Joaquin Phoenix Goes Andy Kaufman?

Contrary to everyone else thinking he’s high as fuck in this clip. I think it is a fabulous actor fabulously acting.

Christian Bale Takes Acting Very Seriously…

**Graphic Language**

Clusterf@#k to Quay Street: Part III

Just caught wind that Alderman Nickels new and updated website is live, along with a bold Economy & Jobs plan.

Check it out: www.justinnickels.com

Clusterf@#k to Quay Street: Will The Real Jim Brey Please Stand Up?

With the deadline for nomination papers coming this tomorrow at 5:00pm, three of the seven declared candidates have turned in their papers. Alderman Justin Nickels, County Clerk Jamie Aulik, and Alderman James Brey. These three are no doubt the heavyweights in the race.

The most recent Herald Times story regarding this race was Saturday regarding Jim Brey achieving ballot access, and mentioning his briefly how he sees his campaign. Here are two substantive excerpts from that story:

“As I have stated before, Manitowoc is at a crossroads to the future,” Brey said in a news release. “There are many who have stated to me that they want their city government to be more open with its business and financial dealings. People want a change to straightforward leadership and with my experience in local government, I will be able to follow through on that.”

The story goes on to say:

Brey’s campaign will focus on reducing the city’s debt, ensuring public trust in city government, job creation and business development, never introducing a storm water utility and creating a city government where the public comes first, he said in the release.

It seems Jim Brey has fooled even himself in regard to his record and experience. Let’s talk about the Jim Brey I’ve come to know over my decade in the political realm…

First, let’s address the initial cliche: We are “at a crossroads to the future.” And I was operating under the assumption we were at a crossroads to the past…I’m going to have reevaluate this entire race now that Mr. Brey  has shown me the light…ONWARD MANITOWOC, INTO THE FUTURE!

The tricky thing about talking about the future, though, is you actually need a vision for the future. This was the main sticking point I had after the 2005 primary that I had also ran in when deciding who to endorse. Jim Brey had no vision for what he wanted to see Manitowoc as in the future that we’re perpetually at a crossroads to. Jim and Kevin both sought my support after the primary, and I requested that Jim provide me with some sort of substantive vision/plan for Manitowoc under his leadership. With no response from him, I endorsed Crawford on the rationale that the devil I know beats the devil I don’t. Will there be some substance this time around, and not just a resume of committee assignments? Hopefully. Will it be a comprehensive vision with a feasible plan of implementation? I have my doubts.

Second, let’s tackle the claim of “straightforward leadership” that he can provide because of his years of experience in local government.

Clusterf@#k to Quay Street: Part I

Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart has had an ongoing series of segments covering “clusterfucks,” (i.e., “Clusterf@#k to the White House” for the 2008 campaign coverage, and “Clusterf@#k to the Poor House” for the coverage of the economic crisis and bailouts). Well, Manitowoc, Wisconsin, USA has its own little clusterfuck going on in a Mayoral Election that takes place on April 7th, 2009 (Primary Election to be held February, 17th, 2009). So, I give to you MattKadow.com’s ongoing coverage of Manty Mayor 2009: Clusterf@#k to Quay Street.

Let’s simply start with an introduction of the candidates, as we’ll have plenty of time of the next few months for policy analysis (and to be honest, not much has been put out there in terms of policy at this point).

We have seven candidates and counting, nomination papers need to be turned in by 5:00pm on January 5th, so there is still room for more. So far we have:

• Mayor Kevin Crawford filing candidacy for re-election, then removing his name from the running to pursue a once in a lifetime opportunity. For the first time in 20 years, Manitowoc will have a Mayor who is not Kevin Crawford.
• Alderman Justin Nickels (AD 2) (as a matter of full disclosure he is my dog in the fight), who declared his candidacy way back in May, a leading voice on the Common Council for fiscal responsibility and prioritizing spending, and voted against the last two Executive Budgets because of concerns over debt spending;
• Alderman James Brey (AD 4), also the County Board chairman, a 17 year veteran of the Common Council who hasn’t seen an Executive Budget he hasn’t voted for (as far as I can tell from my records), the ultimate rubber stamp on increased debt spending and the leading Council advocate for giving $2 million in funding to the Aquatic Center (let us not forget that the private group did not meet there end of the deal, falling short on fundraising, as well as the voters saying they didn’t want it…but, hey, the folks tried hard in the fundraising, and the voters don’t really know what is good for them….so, here’s $2 million, build a lazy river), also a terribly explosive temper that he has a hard time restraining in professional settings;
• Dave Soeldner (AD 8), my Alderman, Dave has a Masters in Transportation from MIT (impressive, for sure) he grew up here and has been back for two years, 9 months ago he was elected to the Council for the first time, trouncing incumbent Paul Tittl. An advocate of fiscal responsibility, he voted against the 2009 Executive Budget along with Alderman Nickels. He hasn’t been the most vocal since being on the Council, but did earn the ire of Alderman Able when he sent out a press release defending two suspended police officers. I know there to be some concerns that his fiscal responsibility is more of a slash and burn style and how that might affect services; 
• Tim Newberg, a convenience store manager, who’s political experience is volunteering on the campaigns of Mark Green and Joe Leibham. His mantra is “if we don’t have it, we’re not spending it.” I wonder what will happen to our roads…
• Bob Knox, Sr., owner of Studio 8 Night Club (affectionately referred to around town as “Stupid 8″), well known for it’s attraction of many of Manitowoc’s least savory citizens, violence is not uncommon, and there was even a stabbing there within the last year. Knox’s politics? Who knows, there haven’t been any reports as to his vision for the community;
• Kay Neuser Konecny, a Certified Nurses Assistant, who claims to “know everyone.” The first woman in the race, the 55-year-old caucasian woman has been inspired to run by our first “Afro-American” President…in her words: ”We can have a new Afro-American president, why not a woman mayor? I thought I (couldn’t) do this, but someone said, ‘Why, sure you can.’” Logic abounds here, obviously;
• Manitowoc County Clerk Jamie Aulik, elected to the Clerk’s position in a special election defeating the aforementioned James Brey in the Spring of 2007, just months after being defeated for State Senate by incumbent Joe Leibham. A graduate of UW’s LaFollette school of public affairs, Aulik has a lot of smarts. I like him personally, I consider him a friend, and worked for his Senate campaign. However, as Clerk he has had no real policy making experience, and I have been greatly disappointed in the fact that with obvious ambition for a position that does create public policy that he has remained publicly quiet on so many huge political issues that have been taking place over the last two years in our community. After all, what is a leader if not at the very core someone who stands up and defends what they believe to be right?

Kudos to all of them for having the courage to run. For the record, I think it is important to note, that Nickels, Brey, Soeldner, Newberg, and Knox all declared when Crawford was in the race. Nueser Konecny delcared the same day Crawford declared non-candidacy, and it doesn’t appear that it was a result of Crawford’s not running. Aulik declared today.

Next time in the Clusterf@#k to Quay Street series: The Issues.

Happy Holidays from Matt Kadow & the VP-Elect

Friday Nights with Steven

So, my very good friend Johnny Bass gave me a late-night call last night asking me if I had a minute…I was concerned, but the concern quickly turned to excitement as Bass explained the situation. Here’s the lowdown: Bass (residing on the west side of Milwaukee) was in his basement doing some musical stuff, had his PA on, and started picking up a local CB radio signal. Bass has named this man Steven. You can only hear “Steven’s” side of the conversation as his wackiness unfolds. Bass quickly set up to record, and hopes to capture Steven on a weekly basis and provide ongoing audio  highlights. 

A real treat, and it’s all over at LiveJournal: | Friday Nights with Steven – Click Here |

Time to Switch to Whiskey

Corb Lund and The Hurtin’ Albertans

More Hockey

Here’s some more hockey as I work on some other content. It’s timely as it is getting to be that season, and I’m prepping for what will hopefully be a successful season of pick-up pond hockey in Wisconsin’s Port Cities.

And, for good measure, here are a couple fights. Enjoy!

And, another one-punch from Jordin Tootoo (Milwaukee Admirals fans know him well):

Get Excited

The 2nd Annual NHL Winter Classic is quickly approaching…