Center Stage, with Milfred and Hands

Milfred and Hands harpoon the latest pitch for a full-time Madison City Council that would lead to entrenched politicians raising tens of thousands of dollars in campaign cash to try to keep their jobs. A better way to improve the council is to reduce the number of committees aldermen and alderwomen serve on while embracing technology to make their public service more efficient. Our political podc...

Having interviewed dozens of candidates in recent weeks for the Wisconsin Legislature in the Nov. 3 election, Milfred and Hands unveil the State Journal editorial board's endorsements. They also explain the newspaper's recommendation of Joe Biden for president. Hands gives advice to politicians for how they can appear in his cartoons. Milfred touts the honesty of a lawmaker who reminded the editor...

Madison's congressman says he's progressive and pragmatic. That might sound contradictory to some. But in U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan's case, it actually rings true, given his efforts to befriend and work with colleagues he sharply disagrees with to get things done. The Democrat from rural Dane County tells Milfred and Hands about being flamed on Twitter -- from the left. He tells about his recent visit...

Milfred and Hands recap the Wisconsin moments and blooper at the Democratic National Convention. The four-day infomercial touting Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden was based in MIlwaukee. But most delegates and media stayed home because of the pandemic. Still, the event was largely successful for the Democrats, given that Biden performed well and all those digital connections came through....

Milfred and Hands assess the long list of candidates for the Wisconsin Senate seat representing Madison. They reveal who the State Journal editorial board is endorsing in the race and why. The winner of the Aug. 11 Democratic primary will replace Sen. Fred Risser, who is retiring after more than a half century in office. (No Republicans are seeking the post.) The editorial board interviewed six of...

Milfred and Hands play and comment on the latest campaign messages from Donald Trump, Joe Biden and a host of special interest groups hoping to influence the Nov. 3 election. Trump's allies go back 30 years to find faults with Biden they hope will re-resonate now. Biden and Democrats are fixating on Trump's failings with the coronavirus pandemic. Curiously, the TV ads have been running in just abo...

Milfred and Hands ask Sheri Carter, Madison's first black female City Council president, about race, police, protesters and what white people in the capital city don't understand about the African American experience here. "The civil rights movement never ended," she says, recalling growing up in Madison with what today would be described as helicopter parents on the South Side. Her parents came h...

Milfred and Hands dissect the secret recording someone on Gov. Tony Evers' staff made of what was supposed to be a private phone call between the Democratic governor and top Republican lawmakers about the coronavirus crisis in Wisconsin. The big surprise, now that the call has become public under the state's open records law, wasn't Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald suggesting Evers is out o...

The mayor's apology this week for a video praising the hard work of police didn't seem to please anyone -- especially the activists demanding big change to law enforcement. Milfred and Hands play and discuss the two recorded messages Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway aimed at two very different audiences this week. Crediting front-line cops who are trying to do the right thing while at the same ti...

Milfred and Hands analyze Joe Parisi's cautious and confusing plan for slowly reopening Dane County's economy. Most of Wisconsin has lifted its COVID-19 restrictions in the wake of a state Supreme Court ruling striking down Gov. Tony Evers' "safer at home" order. Our opinionated podcasters urge Dane County's executive to be more flexible if neighboring counties do fine against the novel coronaviru...

Milfred and Hands react to the Wisconsin Supreme Court's 4-3 decision striking down the Evers administration's "safer at home" order. The impact isn't as significant or as dire as you might think, our podcasters agree. Gov. Tony Evers had already loosened his restrictions, and his order was set toexpire in less than two weeks. Yet the immediate lifting of precautions in many counties risks a resur...

Milfred and Hands interview former Madison Landmarks Commission leader Stuart Levitan on the fate of a $125 million development on the Capitol Square. Despite the coronavirus crisis, lots of big projects continue to make their way through the city's elaborate approval process. Urban Land Interests' proposal will require demolishing a historic building -- but one that already was ruined by renovati...

Milfred and Hands outline the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on the race for president, the Wisconsin spring election and beyond -- in some ways, forever. The inability to hold large political rallies has hurt populist candidates such as Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. Suspicion of door-to-door campaigning, given the potential spread of COVID-19, has hurt challengers in local elections....

While the left and right in the crucial swing state of Wisconsin point fingers over who is to blame for this week's confusing and potentially dangerous vote for a slew of local leaders, a court seat and Democratic presidential nominee, Milfred and Hands call for consensus on clear rules for casting ballots in November. The coronavirus pandemic may still be raging or resurging next fall. Voters nee...

We all know the coronavirus pandemic is bad. And we all know it’s not going away any time soon. But how can we avoid getting the potentially deadly disease when we're buying groceries, picking up takeout or petting the neighbor dog? Can the novel coronavirus survive on fur? Can it survive longer on paper or plastic? When can we finally visit grandma again? Milfred and Hands pose the question...

Milfred and Hands reveal who the Wisconsin State Journal editorial board will endorse in the April 7 election for Madison School Board. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the editorial board canceled its in-person meetings with the four candidates for two competitive seats on the board. Instead, the newspaper's editorial board interviewed the candidates last week during a teleconference. Besides...

Milfred and Hands analyze and play audio clips from the Wisconsin State Journal editorial board's recent endorsement meetings with the two finalists for the Wisconsin Supreme Court on the April 7 ballot: Jill Karofsky and Dan Kelly.  The State Journal plans to endorse in the race in the Sunday, March 22, newspaper and on Madison.com. Both candidates are smart, prepared, good people. Unfortuna...

Democrats will choose between almost-octogenarians for president. Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders are the finalists for the Democratic nomination. Super Tuesday showed that baby boomers are still in charge, with voters passing by more dynamic and diverse candidates. Can the decent yet sometimes befuddled Joe Biden pull off the next eight month's of a presidential campaign? Can the former vice preside...

The billionaire candidate for president "got his rear-end handed to him" at the latest Democratic debate in Las Vegas, according to Hands. But Milfred isn't so sure the former New York City mayor's campaign for the Democratic nomination is in trouble. The media mogul has a limitless budget for political ads and lots of time to sharpen his debating skills before Super Tuesday, when about 40% of Dem...

Milfred and Hands pledge to say only nice things about our leaders, including the president, governor, top state lawmakers and Madison's mayor. It wasn't easy. But they mostly pulled it off in the spirit of Valentine's Day.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wisconsin’s two U.S. senators explain their impeachment trial verdicts, with Milfred and Hands refereeing and taking sides. Milfred starts with a trick-question quiz. Audio from Baldwin's floor speech and Johnson's telephone call with Wisconsin reporters follows. Hands recalls a cartoon he drew of Baldwin and Johnson in bed together. In the end, our political podcasters agree with both senat...

Milfred and Hands play clips and comment on Mike Pence's rally at the state Capitol in liberal Madison this week. The vice president touted school choice, which our podcasters are cool with to a point -- but not if taxpayer-funded vouchers become a bailout for religious schools that can't make it without government support. The battle over private voucher and public charter schools isn't nearly as...

Wisconsin's nice-guy governor looked downright perturbed at his State of the State address this week when demanding quick action from the Legislature. Gov. Tony Evers went on offense, calling for a special legislative session next week to help struggling dairy farmers. The Democratic governor also got the jump on the GOP-run Legislature by announcing an executive order to create a nonpartisan proc...

Milfred and Hands experience some painful yet fun moments as they fact-check their 2019 political predictions from a year ago. Hands was right about impeachment and Foxconn, but totally blew it on Joe Biden. Milfred tries to explain away his Beto O'Rouke debacle, claiming he can morph his mistake into a second chance with Pete Buttigieg. Milfred was right about Scott Walker and half right about th...

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' cha...