Wineke: It's Not Over Yet, Tommy
I had decidedly mixed feelings when I read that Tommy Thompson has decided against running for governor this year. I wouldn't have voted for him. I think Tony Evers has done a remarkably good job steering the state through a…
Wineke: Naha Greenholtz is an MSO Treasure
The first thing we have to recognize about the weekend's Madison Symphony Orchestra concerts is that concertmaster Naha Greenholtz is a civic treasure. Greenholtz stepped out of her usual role as lead violin to perform as soloist and conductor for…
Wineke: Robin Vos owns the Gableman fiasco
My guess is that Assembly Speaker Robin Vos experienced swells of acid indigestion Thursday when he read news accounts of Michael Gableman being cheered at a Donald Trump election conspiracy party. Gableman is a former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice. Vos…
Wineke: Bashing schools will wreck Wisconsin
So, I'm minding my own business watching television when Republican gubernatorial candidate Kevin Nicholson appears on the screen promising to abolish the teaching of Critical Race Theory in Wisconsin schools. That should be an easy promise to fulfill since I'd…
Honestly, what good are billions?
Even as we all shudder at the ability of Russian President Putin to destroy a nation and kill thousands of innocent people, we do take some psychic pleasure in seeing Russian billionaires stripped of their possessions. Yachts, homes worth more…
MSO Audiences Paid Tribute to Ukraine
One question was in the mind of Madison Symphony Orchestra patrons as they found their way to the weekend concerts: Would conductor John DeMain begin the concert with the Ukrainian national anthem?
Wineke: What are those big rigs doing in Washington?
MADISON, Wis. -- I have a feeling that when the history of the Covid pandemic is written, the antics of The People's Convoy will be seen as a defining image. The Convoy, which includes – who knows? A few hundred…
Wineke: Madison Opera goers say “Same to You,” for “She Loves Me.”
The midwinter opera is always a time for Madison Opera to innovate and this year it innovated by not staging an opera. “She Loves Me,” which played to pretty much full houses over the weekend, is a Broadway play, based…
Wineke: It's a Busy Week for Classical Music in Madison
For those who enjoy classical music, this week is a bonanza at the Overture Center. It began Sunday when the Madison Symphony Orchestra presented its annual “Beyond the Score” multi-media presentation featuring three American Players Theatre veterans and Igor Stravinsky's…
Wineke: Ron Johnson Courts the yahoo vote
If I were a betting man, I'd bet on Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson's reelection. Last week, when Oshkosh Defense, a truck manufacturing company in, yes, Oshkosh, announced it will build new US Postal Service trucks in South Carolina rather than…
Wineke: Trump threatens riots should he be investigated
MADISON, Wis. -- Donald Trump's rantings and ravings over the last election are so familiar that we tend to dismiss them and move on to more important topics. But, sometimes, in the midst of the lunacy, the former president says…
Wineke: Ron Johnson sets the debate on children
MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin's contribution to our national dialogue, Sen. Ron Johnson, says he has “never really felt it was society's responsibility to take care of other people's children.” Given the way Johnson votes, that will come as no surprise,…
Wineke: “Premiere Debut” is good music but weirdly titled
Trumpeter Wynton Marsalis is one of the world's great musicians and his “Concerto in D for Violin and Orchestra” is probably going to go down as a masterpiece of 21st-century music. The Madison Symphony Orchestra featured it in its weekend…
Wineke: We Lose Because Trump’s a Poor Loser
The root cause of much of what troubles this nation can be summed up in one explanation: Donald Trump is a sore loser. The January 6, 2020 insurrection took place primarily because Trump could not do what every other losing…
Don Junior Explains Christianity’s Failings
Leave it to Donald Trump Jr. to explain why Jesus was a failure: He wasn’t tough enough.
Wineke: Here's one cheer for Joe Manchin
The entire Democratic Party seems ready to bludgeon West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, who, Sunday, said he won't support President Biden's “Build Back Better” program. I tend to think Manchin did the Democrats a favor. I personally support the Biden…
