There was bipartisanship once in Madison WI.

Joe Manchin is trying to save Democrats but they won’t have it. Once again sabotages President Biden’s plan to raise taxes in the midst of Jimmy Carter-level 9.1% inflation and to fight — not the border crisis or the baby formula shortage or even the Russkies — but climate change!

Very helpfully, “Bernie unloads on Manchin,” reads a national headline. Democrats who would like to win purple states like Wisconsin got to be hoping Bernie unloads on them, too. Never mind that of seven policy issues presented to voters, climate change ranked at the bottom of a CBS poll earlier this year.  Which takes us to our two Quotes of the Week (echo chamber effect: WEEK week week wee …), both by Kevin D. Willliamson in National Review.

“Everybody is an environmentalist when gas is $2 a gallon.” And:

“Barack Obama made Democrats proud to be Democrats, whereas Joe Biden makes Democrats wish they were Canadians.”

This just in 07-18-22:

People who get PG

Notice the two candidate profiles in Saturday’s Wisconsin State Journal? One of the Democrats running in the Stoughton-area State Assembly primary is Jenna Jacobson, Responding to a question on overturning Roe v. Wade, the Oregon village trustee answers, “People that can get pregnant no longer have the ability to control …” Doesn’t she know proper English?! Should be: “People WHO can get pregnant …”

Back in the day, Bubba Clinton solicited the soccer mom vote. Now Democrats are courting People Who Can Get Pregnant. Leaves out a lot of us.

Frank’s Place for a bipartisan win

WI State Journal published a worthwhile spread on how 25 years after its construction, Monona Terrace revivified Madison’s core. We remember when the Square as deader than Jeffrey Epstein. State Journal cudda shudda mentioned brother Mike Blaska. As chairman of the Dane County Board, he dragged his rural conservative caucus into being a $$$ player despite the timidity of the county executive, Rick Phelps. Mike’s own district had voted against the plan in an advisory referendum! (Grandpa J.M. Blaska had voted against the original plan presented to county board in 1940 or so.)

David Mollenhoff and Mary Jane Hamilton tell the story in their book:

Mike Blaska had every reason to vote against Monona Terrace, but he did not. The more he heard, the more impressed he became. Blaska concluded that this was one of those times that called for visionary leadership, for the county to transcend traditional rural-urban, liberal-conservative boxes that defined too many board decisions. At considerable political risk … Blaska began to lobby his conservative colleagues for their votes. (Page view here.)

Blaska’s Bottom Line: Sometimes political courage means saying yes, other times, saying no.

Are YOU yes or no?