Center Stage, With Milfred And Hands

Milfred and Hands travel to the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee and the site of the Democratic National Convention this July. The race for president will run through Wisconsin and its largest city, as well as Milwaukee's suburbs and the state's rural areas, including the southwest. Democrats know winning Wisconsin is key to defeating Donald Trump in November. Our podcasters comment on the Democrats' chances and strategies. They also play audio clips from Gov. Tony Evers and Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who attended a media preview of the national convention this week. At the end of the podcast, "Beer Baron" columnist Chris Drosner provides advice on where to find and drink the best beer in Cream City.

Milfred and Hands sing satirical holiday songs, with lyrics by Rick Ho-Ho-Horowitz of Milwaukee. Santa Claus visits the podcast in his pajamas and seems unprepared for Christmas Eve. Newspaper courier Koffi Amuzu-Gassou joins our State Journal choir, telling Milfred and Hands about Christmas in Togo, Africa, where children run behind Santa's pickup truck for presents and sometimes get lost.

Milfred and Hands assess former Gov. Scott Walker's anointed Republican challenger to take on Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in 2022. They play clips from Walker at this week's Milwaukee Press Club event in Milwaukee, and speculate on U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson's future, as well as other potential GOP candidates who might seek higher office after President Donald Trump wins or loses his reelection.

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson was "Wisconsin nice" on "Meet the Press" Sunday, compared to his previous confrontational appearance. But his interview with host Chuck Todd led to a gotcha moment on impeachment. When Johnson, R-Oshkosh, suggested the left was premature in seeking to remove President Trump from office, Todd displayed a quote of Johnson accusing Hillary Clinton of a "high crime or misdemeanor" just days before the 2016 election. Milfred and Hands analyze the exchange as Johnson continues to play a central role in the Ukraine debacle.

Milfred and Hands play audio from and comment on last week's debate between Trump booster Stephen Moore and never-Trumper Max Boot on the UW-Madison campus. Free speech on campus is "under assault but not in danger," according to Richard Avramenko, UW's director of the Center for the Study of Liberal Democracy. UW Chancellor Rebecca Blank phones into the podcast to defend free speech on campus. It turns out a Trump surrogate can tout the president's record without student protest or disruption at UW. Mark Thiessen, whose Washington Post column appears every week in the Wisconsin State Journal, moderated last week's debate at the Fluno Center.

Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway touts bus rapid transit and defends her $40 wheel tax to the State Journal editorial board. The mayor also suggests a possible source for more revenue. The mayor wants to "wipe the map clean" when planning for a new, faster, snazzier bus system, meaning transfer points may go. Milfred and Hands like BRT but worry it's being unfairly blamed for the wheel tax, which could hurt public support for modern transit in a growing city with a narrow Downtown surrounded by lakes that's ripe for gridlock.

Wisconsin was cited twice near the end of the Democrats' three-hour presidential debate this week in Ohio. Milfred and Hands play clips and comment on the back and forth over which candidate for president is best equipped to carry the Badger State. Wisconsin is expected to be one of handful of states that will decide the presidency in 2020.

Milfred and Hands analyze the combative exchange last Sunday between Chuck Todd, host of NBC's "Meet the Press," and U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, who appeared on the popular political television show to discuss President Donald Trump and Ukraine. Johnson deflected Todd's questions, with the two frequently talking over one another. Our editorial board members pick a winner and assess the potential impact on Johnson's likely re-election bid in 2022.

Mike Koval was a good cop with a big heart whose "Kumbaya" approach to community policing was tested by conflict. This included a controversial shooting, his blunt blog and run-ins with the Madison City Council. On this week's podcast, Milfred and Hands assess the police chief's abrupt departure and legacy. Listen to his appearance on Comedy Central, hear a special hymn in his honor, and remember the tough environment he faced in the wake of Ferguson.

Milfred and Hands play clips and comment on the sound of the F-35 fighter jets expected to land at Truax Field in Madison. They also analyze public testimony on the supersonic aircraft at a recent public hearing, and the military's reassurance that not much is going to change.

Newspaper readers in voice mail messages disagree about whether the State Journal and its editorial board are "strictly left wing" or "Trump apologists." Obviously, the paper can't be both. Milfred and Hands plead guilty to bias on the editorial page, which is designated for free-wheeling opinion, and which is distinct from news coverage. What the State Journal will never be is loyal to either political party's hypocrisy and partisan games.

Milfred and Hands lament Madison's utopian disdain for lower-cost apartments being proposed for the lower part of a Downtown tower a block off the Capitol Square. The Madison City Council is confusing affordable housing with high-rise penthouses.

Milfred and Hands analyze and play clips from the bout between U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin and special counsel Robert Mueller at this week's congressional hearing in Washington on Mueller's report about Russian meddling in the 2016 election and whether the president obstructed the investigation. Sensenbrenner scored a blow by accusing Mueller of "fishing," but Mueller outlasted the clock. Milfred and Hands declare a winner and link the whole thing to "Game of Thrones" and the Muppets.

Milfred and Hands look back at monstrous vetoes from Wisconsin's past, and ahead to further constitutional limits in light of Gov. Tony Evers' latest vetoes. Evers used his remaining partial veto powers to "undelete" language lawmakers had removed from the state budget. That's being called the "zombie" veto because he brought dead language back to life. Evers then combined some of the numbers he resuscitated with other numbers in the budget to increase spending by millions of dollars -- without legislative approval. Some lawmakers want to ban governors from vetoing higher spending into law, which makes sense to our editorial board members.

Milfred and Hands tout newspaper endorsements, why the Wisconsin State Journal does them, and read the paper's best -- and worst -- recommendations of all time. The State Journal undeniably got at least one of its presidential endorsements right.

Milfred and Hands "ooh" and "aah" at the fireworks erupting during final debate over the state budget. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and state Sen. Tim Carpenter, D-Milwaukee, trade insults and joust over state policy and spending, with Milfred and Hands -- the better looking half of the State Journal editorial board -- providing smart commentary from the sensible center of Wisconsin politics.

Milfred and Hands praise the Madison School Board's 4-3 vote to keep a city police officer in each of Madison's four main high schools. The officers, all of whom are black or Latina, aren't targeting black students for citations and arrests. They're trying to win over struggling kids and be role models. They also guard against school shootings, which the nation continues to suffer.

Critics including many of his fellow Democrats claimed Tony Evers was too boring to be elected Wisconsin's governor. They were wrong. And at the recent Wisconsin Democratic Convention, he got his revenge: "Who's boring now?" he crowed, touting his veto pen as a powerful check on the Republican-run Legislature. On this week's "Center Stage" political podcast, Milfred and Hands play clips and comment on his recent convention speech, which reminds Milfred of the ending to "Revenge of the Nerds."

Milfred and Hands run down the long list of Democratic candidates hoping to boot Donald Trump from the White House in 2020. Joe Biden is the safest bet and plays well in rural and suburban Wisconsin, but doesn't inspire urban activists. Bernie Sanders' support is being splintered. Pete Buttigieg has replaced Beto O'Rourke as the young, fresh face. Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar hope to become America's first female president. Listen to clips from the four Democratic hopefuls who have visited Wisconsin this year, with reaction from our State Journal editorial board members.

Milfred and Hands play some of their recent voice mail messages from fans and foes of the Wisconsin State Journal's editorials, political cartoons and news coverage on this week's political podcast. Some readers love our opinions. Some love to hate our views. Milfred and Hands urge the public to offer more of their own views for publication in print and online.