“The Democrats failed to show up when the Senate started its business around midday Thursday, and the sergeant at arms began looking for them. If he’s unable to find them, he’s authorized to seek help, including potentially contacting police.”
This is outrageous. A strong (peaceful, lawful, orderly) response is really needed. This confrontation will set the tone for all further reform efforts in the country, in other states, and in Washington. The Wisconsin GOP has shown courage and taken the lead. They need to be backed up.
These tactics are being test-driven in Wisconsin. They will be repeated all over the country if they are not stopped here.
The Address, phone, fax and email info for all Wisconsin Senators can be found here, identified by party.
Visit, call, fax, or email the Democrat Senators and demand that they show up to vote.
This is not just a Wisconsin issue. People from anywhere in the country, or even the world, say, Egypt, who are interested in the survival and success of democracy, may want to make that contact.
If any of them fail to do so, Wisconsin law provides for the recall of elected officials. Senators who are refusing to show up to vote, to prevent a quorum on a matter of grave public importance, should be recalled. See: Wisconsin Const. Art. XIII, Sec. 12. Some helpful discussion of the mechanics of a recall in Wisconsin can be found here.
Is there anyone up there in a Wisconsin Tea Party to get the protest going?
Where is the Dane County Tea Party when you need it!
I have heard that there are recall peitions already being created. There are also lawyers looking into class action lawsuits against the teachers unions for their wildcat strike. Things are still disjointed and disorganized but the tidal wave of anger is forming.
Good.
These tactics will be repeated all over the country if they are allowed to succeed here.
I don’t think the voters of Wisconsin will support this conduct.
If you get links to any of these efforts, please post.
There is a report that the Democratic senators went to the Rockford Clocktower Inn. I am so glad that they chose to go to Rockford just to remind us all of the teacher’s strikes that destroyed that city in the 1960’s. Rockford has never really recovered from those teacher’s strikes. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.
I’ve been wondering all day long what the fall out from the disgraceful actions in Wisconsin would be. That is should come via the Wisconsin Tea Party sounds perfect to me. Here’s hoping.
Just saying that I had admired Chris Christie from afar for “standing up” to the teachers unions, but what people are so happy about around here is far beyond Chris Christie and into uncharted territory.
From what I understand is that Chris Christie told the teachers, “New Jersey is out of money, we are going to cut your pay/reduce your benefits/whatever.” The teachers responded “No way! (probably stronger language). Governor Christie says, “OK, through your union you voted against reduced pay, we are going to lay off teachers, cancel band and other enrichment programs, increase class size.” The teachers said, “Governor Christie is against education”, to which Governer Christie responded according to Southern European cultural traditions, “Oh yeah, well I got your education . . . right here!” or something to that effect.
Again, what I am saying is that if you declare war (and the unions are viewing the Wisconsin legislation as declaring war on them), there is a certain diplomatic protocol you follow. The party that wants to declare war draws up a list of demands, the party that war is to be declared war against rejects those demands as going against honor and reason, and then, you know the rest of how it goes.
The deal is that the unions never got the chance to accept or reject Governor Walker’s demands, hinting broadly that they would have rolled over in order to maintaining union bargaining rights.
Yeah, yeah, the state worker union people are crybabies and are having their protest hissy fit and so on. But I am saying that what Governor Walker is proposing is, to say the least, a bit more vigorous in conducting a preemptive confrontation than what any other governor has done in the last 100 years. Call me a RINO, a “wet”, a “moderate” or what you will, but I am not as optimistic as the people around here that this helps the Conservative, Libertarian, or Republican cause. I think of it as a Bridge Too Far.
The Democratic legislators are just posturing concerning their next election, which is a primary. They risk a credible primary challenge, and reduced funding from the public employee unions, if they don’t play such games for a while.
They’ll be back in time to vote no on as much as possible.
I’ve read that the Wisconsin GOP legislators comprise a sufficient quorum for non-budgetary measures, specifically that they can pass legislation decertifying public employee unions as bargaining agents. If this is true, Wisconsin’s GOP legislators might be able to get the Democrats right quick by proposing such legislation and setting it for a prompt special vote.
Forget the leftists, contact liberal/RINO republicans in the Senate such as Mary Lazich or Racine’s Van Wanggaard. The latter is already seeking compromises; touting his police union credentials even though police and firemen unions are excluded from the bill. (608) 266-1832 Or (866) 615-7510 for Van. Chances are you’ll be more successful than contacting Lena Taylor or Mark Miller or any other hardcore kook.
I am concerned that this may get violent and Ohio is coming up next on the schedule. The union thugs have already disgraced the profession of teaching. I would suggest a strong voucher bill should be coming along soon. That would help the budget considerably.
They are getting increasingly shrill, increasingly unhinged.
They are desperate and they are losing.
This is all about momentum now.
Decrepit empires look unassailable for decades then, a crisis comes, it cannot adapt, it crumbles in weeks or months.
The entire clanking, rusting, shambolic mess is starting to fall apart.
Keep pushing.
A victory in Wisconsin will be like breaking Poland out of the Warsaw Pact. The shock will shake the whole system to it’s roots, setting future victories in play.
Keep pushing.
These events are bigger than they appear to be from close up.
Keep pushing.
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.
The Wisconsin Democratic legislators were tracked down to an Illinois motel, which they fled from shortly after this picture of the attractive, scantily-clad staff at their hideout’s restaurant hit the internet:
http://rockford.tiltedkilt.com/upload/franchise/nchristie/TK_Alex.jpg
That will hurt at the next general election. There is no good outcome for them in this.
This reminds me of the famous (in Texas at any rate) “killer bee” episode in which 12 liberal state senators hid out to destroy the quorum to prevent a special presidential primary bill from passing.
Now, that’s kind of Texan thing to do. Strange to see it in a sedate place like Wisconsin.
Paul Milenkovic has a point, although in terms of form it isn’t necessarily apropos when the Wisconsin Republicans are all but abolishing public sector unions (excluding police, firefighters and the state police). Christie *has* to negotiate with his unions (Dems control the legislature), Walker is proposing to effectively abolish them, at least as entities that can cost the state arbitrary amount of money or have a lot of money to spend on politics.
Politics that are nowadays inimical to Republicans. I’ve long been wondering if the Republicans were ever going to go after the bases of support for the Democrats; I think this is the first major attempt I’ve seen, especially since they didn’t have to be dragged into it.
This is an attack on the core of the political opposition.
It is more important than what is happening in Washington.
It is rollback.
It is the repeal of the domestic Brezhnev doctrine.
Walker is playing for huge stakes.
Godspeed and dread nought.
But I am saying that what Governor Walker is proposing is, to say the least, a bit more vigorous in conducting a preemptive confrontation than what any other governor has done in the last 100 years. Call me a RINO, a “wet”, a “moderate” or what you will, but I am not as optimistic as the people around here that this helps the Conservative, Libertarian, or Republican cause. I think of it as a Bridge Too Far.
and
Paul Milenkovic has a point, although in terms of form it isn’t necessarily apropos when the Wisconsin Republicans are all but abolishing public sector unions.
This is brilliant, and it leapfrogs Christie. Forget the unions caving to some demands.
PUBLIC UNIONS. NEED. TO. BE. ABOLISHED!
Every dime they extract is at the expense of the taxpayer and of efficient delivery of government services. Look at our awful city schools and mediocre suburban schools.
Break them! I say.
I frankly LOVE that Walker just skipped “negotiating” and went straight to “abolish.” They belong on the ash heap of history.
Govenor Walker has chosen the lesser of 2 Evils. If he had an arbitration with the unions it would have been carried out over MONTHS (as unions are known to do….prolong things).
I hope he keeps his ground and I hope the Democratic senators return to their PAID jobs.
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Thanks so much for providing the page that gives me all of the Democratic Senators email addresses, because I need to send them all a thank you. They are doing the best thing possible for my state, Wisconsin, and the rest of the nation. The demonizing of state workers is not the path to solving anything. Walker is evil and WILL be recalled ASAP. Don’t believe me? Barely 1 million people out of about 4.3 million eligible voter in WI voted for Walker, based on vague promises of balancing the budget. Now that they see what he had in mind, even diehard Republicans are shocked and angry. BTW, I got what I wanted with the email list, so flame me all you want, I won’t be back here.