Wisconsin

[The Lens]

As with any profession, there are smarter docs and not-as-smart ones. Granted, the average doc is still well above the curve in terms of general intelligence, but they're not all geniuses. And in terms of common sense and discipline in day-to-day activities, they're basically like everyone else.

A few of my friends and I have a theory that of the two professions, lawyers have much better street smarts, financial acumen, common sense, etc than doctors.  We reasoned that the incredibly long schooling & residency etc keeps them out of the real world.

[Hards Alumni]

https://www.nbc15.com/2020/10/07/wisconsin-activates-field-hospital-as-covid-keeps-surging/

I can't wait until the Republicans blame Governor Evers for the increase in cases, and full hospitals.

Just your friendly neighborhood doomer here to say I told you so before it happens.

[Jockey]

I use this one, I've heard its great!

And I’m the one who gets accused of making fun of trump?

[pbiflyer]

It’s interesting. Sometimes doctors are the ones i see touching their masks and using home made ones. But I suppose, even in the healthcare industry, people view and act differently.

When my mom was being treated for cancer at the Moffitt cancer center, I was stunned to see doctors and nurses outside smoking.

[MU82]

"Person ... woman ... man ... camera ... TV ... And the doctors, they were amazed. They said they had never seen anybody do as well as I did. ... Person ... woman ... man ... camera ... TV."

[Jockey]

"Person ... woman ... man ... camera ... TV ... And the doctors, they were amazed. They said they had never seen anybody do as well as I did. ... Person ... woman ... man ... camera ... TV."

Not to pile on, but a doctor would never give those 5 words as a test. If you notice, the words are connected which would never happen.

[GooooMarquette]

A new record of 3,132 cases reported in WI today. Almost 300 more than the previous high. 

[MU82]

New Marquette Law School poll shows that COVID-19 weighs heavily in Wisconsin voters' minds.

https://law.marquette.edu/poll/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MLSP64ToplinesRV.html?campaign_id=56&emc=edit_cn_20201009&instance_id=22976&nl=on-politics-with-lisa-lerer&regi_id=108420427&segment_id=40408&te=1&user_id=d36dcf821462fdd16ec3636710a855fa

“Certainly, with the sharp rise in cases here, it’s on the agenda for voters,” said Charles Franklin, a political scientist who runs the Marquette Law School poll, which is seen as the definitive political survey in the state. “His handling of Covid does appear to be having a bigger effect on people’s vote than either the economy or his handling of the protests.”

Biden's 48% approval rating in the poll released this week was his best in a Marquette survey all year, capping a 14-point rise since February. Trump, meanwhile, was seen positively by 42% of Wisconsin voters, leaving his net favorability rating more than 10 points in the red, where it has languished since June.

More than 6 in 10 Wisconsin voters polled described themselves as at least fairly worried — including 27% who said they were very worried, up from 21% last month. 50% of Wisconsin voters said they did not expect the virus to be under control for at least another year, running counter to Trump’s insistence that it is already being handled effectively.

In Democratic strongholds like Milwaukee and Madison, the margins actually improved slightly for Democrats between the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections. Dane County, which includes Madison, is the state’s fastest-growing county, and is probably the No. 1 area where Democrats will be looking to run up the score.

And with Wisconsin’s heavily white population growing older, thanks to the aging of the baby boom generation, Trump’s underperformance among voters 65 and older in polls this year could help Biden across the state.

Green Bay, a heavily blue-collar city in the northeastern part of the state, has been in the news recently as the coronavirus has surged. The Packers announced this week that for the time being no fans would be allowed to attend games at Lambeau Field. Data released by the NFLPA at the end of last month showed that Green Bay had a higher rate of infection than any other team’s market.

For Trump, all of this puts an unwelcome focus on the coronavirus in the most politically volatile region of the state.

“Green Bay, Appleton and other cities in that region have moved pretty noticeably in a Democratic direction since 2010,” Franklin said. “The surrounding counties in the region, though, have stayed very Republican, and to the north and west of Green Bay have become even more Republican than before. So the result is, the whole region is still pretty competitive.”

Brown County, which includes Green Bay, broke for Trump by nine points in 2016, but with Biden turning back Trump’s advantage among suburbanites and building his support among the urban Democratic base, it could be up for grabs this year.

Over all, Wisconsin’s population is almost evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, but there’s still a slight Democratic tilt to the electorate, especially when voter engagement is high, since Democrats tend to do better among demographics with lower turnout.

And this year, signs are pointing to what could be a historically high level of participation. 75% of registered voters polled said they were certain to cast a ballot, compared with 71% on the eve of the 2016 election. And official statistics on requests for absentee ballots suggest that if anything, voters are even more engaged than they’re telling pollsters.

“In our data, about 33 percent say they’re going to vote absentee by mail — but election officials have already sent out 1.2 million ballots,” Franklin said, referring to ballots mailed to voters who have expressly requested them. “That would give us about 36 percent of the total registered voters, so that would be a little over what we have in our polling data, though not out of line with it.”

State estimates suggest that Wisconsinites could cast upward of 3.1 million ballots this year, for the first time in history.

A high-turnout election would most likely lift Democrats — but it could help pollsters too. In 2016, a late break toward Trump, combined with unexpectedly low participation among Democratic voters, threw the state to him.

Unlike some researchers in other states, Marquette’s team in 2016 made sure to weight its data by education levels, and it did not significantly underestimate Trump’s strength among white voters without degrees. But what did surprise Franklin that year was Trump’s success in the suburbs, which he won by 16 points, according to Wisconsin exit polls.

This year, however, Biden’s lead over Trump among suburbanites has been steady and strong: Marist’s most recent poll of Wisconsin put him up by 12 points in the suburbs — and on handling the coronavirus, suburban voters chose Biden over the president by 22 points.

[MUDPT]

A few of my friends and I have a theory that of the two professions, lawyers have much better street smarts, financial acumen, common sense, etc than doctors.  We reasoned that the incredibly long schooling & residency etc keeps them out of the real world.

I would agree with this, most of the time. The ER docs I work with are the most brilliant, personable people I’ve ever worked with. Other specialties (sup neurology), not so much.

For those keeping score at home, my urban hospital accepted patients from rural hospitals, 115 and 150 miles from us this week.

[Jockey]

Judge denies GOP effort to end Tony Evers' mask mandate, upholding governor's ability to issue health orders

Republicans have vowed to continue to fight to prevent having to wear masks and also to allow larger gatherings.

[The Lens]

Judge denies GOP effort to end Tony Evers' mask mandate, upholding governor's ability to issue health orders

Republicans have vowed to continue to fight to prevent having to wear masks and also to allow larger gatherings.

That judge was appointed by Walker in 2015. 

[Jockey]

That judge was appointed by Walker in 2015.

Most judges appointed by either side tend to be intellectually honest.

[Billy Hoyle]

When my mom was being treated for cancer at the Moffitt cancer center, I was stunned to see doctors and nurses outside smoking.

I don't know about doctors but I am always stunned to see nurses and other hospital staff smoking right outside of hospital doors during their breaks.

My dad's practice partners in the 80's included one doctor who smoked cigarettes and one who smoked a pipe (wife smoked cigarettes). Eventually both quit those habits. I never understood it. As an adult I've never met a doctor who smoked, but plenty of the lesser educated nurses (not the 4 year college grads but the strip mall "nursing school" grad types).

[buckchuckler]

I don't know about doctors but I am always stunned to see nurses and other hospital staff smoking right outside of hospital doors during their breaks.

My dad's practice partners in the 80's included one doctor who smoked cigarettes and one who smoked a pipe (wife smoked cigarettes). Eventually both quit those habits. I never understood it. As an adult I've never met a doctor who smoked, but plenty of the lesser educated nurses (not the 4 year college grads but the strip mall "nursing school" grad types).

Thanks for that final distinction.   Glad to know that the types of school people attend is such a significant factor.

[GooooMarquette]

Wisconsin currently has 10 of the 20 metro areas with the highest per capita incidence of Covid-19 in the US over the past two weeks:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/23/upshot/five-ways-to-monitor-coronavirus-outbreak-us.html

Overall, the state is fourth in per capita incidence over the past week with 324 per 100K. That's more than triple the current US national average of approximately 107 per 100K.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html?name=styln-coronavirus-national&region=TOP_BANNER&label=undefined&module=undefined&block=storyline_menu_recirc&action=click&pgtype=Interactive&impression_id=a0ba42c1-0d9d-11eb-bb7d-79d4c646f084&variant=1_Show

Ugh.

[Jockey]

Wisconsin currently has 10 of the 20 metro areas with the highest per capita incidence of Covid-19 in the US over the past two weeks:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/23/upshot/five-ways-to-monitor-coronavirus-outbreak-us.html

Overall, the state is fourth in per capita incidence over the past week with 324 per 100K. That's more than triple the current US national average of approximately 107 per 100K.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html?name=styln-coronavirus-national&region=TOP_BANNER&label=undefined&module=undefined&block=storyline_menu_recirc&action=click&pgtype=Interactive&impression_id=a0ba42c1-0d9d-11eb-bb7d-79d4c646f084&variant=1_Show

Ugh.

Trump was right! I’m really, really tired of winning.

[Jockey]

Wisconsin's escalating coronavirus crisis reached a distressing level of severity Tuesday, as the state recorded its worst day of the pandemic yet following weeks of record-breaking numbers.

The state Department of Health Services reported 3,279 new cases and 34 deaths due to the coronavirus — both measures the highest of the pandemic.

The state crossed the grim threshold of 1,500 total deaths and reported its highest-ever average of new cases — 2,727 a day over the last seven days.


In related news, the state's powerful tavern lobby is suing Gov. Tony Evers' administration over new state limits on the number of customers bars and restaurants may serve at one time.

Let's go guys, we can get these numbers higher if we just work at it.

[🏀]

Had a rousing discussion today. Will deer hunting increase or decrease the numbers?

[Hards Alumni]

Had a rousing discussion today. Will deer hunting increase or decrease the numbers?

Absolutely increase.  It isn't about hunting, its about drinking.

[🏀]

Absolutely increase.  It isn't about hunting, its about drinking.

Thank you, followed up by snowmobiling season, which is just drinking and driving on snow.

Not great, Bob. Really looking forward to wrapping up the season and going back to WFH.

[Hards Alumni]

Thank you, followed up by snowmobiling season, which is just drinking and driving on snow.

Not great, Bob. Really looking forward to wrapping up the season and going back to WFH.

Well maybe we get lucky and we don't get the snow snows.

[🏀]

Well maybe we get lucky and we don't get the snow snows.

Going to need that snow to occupy the kids.

[Skatastrophy]

Going to need that snow to occupy the kids.

Maybe a daily Polar Bear Plunge to keep the kids placid?

[Jockey]

A Sawyer County judge has, for now, blocked Gov. Tony Evers' latest order to curb the spread of coronavirus by limiting public gatherings and the number of customers bars and restaurants may serve at one time.

The order from Judge John Yackel knocks down the order at a time of record hospitalizations, new cases and deaths — and after bars and restaurants have lost a massive amount of revenue as customers stay away while the pandemic rages on in the state.

[The Lens]

A Sawyer County judge has, for now, blocked Gov. Tony Evers' latest order to curb the spread of coronavirus by limiting public gatherings and the number of customers bars and restaurants may serve at one time.

The order from Judge John Yackel knocks down the order at a time of record hospitalizations, new cases and deaths — and after bars and restaurants have lost a massive amount of revenue as customers stay away while the pandemic rages on in the state.

MU Law Grad