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Ethics, Professionalism, Common Sense Tossed Away In Donald Trump White House
“These young beautiful girls, these young beautiful girls, these young beautiful girls in the White House, they come in. Now I’m not supposed to say beautiful, but what the hell. These young, these gorgeous, beautiful girls, they want to be safe and they come say Mr. President, thank you, sir.” There’s a particular creepy chill… Continue reading
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A President’s Exit Should Never Leave the Press Behind; Trump Chose Wrong In Turkey
Donald Trump’s acknowledgment that he was secretly moved off Air Force One in a catering truck at a NATO summit in Turkey last month revealed far more about presidential responsibility than many at first blush might understand. There was a deeper problem that should trouble anyone who cares about journalism, presidential history, or the basic… Continue reading
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When Foreign Policy Follows You Home With A Target On Your Back
You likely found the same annoying thing when watching the Election Night returns on CNN and MS Now on Tuesday as I did. When we should have had more analysis of what was happening in Minnesota or Wisconsin, we were being told that Donald Trump, while traveling overseas recently, was warned of a credible threat… 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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Pollsters Blew Michigan By Misreading Independents, Wisconsin Might Be Next
The way independent voters align in Wisconsin’s August 11th primary and in the fall’s midterm election will make or break many a candidate. All we had to do this week was look at Michigan’s U.S. Senate primary to witness the heavy influence of the middle-of-the-road voters who refuse to wear a party jersey in a… Continue reading
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Justice Earl Warren Ruled: Congress Isn’t a Stage, Rand Paul Needs To Pay Heed
Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren would have had a field day with the spectacle of Senator Rand Paul’s interrogation of Dr. Anthony Fauci. Warren was known for his polite discourse and understood and ruled that Congress is not empowered to haul citizens before its committees simply to stage a performance. In Watkins v.… Continue reading
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Isaia Ben-Ami Is Truly Prepared To Start Work On Day One In State Assembly
There’s a particular kind of state legislative candidate who strikes my fancy. Someone who is serious about policymaking. Someone who knows the inside ropes and pulleys that make the machinery of the statehouse work. It takes more than a desire to be elected as a state representative. To be effective, one needs a certain background… Continue reading
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Democrats Need To Take A Hard Look At Electability In Wisconsin’s Governor’s Race
Wisconsin Democrats face a hard truth on August 11th when they cast ballots for the gubernatorial nominee in November. The resounding fact is that not every candidate who wins a spirited intraparty contest can survive the political climate awaiting them this fall. The state’s electorate has hardened into a rather narrow band of persuadable voters,… 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
Caffeinated Politics 