Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Many life forms that would benefit from greater intelligence, sadly, do not have it.

A tremendous foreign policy asset… to all of our adversaries.

How any woman could possibly vote for this smug smarmy piece of misogynistic crap is beyond understanding.

“Perhaps I should have considered other options.” (head-desk)

🎶 Those boots were made for mockin’ 🎵

Museums are not America’s attic for its racist shit.

Quote tweet friends, screenshot enemies.

The only way through is to slog through the muck one step at at time.

I swear, each month of 2025 will have its own history degree.

SCOTUS: It’s not “bribery” unless it comes from the Bribery region of France. Otherwise, it’s merely “sparkling malfeasance”.

Mediocre white men think RFK Jr’s pathetic midlife crisis is inspirational. The bar is set so low for them, it’s subterranean.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

… gradually, and then suddenly.

Republicans got rid of McCarthy. Democrats chose not to save him.

Let the trolls come, and then ignore them. that’s the worst thing you can do to a troll.

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

This country desperately needs a functioning fourth estate.

The gop is a fucking disgrace.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

We will not go back.

This fight is for everything.

Of course you can have champagne before noon. That’s why orange juice was invented.

Cancel the cowardly Times and Post and set up an equivalent monthly donation to ProPublica.

Trumpflation is an intolerable hardship for every American, and it’s Trump’s fault.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Wisconsin is in the News

Wisconsin is in the News

by | 172 Comments

This post is in: ,

The deadline for new maps in Wisconsin was 5 pm this afternoon.

Wisconsin is in the News

🌼  Maps Discussion link

Hey, that’s today!

Several of the submissions have now been made public, including maps from the plaintiffs in the case, represented by Law Forward, Stafford Rosenbaum, the Election Law Clinic at Harvard Law School, Campaign Legal Center, and Arnold & Porter. You can see those submissions on Dave’s Redistricting App (DRA) here (Senate, Assembly).

Senate Democrats have also submitted maps and posted them on DRA. You can see those maps here (Senate, Assembly).

Gov. Tony Evers has also submitted maps and posted them on DRA. You can see those maps here (Senate, Assembly).

We know our readers here at The Recombobulation Area are very interested in redistricting and these maps, so please, share your thoughts, insights, and any additional information in the comments below in this thread.

🌼

Any other news from Wisconsin?  Or your own state?

Open thread.

Reader Interactions

172Comments

  5. 5.

    WaterGirl

    @Suzanne:

    Why do you need a music thread?

    Some whiner complained when I did a music thread awhile back, so I wasn’t in a rush to post another music thread.

    But it’s an open thread, so post your music if that’s what you want.

    edit:

    ETA: I really need a big gay dance party.

    If you build it, they will come.

  7. 7.

    japa21

    I would love to hear from denizens of the Badger State, particularly how they view any of these maps being an improvement over the GOP gerrymandered version.  And do we know if the GOP has offered their own map?

  8. 8.

    Doc Sardonic

    Metal, Symphonic Metal, or, Fuck it, I’m done with shit metal.

     

    ETA: Dance music not really in my wheel house, didn’t read the edit before I posted

  11. 11.

    Trivia Man

    @Suzanne: Rubber Band Man and Its Raining  Men are two of my fave big gay dance tunes.

    im bad at links so… use Duck Duck Go to find them!

  18. 18.

    Scout211

    I posted a few threads ago the new poll of the Senate race in California. Link

    The fight for second place in California’s U.S. Senate race between Rep. Katie Porter and former Dodgers star Steve Garvey appears volatile as the March 5 primary approaches, according to the latest UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studiespoll co-sponsored by The Times.

    Democratic Rep. Adam B. Schiff of Burbank leads the field by 4 percentage points in a race that thus far has lacked much sizzle, though that could change now that the candidates have launched political ad campaigns and are set to clash in a trio of televised debates over the next two months.

    According to the survey, Porter (D-Irvine) trails slightly behind Schiff and holds a narrow lead for second place over Garvey, the top Republican in the race.

    Schiff is backed by 21% of likely voters, compared with 17% supporting Porter and 13% for Garvey. Schiff and Porter were essentially tied in Berkeley’s poll in October.

    The other top Democrat in the race, Rep. Barbara Lee of Oakland, was supported by 9% of likely voters, the poll found. About a fifth of the voters surveyed picked one of the 23 other candidates on the crowded ballot, and the remainder said they were undecided

    As I mentioned downstairs, I still think Porter and Schiff will be the top two in the March jungle primary, but Steve Garvey  (R-Dodgers) is doing better than Barbara Lee right now.  Local news up and down the state are reporting this today and seemed to be super excited that a Republican is competitive right now.  A horse race between two Democrats makes boring copy, I guess.

    ETA:  I was not aware that this is a music thread.  Sorry for inserting local politics.  Maybe you can set my comment to music or something.

    ETA2: Auto-correct changed music to mucus.  Interesting.

  28. 28.

    Scout211

    @smith:No music, but here’s a spoonful of schadenfreude: Fox “News” refuses to carry My Pillow Guy’s commercials anymore.

     

    I saw that report. He just had no idea why that happened and made it sound political or revenge. (He hired Lou Dobbs).

    Fox said he’s welcome back as soon he pays his bill.

    LOL

  29. 29.

    FastEdD

    I think both Porter and Schiff are great, but I think I’m going to strategically vote for Porter in the primary to make the top two in the general both dems. Then maybe Schiff in the general. We’ll see.

  31. 31.

    Suzanne

    @eclare: Ooooh that’s really good. It’s going on my playlist for running. (I have different playlists for various activities.)

  33. 33.

    WaterGirl

    @Scout211: No apologies!  The post says Politics and Open Thread.  Suzanne is in the mood for music, so we have music, too.

    It’s all good

    P.S. I hadn’t seen any of that info about the CA senate race, so I am very interesting in that!

  37. 37.

    Mousebumples

    @Trivia Man: And thank you again to everyone who helped with our supreme court – this is YOUR win.

    100%! Thanks to everyone who donated, called, postcarded, told a friend who lives in Wisconsin to vote, etc.

    I’m excited to get fair(er) maps. I’m in the midst of kiddo bedtimes, so I haven’t dig too deep yet. Hopefully, we can amp up Blue turnout in 2024 (for Tammy and Joe/Kamala) and flip our Statehouse.

  40. 40.

    TBone

    The 118th Congress will be remembered for many firsts: Electing the first Black leader in the House, that 15-round speaker’s vote, and then removing that same speaker. The latest: Leadership swapped their apple-green members’ pins for deep navy ones mid-cycle at a cost of $40,000, according to one source familiar with the decision.

    https://news.yahoo.com/hous…

  43. 43.

    VFX Lurker

    @FastEdD: I think both Porter and Schiff are great, but I think I’m going to strategically vote for Porter in the primary to make the top two in the general both dems. Then maybe Schiff in the general. We’ll see.

    Fellow Californian here. My approach: vote for the most viable Dem in the primary, because the primary may be the only time I get to vote for that specific Dem.

    I plan to vote for Schiff in the primary.

  44. 44.

    Alison Rose

    No gay dance party could be complete with Superfruit

    GUY.exe
    Imaginary Parties
    Hurry Up!
    Sexy Ladies

    (gay men being straight-girl besties:

    Single ladies, got no ring on your hand
    Baby, I’ll be your stand-in man for tonight
    Sexy ladies, no, I ain’t on your team
    But you gonna be my queen for tonight

    Oh, I’ll be sleeping in your bed
    Watching old re-runs of Friends
    No, I won’t ever make a move on you, no
    But I heard your brother’s pretty cute)

  49. 49.

    Citizen Alan

    @Yarrow: I was this many days old when I learned the Scissor Sisters were an American band. I only knew them from that one Doctor Who episode, and I’d always assumed they were British.

  53. 53.

    Suzanne

    @Yarrow: ZOMG, I had Kylie on in the car the other day, and Spawn the Younger said she sounded like Melanie Martinez. And I was like EXCUSE ME I THINK YOU MEAN MELANIE MARTINEZ IS TRYING TO BE KYLIE.

  54. 54.

    Geminid

    @VFX Lurker: I wonder how Democrats in Porter’s district are doing finding a replacement. Former Rep. Harley Rouda dropped out for health reasons, and the state Senator running got a DUI in Sacramento. Porter won by around 3% in 2022 so Dems need a good candidate. I think the Republican is running again.

  60. 60.

    Scout211

    @VFX Lurker:

    Fellow Californian here. My approach: vote for the most viable Dem in the primary, because the primary may be the only time I get to vote for that specific Dem.

    I plan to vote for Schiff in the primary.

    That’s my plan, too.

  63. 63.

    smith

    Hmm. A new ABC poll shows that 39% of respondents don’t want SCOTUS to bar TFG from the ballot because of his insurrection, 30% do think he should be removed by SCOTUS, and 26% would leave it to the states. That means, if this poll is valid, 56% are open to the idea. That’s higher than I thought it would be. I thought Americans would be more resistant to something so unprecedented and seemingly radical. It also showed 56% supporting bringing criminal charges against TFG, with 39% opposed.

  68. 68.

    Mousebumples

    Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

    The Wisconsin Supreme Court is now considering a handful of proposed changes to the state’s legislative boundaries after Republicans, Democrats, university professors and partisan law firms submitted options as part of a lawsuit aimed at making the state’s legislative districts more competitive.

    The court received submissions from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, Republican legislative leaders, Democratic lawmakers, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee professors, the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty and the petitioners who brought the lawsuit who are represented by Law Forward, a liberal legal firm.

    …

    The court will review the seven sets of competing legislative maps as it lurches toward the March 15 deadline to enact new districts ahead of the August legislative primary.

  72. 72.

    zhena gogolia

    @smith: I think we’re all going to be very surprised at how SICK most Americans are of the fucker. The media inflates his popularity.

  73. 73.

    Suzanne

    @zhena gogolia: SICK OF THE FUCKER is a good way to put it.

    There are always dead-enders, but I don’t see the kind of craziness that I saw in 2016 and 2020. Fingers crossed.

    I told y’all about the Trump wreath, right? Fucking batshit.

  76. 76.

    Jackie

    I was surprised to see this isn’t being celebrated on B-J today:

    The Biden administration is making good on its promise to cancel more student loan debt.

    Driving the news: Starting next month, borrowers enrolled in the Saving on a Valuable Education plan who took out less than $12,000 in loans and have been in repayment for 10 years will get their remaining student debt cancelled, the administration announced Friday.

    The SAVE plan provisions come nearly six months ahead of schedule, per the White House, and are intended to help community college and low-income borrowers.

    https://www.axios.com/2024/01/12/student-loans-cancelled-biden-save-plan

    Another article published a few days ago from the Washington Monthly also covers the SAVE plan:

    https://washingtonmonthly.com/2024/01/10/psst-joe-biden-has-solved-the-student-debt-crisis/

    Personally, I’m ready to enjoy the GOOD Biden keeps achieving in spite of SCOTUS and evil-spirited rethuglicans.

  81. 81.

    Scout211

    @Jackie: Personally, I’m ready to enjoy the GOOD Biden keeps achieving in spite of SCOTUS and evil-spirited rethuglicans.

    Yes!  And  this too.

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS says it has collected an additional $360 million in overdue taxes from delinquent millionaires as the agency’s leadership tries to promote the latest work it has done to modernize the agency with Inflation Reduction Act funding that Republicans are threatening to chip away.

    Leadership from the federal tax collector held a call with reporters Thursday to give updates on how the agency has used a portion of the tens of billions of dollars allocated to the agency through Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law in August 2022.

    Along with the $122 million collected from delinquent millionaires last October, now nearly half a billion dollars in back taxes from rich tax cheats has been recouped, IRS leaders say.

  82. 82.

    H.E.Wolf

    The 1989 film “Tap”, in addition to showcasing Gregory Hines, Sammy Davis Jr, and Savion Glover, has short cameos by tap-dance immortals Arthur Duncan, Bunny Briggs, Howard Sims, Steve Condos, Harold Nicholas, and Jimmy Slyde.

    [Lots of links on YouTube: just search on their names.]

  85. 85.

    Suzanne

    @H.E.Wolf: SuzMom used to watch that one, as well as “White Nights” pretty often. I took tap lessons when I was a kid. Just fantastically fun.

  86. 86.

    Jackie

    George Soros has set up a PAC to turn Texas Blue. I know, I know… but I remember when once upon a time Texas WAS a Blue state and hopefully it can be again.

    A new group, run by alums of Beto O’Rourke’s 2022 campaign and funded by Democratic megadonor George Soros, has emerged this election cycle to take on the age-old challenge of turning Texas blue.
    Texas Majority PAC has kept a relatively low profile since forming over a year ago in the wake of the 2022 election. But it raised $1.25 million through last year, and campaign finance reports due Tuesday are expected to show how the group — and Soros — have been spreading their money around the state.
    Working with the PAC, Soros made made six-figure donations to three county parties — Dallas, Cameron and Hidalgo — and a few other groups that have a regional focus, according to figures first shared with The Texas Tribune.
    The contributions are intended to help the entities register, contact and turn out voters “on a scale never seen before, year after year, in the key regions of our state,” the PAC’s deputy executive director, Katherine Fischer, said in a statement.
    “We need millions of more dollars and hundreds of more full-time staff to do this,” Fischer said. “Texas Majority PAC works with partners across the state to create the conditions that will make flipping the state possible.”
    U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is up for reelection in 2024, and the Democratic president, Joe Biden, will be on the ballot in a traditionally red state that he only lost by 6 percentage points four years ago.
    Texas Majority PAC was registered with the Texas Ethics Commission in December 2022. It was founded by Fischer, who was organizing director for O’Rourke’s gubernatorial campaign; Jason Lee, who was O’Rourke’s deputy campaign manager; and Crystal Zermeño, a former longtime staffer for the Texas Organizing Project.

    Much more at the link: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/12/texas-majority-pac-george-soros-democrats-fundraising/

  88. 88.

    lowtechcyclist

    Another favorite, also not dance music, this one from late 2019:

    Vampire Weekend, Harmony Hall

    A song with the refrain “I don’t want to live like this, but I don’t wanna die” was the perfect fit for the first year of the pandemic.

  90. 90.

    karen marie

    @Suzanne: Not a music thread per se but if you’re on Mastodon, I recommend following @[email protected].  She does music polls.  We’re now on 1969.  It’s a lot of fun – introducing me to some songs I wasn’t familiar with, reuniting me with old favorites.

    She also posts about movie stars from the “olden days,” as the kids say, and other interesting stuff.

  91. 91.

    Jackie

    @Scout211: I saw that and, again was surprised nothing had been posted. Now we know the “real” reason the GQP House is so determined to defund the IRS: The IRS is coming after THEM!😂😵‍💫

  93. 93.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Jackie: ​
     

    Now we know the “real” reason the GQP House is so determined to defund the IRS: The IRS is coming after THEM!😂😵‍💫

    Even worse, from their perspective, the IRS is coming after their DONORS!!

  105. 105.

    Geminid

    @Scout211: According to a November CalMatters (calmatters.org) article, Porter’s 45th CD is rated Lean D by Cook Political Report. So are incumbents Josh Harder’s 99th and Mike Levin’s 49th CDs.

    Cook rates 4 Republican-held districts as Toss ups: the 27th (Mike Garcia), 22nd (David Valadeo), 41st (Ken Calvert) and the 13th (John Duarte). Duarte is a freshman who win by less than 1000 votes in 2022.

    Commenter James E. Powell lives in Calvert’s district and could tell us how things look on the ground there, but he seems to have dropped out of sight. I hope he’s OK.

  107. 107.

    karen marie

    @Scout211: Too funny!

     

    “They’re 100% lying,” Lindell said an interview with The Associated Press. But he acknowledged that MyPillow owes money to Fox. He put the figure at $7.8 million, but he insisted that the sum is within his credit line with the network. He said MyPillow has long spent an average of $1 million a week to run its ads on Fox. And he said the network had long allowed him 12 weeks of credit until it recently cut that to eight weeks.

    “This has nothing to do with money. That’s a fact,” Lindell said.

    Lindell said he believes Fox wants to silence him “because I want to secure our election platforms.” And he said he suspects the network is sore because his Lindell TV/FrankSpeech online channel recently hired former Fox Business host Lou Dobbs, whose debut show on Monday night featured an interview with Individual-1, who made further false claims that the 2020 election was rigged.

  117. 117.

    WaterGirl

    @Eolirin:  Not quite sure what you wrote “ohh my” so I went back and read my comment.

    For the record, that wasn’t a gay-related comment.  That was a “if you want a music thread, start posting links and before long it will be a music thread” comment.

  133. 133.

    Jackie

    Good! Democrats plan $140 million in WOMEN testimonial ads:

    “Democrats began the search last summer, fanning out through the northern swing states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania to find the nurses, electricians, farmers and floor installers who could best testify to the danger of Donald Trump returning to power,” the Washington Post reports.

    “The previously unreported project by the outside group American Bridge 21st Century developed 732 leads, conducted 472 interviews and then filmed about 50 voters who will anchor a $140 million ad campaign starting this spring, aimed at reminding women and working-class voters why they voted against Trump in 2020, according to the group’s leaders.”

    2020 was BEFORE ROE was overturned. These ads should be good!

    Gift link: https://wapo.st/3TXRGmV

  134. 134.

    Scout211

    @Geminid: Porter’s 45th CD

    Starting this year, with the redistricting, she’s in the 47th.  But you probably already know that.  Typo?

  136. 136.

    Old Dan and Little Ann

    Balloon Juice Metal?  My life is now complete.  Good work, Brendancalling.

    Edited because I meant to @WaterGirl and messed it up.

  145. 145.

    Fair Economist

    @Scout211: I think I may end up voting for the #2 Democrat in the CA Senate, whoever it ends up being, just to keep that Republican out.

  151. 151.

    Scout211

    @Alison Rose: We don’t. Everyone’s gay here.

    OMG!  Did you put on your funny pants today?  I am LOLing to Alison Rose all day long.  Thanks for the laughs.

  155. 155.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @eclare: ​
      There were two music scenes in MSP in 80s. Prince and everyone around him and the ‘Mats/ Hüsker Dü folks. Both scenes were cool.

  164. 164.

    H.E.Wolf

    @Suzanne: ​
     Very cool that you took tap lessons!

    I skip everything in “White Nights” except the dance and warm-up sequences, which I love. I will never get my range of motion anywhere near theirs, but I’m closer to it now than I was when the movie came out. :)

  165. 165.

    H.E.Wolf

    @eclare: ​That was amazing, thank you.

    And now I have an urge to watch Singing In the Rain.

     You’re welcome! It’s high time I watched it again, too!

    And I was sooooo tempted to post a link to Tom Holland’s lip-sync battle, featuring a snippet of “Singing in the Rain”…

  172. 172.

    wjca

    @Baud: I hope that money won’t be coming out of my Soros checks.

    Soros has infinite funds.  (We know this because of all the things that Republican politicians tell us he is funding.  Surely they wouldn’t lie to us!)

    Subtracting a finite amount from an infinite amount still leaves an infinite amount.  So you should be good.

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