The Recombobulation Area

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The Recombobulation Area is a 19-time Milwaukee Press Club award-winning opinion column and online publication founded by longtime Milwaukee journalist Dan Shafer. The Recombobulation Area is now part of Civic Media.

Angela Lang is the co-executive director of Black Leaders Organizing for Communities (BLOC) and has been a longtime contributor at The Recombobulation Area, winning several Milwaukee Press Club awards for her work.

Angela and I haven’t had the chance to catch up in a while, so we got together for this podcast today to talk about a whole lot of things. We each brought three headlines or topics to talk about, so we could cover a lot of ground.

Topics discussed include:

* Tony Evers’ final State of the State address, and the governor’s legacy

* See: Wisconsin Watch: ‘As Tony Evers delivers his final State of the State, he remains crosswise with the GOP Legislature’

* The crisis around grocery stores closing in predominantly Black neighborhoods in Milwaukee (and whether “food apartheid” is the right way to describe this ongoing problem)

* See: MJS: ‘Milwaukee alders introduce resolution declaring food apartheid a public health emergency’

* The Republican-controlled state legislature advancing proposed amendments to the state constitution that are anti-DEI, and what those implications might mean

* The organizing win behind the Milwaukee Police Department’s decision to ban facial recognition software

* Democratic candidate for governor talking about ICE and immigration

* See: MJS: ‘Dem governor candidate Rodriguez says she ‘misspoke’ about aiding ICE’

The Recombobulation Area is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Dan Shafer is a journalist from Milwaukee who writes and publishes The Recombobulation Area. In 2024, he became the Political Editor of Civic Media. He’s written for The New York Times, The Daily Beast, Heartland Signal, Belt Magazine, WisPolitics, and Milwaukee Record. He previously worked at Seattle Magazine, Seattle Business Magazine, the Milwaukee Business Journal, Milwaukee Magazine, and BizTimes Milwaukee. He’s won 23 Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards. He’s on Twitter at @DanRShafer.

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Follow Dan Shafer on Twitter at @DanRShafer and at BlueSky at @danshafer.bsky.social.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.therecombobulationarea.com/subscribe

The Recombobulation Area is a 19-time Milwaukee Press Club award-winning opinion column and online publication founded by longtime Milwaukee journalist Dan Shafer. The Recombobulation Area is now part of Civic Media.

Mark Becker is the former chairman of the Brown County Republican Party, a party he has now left. In 2024, he was part of Wisconsin Republicans for Harris-Walz. He also hosts the radio show and podcast, “Rational Revolution,” which airs on Saturday and Sunday on the Civic Media network.

I always enjoy talking politics with Mark, who has a unique perspective and always has a lot to say. On this latest episode, we talked about looking ahead to the 2026 midterm elections, the race for governor (and the candidate forum I hosted in January), and whether or not Wisconsin is really a purple state.

We also talked about how this is Tony Evers’ last year as governor. He’ll be giving his final State of the State Address this week (Tuesday, Feb. 17, 7 p.m.). And in the state legislature, the Assembly and Senate are racing to their imaginary deadline to complete their session before going off to campaign for nine months (we’ve, uh, discussed this broken dynamic before). With all of that happening, is this the end of a certain era in Wisconsin state politics?

You can watch the full conversation, which features a final segment with Becker’s take on the Super Bowl halftime show, in the video here, or listen in the official podcast feed embedded below.

Becker also recently wrote this column here at The Recombobulation Area, about Alex Pretti, fellow alum of the Green Bay Boys Choir.

One more thing: Last Friday, I joined my friend Greg Bach on the final episode of “Civic Media Mid-Mornings,” which has been broadcasting in the “Matenaer On Air” 9-11 a.m. timeslot since Jane’s retirement in December. But don’t worry, Greg will soon be back on the airwaves, and you’ll hear more about what’s in store in the coming days.

Listen to that episode with yours truly here, or watch the video below, at about the midway point.

“Rational Revolution” video edited by Dominic Lee.

The Recombobulation Area is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Dan Shafer is a journalist from Milwaukee who writes and publishes The Recombobulation Area. In 2024, he became the Political Editor of Civic Media. He’s written for The New York Times, The Daily Beast, Heartland Signal, Belt Magazine, WisPolitics, and Milwaukee Record. He previously worked at Seattle Magazine, Seattle Business Magazine, the Milwaukee Business Journal, Milwaukee Magazine, and BizTimes Milwaukee. He’s won 23 Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards. He’s on Twitter at @DanRShafer.

Join our subscriber group chat here!

Subscribe to The Recombobulation newsletter here and follow us on Facebook and Instagram at @ therecombobulationarea.

Already subscribe? Get a gift subscription for a friend.

Part of a group who might want to subscribe together? Get a group subscription for 30% off!

Follow Dan Shafer on Twitter at @DanRShafer and at BlueSky at @danshafer.bsky.social.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.therecombobulationarea.com/subscribe

The Recombobulation Area is a 19-time Milwaukee Press Club award-winning opinion column and online publication founded by longtime Milwaukee journalist Dan Shafer. The Recombobulation Area is now part of Civic Media.

So, we have something a little different for you today. There is, of course, a ton happening in the political universe in Milwaukee and Wisconsin and beyond, but as anyone who follows me on social media knows, I am a huge, huge Milwaukee Bucks fan. And we just endured a roller coaster of a week as Bucks fans, with Giannis Antetokounmpo being in trade rumors all the way leading up to the NBA trade deadline. But after all that, Giannis is still a member of the Milwaukee Bucks.

Here to recombobulate with us after a discombobulating week is Milwaukee sports radio legend Bart Winkler.

Bart hosts the “Into the Winklerverse” podcast and you can find the latest episode here.

Oh, and thank you, Giannis. Please never leave us.

The Recombobulation Area is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Join our all new subscriber group chat!

Dan Shafer is a journalist from Milwaukee who writes and publishes The Recombobulation Area. In 2024, he became the Political Editor of Civic Media. He’s written for The New York Times, The Daily Beast, Heartland Signal, Belt Magazine, WisPolitics, and Milwaukee Record. He previously worked at Seattle Magazine, Seattle Business Magazine, the Milwaukee Business Journal, Milwaukee Magazine, and BizTimes Milwaukee. He’s won 23 Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards. He’s on Twitter at @DanRShafer.

Subscribe to The Recombobulation newsletter here and follow us on Facebook and Instagram at @ therecombobulationarea.

Already subscribe? Get a gift subscription for a friend.

Part of a group who might want to subscribe together? Get a group subscription for 30% off!

Follow Dan Shafer on Twitter at @DanRShafer and at BlueSky at @danshafer.bsky.social.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.therecombobulationarea.com/subscribe

The Recombobulation Area is a 19-time Milwaukee Press Club award-winning opinion column and online publication founded by longtime Milwaukee journalist Dan Shafer. The Recombobulation Area is now part of Civic Media.

After 44 years behind the microphone, legendary Milwaukee broadcaster Jane Matenaer is retiring.

She made the announcement on the show she hosts, “Matenaer On Air,” on Monday, Nov. 3, alongside co-host Greg Bach and producer Calvin Butenhoff.

“I really want to take this opportunity to say: thank you,” she said, making the announcement. “Thank you for four decades of welcoming me into your homes and your cars and your garages and your barns or wherever you listen to the radio. Thank you so very much. I have been so fortunate for the last 44 years…You grieved with me, you celebrated with me, you gave me words of comfort and encouragement and congratulations and well wishes.”

Her final show as host of the program will be on Dec. 12. A parade of guests will be appearing on “Matenaer On Air” over the next several weeks to celebrate her amazing career.

Along with that celebration is a little reflection — on more than four decades in radio. To do that, I sat down with Jane at our Radio Park studios in Racine to talk about her remarkable journey. We covered everything from her first time behind a microphone, to the decades she spent hosting morning shows in Milwaukee, to the global (and beyond!) sensation that was “The Packerena,” to her last three years at Civic Media, which she calls “the proudest of my 40-plus year career.”

Watch the full interview above, or see our special feature story, “Jane says farewell,” here.

Video edited by Tony Zimmerman, engineered by Calvin Butenhoff.

Listen to “Matenaer On Air” every weekday from 9-11 a.m. on the Civic Media network, and find podcasts from every show here.

You can find the episode where she announces her retirement embedded below.

Share a message with Jane and with “Matenaer On Air” by emailing [email protected].

The Recombobulation Area is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Subscribe to The Recombobulation newsletter here and follow us on Facebook and Instagram at @ therecombobulationarea.

Already subscribe? Get a gift subscription for a friend.

Part of a group who might want to subscribe together? Get a group subscription for 30% off!

Follow Dan Shafer on Twitter at @DanRShafer and at BlueSky at @danshafer.bsky.social.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.therecombobulationarea.com/subscribe

The Recombobulation Area is a thirteen-time NINETEEN-TIME Milwaukee Press Club award-winning opinion column and online publication founded by longtime Milwaukee journalist Dan Shafer. The Recombobulation Area is now part of Civic Media.

Every week, David Nir of The Downballot and Aaron Rupar of Public Notice talk politics in a live show on Substack, and this week, the spotlight turned to Wisconsin, so I was invited to join and discuss the latest in our discombobulating politics.

Among those topics we discussed was Tony Evers’ looming decision over whether or not he is going to run for a third term as governor (and my opinion column on the matter), who might be running for Republicans, the post-Gerrymander elections happening in the Wisconsin State Legislature (and the chance for a trifecta in 2026), and what’s ahead for elections in the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Be sure to subscribe to The Downballot and Public notice for all of their fine work.

Check out a clip from the conversation — on Evers and passing the torch, and reflecting on what happened with Joe Biden in 2024 — below:

Thank you Howie Noel, Ray Grosch, and many others for tuning into my live video with Aaron Rupar and David Nir! Join me for my next live video in the app.

ICYMI…

The Recombobulation Area is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Dan Shafer is a journalist from Milwaukee who writes and publishes The Recombobulation Area. In 2024, he became the Political Editor of Civic Media. He’s also written for The New York Times, The Daily Beast, Heartland Signal, Belt Magazine, WisPolitics, and Milwaukee Record. He previously worked at Seattle Magazine, Seattle Business Magazine, the Milwaukee Business Journal, Milwaukee Magazine, and BizTimes Milwaukee. He’s won 23 Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards. He’s on Twitter at @DanRShafer.

Subscribe to The Recombobulation newsletter here and follow us on Facebook and Instagram at @ therecombobulationarea.

Already subscribe? Get a gift subscription for a friend.

Part of a group who might want to subscribe together? Get a group subscription for 30% off!

Follow Dan Shafer on Twitter at @DanRShafer and at BlueSky at @danshafer.bsky.social.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.therecombobulationarea.com/subscribe

The Recombobulation Area is a thirteen-time NINETEEN-TIME Milwaukee Press Club award-winning opinion column and online publication founded by longtime Milwaukee journalist Dan Shafer. The Recombobulation Area is now part of Civic Media.

For the last six years, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin has been run by Ben Wikler. In that time as chair of the party, Democrats and Democratic-aligned candidates have won seven of ten statewide races, including flipping the balance of power on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. 

But in April, after yet another win in a pivotal Wisconsin Supreme Court race, Wikler announced he’d be stepping down as chair. The party will be electing its next chair in less than a month, at their upcoming convention on June 14 and 15 in Wisconsin Dells.

Wikler sat down with The Recombobulation Area for an extended interview on the latest news around Elon Musk and his political spending, Wikler’s run for DNC chair, and his surprise endorsement in the race for WisDems chair. We also talked about where the Democratic Party needs to go from here, how the party can do a better job communicating with voters, whether the Democrats have a credibility problem with regards to Joe Biden’s age, whether more people from Wisconsin should be working on campaigns, and much more.

You can also listen to the interview as a podcast on Civic Media here, on Apple Podcasts here, or embedded below from Spotify.

You can also watch this interview on YouTube.

Production and engineering by Aaron Zommers of Civic Media.

The Recombobulation Area is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Dan Shafer is a journalist from Milwaukee who writes and publishes The Recombobulation Area. In 2024, he became the Political Editor of Civic Media. He’s also written for The New York Times, The Daily Beast, Heartland Signal, Belt Magazine, WisPolitics, and Milwaukee Record. He previously worked at Seattle Magazine, Seattle Business Magazine, the Milwaukee Business Journal, Milwaukee Magazine, and BizTimes Milwaukee. He’s won 23 Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards. He’s on Twitter at @DanRShafer.

Subscribe to The Recombobulation newsletter here and follow us on Facebook and Instagram at @ therecombobulationarea.

Already subscribe? Get a gift subscription for a friend.

Part of a group who might want to subscribe together? Get a group subscription for 30% off!

Follow Dan Shafer on Twitter at @DanRShafer and at BlueSky at @danshafer.bsky.social.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.therecombobulationarea.com/subscribe

The Recombobulation Area is a thirteen-time Milwaukee Press Club award-winning weekly opinion column and online publication founded by longtime Milwaukee journalist Dan Shafer. The Recombobulation Area is now part of Civic Media.

There’s been a whole lot happening in recent months as Donald Trump has returned to office as president, and Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has begun to take a wrecking ball to various federal agencies, making drastic cuts to the federal workforce. 

We’re beginning to see the effects of this at the state level here in Wisconsin, and recent reports have indicated that mass layoffs are happening at agencies within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which has a significant presence in the state. 

Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes is helping tell the stories of real people directly impacted by these layoffs. 

“The moment calls for important conversations with people who’ve been impacted by devastating cuts by the Trump administration, aided by Elon Musk,” said Barnes. “I just wanted you to hear what is going on in the lives of everyday folks who are taking this challenge head on, but are not taking it lying down.”

One of those Wisconsinites impacted by these cuts is Katia Wanish, who until recently was a wetlands engineer at the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), which is part of the USDA. She shared her story with Barnes in this special edition of The Recombobulation Area podcast.

“I really feel like there's a lack of dignity,” she said of the experience. “I just felt like I was completely erased from the system one day. I essentially received a blank email — nothing written in the message, nothing saying “Hi Katia” or anything like that — a blank email with an attachment telling me that I was terminated. Just that shock of not even feeling like I was a person in that moment, that they couldn’t take a second to write something in the body of that email really stunk. And I was terminated for performance. Which, I’m still trying to figure out why exactly. I received multiple awards in my time as an engineer; I was nominated for junior engineer of the year. It’s just kind of confusing why I was terminated for performance.”

She was treated, as Barnes put it, as a “pawn in a billionaire’s game.” 

Wanish had been hired to the position at the beginning of 2025, and was part of the round of DOGE firings on “probationary employees,” which included both new hires and people recently promoted — the latter, essentially, in her case.

In her conversation with Barnes, she talked about how this role she was hired for was a “dream job,” and that this experience has made her feel “helpless.”

Barnes said that’s the purpose of the way DOGE and the Trump administration are carrying out these actions, saying he “fundamentally disagrees” that there’s nothing you can do in these moments.

“I know you can feel like you're powerless, but that's the purpose of this all,” said Barnes. “It is to make you feel powerless. And if you submit — as many people feel that leaders in Congress are doing right now, submitting to the will — then there's no hope for anybody. And so I just want you to understand that there is still power that you do have even if it seems like you don’t.”

Watch the full video above, or listen to the episode as a podcast here on Civic Media, or embedded below.

The Recombobulation Area is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Subscribe to The Recombobulation newsletter here and follow us on Facebook and Instagram at @ therecombobulationarea.

Already subscribe? Get a gift subscription for a friend.

Part of a group who might want to subscribe together? Get a group subscription for 30% off!

Follow Dan Shafer on Twitter at @DanRShafer and at BlueSky at @danshafer.bsky.social.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.therecombobulationarea.com/subscribe

The Recombobulation Area is a thirteen-time Milwaukee Press Club award-winning weekly opinion column and online publication founded by longtime Milwaukee journalist Dan Shafer. Learn more about it here.

Here in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention, there is a lot going on. Most of this is taking place inside the United Center, but there are other events happening all over town. Yesterday afternoon, I attended one of those events hosted by an organization called The Next 50, a group that focuses on the next generation of Democratic leaders, with a particular focus on those in state legislatures.

This event was called the “Reverse Coattails Roundtable”, and featured several state legislative leaders from swing states, including Sen. Mallory McMorrow from Michigan, State Rep. Sam Park from Georgia, and Greta Neubauer, the Democratic leader in the Wisconsin State Assembly.

Here’s some video from that event.

Here’s another, featuring McMorrow on what Wisconsin can learn from Michigan.

After the event, I had the chance to sit down for a conversation with Neubauer. We talked about reverse coattails, and how races at the bottom of the ticket might help candidates at the top. We talked about the changing enthusiasm for Democrats, with Kamala Harris as the nominee, and we talked about Tim Walz and what he and Democrats have been able to do with a one-seat legislative majority in Minnesota. We also talked about new maps, and the chances for Democrats to win the majority in the Assembly. She thinks it can happen. She even predicted they’d win 52 seats. 

We also talked about Republicans like Robin Vos advancing more constitutional amendment referendums. We talked about what legislative Democrats have done in Wisconsin to protect the governor’s veto. We talked about a lot more, too.

I hope you enjoy this conversation with Democratic Assembly Leader, Greta Neubauer. 

The Recombobulation Area is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Dan Shafer is a journalist from Milwaukee who writes and publishes The Recombobulation Area. He’s also written for The New York Times, The Daily Beast, Heartland Signal, Belt Magazine, WisPolitics, and Milwaukee Record. He previously worked at Seattle Magazine, Seattle Business Magazine, the Milwaukee Business Journal, Milwaukee Magazine, and BizTimes Milwaukee. He’s won 18 Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards. He’s on Twitter at @DanRShafer.

Subscribe to The Recombobulation newsletter here and follow us on Facebook and Instagram at @therecombobulationarea.

Already subscribe? Get a gift subscription for a friend.

Part of a group who might want to subscribe together? Get a group subscription for 30% off!

Follow Dan Shafer on Twitter at @DanRShafer.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.therecombobulationarea.com/subscribe

The Recombobulation Area is a thirteen-time Milwaukee Press Club award-winning weekly opinion column and online publication founded by longtime Milwaukee journalist Dan Shafer. Learn more about it here.

In less than a week in Wisconsin, voters will head to the polls for the August partisan primary.

Statewide, voters will decide on a pair of proposed amendments to the state constitution. If you want to learn more about those, head over here and check out the latest from Marquette University professor Phil Rocco.

But that’s not the only thing voters will be deciding on next week. With new state legislative maps, there are more contested primaries happening in Senate and Assembly districts than there have been in more than a decade. There are also a number of primaries happening in congressional races. 

Perhaps the most interesting of those primaries is the one happening in the 3rd Congressional District, where Democrats are looking to win back a seat now represented by Republican Derrick Van Orden.  

The three candidates running are Rebecca Cooke, Katrina Shankland, and Eric Wilson. Cooke and Shankland are the top two contenders in this primary, and the race has gotten a little spicy as we get close to primary election day. 

Joining us to talk about this race is Anthony Chergosky, political science professor at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse.

We discussed the big picture of the campaign, the geographic divide in the race, some bad blood surfacing in the final weeks before the primary, and more.

One last thing: Be sure to VOTE on Aug. 13! Take a moment to check out what’s going to be on your ballot here.

The Recombobulation Area is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Dan Shafer is a journalist from Milwaukee who writes and publishes The Recombobulation Area. He’s also written for The New York Times, The Daily Beast, Heartland Signal, Belt Magazine, WisPolitics, and Milwaukee Record. He previously worked at Seattle Magazine, Seattle Business Magazine, the Milwaukee Business Journal, Milwaukee Magazine, and BizTimes Milwaukee. He’s won 18 Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards. He’s on Twitter at @DanRShafer.

Subscribe to The Recombobulation newsletter here and follow us on Facebook and Instagram at @therecombobulationarea.

Already subscribe? Get a gift subscription for a friend.

Part of a group who might want to subscribe together? Get a group subscription for 30% off!

Follow Dan Shafer on Twitter at @DanRShafer.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.therecombobulationarea.com/subscribe