Madison’s ‘hard left’ is not progressive!
Is Madison WI ready for another local political party to counter Progressive Dane? The gray labcoats here at the Werekes say yes, not that anyone talking about such a party would want Blaska for a member. (We’re like Groucho Marx that way, but in reverse.) Blaska confesses to being 110 proof but at least he is not a nihilist.
Major players in town are actively talking about forming such a party — a year-round platform to field and support candidates for council, county board, school board, mayor, exec, etc. This new party would quit bashing Madison’s enlightened police, encourage opportunity, respect property, emphasize city services over income redistribution. Best of all, it would quit obsessing over identity politics to, instead, promote personal agency. Victors not victims!
Dane County Democrats — long players in local politics despite their statutorily non-partisan nature, have either given in or been taken over by the Progs. Both parties endorsed Paul Skidmore’s successful challenger, Nikki Conklin. Dems backed police abolitionist and overt Marxist Ald. Rebecca Kemble over Charles Myadze, an actual Democrat and labor union member who (thankfully) prevailed on April 6.
The problem moderates have in Madison is they begin stirring only a month before candidate filing deadline whereas Progressive Dane and the other socialist splinter groups are already planning today for next Spring’s local elections. Moderate candidates are left to fend for themselves; a permanent organization would offer synergy.
In short, such a party would look a lot like former Madison mayor Dave Cieslewciz, except that he foreswears being the name on the letterhead. But another former mayor, Paul Soglin, might be. Even so, Cieslewicz is writing its manifesto — Madison’s 2021 version of Tom Hayden’s 1962 Port Huron Statement — on his blog, Yellow Stripes & Dead Armadillos. Cieslewicz (pronounced exactly as spelled) lays out its philosophy here:
[The term] “progressive” has lost its meaning, so I’ve stopped using it, unless I’m referring to the likes of Teddy Roosevelt. I have substituted “hard left” for today’s self-described “progressives.”I like “hard left” because it connotes the kind of dogmatic, humorless, rigid posture of that group.
What’s progressive about making college tuition free for families earning $50,000 just the same as those who pull down $500,000?
Today’s progressives are obsessed with the past, scouring molding newspapers to find offenses committed by inanimate objects. (I’m not making that up. See the Chamberlin Rock.) Far from removing barriers to personal initiative, modern progressives want to obliterate the whole idea of individual agency. We succeed because of our “privilege.” We fail because we have been “oppressed.” We are guilty or blameless based solely on who we are at birth.
If TR’s progressivism could be described in one word it might be “possibility.” Today’s progressivism might be captured by “grievance.” …
Cieslewicz’s principles of moderation:
The first and most important principle of moderation is a respect for the classical liberal values of free speech, the rule of law, tolerance and reason.
Blaska’s Bottom Line: “Armadillos” wouldn’t be a bad name for the new political party. You need a tough skin to buck the bullhorn shouters at Freedom Inc.
Blaska Policy Werkes 
21 responses to “A new local political party is gestating”
The party name should be impossible to refute. That is why “Black Lives Matter” works so well.
The other alternative is to be memorable – “Bob Kasten school of driving” comes to mind.
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I heard a new term th
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I think a new party for the “moderate” Liberals** that choose to live by liberal* ideals is a terrible, terrible idea.
The the loud mouthed totalitarian terrorist extremes of the political left have been allowed to take over the voice of the political left, the “center-left” is considered part of the evil right to these extremists, oppose them in any way and you will feel their wrath. You don’t capitulate to terrorist totalitarians and terrorists are exactly what the moderates are facing with the extremists in their own party.
X Mayor Cieslewicz talked about this new party idea on his blog a while back and I discussed this a little bit. This took place before Cieslewicz de facto banned me from commenting on his blog because I had the audacity to disagreed and publicly challenged his rhetoric on his own blog, it’s certainly not very liberal* of him, in fact it’s quite illiberal of him. Cieslewicz can certainly talk the talk but it appears to me that he can’t walk the walk; Where Did All The Classic Liberals* Go?
Here is a portion of the discussion on Cieslewicz’s blog.
In my opinion; Madison’s political left has become bald-faced anti-Republican partisan bigots, so much so that they will never, ever vote for anything that is not identified as a Democrat to assure the the Republicans won’t win anything and the Democrats remain in power. If Madison’s “moderate” Liberals** capitulate to terrorist totalitarians in their own party, then their liberal* ideals are politically done for and so is Madison.
*liberal: adjective 1. willing to respect or accept behavior or opinions different from one’s own; open to new ideas. 2. relating to or denoting a political and social philosophy that promotes individual rights, civil liberties, democracy, and free enterprise.
**Liberal: noun supporter of political policies that are socially progressive and promote social welfare e.g. Democrat.
Also notice the noun is capitalized and the adjective is not.
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TLDR could be a good party name
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I’ll bite, what is “TLDR”?
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“This took place before Cieslewicz de facto banned me from commenting on his blog because I had the audacity to disagreed and publicly challenged his rhetoric on his own blog, it’s certainly not very liberal* of him, in fact it’s quite illiberal of him. Cieslewicz can certainly talk the talk but it appears to me that he can’t walk the walk.”
Exactly. Agreed. No argument.
Yet I criticized him on this very blog a couple weeks ago and was chastised.
Not looking for an argument. Just sayin.”
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Disagreement is not cancellation.
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Right. That’s not what I was trying to say though.
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Liberty wrote, “Yet I criticized him on this very blog a couple weeks ago and was chastised.”
Remember Liberty, encourage behaviors and attitudes that are inline with your ethics and morals and discourage behaviors and attitudes that are not inline with your ethics and morals. It’s really that simple Liberty.
Liberty wrote, “Not looking for an argument. Just sayin.” “
I’m not looking for an argument either but why bring up that particular past if you didn’t want to rehash it? Let it go, learn from it and move on. Just sayin’.
Every one of us here is sharing our opinion.
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That’s now how I see it, but you’re entitled to your own thoughts. We don’t think alike and that’s fine. You do you and I’ll do me.
“I’m not looking for an argument either but why bring up that particular past if you didn’t want to rehash it? Let it go, learn from it and move on. Just sayin’”
Bringing up something does NOT mean I want an argument. Just making a statement.
Hopefully we can ALL learn as we go along.
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Liberty wrote, “Bringing up something does NOT mean I want an argument. Just making a statement.”
Just to be clear; I didn’t use the word argument, I wrote rehash. Rehash doesn’t imply or mean to argue it literally means to to talk over or discuss again.
Liberty wrote, “Hopefully we can ALL learn as we go along.”
I agree.
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“What would YOU call such a party?”…
Stillborn.
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Amen, brother. Amen. If such a party did somehow manage to get born, it would be strangled in its cradle by Madison’s liberal/progressive elites. And why shouldn’t they? They’ve managed to achieve the desiderata of any political party: complete and uncontested power. They’d be fools to ignore any threat to it, no matter how insignificant.
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Whoever this party is (I assume they’re old school Repubs who sit back and do nothing), should attend some council and subcommittee meetings and see who is speaking AGAINST the hard-left on every issue. I try to attend meetings but never speak because I don’t have patience with city meetings.
I see a lot of the same individuals speaking with respect and actual facts as opposed to Madison’s hard-left newcomers who make demands and offer threats. THOSE individuals are the ones to join up with, not “Republicans” who sit back and hide.
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You must be new around here.
A small number of Republicans (including Dave) and moderates HAVE been very much involved in local issues in the past. It gets exhausting being the only ones constantly pushing back and getting beaten down.
You’ve attended a few Zoom meetings? Great. Go to REAL in person meetings, get your character attacked publicly, expose yourself to the hate, and take real risks for YEARS. Then we’ll talk.
Also, a lot of “Republicans” and others with good sense are fleeing Madison because they don’t see the point of sticking around.
Please get the facts before making judgments.
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Mr Liberty, you know meetings have been virtual for over a year right? Im aware of what the mobs have done to Mr Blaska, Ms McKenna in person. But why do I see the same INDIVIDUALS debating organized groups of cop-haters and socialists at CC & subcommittee meetings?
No judgement….FACT.
Where was the support for the common sense everyday people who ran for alder? There were guests on local radio asking for them.
As long as there’s no organized effort to stop the socialists and/or Marxists, they will have free reign over Madison. I assume (as usual) this “new party” is all talk. If it isnt, Ill be the first in line.
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As I said, you must be new around here.
The cop hating and socialism in Madison have been around for years now. There were people fighting this for YEARS.
So my question is: Where were YOU all these years? Where were these other individuals all these years? Because we never saw your or them when we needed them to fight back and when we could have actually done something about this mess.
Just because you’ve joined the fight now LATE IN THE GAME WHEN THE DAMAGE HAS BEEN DONE doesn’t mean others haven’t fought before you. And we fought harder than attending some Zoom meetings.
Attending Zoom meetings from the safety of your home, (yes, I’m aware they’ve been a thing for a year) is NOT the same thing as driving to the city-council building, getting physically screamed at and shut down.
Nice that people are getting involved, but your post shows me that you’re incredibly short-sighted.
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I think you are supposed to designate the pronouns before you decide on a name.
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Check out these financial statements for freedom inc:
https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/432023570
If you really want to cringe, there are dozens of other state financed sjw/woke groups like that in WI. Unreal that people keep going along with this grift.
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Also unreal that our tax dollars subsidize some of this.
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Ole Swizzle stick needs to just join republicans and bring his so called moderates with him. no new parties just get rid of the lib_ards. throughout the nation. It is time to end this bull caca.
Do not invest in stock market, invest in .223 and 9 mm bullets and stock up folks regardless if you have a weapon to load because this will be the only currency in short order.
Turn off, tune out, vote only republican.
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