Blog archives
Politics stories in our blog
Price of gas when Obama took office: $1.81
January 22, 2012
Gasoline prices were lower when President Obama took office. Can you remember why the price of gas was so low?
Grover Norquist pledge = Rumpelstiltskin
November 22, 2011
Grover Norquist, with his Americans for Tax Reform pledge, is a rehash of the Grimm tales story of Rumpelstiltskin.
Oak Creek: We Energies coal ash in Lake Michigan
November 2, 2011
Depending on who you ask, the coal ash released into Lake Michigan from the Oak Creek Power Plant is either very dangerous, or a harmless ingredient.
Michael Lewis book: 'Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World'
October 5, 2011
Michael Lewis on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Fresh AIr with Terry Gross, and Charlie Rose, promoting his new book Boomerang.
C. Peter Wagner, the New Apostolic Reformation, and Rick Perry
October 4, 2011
NAR endorsers who were involved with Rick Perry’s Houston prayer rally seek Christian dominion in government.
Austerity (budget cuts) and social unrest
August 9, 2011
Mark Blyth says that austerity, driven by class politics, usually ends badly. Louise Cooper sees a connection between austerity and the UK riots.
Swim with dolphins? Film 'The Cove' shows them killed
July 22, 2011
Flipper dolphin trainer Ric O’Barry and an Oceanic Preservation Society team secretly film the annual killing of 23,000 dolphins at Taiji, Japan.
Debt, Medicare, spending, deficit: Obama speech, April 13, 2011
April 13, 2011
President Obama’s speech: Video and full text of his remarks at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
Paul Ryan is Dagwood Bumstead
April 7, 2011
Is Rep. Paul Ryan the bright young Republican man on the rise — or a bumbling Dagwood Bumstead?
Stupid Americans get more dumber
March 22, 2011
A Newsweek story finds that an alarming percentage of Americans cannot answer questions from the Citizenship and Immigration test.
Rachel Maddow Show: 'Shock Doctrine' used to take over Michigan towns
March 9, 2011
Journalist Naomi Klein discusses proposed laws empowering Gov. Rick Snyder to appoint Emergency Managers to take over financially troubled communities.
The Packers: Green Bay's socialist success story
February 5, 2011
The Green Bay Packers are community-owned, and very strongly supported by the community of Green Bay.
Obama a Keynesian? Ron Johnson says 'start digging'
November 3, 2010
Meanwhile, Ron Johnson, soon-to-be senator from Wisconsin, knows how to get out of a deep hole.
Where do I vote? Voting locations by street address
November 1, 2010
Voting day info — where to vote, how to register to vote, polling stations — is all available at Vote411.org.
Eric Holder and Second Amendment, Eric Holder and firearms
October 27, 2010
Can the demonstrators who tell Rachel Maddow that Eric Holder is so anti-guns come up with one anti-gun thing he has done? They cannot.
Al Franken speech: Obama's car-in-the-ditch metaphor
October 26, 2010
Sen. Al Franken revises President Obama’s car-in-the-ditch analogy during a rally at the University of Minnesota supporting Mark Dayton for governor.
Ron Johnson for Senate with no jobs plan?
October 22, 2010
All three Feingold/Johnson debates are now streaming online — but Ron Johnson, Wisconsin candidate for U.S. Senate, has no jobs plan.
Pledge to America: Republican tax cuts cost jobs, hurt grandchildren
September 23, 2010
What if there was a plan with a proven history of creating lots of jobs while balancing the budget? As it turns out, there is.
Censorship: Nations would outlaw ideas, Twitter as cyber war weapons
September 23, 2010
Russia has reportedly been building support since 1998 for an international treaty to outlaw “information terrorism” and “ideological aggression” via the Internet.
Ditch Day plus 2 years: Obama, the Tea Party, and the attention of Americans
September 18, 2010
Exactly 2 years after America’s economy crashed into a ditch, Americans are considering taking the same wrong turn yet again.
Sarah Palin is a Tic-Tac-Toe playing chicken
July 21, 2010
Do you believe that a chicken can beat people at Tic Tac Toe? Do you believe that Sarah Palin writes her own Facebook notes?
Barack Obama speech, town hall meeting in Racine, Wis.
July 3, 2010
President Barack Obama visits Racine, Wisconsin for a town hall meeting as midterm election season begins to warm up.
FedEx vs. UPS: 'Brown Bailout Guy'
April 26, 2010
UPS says that a FedEx driver is not a pilot — so FedEx shouts “bailout” over and over and over.
The Tea Party and a warped sense of time
April 20, 2010
Can the 1-year-old Tea Party really be credited for Wisconsin’s 5-year trend toward lower taxes? Our newspaper thinks so.
Glenn Beck, Eric Massa, and the worst interview ever
March 9, 2010
Glenn Beck’s nightmare interview of former congressman Eric Massa, as shown on MSNBC’s ‘Countdown’.
Dick Cheney: A record of recklessness
February 14, 2010
When Dick Cheney sounds off on safety and security, someone should ask him about Tora Bora or the liquid bomb plot.
'Prayer for Obama': Psalms 109:8
November 17, 2009
Psalms 109:8 is a “prayer for Obama,” according to an Internet meme: Let his days be few; and let another take his office.
Glenn Beck on Fox News + Jon Stewart, Keith Olbermann = Hilarious!
September 5, 2009
Keith Olbermann and Jon Stewart’s segments on Glenn Beck’s lunacy have been hysterical. Do not miss these.
Blogging how-to: 'The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging'
July 13, 2009
Perhaps not the best blogging book if you’re looking to make money blogging, but still an entertaining and inspiring read.
Heat wave, power cuts, and protests in India
June 28, 2009
While American politicians bicker over whether to pass a clean energy bill, today’s forecast for New Delhi called for a high of 111° F. going up to 114° F. for Monday.
'Morning Joe' Scarborough brews up Jon Stewart feud over Starbucks
June 10, 2009
Is there any connection between Scarborough picking a fight with the ‘Daily Show’ host and the launch of his campaign for, uh, his book?
Stephen Colbert reports from Iraq this week
June 8, 2009
‘The Colbert Report’ should be especially good this week, with Stephen Colbert on location in Baghdad, Iraq.
Olbermann: Mancow gets waterboarded, calls it torture in 6 seconds
May 23, 2009
Erich ‘Mancow’ Muller had himself waterboarded in Chicago for his radio show. He lasted six seconds before declaring it torture.
GQ magazine shows Bible quotes on Rumsfeld-era Pentagon documents
May 18, 2009
Apart from the issues raised by perverting holy scripture to perfume a rotten war, some horrific graphic design decisions are on display.
Will Wisconsin's Time Warner Cable customers soon see Road Runner caps?
April 6, 2009
In some cites, Time Warner Cable is reportedly going to start charging premiums for Internet bandwidth usage. How does $200 per month sound to you?
Bruce Springsteen to perform on 'The Daily Show with Jon Stewart' tonight
March 19, 2009
Bruce Springsteen will be doing a solo performance of the title track, “Working on a Dream.”
Rick Santelli, CNBC in hot water on 'The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'
March 5, 2009
Finally someone on TV takes a closer look at Rick Santelli’s much-hyped bailout rant.
Rachel Maddow ridicules Racine's Rep. Paul Ryan
March 3, 2009
The recession is Rep. Paul Ryan’s chance to become more visible, and he’s taking it.
AIG and a little trouble sleeping
March 2, 2009
AIG has succeeded wildly at one thing: Keeping families up at night.
MSNBC: Interactive inauguration, complete text and video
January 20, 2009
MSNBC’s ‘Explore’ feature is a cool new marriage of online video and text.
Breathtaking images
January 20, 2009
We’re watching the inauguration on C-SPAN, and the streaming HD video from CBS.
Keith Olbermann on the Bush legacy: 8 years in 8 minutes
January 17, 2009
Keith Olbermann nails the reign of George W. Bush.
TV tonight: Bush farewell, new 'Office' and '30 Rock'
January 15, 2009
President Bush delivers his farewell address tonight, and there’s a new ‘The Office’ and ‘30 Rock.’
Racine, Wisconsin Mayor Gary Becker arrested for child pornography, solicitation (updated)
January 14, 2009
The Racine Post and the Journal Times are both reporting that Mayor Gary Becker has been arrested on child sex charges.
Grease is golden
January 9, 2009
An economy works thanks to the magic of money changing hands — from you, to the savings and loan, to your neighbor, to the real estate agent — the faster, the better.
Roland Burris, Senate Trail Blazer
January 8, 2009
Warren Zevon’s ‘Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner’ is in my head today, but with Roland Burris lyrics.
Interior Secretary rejects Menominee Nation's Kenosha casino application
January 8, 2009
The federal government has officially denied the application of the Menominee Indian Tribe to acquire land at Dairyland Greyhound Park in Kenosha, Wisconsin for its $1 billion casino project.
Wisconsin's million-dollar Web designers depict Minneapolis skyline
December 30, 2008
Why is there a picture of the Minneapolis skyline on the Wisconsin Campaign Finance Information System website?
Barack Obama: Jerk or Jedi?
December 29, 2008
Does the media really have to fan every flame and cover every sandwich?
Reporter throws shoes at George W. Bush
December 14, 2008
FishbowlDC posts NBC video and three entries about one Iraqi reporter’s farewell today to President George W. Bush.
George W. Bush Library pays $35K for Web domain name
December 12, 2008
A company bought GeorgeWBushLibabry.com for $10, then sold it back to the Bush library for $35,000.
Obama Plays It Cool: SNL's Fred Armisen
December 7, 2008
Fred Armisen’s Barack Obama impression on ‘Saturday Night Live’ is getting better and better.
Live blogging Election Day 2008
November 4, 2008
Election Day 2008, as experienced in our living room.
Early voting in Racine
October 22, 2008
Barack Obama and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. both said early voting was the way to go this time, and so that’s what we did.
Racine's minute in ABC's 'World News' spotlight
October 11, 2008
The Dow drops 679 points and throng of Obama supporters gathers in downtown Racine. ABC World News, here in our city to cover the election, shows none of this.
Economic crisis, 2008
September 21, 2008
A tightening knot and a plummeting bird: The bottom has just fallen out of America’s economy.
Warning in America: Andrew J. Bacevich on 'Bill Moyers Journal'
August 18, 2008
Andrew J. Bacevich tells Bill Moyers that America’s profligacy and its imperial presidency are leading the nation into big trouble.
Saddleback forum followup
August 18, 2008
John McCain will give us hope and inspiration, Rick Warren’s “Cone of Silence” was apparently a joke.
It's God time in Campaign '08
August 15, 2008
The presidential campaign enters a religious leg with a new story on John McCain’s fervor as a POW and a forum moderated by Rev. Rick Warren.
Jacob Weisberg: 'The Bush Tragedy' (book review)
March 24, 2008
An insightful and detailed sketch of the man and his motivations. Can you believe Bush read 87 books in 2006?
Political robo calls: Mosquitoes of campaign season
February 14, 2008
Political calls are annoying in the extreme, and it’s time to ban them.
Memphis, Tennessee: Civil Rights Museum at Lorraine Motel
January 21, 2008
The former Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed now houses the long and moving story of the civil rights movement in the United States.
'The Story of Stuff' with Annie Leonard
December 31, 2007
A 20-minute video looks at global consumerism, limited resources, and waste.
Sacrificed lives
December 8, 2007
It is too easy to forget that every military casualty was a life now missing from other lives.
Matt Taibbi, a breath of fresh air
October 21, 2007
This ‘Rolling Stone’ writer covering the campaign is brutally funny and frank.
'V for Vendetta' movie (Natalie Portman, 2006)
September 19, 2007
A hokey adaptation of a graphic novel that is nevertheless impressive for its oppresive political atmosphere.
'Jesus Camp' movie review
September 13, 2007
This documentary follows three children attending an unsettling and militant Christian camp.
Magazines and coffee beans
June 15, 2007
Sure, they’re obsolete — but magazine are still fun to read and offer depth.
'An Inconvenient Truth': The movie about Al Gore, global warming
April 27, 2007
There’s too much hagiography of Al Gore, but this is still a very worthwhile movie about the very survival of our planet.
The grace of Elizabeth Edwards
March 22, 2007
How friendly could you be to strangers if you just found you had a tumor?
Keith Olbermann's 'Special Comment' on Condoleezza Rice
February 27, 2007
The Secretary of State’s deformed analogy rings the special bell in the commentator’s head.
Erasing Jose Padilla, United States citizen
January 3, 2007
His attorneys say the abuse inflicted on him has left him “like a piece of furniture.”
Faster, faster, the lights are turning red
December 13, 2006
Why do places like Reykjavik and Slovenia have Internet speeds 100 times faster than the USA?
Keith Olbermann's special comments
October 22, 2006
His occasional seven to ten-minute editorial essays on MSNBC take the Bush administration to task through sharp writing and dry wit.
Zarqawi: Mastermind or numbskull?
May 5, 2006
The US has put a lot of effort into portraying Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as a fearsome adversary. Now they expose him as an idiot.
He's three branches in one
May 1, 2006
Presidential sticky notes known as ‘signing statements’ magically eliminate the need for a congressional or judicial branch of government.
British law to protect religion from hatred -- and laughter?
June 26, 2005
Under a new law in Britain, it might be llegal to mock religion.
