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The times they are a changin' in Wisconsin
Say what you will about the death of the daily newspaper, The New York Times still occupies a very special place in the fragmented world of journalism.
Despite the political praise and criticism regularly directed at the paper, it is acknowledged universally to have the best reporting staff in the world and covers the news like nobody else.
In Wisconsin we love being mentioned in the Times. Recently the Milwaukee Symphony played at Carnegie Hall and you could feel the bated breath waiting for the review in the Times. When it came out and was a great review, people swelled with pride.
Wisconsin is in the Times once again this week, with a long article with the headline; "How Did Wisconsin Become the Most Politically Divisive Place in America?"
It is a thorough read and perhaps should be required of all citizens before they go to the polls June 5. It is not particularly one-sided or the other but after finishing I'd be surprised if you, like me, didn't feel a little sadness about how we are being portrayed.
One thing it might do is help spur some action to deal with and cure the Hatfield and McCoy mentality of "us or them" that's in this state. That profound and rabid distrust and ridicule serves nothing well. We don't want to be a real-life version of a talk radio show, but that's kind of what we've become.
The Times article doesn't really offer much in the way of solution suggestions. But it's a good and insightful record of how we got to where we are.
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Deebee | May 29, 2012 at 2:29 p.m. (report)
C'mon Dave - not one sided? You seem like a fairly bright guy - maybe you said that to start some discussion? I don't care what side you are on, you can't think that was a neutral article.
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Jimmy_Jones | May 29, 2012 at 2:13 p.m. (report)
And the conservative viewpoint is to lie, see brewguru as an example.
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brewguru | May 29, 2012 at 10:58 a.m. (report)
"It is not particularly one-sided or the other...." You're kidding, right? You better go to to school if you think that was an unbiased article about Wisconsin politics.
"It is a thorough read and perhaps should be required of all citizens before they go to the polls June 5." Of course you want "all citizens" to read it before next Tuesday because you hope they vote Democrat.
The liberal viewpoint is "Raise taxes! And to hell with the middle class!"
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