Elections

City, Elections, Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s Spring General Election

by JOHN ADAMS • 04/05/2017 • 1 Comment

A few remarks on local and statewide races from the Spring General Election: 1. In Whitewater, incumbents seldom lose (and indeed, seldom have challengers). Yesterday falls within the realm of the seldom: a challenger in Whitewater’s District 1 race easily defeated the incumbent (Carol McCormick over Patrick Wellnitz, 164-87). Whitewater’s challenge is not merely that…

City, Elections, Politics

The Upcoming Spring Election in Whitewater

by JOHN ADAMS • 03/21/2017 • 2 Comments

One, but only one, of Whitewater’s Common Council races is contested. Some readers have asked me, variously, if I would comment on the candidates in the contested race, and where one might find the candidate statements submitted to the local League of Women Voters chapter. I’ll leave residents to consider the candidates (including the contested race…

America, Elections, Politics, Putin, Russia, Trump

Rep. Adam Schiff’s Opening Statement Outlining Basis of Russia Investigation

by JOHN ADAMS • 03/20/2017 • Comments

Prepared text of the statement that Rep. Schiff delivered in the video embedded above: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to thank Director Comey and Admiral Rogers for appearing before us today as the committee holds this first open hearing into the interference campaign waged against our 2016 Presidential election. Last summer, at the height…

Education, Elections, Politics

Wisconsin’s Best & Brightest Vie for Office

by JOHN ADAMS • 02/16/2017 • Comments

Molly Beck reports that two of the three candidates for state superintendent discussed an arrangement – not illegal yet astonishingly cynical – about one of them dropping out in exchange for a state job: A candidate for state superintendent offered an opponent a taxpayer-funded $150,000 job if he dropped out of the race and sought the…

Elections, Presidential race 2016, Putin, Trump

Intelligence community report on Russian activities in the 2016 election

by JOHN ADAMS • 01/07/2017 • Comments

This is the declassified version of the intelligence community’s report on Russian activities and elections in the November election. See, also, Declassified report says Putin ‘ordered’ effort to undermine faith in U.S. election and help Trump.

Elections, Espionage, Russia

Joint Report on Russian Hacking

by JOHN ADAMS • 12/30/2016 • Comments

Published on 12.29.16, below is a report from the F.B.I. and the Department of Homeland Security detailing the ways that Russia acted to influence the American election through cyberespionage:

America, Authoritarianism, Elections, Foreign Affairs, Liberty, Putin, Russia

Garry Kasparov on Vladimir Putin’s Election Interference and America’s Response

by JOHN ADAMS • 12/23/2016 • Comments

Garry Kasparov‘s a great hero of mine (and of many millions across the world), not simply for his unquestioned understanding of chess, but even more for his commitment to human freedom and democratic institutions. In the audio interview below, Kasparov speaks about Putin’s manipulation of our recent election. (By the way, Kasparov’s excellent book, Winter…

America, Elections, Putin, Russia, Trump

Putin Revels in Victory Over America

by JOHN ADAMS • 12/23/2016 • Comments

Embed from Getty Images A man wants to read a woman’s diary, so he breaks into her house, steals it, and publishes it to all the world. When confronted, he denies he’s done anything wrong, and instead revels in his act, on the theory that it’s more important for others to know the woman’s private…

Elections, Law

Getting Protest Hashtags (#NotMyPresident) Half Right

by JOHN ADAMS • 11/15/2016 • Comments

Columnist Paula Dvorak, writing at the Washington Post, contends that saying “saying #notmypresident is the same as saying #notmyconstitution or #notmycountry or #notmyAmerica.” See, Stop protesting democracy. Saying #notmypresident is the same as saying #notmyconstitution. Dvorak is only right about the first two hashtag phrases – she overreaches on the others. It’s true that #notmypresident is…

Elections

Unexpected and Expected

by JOHN ADAMS • 11/09/2016 • Comments

Last night’s election results are both unexpected (nationally) and expected (locally), I’d say. Few thought that Trump would win the presidency, but many of the other results for Wisconsin or Whitewater were easier to predict. Trump’s victory nationally will be the big topic for years, first about its cause and then about its effects. Because I believe…

Elections

Save the Day: Vote

by JOHN ADAMS • 11/08/2016

No other remarks for today – there’s all the time in the world for that tomorrow. For today, it’s off to the polls. Published previously at FW on 10.26.16.

Elections, Poll, Presidential race 2016

Marquette Law Poll Results (Final 2016 Election Edition)

by JOHN ADAMS • 11/03/2016 • Comments

The final 2016 Marquette Law School poll results are out, and here key findings from the 10.26.16 to 10.31.16 poll (the full results are available online). Clinton-Trump, Among LV: New Marquette Law School Poll finds Clinton leading Trump among likely voters in WI 46% to 40%. #mulawpoll — MULawPoll (@MULawPoll) November 2, 2016 Johnson-Stein, Among…

Elections, Presidential race 2016

Save the Day: Vote

by JOHN ADAMS • 10/26/2016 • Comments

Elections

Needless Election Anxiety

by JOHN ADAMS • 10/24/2016 • Comments

There’s a story over at Vox, from Brian Resnick, reporting that ‘Election anxiety is real. A majority of Americans report “significant stress” due to 2016.’ Resnick writes that [t]he American Psychological Association has released some preliminary data from its upcoming annual “Stress in America” report, on the nation’s level of anxiety specifically around this election.…