No hardliners this time around, pls.

We never see our friendly acquaintance Greg Humphrey in the candle-lit Republican catacombs deep under the streets of Madison WI. Suffice to say: the guy is insufficiently Deplorable.

Under the nom de plume of Deke Rivers, Greg blogs Caffeinated Politics from the city’s isthmus — the beating heart of liberalism. Despite being a former Democrat(ic) legislative aide, every so often Greg Humphrey commits some common sense. Like today, wherein he headlines:

‘Madison Common Council needs Mara Eisch’

Which is interesting, because Mara Eisch is running in District 10 here on the southwest side (secret location of the Stately Manor) not in Greg’s 6th District, now represented by Marsha Rummel (Progressive Dane), who is retiring. But Humphrey is no fan of Progressive Dane, which has wreaked havoc on the city with its grievance mongering pre-occupation with anti-cop identity politics. (Progressive Dane endorsees here.) Greg writes:

It should deeply concern us at the local level to learn that organizations such as Progressive Dane and the Greens require candidates to sign a pledge that they will support their platform 100%. That is what they require to get an endorsement. In other words, a candidate needs to integrate the platform of a special interest into their campaign and prove fealty to it. In one case, a group actually requires the candidate to assign a campaign liaison to them. [Um, that would be Progressive Dane.]”

Mara Eisch is one such example of independence and breath of hope for our city as she seeks election in the 10th aldermanic district. … She has the needs of her voters in mind, as opposed to seeking the smoothest route to an election win. She correctly refused to fill in the questionnaires from those groups, not because she is not aligned with much or even most of their agenda, but knows her first duty, if elected is to have the ability and freedom to achieve what her district wants and needs. How dare some outside organization try to curtail or limit her effectiveness all in the name of purity for their causes. …

This city needs pragmatic leaders and determined independent voices–like Eisch–who are not obligated to anyone other than the voters who cast the ballots. A rather common-sense approach to governing, if you ask me.

For the record, Mara’s opponent, Yannette Figueroa Cole, drank the Kool Aid from Progressive Dane, the Socialist party, and Our WI Revolution. My favorite quote from her response to PD:

“I want to redefine safety.”

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Is Bill McCoshen running for Governor? The publisher of Wisconsin Conservative Digest, Bob Dohnal, says so. McCoshen is former chief of staff and a cabinet secretary for Tommy Thompson. Since those days he’s been a high-powered Capitol lobbyist. Dohnal says Billy Mac will announce in early summer. As a Republican, of course. Republicans smell blood. Tony Evers projects weakness.

That big container ship has been dislodged from the Suez Canal just in time. We were going to suggest a freighter full of Drano. Unclogs back-ups at the Manor.

Why elect either Jill Underly or Deb Kerr on April 6? Former mayor Dave Cieslewicz makes a point we’ve been hammering on for years: Superintendent of public education “shouldn’t be an elected position at all. It makes no sense to elect the person leading the state’s education agency when we don’t elect the heads of the departments of transportation or natural resources or corrections. This should be a governor’s cabinet level appointment.”

Blaska’s Bottom Line: The President appoints an education secretary; so should a governor.

For whom are YOU voting April 6?