Saturday night? It was that type of weekend in the Badger State.

From friends dropping by on Saturday to chat about the Democratic primary for governor, to an energized biker who apparently knew me as he coasted down the street shouting, “WHHHOOO are you voting for nowwwwww?” I heard this type of sentiment from friends on Facebook and in emails from other parts of the state. There was a unity of sorts as collectively we gawked at a political plot twist so strange, so unexpected, and so oddly compelling that everyone from the most dyed‑in‑the‑wool conservative in Waukesha to the most caffeinated liberal on Madison’s isthmus paused and said, “Wait… what?”

The governor’s race, which had been trudging along with the usual partisan trench‑digging, suddenly produced a storyline that cut through the noise. A candidate who had bowed out reappeared, the governor offered an endorsement, and for a brief moment the state’s political tribes leaned in together like spectators at a county fair watching a runaway horse gallop across the midway. (The Dane County Fair was this weekend, and no, there was no such horse story, but I wanted to somehow include the fair in this writing.)

Perhaps we live in such a rough and dangerous time politically that this event, being so unique and just plain interesting, is captivating our attention. Maybe we need something like this that demonstrates politics doesn’t all need to feel like we’re on the knife’s edge. In a state where political identity is usually worn like blaze orange in November, this weekend’s development created a rare moment when people weren’t arguing about the meaning of the news but simply trying to keep up with it. I don’t mean to diminish the strong emotions and hard feelings among candidates or the importance of the upcoming election. However, in this moment, it just felt good to know everyone, regardless of our tribal home, was just talking together about a momentous political event.

I will take that as a win in this highly fractured environment.

Late on Saturday night, as midnight approached, James and I were out for a walk, heading towards the Capitol. Coming back from a similar-type walk was former state representative Peter Bock. We stopped for several minutes and talked about the head-spinning events that had unfolded. It struck me that, with his background and insight, he, too, was trying to analyze the unexpected and the mildly chaotic, especially when it involved a boomerang effect, a candidate who had left the race and was now reentering.

On Sunday afternoon, I jotted down some notes I wanted to include in this column. I wrote the line that it felt good that our political energy wasn’t about division but about shared engagement. The rancor and ideological boundaries will be up and running wild by sundown Monday, for sure. But can we at least, for this moment, admit it was nice to know Wisconsin was fascinated by a political story together?