The Right Way? The Green Bay Way, Patrick Hruby
There's No Trophy for Being Exciting, Jared Diamond
2011 Super Bowl Odds: Prop Bets to Watch during Packers-Steelers, Andrew Sharp
Packers, Steelers had Similar Super Bowl Blueprint, AP
Troy Palomalu is Defensive Player of the Year, did the Voters get it Right? Shannon Owens
Packers' Dom Capers, Steeler's Dick LaBeau Pioneered the Zone Blitz while on the same Pittsburgh Staff, Mark Maske
Key Super Bowl Match-up: Packer's CBs vs. Steelers WRs, Vinnie Iyer
Keisel's Beard is the 'Scruff of Legand,' John Branch
Super-fans use Different Rituals for the Big Game, Amanda Seef & Bethany Young
Packers, Steelers Fans Beware of Heart Attacks, Brian Floyd
More Pets named for Packers than Steelers, Matt Pepin
Why Green Bay is 'America's Team,' Gene Wojceichowski
Packer's President Labor Perspective, Judy Battista
Steelers, Packers have Quality Leadership, Leonard Shapiro
Steeler's Fans Wave Yellow Towels, Put French Fries in Salad, Eat Ice Balls, David Shribman
A Media Buyer's Primer to the Super Bowl, Toni Fitzgerald
The Super Bowl's most Unlikely Tale comes from the Miami Valley, Tom Archdeacon
Packers, Steelers: Fans that Roar (and Travel), Ken Belson
The Terrible Towel is Terribly Stupid, Clay Travis
Terrible Towel Whips up Cheeseheads, Brian Whitley
Pack Mentality, Rick Reilly
The Myth of America's Team, Emma Carmicheal
Packers at the Podiums; Grilled on Hair, Nicknames, Weather, Mike Tanier
Tim Masthay would be in the Peace Corps if he weren't in the Super Bowl, Michael David Smith
The Packer's Shields found the Answers on the (Flash) Cards, Karen Crouse
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
The Steelers do Dallas
Everything about this blog post is brilliant:
[via D]Late Monday night, hours after they arrived here, Hines Ward, Ike Taylor and several other members of the Pittsburgh Steelers kicked it at Dallas Gentlemen's Club on Northwest Highway in Dallas.
[...]
When Ward and his teammates entered the club, super hot dancers converged on them. They spent a few minutes in the VIP at the back of the club. But as the music pumped and the bootylicious women strode across the four stages, the Steelers huddled in the front corner of the club for closer looks.
Ward, wearing a plaid shirt and jeans, danced with a couple of strippers. At one point, he tossed out dollars as various hotties gave him lap dances. Other Steelers joined him in the fun.
At one point, near midnight, the Steelers, including huge linemen, appeared on the main stage., There they posed and danced with an assortment of strippers. After all, it was "make it rain Monday" at the club. And some of the players certainly made it rain with their dollar bills.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Herb Kohl Makes 2012 a Little More Boring
Did you really think Kohl was going to retire?
All that remains is to determine the GOP's sacrificial lamb: Ed Thompson? Dave Westlake? Robert Lorge (again)? I know Republicans don't want to encourage her, but I think this is a perfect job for Terri McCormick. She's the ideal candidate for this type of suicide mission: she possesses an outrageous surplus of self-confidence, is completely oblivious to her own faults, closes any distance between her and a camera like Sherman marched to the sea and runs a campaign like Leona Helmsley ran a hotel. If that's not a recipe for electoral magic, then I don't know what is.
Kohl, who will be 77 years old on Election Day next year, had been the subject of retirement rumors because of his age and near empty war chest. He finished the third quarter of 2010 with less than $26,000 in his campaign account.OK ...
All that remains is to determine the GOP's sacrificial lamb: Ed Thompson? Dave Westlake? Robert Lorge (again)? I know Republicans don't want to encourage her, but I think this is a perfect job for Terri McCormick. She's the ideal candidate for this type of suicide mission: she possesses an outrageous surplus of self-confidence, is completely oblivious to her own faults, closes any distance between her and a camera like Sherman marched to the sea and runs a campaign like Leona Helmsley ran a hotel. If that's not a recipe for electoral magic, then I don't know what is.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Ron Johnson, Appropriator
This week Ron Johnson was appointed to the Senate Appropriations Committee, the one in charge of spending the taxpayer money that makes the government work. It's one of the most powerful cliques in Washington and a seat at its table immediately wins one many new friends, all of whom are looking for a piece of the federal pie.
Like every other member of the Senate, members of the Appropriations committee can earmark federal funds for various projects in their home states (and, less frequently, in others). Often times these earmarks are co-sponsored with other legislators, but sometimes the earmarks are sponsored by a single member. Not surprisingly, when folks hear stories about "pork projects" it usually involves an solo-sponsored earmark.
Between FY 2008-10 the 23 Senators that held seats on the Appropriations committee during the 111th Congress* made 2526 solo earmark requests to the tune of $3,832,501,273. That comes out to about $166,630,490.13 per member.
If we look at the break down of the committee along partisan line, the numbers look like this:
As you can see, Republican appropriators on the committee weren't stingy with their earmark requests, despite the emergence of the tea party's jihad against the practice. Only one member of the committee requested zero earmark dollars -- even though he requested one solo-sponsored earmark. That member was actually Democrat Mark Pryor.
If we throw in earmarks that are co-sponsored by colleagues, these figures blow-up. Let's use Sen. Richard Shelby as an example. If we add up all the earmark requests he made with other legislators the final tally jumps from 202 to 437 at a cost of $922,767,950 or about double the size of his solo projects. This is pretty emblematic of every member's earmarking activity.
I bring this up because Johnson made earmark reform a staple of his campaign and has promised to eliminate them once in office. Here's the problem: it will be nearly impossible to do this while sitting on the Appropriations committee, especially since Sen. Kohl is also a member. If someone from Wisconsin approaches Johnson to make a case for an earmark and is rebuffed, that party can now just go straight down the hall and make the same case to Herb Kohl. If Kohl manages to accommodate said party, Johnson looks ineffective. It doesn't matter that Johnson denied the request on ideological grounds, at the end of the day the petitioner will only care about the results.
Johnson has boxed himself into a corner with his spending rhetoric. If he flinches and gives in to an earmark request he looks foolish, if not downright hypocritical. There would be no acceptable excuse, there would be no way to spin such a move. If he manages to hold his ground against earmarks, how can he then come back to Wisconsin and say "I've made your federal tax dollars work for you"? What will he be able to point as tangible evidence of his successes in Washington?
Right now Wisconsin is a donor state in terms of federal taxes dollars. Between 1981-2005, Wisconsin contributed $567 billion dollars to federal coffers while only receiving $472 billion back. That's 83 cents on the dollar. Our contribution is in 9th among the states even though we rank 20th in population. In terms of what we get back from Uncle Sam, Wisconsin ranks 43rd.
Now if you're inclined to look at those numbers as yet another example of how the feds screw the taxpayer consider this: Alabama has 900,000 fewer residents than Wisconsin (ranking 23rd in population) and yet sits all the way down at 47th in terms of tax contributions while receiving $1.44 for every dollar they send to Washington. DC is working over time for Alabama.
Some might look at this disparity and say that it's unfair. Others might suggest that this is just part of living in a republic -- Alabama, after all, does do things for Wisconsin. But what everyone should take away from this exercise is that the money Wisconsin does get back from Washington is important, way too important to have our representatives refusing it.
Johnson is all but certain to sponsor an earmark sometime in the near future. He may not be the only one sponsoring it, but even a co-sponsorship will warrant an avalanche of justified criticism. It's only a matter of time.
* To make the math easier I included FY2008 in the totals, even though some members of the Appropriations committee didn't hold seats until FY2009. Totals for each committee member can be found in the comment section. Figures via Legistorm.
Like every other member of the Senate, members of the Appropriations committee can earmark federal funds for various projects in their home states (and, less frequently, in others). Often times these earmarks are co-sponsored with other legislators, but sometimes the earmarks are sponsored by a single member. Not surprisingly, when folks hear stories about "pork projects" it usually involves an solo-sponsored earmark.
Between FY 2008-10 the 23 Senators that held seats on the Appropriations committee during the 111th Congress* made 2526 solo earmark requests to the tune of $3,832,501,273. That comes out to about $166,630,490.13 per member.
If we look at the break down of the committee along partisan line, the numbers look like this:
1602 total Democratic earmarksAnd for the GOP:
100 per member
Total Dems: $2,280,152,098
$142,509,506.16 per member
924 total Republican earmarksLet me just reiterate that these are requests. The numbers don't reflect earmark money that actually made it to the various states.
132 per member
Total GOP: $1,552,349,175
$221,764,167.86 per member
As you can see, Republican appropriators on the committee weren't stingy with their earmark requests, despite the emergence of the tea party's jihad against the practice. Only one member of the committee requested zero earmark dollars -- even though he requested one solo-sponsored earmark. That member was actually Democrat Mark Pryor.
If we throw in earmarks that are co-sponsored by colleagues, these figures blow-up. Let's use Sen. Richard Shelby as an example. If we add up all the earmark requests he made with other legislators the final tally jumps from 202 to 437 at a cost of $922,767,950 or about double the size of his solo projects. This is pretty emblematic of every member's earmarking activity.
I bring this up because Johnson made earmark reform a staple of his campaign and has promised to eliminate them once in office. Here's the problem: it will be nearly impossible to do this while sitting on the Appropriations committee, especially since Sen. Kohl is also a member. If someone from Wisconsin approaches Johnson to make a case for an earmark and is rebuffed, that party can now just go straight down the hall and make the same case to Herb Kohl. If Kohl manages to accommodate said party, Johnson looks ineffective. It doesn't matter that Johnson denied the request on ideological grounds, at the end of the day the petitioner will only care about the results.
Johnson has boxed himself into a corner with his spending rhetoric. If he flinches and gives in to an earmark request he looks foolish, if not downright hypocritical. There would be no acceptable excuse, there would be no way to spin such a move. If he manages to hold his ground against earmarks, how can he then come back to Wisconsin and say "I've made your federal tax dollars work for you"? What will he be able to point as tangible evidence of his successes in Washington?
Right now Wisconsin is a donor state in terms of federal taxes dollars. Between 1981-2005, Wisconsin contributed $567 billion dollars to federal coffers while only receiving $472 billion back. That's 83 cents on the dollar. Our contribution is in 9th among the states even though we rank 20th in population. In terms of what we get back from Uncle Sam, Wisconsin ranks 43rd.
Now if you're inclined to look at those numbers as yet another example of how the feds screw the taxpayer consider this: Alabama has 900,000 fewer residents than Wisconsin (ranking 23rd in population) and yet sits all the way down at 47th in terms of tax contributions while receiving $1.44 for every dollar they send to Washington. DC is working over time for Alabama.
Some might look at this disparity and say that it's unfair. Others might suggest that this is just part of living in a republic -- Alabama, after all, does do things for Wisconsin. But what everyone should take away from this exercise is that the money Wisconsin does get back from Washington is important, way too important to have our representatives refusing it.
Johnson is all but certain to sponsor an earmark sometime in the near future. He may not be the only one sponsoring it, but even a co-sponsorship will warrant an avalanche of justified criticism. It's only a matter of time.
* To make the math easier I included FY2008 in the totals, even though some members of the Appropriations committee didn't hold seats until FY2009. Totals for each committee member can be found in the comment section. Figures via Legistorm.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Headlines of the Damned
Today's edition of Headlines of the Damned is brought to you by the Kansas Leader & Times:
This has been another edition of Headlines of the Damned.
[via G]
This has been another edition of Headlines of the Damned.
[via G]
Sen. Johnson's Health Care Gamble
I'm actually surprised that this hasn't recieved more attention, but this weekend Sen. Johnson was on Mike Gousha's show fielding questions about the passage of a potential Obamacare repeal bill in the Senate this term. Here's what he said:
So, no, there will probably be no Democrats join Republicans to repeal the bill.
What's more is that the GOP might actually have more to lose should the repeal bill make it's way to the Senate floor. While Johnson was chatting with Gousha, Sen. Chuck Schumer was on Face the Nation explaining just what kind of shit show that would look like:
Johnson seems animate about getting people on the record about ACA:
“My guess if we actually held a vote is you might be surprised how many Democrats just might join Republicans and vote to repeal,” Johnson said.It's important to parse words here. Johnson qualifies his statement with an "if" because he knows repeal is never coming to a vote. The GOP needs 13 Dem defections just to break a likely filibuster that would prevent a vote and they're not going to get that. Of the 24 senators that are up for re-election in 2012 only Sen. Manchin hasn't done any of the heavy lifting that actually passed the law in the first place. Everyone else is on the hook and risks looking like a flip-flopper.
So, no, there will probably be no Democrats join Republicans to repeal the bill.
What's more is that the GOP might actually have more to lose should the repeal bill make it's way to the Senate floor. While Johnson was chatting with Gousha, Sen. Chuck Schumer was on Face the Nation explaining just what kind of shit show that would look like:
On CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday, Schumer, a New York Democrat, applauded Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for "wisely" saying he would not bring the repeal bill to the floor.That would change the equation dramatically and force Johnson to support or reject very specific policies instead of just continuing to blast the nebulous umbrella of "Obamacare."
But he added that if the repeal measure did come up, Democrats would force a vote on every individual provision in the health care bill - including those provisions which many Americans (and some Republicans) have publicly supported.
"Mitch McConnell has the right to offer an amendment," Schumer said of the Senate Minority Leader, who has vowed to force a vote on the repeal. "If he does, if the Republicans offer an amendment on the floor, then we will require them to vote on the individual protections in the bill that are very popular, and that even some of the new Republican House Members have said they support.
"Are Republicans going to vote 'no' on a provision to maintain the donut hole benefits so that seniors pay less for prescription drugs? Are they going to vote against the ability of 21- to 26-year-olds to stay on their parents' health care? Are they going to vote to repeal … the free check-ups that seniors on Medicare get which save billions of dollars in prevention?" Schumer asked CBS' Bob Schieffer.
Johnson seems animate about getting people on the record about ACA:
Freshman Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, of Oshkosh, said it is important for the Senate to vote to put supporters of repeal and those against it on record."The passing of Obamacare is the single greatest assault on our freedom in my lifetime," Johnson said. "It will destroy our health care system. We simply cannot afford Obamacare."That kind of rhetoric cuts both ways. Johnson's entire career as a Senator hinges on repealing ACA. If four or five years from now Obamacare is still the law of the land then Johnson will look like a pretty piss poor defender of freedom. That's a huge gamble to make. Legislation is hard to pass for numerous reasons, but one of frequently ignored consequences of that fact is that it's equally hard to repeal.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
What Does Ron Johnson's first Op-ed Piece Tell Us?
The short answer: he needs better ghost-writers.
The MJS gave Johnson some real estate in their august pages to fir the junior Senator to "welcome" President Obama to the Badger State and the results are ... remarkably vapid.
The piece takes the form of an open letter, a stylistic method that only works in two circumstances: 1.) when the author has absolutely no ability to otherwise communicate to the intended "reader" and 2.) when the author wants to speak disingenuously to the "reader" to the amusement of the wider audience. Since the op-ed is neither informative nor entertaining I can only asume that President Obama isn't taking Johnson phone calls yet. I know that the author was trying to make Johnson look like he was standing up to power and the authority of a political rival, but he missed the mark by a wide margin and effectively made the Senator look small and insignificant.
Moving on, the second paragraph is doused in economic statistics, which are essential the national "sales figures" of this presentation. Everyone knows you never kick off with sales figures. It's like digging a moat filled with alligators in front of a brick wall covered in razor wire around your central argument.
Not that there much of a central argument to find in Johnson's essay. The piece is clearly about the economy's ill, after all there is this diagnosis half way through: "Our economy is stagnant because consumers and businesses rightfully lack confidence in government policy." OK, but which policy is undermining consumer confidence? Is inflation and monetary? government spending? debt? regulation? Any one of these issues are complicated enough to devote 570 words to, but instead we get a grab bag of economic concerns that aren't put in any order.
Then we get this graph:
So why no details? One would hope they are forthcoming, but the more likely answer is that this op-ed is merely part of a larger effort to get Johnson out of his media cocoon. Johnson was on Mike Gousha's show last weekend discussing a host of issues (more on that in posts to follow) and it's a good bet that we'll be seeing more of him in local outlets shortly. It's easier to do this in the Wisconsin media than it is in the Washington media.
MORE: A shorter, non-open-letter -- and, thus, more effective version -- of this piece ran at RCP today.
The MJS gave Johnson some real estate in their august pages to fir the junior Senator to "welcome" President Obama to the Badger State and the results are ... remarkably vapid.
The piece takes the form of an open letter, a stylistic method that only works in two circumstances: 1.) when the author has absolutely no ability to otherwise communicate to the intended "reader" and 2.) when the author wants to speak disingenuously to the "reader" to the amusement of the wider audience. Since the op-ed is neither informative nor entertaining I can only asume that President Obama isn't taking Johnson phone calls yet. I know that the author was trying to make Johnson look like he was standing up to power and the authority of a political rival, but he missed the mark by a wide margin and effectively made the Senator look small and insignificant.
Moving on, the second paragraph is doused in economic statistics, which are essential the national "sales figures" of this presentation. Everyone knows you never kick off with sales figures. It's like digging a moat filled with alligators in front of a brick wall covered in razor wire around your central argument.
Not that there much of a central argument to find in Johnson's essay. The piece is clearly about the economy's ill, after all there is this diagnosis half way through: "Our economy is stagnant because consumers and businesses rightfully lack confidence in government policy." OK, but which policy is undermining consumer confidence? Is inflation and monetary? government spending? debt? regulation? Any one of these issues are complicated enough to devote 570 words to, but instead we get a grab bag of economic concerns that aren't put in any order.
Then we get this graph:
The solution is to show consumers and businesses that Washington understands the problem and has the courage to address it honestly and forthrightly. We must pursue policies that will first limit and then begin to reduce the size, scope and cost of government.Great ... like what? Johnson doesn't endorse any legislation or even recommend levels of acceptable government involvement in the economy. What we do get is: "America is exceptional - it is precious." Precious? Really? Is there any way to display pride and patriotism without sounding like Gollum from Lord of the Rings?
So why no details? One would hope they are forthcoming, but the more likely answer is that this op-ed is merely part of a larger effort to get Johnson out of his media cocoon. Johnson was on Mike Gousha's show last weekend discussing a host of issues (more on that in posts to follow) and it's a good bet that we'll be seeing more of him in local outlets shortly. It's easier to do this in the Wisconsin media than it is in the Washington media.
MORE: A shorter, non-open-letter -- and, thus, more effective version -- of this piece ran at RCP today.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Peter King has His Moments
In the summer of 1989, a small-college tight end from Baker (Kansas) University came home to Pittsburgh to begin a coaching career. He found his way onto the staff at the University of Pittsburgh as an unpaid grad assistant. To support himself, he worked the midnight-to-8 a.m. shift in the toll booth at Exit 5 of the Pennsylvania Turnpike (the Allegheny Valley exit), 25 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh. His dad, a firefighter, police officer and bar owner near a dying steel mill, raised him to be tough, respectful, hard-working and -- a Steeler fan. Which he was, loving the Steelers as a teenager when they won their four Super Bowls in the '70s.
The toll-taker, Mike McCarthy, will try to break the hearts of everyone back home.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Mind-boggling Stat of the Day
Not good, by nearly every measure:
When the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003, there were 1.4 million Christians in the country; since then, the number has dwindled to 400,000.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Just a Ton of Packers/Bears Commentary
Here's a week's worth of commentary on Sunday's big game with Bears.
You're welcome.
You're welcome.
A Revolting Thought, Micheal Wilbon
Rogers Beats Cutler in a Cage Match, Rick Morrissey
Halas Helped Save Packers, Davide Haugh
Once More into the Breach, Tim Leyaden
Expect Defense to Dominate in Packers-Bears; 10 Things to Watch, Peter King
You Have to Hear These Fan Stories, Wayne Drehs
Ex-Packer Matt Bowen will Always Remember Packers-Bears, Matt Bowen
Starks has Grown into Role of Leading Ball Carrier, Tom Silvertein
James Starks in a Bears Uniform? It Nearly Happened on Draft Day, JJ Cooper
Packers are Good, but don't get Overconfident, Dave Begel
Rooting, Love Interests Collide in Packers-Bears Rivalry, Bob Petrie
Bears-Packers Rivalry Leads to Split Loyalties in Families, Joseph Bustos
Packer Parents in Bears County Cheer on the Packers, Stacey Baca
Packers Fans at Waukegan School take a Ribbing and Keep on Ticking, Dan Moran
A Little Slice of Cheeseland in Lakeview, Steve Johnson
6 Unusual Ways the Bears can Gain an Edge on the Packers, Uden Franklin
Vince Lombardi Would have Loved this Homegrown Packers Bunch, Don Banks
Governors Bet on Bears-Packers Game, Patrick Tricker
Trash Talk: Packers, Bears Fans Swap Stories, Wausau Daily Herald
Even the Church Betting on the Packers, WHBL
Bears Fans Weary under the Razor of their Packers Fan Barber, Amy Alderman
Obama says He's Going to the SuperBowl -- if the Chicago Bears are There, Michael Memoli
Bears to the Left, Packers to the Right; Two Local Bars Stuck in the Middle, Joe Vince
A Bear and a Meat Packer Meet in an Alley, Joe Sinopoli
Five Things to Watch: Pears-Packers, Michael Wright
Meet the Bears' Secret Weapon, Ben Bowman
Packer Fans take Team Pride to the Extreme, Tony Walter
Ticket-holder Since '33 Remembers Last Packers-Bears Playoff Game, WXOW
Analysis: Packers Offense Finishes Strong (Except Against the Bears), Sports Nation
Devin Hester to Write a Monthly Column for Chicago Parent Magazine, Liz Hoffman
Ted Thompson Owes Skippy Bayless a Cockpunch, Drew Magary
A Fat People's History of the Packer's Bears Rivalry, Christmas Ape
A Key Plot Point in 'A-Packer-lypse Now,' Steve Rosenbloom
Packers-Bears III, Wayne Larrivee
Eleven Memorable Games in Packers-Bears History, Steve Leventhal
Taxes We Can All Fjord?
A 2010 study released by the U.S. Small Business Administration reported a similar result: Although America remains near the top of the world in terms of entrepreneurial aspirations -- that is, the percentage of people who want to start new things—in terms of actual start-up activity, our country has fallen behind not just Norway but also Canada, Denmark, and Switzerland.Fascinating stuff.
[...]
And so the case of Norway—one of the most entrepreneurial, most heavily taxed countries in the world—should give us pause. What if we have been wrong about taxes? What if tax cuts are nothing like weapons or textbooks? What if they don't matter as much as we think they do?
Monday, January 17, 2011
Priebus vs. the Tea Party
Making the rounds today is a story at Politico on Reince Priebus relationship with the various Wisconsin Tea Party Factions. A number of different tea party leaders are quoted in the piece -- and if you didn't know them, you'd probably be inclined to think they were all cut-and-dry grassroots activist folk. Alas, this is not the case -- so without further ado here's some context behind the quoters.
One quick note: Speed was once pretty antagonistic towards the GOP establishment (see here, for example), but now that he appears to have a seat at the table seems much comfortable towing the party line.
As the article points out, Block has left AFP to captain the U.S.S.Lusitania Herman Cain, presumably because (a.) Cain has a ton of money to throw around, (b.) isn't expected to win more than a dozen votes and (c.) still has to deal with the same media and political people that real candidates have to work with, thus providing Block with a wonderful opportunity to pad his Roledex.
Basically, Block is to grassroots organizing in the same proportion that pornography is to human intimacy.
Dake's cameo in the Politico piece is rather telling:
It's really no wonder Priebus had a relatively easy time working with the tea party folks here in Wisconsin: some of these guys really aren't that bright.
Which brings us to the last two tea party leaders to show up at the end of the piece:
Horvatin is probably the closest thing that Zack Speed has to an organizational equal within the Wisconsin Tea Party crew, but, as the example above demonstrates, the RRP are far more independent and less likely to acquiesce to WisGOP marching orders. The RRP was much more enthusiastic about Johnson's primary challenger Dave Westlake, and seemed justifiably miffed when Johnson secured the party endorsement less than a week after entering the race, prior to which he was completely unknown in state politics.
Some of these tea party folks, at least, have pretty good instincts when it comes to that nagging feeling that they are being played for fools.
The answer: precisely because there was such a surge in grassroots activity.
The closest thing to a competitive primary race last year was the race for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, where Mark Neumann ran an insurgent campaign that threatened to derail establishment Golden Boy Scott Walker's coronation. By endorsing Walker the state party was able to marshal resources and money to fending off Neumann's bid, which proved somewhat necessary in the waning days of the primary when Neumann seemed to be giving Walker a run for his money. All of this was orchestrated by Priebus (a Walker ally) and Co., which makes Van Doren's comment at the end of the article all the more telling:
- Mike Murphy, Chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus
The Liberty Caucus is basically the plaything of Terri McCormick, the one-time state legislator, infrequent congressional candidate and all-around hellion who has butted heads and alienated her GOP overlords continuously in the past. McCormick is almost universally loathed by every ranking Republican in the state: Jim Sensenbrenner hate her. Paul Ryan hates her. WPRI hates her. Talk radio hates her. Former state GOP vice chairmen hate her ... and if you want to know why, just mosey on over here.“Priebus will do whatever it takes to co-opt the tea party movement,” said Mike Murphy, chairman of a tea party-allied 527 group called The Republican Liberty Caucus of Wisconsin, founded in late 2009.
In the midterm elections, Murphy’s group supported tea party candidates, including some who were undercut by the state GOP, which largely ignored long-shot tea party candidates and endorsed the primary rivals of others at its May convention — months before the primary election.
“He didn’t allow for conservative voices that didn’t jibe with the establishment view and if he charges down that course (at the RNC), the tea party people will wake up and it may very well split up the Republican Party” coalition that powered the GOP’s 2010 landslide, said Murphy.
So when Murphy says "tea party people" he really means "my fellow Terri McCormick acolytes," which are very few and far between. Any prognostications and/or threats that come from Murphy should be taken with a proverbial grain of salt.
- Jake Speed, Chairman of the La Crosse Liberty Coalition
One quick note: Speed was once pretty antagonistic towards the GOP establishment (see here, for example), but now that he appears to have a seat at the table seems much comfortable towing the party line.
- Mark Block, formerly of AFP Wisconsin
As the article points out, Block has left AFP to captain the U.S.S.
Basically, Block is to grassroots organizing in the same proportion that pornography is to human intimacy.
- Tim Dake, Wisconsin Grandsons of Liberty/Tea Party Patriots
Dake's cameo in the Politico piece is rather telling:
So basically if you pay Dake some lip service with a meaningless addition to the party platform and have lunch with him every now and then, he really won't object to a blatant steamrolling of grassroots activists by the establishment come convention time.Dake credited Preibus with supporting an effort by tea party activists who attended last year’s GOP state convention to add a plank to the party platform pushing for Wisconsinites to be allowed to carry concealed firearms without a permit.
“This was a very bold move on the Wisconsin GOP’s part, and it was done with Reince’s blessing, so he was clearly listening to a significant percentage of the tea partiers who felt that this was something that we were overdue for,” said Dake.
He conceded, though, that at that same convention “a lot of people were upset” by the party’s decision to buck 30 years of tradition by tendering endorsements nearly four months before the state’s Sept. 14 primary election.
“I talked with Reince about that shortly afterwards and I told him it feels like you guys are circumventing the will of the people on picking their own candidates,” said Dake. “And his argument was this is something internal to the party.”
It's really no wonder Priebus had a relatively easy time working with the tea party folks here in Wisconsin: some of these guys really aren't that bright.
Which brings us to the last two tea party leaders to show up at the end of the piece:
- Dan Horvatin, a leader of the Rock River Patriots
Horvatin is probably the closest thing that Zack Speed has to an organizational equal within the Wisconsin Tea Party crew, but, as the example above demonstrates, the RRP are far more independent and less likely to acquiesce to WisGOP marching orders. The RRP was much more enthusiastic about Johnson's primary challenger Dave Westlake, and seemed justifiably miffed when Johnson secured the party endorsement less than a week after entering the race, prior to which he was completely unknown in state politics.
Some of these tea party folks, at least, have pretty good instincts when it comes to that nagging feeling that they are being played for fools.
- Ken Van Doren, Wisconsin Campaign for Liberty
The answer: precisely because there was such a surge in grassroots activity.
The closest thing to a competitive primary race last year was the race for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, where Mark Neumann ran an insurgent campaign that threatened to derail establishment Golden Boy Scott Walker's coronation. By endorsing Walker the state party was able to marshal resources and money to fending off Neumann's bid, which proved somewhat necessary in the waning days of the primary when Neumann seemed to be giving Walker a run for his money. All of this was orchestrated by Priebus (a Walker ally) and Co., which makes Van Doren's comment at the end of the article all the more telling:
You think?Ken Van Doren, who is active in the Wisconsin branch of the Ron Paul-affiliated Campaign for Liberty said tea partiers won’t support the RNC and its candidates if they see Priebus fostering “this closed country club-type atmosphere. We have an opportunity to enlarge the tent, but if we’re only going to look out for the insiders, the big money people, the party is done.”
Van Doren grudgingly acknowledged that Priebus “didn’t lash out against the tea party publicly the way the heads of parties in other states did.” But Van Doren added “I always had the feeling that behind the scenes he was working against our interests.”
Sunday, January 16, 2011
I Also Took My Wife to a Demolition Derby for Our First Date...
Feel the romance!
Priebus’s appearance at the House Republican retreat signaled his desire to build a better relationship between the RNC and elected congressional leaders. He was introduced by fellow Wisconsin Republican Paul Ryan and told the crowd that his first date with his wife was at a Lincoln Day dinner with Wisconsin Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner.The idea of Tex Sensenbrenner chaperoning anyone's first date is kinda creepy.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
?????
This may be the single most incredible paragraph you will read all year:
Go to the link and read the story. It's as good as advertised.
As Bloomberg BusinessWeek reported in an excellent 2009 story on Glock, the company's success might also be due to some questionable business practices. The company has come under fire, in a manner of speaking, for making secret political contributions. It has also been accused of dodging taxes and regulations through shell corporations. (Because the company is based in Europe and is privately held, it does not need to disclose nearly as much sales or legal information as a public U.S. company.) Corporate intrigue and violence are part of the picture, too. Gaston Glock's former business associate, a man occasionally known as "Panama Charly," is currently incarcerated in Luxembourg, convicted of taking out a hit on his boss in 1999. (The hitman was a former professional wrestler and, bizarrely, the attempt came not with a handgun but with a large rubber mallet to the head. Glock survived.)Panama Charly? ... Hitman? ... Former professional wrestler? ... A large rubber mallet?
Go to the link and read the story. It's as good as advertised.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
More is Apparently Less ... When it Comes to Regulation
There are so many layers of bullshit to this story it's really hard to know where to start:
All hail the "free market"!
A regulatory reform bill proposed Tuesday by Gov. Scott Walker would place new restrictions on wind development and calls for a special exemption for a Neenah-based businessman and contributor to Walker's gubernatorial campaign.So right off that bat we've got Walker increasing regulations -- even though he ran an entire campaign claiming that just such regulations were "job killers," etc. -- whilst carving a convenient exemption, and likely competitive advantage, for a contributor.
All hail the "free market"!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
The Bizarre Wisconsin Connection to the Tucson Shootings
Oh, great:
Jared Lee Loughner’s rants about grammar and mind control track closely to the writings of a conspiracy theorist who believes that is how the government controls the populace, one leading group says – and the man tells POLITICO he agrees with some of Loughner’s statements.The far-right activist, David Wynn Miller, said in a telephone interview that he didn’t know Loughner, but agreed with his statement in a YouTube video that “the government is implying mind control and brainwash on the people by controlling grammar.”
“Absolutely I would agree with it,” said Miller, 62, a former tool-and-die maker from Milwaukee who claims 1 billion “students” worldwide.
This Miller dude is a piece of work. Here's what the Southern Poverty Law Center and the ADL have to say about him. Here's a Cap Times article discussing accusations of brainwahing against Miller. The obligatory Wiki page. Miller's own crazy, crazy website, which -- of course -- is written in all caps.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
The First Walker Favorability Poll
From PPP:
Some of the newly elected Governors- Rick Scott in Florida in particular but also John Kasich in Ohio and Scott Walker in Wisconsin- are not particularly popular though.Yeah, it's a Dem polling firm and blah blah blah, but numbers are numbers and these are first of Walker's term.
[...]
Walker and Kasich both have worse numbers than they did in our polls right before the election. Walker's favorability is a 41/49 spread and Kasich's is 36/40. One key reason for the disparity? We're now polling all registered voters in the states, not just 2010 likely voters as we were the last three months before the election. There was a steep drop in Democratic turnout compared to 2008 in both of those states that was a key part of the Republican victories and those Democrats who didn't vote aren't real big on their new Governors.
Only 12% of Democrats in Ohio have a favorable opinion of Kasich compared to 65% with an unfavorable one. And in Wisconsin just 7% rate Walker favorably to 85% with a negative opinion. They don't have anywhere close to the sort of crossover appeal that folks like Sandoval and Mead do, and as a result they don't go into office particularly popular.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Of Course It Is!
Did you know that Florida's official state song is called -- I shit you not -- "Old Folks at Home"?
Monday, December 27, 2010
The Single Worst Wisconsin Supreme Court Decision I can Remember
Here:
The details are absolutely infuriating.
The Legal Watchdog blog looks at a terrible decision from the Wisconsin Supreme Court, in which it upheld an order for a 17-year-old to register as as sex offender, even though he committed no sex crime. The youth forced another 17-year-old to accompany him to collect a debt. This was enough to convict him of falsely imprisoning a minor, which the Wisconsin legislature has defined as a sex crime.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Scott Walker Pimps his Ride
No word on whether the new Yukon has spinning rims:
[via LCT]In campaigning to become Wisconsin's next governor, Scott Walker promised to usher in a new era of austerity in state government. But one of his first decisions suggests his determination to make the "haves" in state government more like the "have-nots" elsewhere stops at his own door — his own car door, to be precise.
Isthmus has learned that Walker plans to spend significantly more than his predecessor, Gov. Jim Doyle, on his personal state vehicle.
According to Emily Winecke, a spokeswoman for the Wisconsin Division of Administration, which maintains the state's vehicle fleet, the state has signed a 60-day lease on a 2011 GMC Yukon XL for Walker's use, from the car rental company Enterprise.
[...]
"This vehicle," says Winecke, "was selected by the governor-elect's security detail so that all members of [his] family could travel together in one vehicle." She explains that the costs "include" a $1,596.50 monthly rental fee for up to 3,000 miles per month, plus 20 cents per mile beyond that.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Ignore Particulars. Complain about Process. Change the Subject.
Behold, Senator-elect Ron Johnson's foreign policy strategy:
MORE: For more on why opposing the START treaty was a bone-headed idea from the beginning, here's Fred Kaplan.
Johnson told WisPolitics Tuesday he has the same concerns about the treaty that others are now expressing: that it ties the nation’s defense missile system to a reduction in nuclear arms.Ugh.
The Senate voted 67-28 to advance the treaty.
“I’m concerned about anything in this lame-duck session that is just being rammed through without adequate debate, without proper hearings,” Johnson said.
While acknowledging the treaty has received a fair amount of hearings and debate, Johnson said he was concerned about other issues the Senate has taken up in the lame-duck session.
MORE: For more on why opposing the START treaty was a bone-headed idea from the beginning, here's Fred Kaplan.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Blogging the Civil War
Merry Christmas, nerds!
The American Interest is blogging the Civil War by linking to daily "updates" from the archives of newspapers as they were published 150 years ago. For example: on the morning of December 29th, 2010 AI will feature several articles and op-eds that were published on December 29th, 1860 and so forth.
Very cool stuff. Very cool project.
The American Interest is blogging the Civil War by linking to daily "updates" from the archives of newspapers as they were published 150 years ago. For example: on the morning of December 29th, 2010 AI will feature several articles and op-eds that were published on December 29th, 1860 and so forth.
Very cool stuff. Very cool project.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Only High Speed Rail Can Save Conservatism (Seriously.)
[Here's an early holiday gift for James Rowen and John Michlig.]
The Brookings Inst. has yet another report detailing the impending death of the traditional American Suburb today.
There's a ton of socio-economic repercussions to the phenomenon and the Gawker summary does a very fine and succinct job at getting to the heart of the matter:
Suburbs have long been strongholds for conservative voters for obvious reasons, but where are these conservative voters going to flee to once their suburbs become more racially integrated and economically diverse? They're probably not going to rush back into the new urban areas, where costs of living and, yes, taxes will be higher... so, where does that leave them?
Let's look at an unlikely hypothetical, worst-case-scenario, wherein , say, 15 years from now Waukesha Co. has ceased to be the center of the state's conservative base. Where did the voters go? Here are five possibilities ... see if you can guess the common theme that unites them all.
1.) The Exurbs
So what does all of this have to do with high speed rail? Conservatism needs suburbia to flourish. It's doesn't need academia or a media machine or conferences or all the sexy stuff that gets loudmouths on TV -- it needs an environment in which to ingrain itself into every aspect of life and suburbia is custom made for cultivating conservatism. It's no accident that the trajectory of the modern conservative movement follows a similar arc to that of the contemporary suburb. Once the suburb starts to become replaced by a slum, conservatism will begin its death throes.
That's where high speed rail comes in to play. HSR basically allows suburbanites the chance to live an urban life in terms of employment and recreation while building a home away from the bustle of the city. It allows the "smartest, most educated young suburbanites" to live in a place that is familiar to them while still pursuing ambitions that suburbs often don't allow. It's not uncommon for people to take a 30-60 minute El ride clear across Chicago for whatever reason and think nothing of it ... that's an urban convenience the suburbs need desperately in order to attract the kind of people who will be making the economy work in the 21st century.
I'm not saying that not having HSR will kill off the suburbs. An aging population, the housing bubble, long commutes, expensive gas and dozens of other things will do just fine, thank you -- but HSR can help save it by opening the suburbs up to a new market: young folks who want urban lives between 8 AM and 8 PM Monday through Friday, but don't want to pay for the cover charge for living in the city limits. As it currently stands, the hassle of living in the burbs far outweighs the hassle of living in the city and when suburbs continue to isolate themselves by declining mass transport services -- especially during rough economic times -- they create a recipe ripe for isolation and, eventually, ghettoization.
I'm sure actually conservatives will roll their eyes at this argument and go on about the intellectual merits of their philosophy (while at the same time preaching a gospel of anti-intellectualism, go figure), but the fact of the matter is that most voters chose how they vote based on their own personal life experiences, not how they rationalize the merits of one policy or another, and nothing creates conservative voters like suburban life. Killing the suburbs will essentially be killing off conservatism.
The Brookings Inst. has yet another report detailing the impending death of the traditional American Suburb today.
There's a ton of socio-economic repercussions to the phenomenon and the Gawker summary does a very fine and succinct job at getting to the heart of the matter:
Now let's look at the long-term political ramifications for a second.The smartest, most educated young suburbanites are fleeing for big cities. Naturally. Didn't you? They're leaving behind their parents, who make up that hefty chunk of soon-to-retire boomers. It was inevitable that the suburbs would become more racially integrated, albeit slowly; but economic integration is happening faster than many suburban residents would probably prefer, thanks in part to the real estate market collapse which left lots and lots of suburban cookie-cutter development dream homes available at prices far, far lower than their developers had initially hoped.
So while young, mostly white suburban kids race to the cities and price out the original residents there, many of those urban minorities may find the suburbs to be more inviting and economically viable. Gentrification and degentrification—demographic groups passing each other on the highway into the city, heading in opposite directions. While bright young things head for NYC, LA, Chicago, and San Francisco, the Sun Belt and its massive tracts of sprawl stand ready, willing and able to absorb the displaced, once-urban masses of the working class. It's as if, over the course of a generation, the stereotypical growing-up experiences of White Suburban Americans and Minority Urban Americans will totally trade places. The only difference being that now the cities will get the government money and attention they've always deserved, and the suburbs will slowly wilt into sprawling, neglected slums.
Suburbs have long been strongholds for conservative voters for obvious reasons, but where are these conservative voters going to flee to once their suburbs become more racially integrated and economically diverse? They're probably not going to rush back into the new urban areas, where costs of living and, yes, taxes will be higher... so, where does that leave them?
Let's look at an unlikely hypothetical, worst-case-scenario, wherein , say, 15 years from now Waukesha Co. has ceased to be the center of the state's conservative base. Where did the voters go? Here are five possibilities ... see if you can guess the common theme that unites them all.
1.) The Exurbs
Walworth, Jefferson and Dodge counties start to see a small growth in communities of Waukesha transplants that are now willing to trade in a 30-45 minute commute for a 60-75 minute drive as long as it means a quieter life away from the riffraff.2.) Lower population Suburban counties.
This has already started to happen in St. Croix, Polk and Pierce counties which are effectively exurbs of the Twin Cities.
Washington county, we're looking at you. Slinger and West Bend will get larger and everyone will have a lot more friends in Allenton. Washington county is already fertile Republican territory but it's far less populated than the other collar counties around Milwaukee.3.) "Unurban" cities like Fond du Lac, Appleton, Eau Claire, La Crosse, Wausau and, yes, Oshkosh.
I'm calling them "unurban" cities because even though they look like suburbs in many ways, the fact that they are not supported by a neighboring urban center dramatically changes the local culture, economy and politics. Fondy's a bit different because it's close enough to Milwaukee to justify the commute, but, by and large, it's still its own little place.4.) Rural Wisconsin
I hope this is self-explanatory.5.) Other States
Let's face it, the people who will be leaving will be old. It'll either be time to go off to that great retirement home in Boca or Scottsdale.What do all of these have in common? Ideological diffusion. The demise of the suburbs basically creates a diaspora among the conservative community. Now, some might say, "That's great, now the message will reach new ears, etc." Except it doesn't really work like that. At the end of the day, conservatives simply become more spread out and elections quickly begin to reflect that phenomenon.
So what does all of this have to do with high speed rail? Conservatism needs suburbia to flourish. It's doesn't need academia or a media machine or conferences or all the sexy stuff that gets loudmouths on TV -- it needs an environment in which to ingrain itself into every aspect of life and suburbia is custom made for cultivating conservatism. It's no accident that the trajectory of the modern conservative movement follows a similar arc to that of the contemporary suburb. Once the suburb starts to become replaced by a slum, conservatism will begin its death throes.
That's where high speed rail comes in to play. HSR basically allows suburbanites the chance to live an urban life in terms of employment and recreation while building a home away from the bustle of the city. It allows the "smartest, most educated young suburbanites" to live in a place that is familiar to them while still pursuing ambitions that suburbs often don't allow. It's not uncommon for people to take a 30-60 minute El ride clear across Chicago for whatever reason and think nothing of it ... that's an urban convenience the suburbs need desperately in order to attract the kind of people who will be making the economy work in the 21st century.
I'm not saying that not having HSR will kill off the suburbs. An aging population, the housing bubble, long commutes, expensive gas and dozens of other things will do just fine, thank you -- but HSR can help save it by opening the suburbs up to a new market: young folks who want urban lives between 8 AM and 8 PM Monday through Friday, but don't want to pay for the cover charge for living in the city limits. As it currently stands, the hassle of living in the burbs far outweighs the hassle of living in the city and when suburbs continue to isolate themselves by declining mass transport services -- especially during rough economic times -- they create a recipe ripe for isolation and, eventually, ghettoization.
I'm sure actually conservatives will roll their eyes at this argument and go on about the intellectual merits of their philosophy (while at the same time preaching a gospel of anti-intellectualism, go figure), but the fact of the matter is that most voters chose how they vote based on their own personal life experiences, not how they rationalize the merits of one policy or another, and nothing creates conservative voters like suburban life. Killing the suburbs will essentially be killing off conservatism.
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