The Recombobulation Area

05/29/2026

The craziest thing any Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate has said these past few weeks is Tom Tiffany being OK with the outrageously corrupt and wildly ridiculous insurrectionist slush fund being touted by the Trump administration as a “anti-weaponization” fund.

Voting against certifying the 2020 election results and still being an election denier should immediately disqualify anyone from running this state.

05/28/2026

Being the only Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate from either party to support the failed Evers/GOP surplus deal is one way for Missy Hughes to stand out.

With less than 2.5 months to go to the Democratic primary on August 11, will it be enough to secure the nomination?

05/27/2026

The audacity of Bryan Steil (and any Republican member of Congress from Wisconsin) taking credit for lead pipe replacement funding when it’s coming from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law they all voted against during the the Biden administration.

Great news for Wisconsin! Proud to have worked to bring safe drinking water funding to our state.

05/27/2026

The Wisconsin Center District board met behind closed doors Tuesday, May 27 as questions continue surrounding CEO Marty Brooks’ future.

In our interview, Pabst Theater Group President/CEO Gary Witt had a lot to say about Brooks and his handling of a proposal to to replace the Miller High Life Theatre and UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena with a new downtown convention center hotel.

Catch our full interview with Witt on our YouTube channel.

05/26/2026

Yep, the newest Marquette University Law School poll is going to sting, but lawmakers who voted against it still did the right thing.

Unsurprisingly, the “facts don’t care about your feelings” crowd sure has a lot of feelings about the facts. The only groups who seemed to listen to the facts on this are:

a) all state Senate Democrats
b) almost all Assembly Democrats

The only thing stopping them from having an actual discussion about reviving a better version of this deal is the GOP-controlled legislature’s own arbitrary deadlines.

A failed deal on tax relief and school funding would have left Wisconsin in the red by billions of dollars, according to a memo released Wednesday by the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau.

05/22/2026

Here’s Francesca Hong singing “I Will Survive” with Milwaukee cover band onstage at a packed concert campaign fundraiser at X-Ray Arcade in Cudahy, Wisconsin.

Learn more about why her unconventional campaign for governor is gaining momentum in Wisconsin in Dan Shafer’s new column 🗳️

05/21/2026

NEW FEATURE STORY: Francesca Hong entered the race for governor as the wildcard, and with a campaign unlike any other in the Democratic primary field, she’s built her campaign into a contender.

Can this wildcard play a winning hand?

Let’s recombobulate 🛫

A special feature story from The Recombobulation Area.

05/21/2026

Biggest story of the day.

Winners: Roys, Hong, and Hesselbein
Losers: Evers, Marklein

All but Evers are up for reelection or campaigning for Wisconsin governor in November 2026.

"I think the simplest way to put it is, it would have put the next budget into a tougher position, a genuinely tougher position."

Our president Jason Stein spoke to Wisconsin Public Radio about how a failed bipartisan state budget deal would've affected state finances, had it been enacted. (Story link in comments).

05/21/2026

Where are those who constantly preach fiscal responsibility? What is fiscally responsible about the Evers/GOP surplus bill at all?

I’ll say it again: I don’t think Dem lawmakers wanted to inherit a $3 billion fiscal time bomb on the eve of their first chance at a trifecta in more than 15 years.

05/20/2026

The focus should be on the Watertown High School student, not Kirk Bangstad.

05/19/2026

“He’s not Trump, but he’s Trump.”

The endless need for attention. The public feuds. The belief that cruelty and chaos somehow equal strength. The assumption that only they can save us.

On the latest Recombobulation Area Podcast, Emily Mills and Dan Shafer argue that the Trump/Kirk Bangstad similarities are uncanny — and that the left should reject this style of politics outright and focus on making meaningful change instead.

Read more from Emily in their column, “Alas, the left isn’t immune to loud, obnoxious grifters”👇 and hit the subscribe button while you’re there.