Madison — Law enforcement is now searching for Democratic senators boycotting a Senate vote on Gov. Scott Walker’s budget-repair plan Thursday in an attempt to bring the lawmakers to the floor to allow Republicans to move forward with action on the bill.
One Democratic senator said that he believed at least most of the members of his caucus are in another state. At least one, however, Sen. Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee) said he was still in his Capitol office listening to constituents.
In a press conference just off the Senate floor, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) said that Democrats were “not showing up for work” and that police were searching for them to bring them to the floor.
“That’s not democracy. That’s not what this chamber is about,” Fitzgerald said of the boycott to reporters.
Sen. Tim Cullen (D-Janesville) confirmed Thursday that Democrats are boycotting the Senate action on the bill in efforts to block a quorum and keep the measure buylevitra from passing. Because 20 senators of the 33-member house are needed to be present to pass a fiscal bill, the body’s 19 Republicans will not be enough to pass the budget repair bill without at least one Democrat present.
“They can’t pass this bill if there’s not a Democrat in the chamber,” Cullen said.
Cullen said he believed at least most of the Democrats were now outside Wisconsin, though he declined to say where.
I literally cannot believe this. The Democrats got creamed in the last election, and they decide to skip out when it comes time to vote. I hope the state police find at least one of them to force a vote. If this doesn’t get resolved fast, I will be making a personal appearance at my state senator’s office demanding that he explain his actions. I am absolutely furious.
This is their version of a filibuster, but they can’t hide forever.
Before the election of Gov Dayton I was expecting to see this in Minnesota. He really has the union’s backs.
I hope Minnesota’s 6 billion deficit will cause a reality check for the governor.
It isn’t even a filibuster, it is an ILLEGAL act.
You are right Art, they can’t hide forever. It looks as though the Republicans have called something like an informal meeting that lasts until the Senate can come into session.
Walker has some really big brass down there.
I fully support his actions 200% but sure hope he knows how to handle the upcoming national media shitstorm. Some are already calling it Cairo in Wisconsin.
This will either make him or break him for sure.
This page has links to each Wisconsin state Senator, showing party affiliation.
A bunch of phone calls, faxes and emails to the Democrat senators
demanding that they show up to vote, would be nice. People in other states and other countries who are interested in democracy might want to weigh in as well. Maybe some of the Egyptian protesters might want to help us preserve democracy in the USA by protesting to the Democrat Wisconsin senators via email.
If some of the Democrat senators are in fact at work today, and not in a bus heading for the state line, well, they chose to be in the same party with the guys who are running away.
I have already emailed. A personal visit to his office is next.
Some perspective here. I am a retired Peace Officer who worked for a state agency in Colorado. Colorado employees are covered under PERA [Public Employee Retirement Association]. If we were under Social Security, both the State and the employee would each pay in 7.65% of the paycheck in to SSA. Right now, in my old Department employees are paying 10% into PERA, and the State pays in 5.5%. The State used to pay more, but they unilaterally dropped the amount they paid in. Our PERA board is also semi-independent and does not direct its investments towards frauds at the direction of politicians, much to the politicians’ chagrin. Granting in these times when the rule of law is honored in the breach more than in the observance, and where the Democrats lust after seizing all retirement accounts; nothing is sure. But even in the current financial collapse, we are supposedly good for at least 60 years of benefits. If the economy ever recovers, it will last longer [and conversely, if things go TANGO UNIFORM forever as the Democrats want, we are all scrod anyway.]. Wisconsin employees have been given a free ride for decades.
Similarly for health care. Active State employees pay half of the cost, and the cost is inflated. Colorado is self-insured; and inflates the employee health insurance rates so as to make a “profit” to help offset the State’s other insurance costs; hiring the insurance companies to administer it for a fixed fee. [Private companies with the exact same plans from the same companies with smaller insurance pools pay lower premiums] Wisconsin is way out of line.
We do not have collective bargaining for state employees here; although the Democrats desperately want it. They run against the barrier that our state constitution forbids both annual deficits and bonded indebtedness. It has worked pretty well for the last 135 years.
From my admittedly hard core point of view; if they cannot physically drag a Democrat Senator to the floor to create a quorum in a reasonable time, the next step is immediate layoffs to last at least until they get this settled. And if there is a provision in Wisconsin law [I doubt it because Democrats hate initiative, recall, and referendum]; start recall movements for the missing Senators.
Subotai Bahadur
What bothered me were reports of protesters blocking the halls in the capitol, making it hard for _everyone_ to work. Even their allies.
My only experience with this kind of thing was at the rally to save virtual education a few years ago.
We, yes, showed up with our kids, had a rally and speechifying outside and yes, made a point of visiting each and every representative to register our views.
We didn’t camp out, we didn’t block people from working, we didn’t act like goof balls.
These guys – teachers, protesters, senators, public employees – are rapidly loosing whatever sympathy they once had with the public.
Some are already calling it Cairo in Wisconsin.
Is there any reason I should _care_ what people from New York or LA think? For years and years we get hit over the head with the idea we’re in fly-over country, we cling to our guns, we’re morons, we’re not hip or with it.
FoxNews Videos (via Instapundit) show posters with crosshairs on the governor with the caption “RELOAD”.
Wonder what would happen if students showed up in schools tomorrow with pictures of their protesting teachers, superimposed with crosshairs, maybe captioned with something like, say, “Sic Semper Thug”. Wouldn’t that be a hoot.
Suspect that they’d be permanently expelled, referred for criminal charges, and sent off for psychiatric evaluation.
Civility is for the little people.
CarolinaMike – plenty of Walker = Hitler posters and a lot of other terrible stuff. I expected nothing less. No giant papier mache heads yet, always the highlight of any demonstration.
How long does it take to get a recall of a state congressperson who is derelict in duty?
If Walker has any stones he has easy and good comebacks.
1. Issue a proclamation declaring that any senators who are not back in their chambers by sundown have abandoned their offices, which will thereupon be deemed to be vacated.
2. If they don’t show up, issue writs of election for their vacant seats.
3. Fire their staffs, move their stuff out of the capitol, change the keys to their offices, and void their parking passes.
4. Pull his proposed legislation and replace it with a bill that bans unionization for public employees, voids any collective bargaining agreements with public employee unions, and terminates the employment of any public employee who goes on strike for cause and with a loss of benefits and seniority.
5. Smoke a big cigar.
Yes, Democrats are filibustering a measure and this is the WORST THING EVAR!
Ask yourself, would Republicans ever be so obstructionist?
You have to show up to filibuster; these are elected officials who are refusing to do the job they were elected (and volunteered, each and every one) to do.
Boobah – you have stated it correctly. I am disenfranchised until further notice.
No Texans here to recount the tale of the Killer Bs?
“What bothered me were reports of protesters blocking the halls in the capitol, making it hard for _everyone_ to work. Even their allies.”
We’ll see. I bet on the side using the most violence. Violence works; violence wins.
Well Tehag, if there will be violence, today is the day. Both sides have immense rallies planned, the cops are estimating upwards of seventy thousand people down there. After today, the square will get a bit of a rest. Sleet and freezing rain forecasted, and I don’t think too many people will stand out there and get soaked.