Opinion

Evers presents a clear path forward while Walker likes to drop surprise bombs.

Despite my lack of excitement for the election this year, I will be voting with a sense of urgency because experience has taught me that the Wisconsin Democratic Party is as determined to overturn conservative social and individual freedom policies from the past eight years as it is to repeal conservative fiscal policies.

Many in the state’s business community are skeptical that Gov. Scott Walker's replacement, state schools superintendent Tony Evers, can do a better job for the Wisconsin economy.

Wisconsin GOP U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher’s reform agenda for Congress (Atlantic) seems well-intended, but mostly inadequate for the Trump initiated constitutional crisis.

It’s time for the esteemed former Wisconsin GOP Governor Tommy Thompson to talk sense to the GOP state legislative leadership.  Wisconsinites voted for change and for the state to move forward.

After years of enjoying a solid advantage over the Democrats’ finance and field operations, Republicans are now at a point where we need to reconnoiter and retool.

Beyond the vote totals, who were the election’s other big winners and losers?

Voters rejected Democrats for the Assembly, Robin Vos declares. Er, not exactly.

Attorneys may sue, but urge Evers and Kaul to pursue a suit to overturn contract.

Killing city’s restaurant rating system could increase food-borne illness in Milwaukee.

That’s what the citizens get for daring to vote against him.

How could such a skilled, well-funded politician get defeated? Here's 10 reasons.

Vote by 18-to-29 year-olds surging in some states. What about Wisconsin?

Republicans threaten governor’s power, but may actually kill a bad 2017 law they passed.

So why doesn’t the school board embrace them?

Even conservatives suggest the AG’s suit against Affordable Care Act is bad law.

The photo of the smiling students from Baraboo High School, in which many of them appear to be giving the Nazi salute, is a prime example of how forgetting the horrors of the past can cheapen the memory of the millions of lives lost during the Holocaust.

On the Daily Standard Podcast, host Charlie Sykes talks with U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Green Bay, to discuss Gallagher's article in the Atlantic on his proposals to reform the House of Representatives and the legacy of outgoing House Speaker Paul Ryan.

On the Daily Standard podcast, host Charlie Sykes discusses the midterms with Weekly Standard chief elections analyst David Byler and senior writer Michael Warren.

Increasing the tax assessment on a property based on occupancy or based on financing does not reflect economic reality.

The fact is Wisconsin's economy is thriving and the best evidence of this is our increased tax revenues despite tax cuts for individuals and businesses.

Walker's loss hurts in a much more acute way than I think any election loss has ever hurt before because of what it ultimately represents—an end to eight years of conservative governance in this state in which many of us were far more personally invested than perhaps any in our lifetimes.

For almost two decades there has been a cloud over the festivities: chronic wasting disease. And for the last eight years, the government has done nothing to keep it from spreading.

The major implication of Tony Evers’ victory over Scott Walker is that the new Democratic governor will force a fair redistricting after the 2020 Census.

Robin Vos appears to be following a Republican playbook in his quest to limit Gov.-elect Tony Evers’ power once in office. The North Carolina Legislature did the same thing in 2016.

Somebody has to reject the tribalism that has come to define our politics and start trying again to define a common, unifying vision for what it means to be an American or a Wisconsinite. Ironically, rebuilding the center is the only way for progressives to make progress.

Recently Rep. Nygren claimed in a press release that I don’t care about or support the Kimberly-Clark workers in Marinette because I have not committed to voting for AB-963, a bill that would give Kimberly-Clark, a Texas-based corporation up to $100 million or more in taxpayer cash to protect 388 jobs in the Fox Valley. Unfortunately, there are significant concerns with this bill. So significant in fact, that I was told as many as 8 Republican senators are opposed to it.

Perhaps this month's elections are reason to give thanks, signaling that like in other times, the world's greatest experiment in democracy will regain its footing and, indeed, put a brake on the craziness.

School choice, vouchers — take your pick — have been rapidly expanding since the days of Tommy Thompson's modest Milwaukee voucher plan. This has been especially so since Republican Scott Walker and a Legislature dominated by his fellow party members took over state government.

In a recent column, Washington Post "center right" columnist and blogger Jennifer Rubin bluntly accused Trump of being responsible for the Tree of Life synagogue killings.

WMC's current CEO, former banking lobbyist Kurt Bauer, is probably right that his organization and Gov. Scott Walker did damage the state's long history of progressiveness. Where Bob La Follette and his crew drove out the special interests and removed their chokehold on lawmakers and judges, WMC and its allies have bought and bullied their way back into control. Perhaps he shouldn't forget what happened when they began abusing their power and insisting everything go their way. Those progressives are far from dead.

The loudest voice of all is the one that is heard at the ballot box. That's where those costly and often-misleading attack ads financed by special interests hoping to benefit from the election results can be met head on by average Americans struggling to get a fair shake.

A new study shows Seattle's minimum wage increases brought benefits to many workers employed when the higher pay took effect, while a relatively few were left worse off.

Carrie A. Meyer's book, "Letters From the Boys," shows America's veterans aren't monolithic.

If one goes back and takes a look at which administrations actually added to the enormous national debt, they will find the claims that the GOP was fiscally prudent is an out-and-out myth.

After last week’s election, our liberal-progressive-socialist acquaintances are pouting. They finally unseated that Republican golem, Scott Walker, but still lost the state legislature to Republicans. Got to be cheating! What else would explain the imbalance except that ol’ devil Gerry Mander?

In a two-part series, blogger David Blaska shares his post-mortem on Tuesday's election outcomes.

Our state and the nation are at record employment. Wages are up. Taxes are down. University tuition frozen. Scott Walker landed the biggest single employer in history. Shockingly, he went down to defeat.

Data from the newly released state report card reveals that more charter schools and private schools in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program are meeting or exceeding expectations than Milwaukee Public Schools.

In a few months, I suspect, Trump’s evil perversion of the words "immigrants," "asylum," "sanctuary" and "caravan" – once noble words in the English language – will vanish as he will from our memories; the original power and humanity of the terms will return.

Cheer for what you can, but don’t forget to buckle down and be forced to work even harder to bring the US back to a nation its own citizens, much less the world, can respect and admire. We didn’t do that Nov. 6 and have to try try again.

Democrats in 2018 got 54% of vote yet only 36 Wisconsin Assembly seats, while Republicans got 45% of the vote and 63 seats.

Basking in the mammoth November election victory and preparing for a festive holiday season, the Wisconsin public is little in the mood to think of politics or the degree of mischief the Republicans are contemplating in the 40 odd days before Tony Evers and Mandela Barnes are sworn in as Democratic leaders January 7. This is just the sort of lull the GOP loves to pounce in.

That’s why four of his cabinet secretaries, including me, have condemned him.

Given Giampietro’s clear qualifications, he should be confirmed to fill the current vacancy and help expedite the important work of Wisconsin’s federal judges.

Tony Evers’ election as governor will provide a shot-in-the-arm for the school choice movement.

“Every Action done in Company, ought to be with Some Sign of Respect, to those that are Present.”

Our politics can again be high-toned and honest. We can again have leadership that shows people a path forward as opposed to always a mere reflection of where we are presently. We have not had that in our state for many years. Tony Evers can do that by talking honestly to the people he will now lead. I am hopeful

Whether it’s fighting for affordable, quality health care, taking care of our seniors or fighting for jobs training and good paying jobs, Tammy gets the job done for Wisconsinites.

GOP leaders in Wisconsin are ready, willing and able to deal themselves an unnecessary and crippling self-inflicted political wound.

Rowen share insights from six experts on how to improve the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Baraboo school officials should require every boy in that horrifying photo of all those smiling teens giving the Heil Hitler salute to be sent on a chaperoned trip, and fast, to the Holocaust Museum and World War II Memorial In Washington, DC.

Walker fatigue finally caught up with Scott Walker. So did two years of Donald Trump.

In Wisconsin, GOP-initiated election suppression is moving from voter ID and election-day pressures to post-election nullification.

Somewhere out there in academia there's a master's or Ph.D thesis in the works to explain how Wisconsin GOP Gov. Scott Walker could go from featured speaker at his party's 2016 national convention to defeated incumbent just two years later. Here's a workable framework: He did it by his own clumsy hand.

Walker has made two worrisome moves since his rejection by the voters on Nov. 6th for a third term that go beyond a losing incumbent's understandable unhappiness at being defeated.

RightWisconsin Editor James Wigderson joins Steve Scaffidi on AM 620 WTMJ to discuss the week in politics.

We’re in an era of divided government. That means Republicans must make the case for why they should be allowed back into the governor’s mansion.

Election night went into the morning as both sides waited for the results, but in the end the Democratic Party prevailed in each of the statewide elections. The only remaining question is whether the final results would fall within the margin necessary for a recount in the race for governor and attorney general.

The latest internet outrage du jour is the photo of a bunch of boys from Baraboo High School posing for a photo before prom while possibly giving the Nazi salute.

Let me sell you on an idea: Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D) and Gov. Scott Walker (R) can both win re-election.

The election results would have been completely different if not for this.

Henry Lippold, who died last month at 89, built UW-Eau Claire’s broadcast journalism department from the ground up in the early '70s.

The Capital Time's Jessie Opoien joins WILL President and General Counsel Rick Esenberg to discuss the organization's growth and future.

Want to be an informed voter? Reading newspapers and watching the “news” in Wisconsin won't make one an informed voter in 2018. Can we have a democracy without accurate information on our political choices?

Any effort to reform or rearrange state government must respect the will of the voters as framed by the 2018 campaign and its results. There was no serious debate about disempowering the governor. But there was a robust debate about empowering the treasurer.

Evers sought the governorship as a champion of the Wisconsin Idea.

World War I was the war that turned Wisconsinites against war. The conflict was so reckless, so brutal, and so completely unnecessary that for generations after its conclusion on Nov. 11, 1918, the awful memory of “the war to end all wars” has inspired a distrust of militarism and war profiteering that has always run deeper in Wisconsin than most states.

Democrats won every statewide contest in Wisconsin on Nov. 6, taking a Senate seat and five constitutional offices. The last time Democrats swept a Senate seat and a full slate of statewide posts was in 1982, when the party was at the peak of its strength in the modern era.

Someday, Wisconsin political historian will consider the high point of Scott Walker's career to be the millisecond before Donald Trump descended down his tacky gold-painted escalator at Trump Tower to announce that he was joining the Republican primary race for President.

All of the most powerful players in the agribusiness industry, except the farmer, benefit from overproduction. For farmers, the economics of this overproduction are so bad that many have been forced out. But the agribusiness sector marshals its lobbying power in Washington to oppose supply management.

We are blessed by the service and sacrifice of our Native tribes. One example is the role they played in the wake of the devastating fire in Peshtigo in 1871.

WEDC needs to change, but eliminating the organization and returning the functions to the even more bureaucratic departments of Commerce and Administration would be a mistake.

Wisconsin families deserve access to health plans they can afford that fit their needs and cover pre-existing conditions. Unfortunately, affordability and individualization are not possibilities under Baldwin’s plan.

Right before our eyes, the deal is changing.

There are fringe elements in our society that only need the smallest nudge to go straight over the edge. Trump is pushing them, daring them to leap to violence.

Based on the Democrats’ statewide success in last Tuesday’s election, it’s safe to say that more voters came out to support Democratic candidates than their Republican counterparts. With that being the case, how did the Republicans increase their firm grip on the Legislature while losing five statewide contests?

After 8 years of conservative policies, the next executive pushes liberal plans.

The proposal by Wisconsin’s top Republican officials to change the date of the presidential primary is another manipulative move to undermine the will of Wisconsin voters.

In "Two Minutes with Mitch" Madison radio personality Mitch Henck gives his two cents on how Wisconsin Republicans' lame-duck maneuvers could affect Gov.-elect Tony Evers.

In "Two Minutes with Mitch" Madison radio personality Mitch Henck gives his two cents on changes Republicans might make during the lame-duck legislative session before Gov.-elect Tony Evers takes office.

State aids to schools are at the highest level of actual dollars in history. When accounting for inflation, those dollars dip below prior year investments when taking a traditional view of state aids as a line item. Yet, not accounted for in that metric is the savings to districts that they can now make, if they choose, through the tools of Act 10. Those savings add up, to the tune of $3.2 billion in just five years.

It’s impossible to overstate how much those who yearn for a return to a more united Wisconsin owe to Tony Evers, our humble and bookish governor-elect, and U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a routinely underestimated liberal from Madison with steely optimism and Midwestern authenticity.

Trump and his Republican allies — supported by what truly is the “fake news” media — have demonized the traditional practice of objective journalism that questions government authority.

Support for gun regulation is 52 percent compared to 44 percent for gun rights, the reverse of two years ago, according to a recent national survey conducted by the Pew Research Center. Another recent poll by the Kaiser Foundation showed that gun safety is now the third most important issue to Americans, wrote Robert Spitzer, a political scientist and the author of five books on gun policy, in a recent New York Times op-ed.

It seems clear from his early post-election remarks that Evers will proceed carefully as governor and continue to try to collaborate with a hostile Republican Legislature, one whose margins are guaranteed more by absurd gerrymandering than the public’s will. Those GOP leaders, predictably, want to change some rules in the Capitol to diminish Evers’ powers even before he takes office.

Cramer, author of “The Politics of Resentment: Rural Consciousness and the Rise of Scott Walker,” is undertaking a new project.

If you look at what we’ve accomplished, we have earned your vote. We stopped typical gridlock and have grown our nation’s economy. The military is stronger today. Opportunities are more prevalent. Even with all of those accomplishments, we have more we can do to make things better for millions of Americans, and we’re asking you for that chance on Tuesday.

When inmates have an education or training as they’re leaving an institution, they’re more than 40 percent less likely to re-offend. Plus, they become contributing, taxpaying members of our society.

With trade protection and corporate incentives, politicians could lose the firm footing of their free-market principles.

RightWisconsin asked a number of sharp-eyed political observers to stick their necks out to predict the results of Tuesday’s elections in Wisconsin.

Questions about what exactly happened at the prom shoot in Baraboo and what it all means remain unresolved. But toxic social media reaction has not helped matters.

Elected officials should begin by working on a series of issues in desperate need of reform. These include criminal justice reform, transportation reform, and energy reform. Not only are these worth pursuing on policy grounds, they will provide political dividends.

Nov. 6 is the midterm election, and nearly every topic on the table this election season directly impacts women and our fundamental rights — the rights that many of us take for granted. This election is about taking care of our daughters, our mothers, our sisters, our friends, our co-workers, and our neighbors. But it’s also OUR time to do something really important for ourselves.

Secrecy in government, compounded by court-ordered secrecy, gives rise to speculation and rumor. That never serves the public interest.

An emotional and closely divided election is a fitting end to Scott Walker’s contentious career as Wisconsin’s governor this past Tuesday night.

Number of jobs, number of prisoners, dollars saved on roads, and more.

WisconsinEye's Steven Walters looks at what's next in state government following the midterms.

27 women Democrats running for Assembly lost, women leaders point to gerrymandering.

Data from the newly released state report card reveals that more charter schools and private schools in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program are meeting or exceeding expectations than Milwaukee Public Schools.

The WisOpinion Insiders, Chvala and Jensen, analyze the new reality: divided government in Wisconsin. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and Michael Best Strategies.

As GOP lawmakers prepare for a lame-duck session, the WisOpinion Insiders, Chvala & Jensen, draw on their own experiences in divided government. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and Michael Best Strategies.

The WisOpinion Insiders, Chvala and Jensen, outline the top issues affecting Tuesday's elections. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and Michael Best Strategies.

As the turkey waits its turn at the table, the WisOpinion Insiders, Chvala and Jensen, pause to give thanks for an interesting political landscape! Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and Michael Best Strategies.

The WisOpinion Insiders, Jensen and Chvala, give their party's closing argument just days before Tuesday's elections for governor, U.S. Senate, attorney general and the Legislature. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and Michael Best Strategies.

With the midterm elections completed, WisOpinion Insiders Chvala and Jensen survey the new shape of Wisconsin's political landscape. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and Michael Best Strategies.