Views on News • February 23rd, 2009

The devil’s in the details

by Chris Lato

Yes, the title to this one is a cliche, but reporters statewide are now sifting their way through Gov. Doyle’s next budget, and to say it has a lot of potentially controversial components is the understatement of the month – kinda like saying Sean Penn’s political views lean a tad leftward.

Consider the idea of releasing prison inmates early – Republicans are hopping all over this one as an example of former attorney general Doyle being soft on crime. This is fraught with political dangers, as UW-Madison political science professor Charles Franklin rightly notes – heaven forbid an inmate on furlough commits a heinous crime while on the streets. Michael Dukakis can tell you all about how a similar furlough program worked out in his state.

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2008 Primaries, Views on News • May 15th, 2008

When lefties attack!

by Chris Lato

OK, he was really funny in ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High.’ ‘Mystic River’ was a good one, too. And if you haven’t seen ‘At Close Range,’ you should check that one out.

Sean Penn is undeniably talented as an actor. He’s also undeniably a Grade-A jerk, and it seems he is going after some of his own.

Not sure what prompted this outburst at the Cannes Film Festival (Too much red wine? Food poisoning from a bad baguette?). And I would love to know particulars about what Penn considers to be part of Barack Obama’s ‘phenomenally inhuman and unconstitutional’ voting record.

As John Travolta said in ‘Pulp Fiction,’ “That’s a bold statement.”

Penn gets respect in some quarters of the mainstream press. ‘Rolling Stone,’ for example, treats the guy like some sort of left-wing avenging angel for The Sins of President Bush. He is listened to, and his opinions ‘matter.’

But this is no way to help your team win, Sean – unless you’re really pulling for Nader this year.

This is but a small example of the rifts that exist within the Democratic Party – rifts that Democrats always seem to have trouble with keeping quiet and in-house. This year, obviously, the rifts have become more pronounced than ever. How will this party be able to unite with summer around the corner, the general election coming up fast and Hillary Clinton still haunting the party like the Ghost of Scandals Past? (I kid, I kid!)

The self-destructive tendencies of the national Democratic Party are a big plus for John McCain. Howard Dean and the rest of the DNC crew have their work cut out for them – even more than McCain, who is working to find the sweet spot between conservatives, moderate Democrats, independents and everyone else.

It’s been said before that the DNC has an uncanny knack for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. It remains to be seen whether they’ve learned their lesson, but right now the Magic 8-Ball says “All Signs Point to No.”

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