Who stood up? Who flamed out?
On the national and worldwide stage, we admire Volodymyr Zelensky, Elon Musk, Governors Brian Kemp, Greg Abbott, and Ron DeSantis, Liz Cheney, Patrick Cippolone, NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg, and the people of Ukraine — among others. All stepped up (as coaches say in their post-game interviews) in the year now concluding to make a difference for the better.
Who are Madison’s heroes? Who in Wisconsin deserves a medal? At the other end of the applause meter, who deserves the opprobrium of history? In no particular order, the first installment of Heroes and Zeroes of 2022:
Heroes
Jim Leonhard. The UW Badger interim football coach and defensive wizard stepped aside gracefully after being passed over. A head coach somewhere, for sure. A role model wherever.
Brian Schimming, new state GOP chair — no more business as usual! A conciliator with a wicked sense of humor and a nose for identifying issues voters really care about.
Rebecca Kleefisch. Now enjoying buyers’ remorse from Tim Michels supporters. Her political future remains bright.
Access Ability Wisconsin and my friend Ray Anderson for getting disabled people into the great outdoors on all-terrain wheelchairs.
Laura Simkin proved that common sense could get elected to the Madison school board. If it is female.
Dave Cieslewicz. The former Madison mayor fights Woke progressivism in the belly of the beast.
Robin Vos. Speaker of the Wisconsin Assembly gave election deniers the rope with which they hung themselves (instead of Mike Pence).
Brenda Konkel (there is nothing wrong with your screen!) for taking homeless off Madison streets and housing them in tiny, 99-square foot shelters. Heat included.
Scott Grabins has kept the Dane County Republican party (aka herd of cats) from scratching each others’ eyes out.
More to come!
Zeroes
Ald. Keith Furman — his pay grab failed spectacularly, so did his attempt to spurn a federal grant for Madison police. For the hat trick, the Madison council president purged moderate Ald. Gary Halverson and replaced him with a reliable progressive.
Kevin Nicholson wanted to run for something, anything and was elected to nothing. Pick a lane!
Election deniers Timothy (6 percent) Ramthun, Janel (we don’t trust you) Brandtjen, and Tr•mp-humper Adam Steen.
Madison school district bureaucrats for harassing a black principal who was restoring discipline to Sennett middle school
The Capital Times for excusing the zealots who vandalized the home of mild-mannered Gary Halverson for sending dues to the Oath Keepers before quickly realizing his mistake.
Tom O’Day counseled conservative county board candidates to NOT respond to newspaper and League of Women Voters questionnaires that asked three softball questions and printed whatever drivel the candidates submitted. Except for one, all his candidates lost.
Mike Gableman unintentionally proved the stolen election lie when he found zilch for evidence.
More to come!
Education
Blaska Policy Werkes 
Hero?: Kaleem Caire. In his role of growing and leading One City Schools, and working to make kids in the lowest social strata in our community see opportunity and potential in their lives (rather than seeing themselves as entitled victims) is a perennial hero. The fact that he does in the toxic miasma that is Madison prog/lib political culture ices his hero cake.
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You should walk the halls led by your “hero”. The turnover among teachers is the highest in Madison. The nepotism among staff ensures a money- making machine for the administrators. If that’s not bad enough, the cronyism fills the hallways with incompetents.
The inspiring messages relayed to the children resemble a cult-like mentality. A true audit will demonstrate financial fraud and declining academic test scores.
You are being conned – just like the Urban League was conned in 2014 under Caire’s leadership.
Follow the money. This is not going to end well.
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Certainly deserving of mention would be bLack LIES Matter.
Not sure if they should go in HEROES (for showing, if [Heh!] inadvertently) their true…um…colors or ZEROES because they’re such a cravenly calculating, despicably detestable POS grift
bLack LIES Matter Leader Accused Of Stealing $10 Million From Organization
ClintonWorld STEPS AWAY From bLM On Eve Of Financial Disclosure
C’mon…how freakin’ corrupt do you have to be to get the Clintonistas to back off?
The Gotch
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It gets worse:
bLM’s Millions Unaccounted For After Leaders Quietly Jump Ship
bLack LIES Matter Co-Founder Patrisse Cullors DENIES WRONGDOING
Ah Lefty; so MUCH hypocrisy, so little time!
The Gotch
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Satya Rhodes-Conway, hero, for her attempt to harness what Einstein called “spooky action at a distance”. Reduced speeds on Whitney Way to fix the East Washington speedway is nothing short of genius.
She blinded me … with SCIENCE!
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I nominate David Blaska for his contributions in the field of “Irascibility”, and for providing this comment section as a venue for others of his ilk to vent.
-“Man got skills”-
And to all of my fellow “ilks”, I wish you a Happy New Year, (though I’m not holding my breath), don’t get me started …….
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“I nominate David Blaska for his contributions in the field of ‘Irascibility‘, and for providing this comment section as a venue for others of his ILK to vent.” (bolds/caps/italics added)
Hear Hear!
ILK? Heh!
Lt. Speer (Clint Eastwood in City Heat [1984]) to Dub Slack: It wouldn’t break my heart at all to scrape the street clean of your ILK. You know what an ‘ILK‘ is, don’t ya Dub?
Dub: A big deer?
Hilarity ensues…
The Gotch
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Ilk – a sick elk….
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Re, a drop of golden sun!
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