Sunday Insight: Presidential Debate, Feigin and Amazon & UW Madison
I joined Mikel Holt, Michelle Litjens and Dan Adams on Charlie Sykes’ Sunday Insight over the weekend on WTMJ-4 in Milwaukee. You can watch the full show
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News of the Republican Party’s Demise Greatly Exaggerated
The Wisconsin State Journal’s Mark Sommerhauser interviewed me over the weekend about whether we are going to see a dem wave in 2018 because of recent democrat wins… Fraley, a prominent Trump critic within the Wisconsin GOP, said Republicans “don’t need to embrace” Trump but need not “take potshots” at him either. Fraley added that…
My Thoughts on Charlie Sykes’ Semi-Retirement
I first met Charlie Sykes more than 25 years ago when I was a Senior at the UW. He was speaking at a conference of collegiate journalists in Evanston, Illinois and as the author of ProfScam was emerging as one of the most insightful critics of higher education at the time. He was so entertaining…
Governor Walker Announces Re-election Bid
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker formally announced his re-election campaign on Sunday. What are his prospects for victory? What are his strengths and vulnerabilities and who is his likely opponent? We chat about it over a pot of coffee and a couple of barking dogs in a weekend Edge Messaging chat. https://audioboom.com/posts/6459639-scott-walker-launches-re-election-campaign-a-look-at-the-2018-race-for-wisconsin-governor
Ribble’s Exit Generates Scramble in the 8th
More than a dozen Republicans (including at least 6 current and former state lawmakers) will contemplate running for the seat. However as supporters line up in different camps, only 4 to 5 will actually follow through, declare, and get on the ballot.
Bannon Super PAC Endorses Nicholson for Senate
Ousted White House Strategist Steve Bannon’s super PAC announced it’s supporting Kevin Nicholson, a Delafield businessman and former Democrat over Republican State Senator Leah Vukmir. The Wisconsin State Journal called me looking for analysis of what this means to the US Senate race in Wisconsin. Fraley, who has opposed Trump, said he’s skeptical Bannon and his…
Analyzing the US Senate Race
Lisa Manna interviewed me for our latest EdgeCast about Sen. Tammy Baldwin releasing two new ads today. We break down the ads, including the overall messaging strategy of the incumbent Democrat as we forecast the next few months of the race.
Playing Up Unemployment Numbers in Wisconsin
Over the weekend the Wisconsin State Journal’s Matthew DeFour asked for my thoughts on how Wisconsin’s declining unemployment numbers might impact upcoming elections. Republican strategist Brian Fraley said for many voters trying to gauge how the broader economy is doing, the unemployment rate provides an easily understood statistic similar to the Dow Jones industrial average:…
The Niner – Episode 40 – April 30, 2018
In today’s 9er… …And with the 7th pick in the 83rd round of the NFL draft, Kanye West selects Willie Nelson and Kenny Chesney to plant a tree on a floating Russian Nuclear Power Plant. Just listen. It will all make sense. Check out this episode!
Previewing tonight’s debate…
Earlier in the week a reporter asked me a series of questions about tonight’s GOP Debate. Here is what I sent her in response…
Trump will consume all of the oxygen in the room, and will be rewarded with a majority of the post-debate press coverage no matter what actually happens Thursday. With Trump in the debate, the regular expectations of debate decorum are out the window. That’s in part why the media loves Trump and gives him so much coverage. It will be interesting to see if any of the competitors try to mix it up with Walker, or if they ignore him. Trump has tried to say that Wisconsin is a mess, but his reliance on failed, generalized lefty talking points hasn’t hurt Walker. Perhaps Trump or others seize on specifics to which Walker would feel compelled to react. How he responds is important.