democracy
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Minority Leaders Don’t Get To Be Purists, Dianne Hesselbein Is A Leader in Wisconsin
State Senator Dianne Hesselbein represents a district covering West Madison, Middleton, Verona, Waunakee, and villages across northwest Dane County. She’s also the Democratic minority leader and did not face a primary challenger in August. Nathan Kalmoe is running a write-in campaign against her this November. If she prevails at the polls, she will become the… Continue reading
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Independent Voters Make Wisconsin’s Governor Primary Into A Late-Night Caffeinated Nail‑Biter
(I posted this column as the flash drives in Milwaukee were being transported back to the central count location before being returned to the county courthouse to have results announced.) Close election nights are democracy at its most caffeinated. (Pardon me for that cheap line.) But after the nailbiter of an uber-close precinct-by-precinct count of… Continue reading
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Caffeinated Politics Podcast: Gun Violence And Civic Strain
When the Badge Is Worn — or Carried Democracy’s Guardrails and the Words We Use Two Amendments, One November Ballot Neighbors, Flags, and the Long Arc of Decency Continue reading
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Select Democratic Gubernatorial Nominee Who Can Protect The 2028 Election In Wisconsin
We all have our reasons for supporting this candidate or that candidate in the Democratic August primary for governor. Over the past months, I have pressed for a pragmatic choice in the primary so we can win and hold this most important elective office in the state. While data centers, childcare, and sound schools are… Continue reading
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Why Germans Fled Hitler, And Americans Fear Trump, Dane County Dinner Conversation Hits The Mark
It was shortly after ten o’clock Sunday night when one of the nine people gathered around the large dining table posed the question. With a deliberative style, the question was asked about what criteria were used by German citizens who felt it necessary to leave their homeland as they witnessed the rise of Hitler and… Continue reading
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The Preposterous Panic Over Ballots That Arrive On Time
The Supreme Court is poised to decide whether states may continue accepting mail‑in ballots that arrive after Election Day. This ruling could upend long‑standing “grace period” laws in states such as California, Illinois, and North Carolina. The case, brought by (I know you will be shocked) conservative activists, argues that the Constitution’s Elections Clause bars… Continue reading
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Those Who Sided With Viktor Orban Will Be Damned, Authoritarianism Is A Loser
I spent some time this afternoon upstairs looking for a column in a back issue of Foreign Affairs. I knew it contained the essence of what I wanted to stress in this column. That followed the most welcome news that Peter Magyar’s center-right Tisza party was projected to win Hungary’s parliamentary election, bringing an end… Continue reading
Caffeinated Politics 