Motley Moose – Archive

Since 2008 – Progress Through Politics

Meanwhile in Madison- UPDATED

They’re going for it

A source confirmed to WISC-TV that Republican senators intend to remove fiscal portions of the budget bill in order to pass it without Democratic senators.

All 14 Senate Democrats left the state to prevent quorum on the bill. It takes at least 20 senators to take up any budget bill.

http://www.channel3000.com/pol…

I personally always assumed collective bargaining was gone, no matter what the Democrats do. This was always the ultimate plan. I would’ve been shocked if they didn’t go for it.

I’m not sure the best course of play here…might be for the Democrats to come back and hope to peel three Republicans away in the vote, but then they might be arrested and forced to the capital to vote on a budget bill.

Once collective bargaining is gone, it’s going to be next to impossible to bring it back. Democrats wouldn’t be able to even try until 2013, assuming they recall Walker and win back both houses of the legislature.

I certainly do hope those 43% of union voters who decided, for whatever reason, to not vote for the Milwaukee Mayor who promised to protect them in budget cuts and instead roll the dice with Scott, are satisfied in their choice. Now, with their standing weakened and Koch money flowing like champagne at an Orange County country club, it’s going to be hard to get back their power.

The best thing to do now is make a statement in the recalls. As always, I’m not optimistic.

ETA: Let the “It’s Obama fault” begin

So glad Obama put on his “real comfortable (1+ / 0-)

walking shoes” and “walked the walk” in supporting unions… not.

UPDATED: The bill passed 18-1, with one Senator, Dale Schultz, voting no.

Protesters have stormed the state capital building in Madison. Some reports have said the Democratic Senators will return to Wisconsin tomorrow (they’re still in Illinois), but that hasn’t been confirmed.  


Categories: Uncategorized.

/ 32 Comments

32 comments

  1. sricki

    In a brief meeting that lasted barely five minutes, Wisconsin Republicans appear to have jammed through the union-busting, anti-collective-bargaining provision that has been the focus of the protests and political turmoil in the state for the past month.

    Here, as best we understand it, is what just happened:

    The Republican leadership convened a special conference committee late in the day to take up the collective bargaining provision only, separate and apart from the budget bill it was a part of. By a vote of 4-2, the conference committee just approved sending the union-related provisions alone to the floor of each chamber.

    And here’s the key part: Because it’s no longer part of a budget bill, the collective bargaining provision can now get a final vote in the Senate with or without the Senate Democrats who fled the state to deny Republicans a quorum. It renders their protest-by-absence moot.

    TPM

  2. virginislandsguy

    originated as ‘proof’ of Pres. Obamas antiunionism. I know it comes from a campaign speech, but how was it incubated and spread? The Obamasux crowd on DK pulls it out like a trump card on every Wisconsin thread.

  3. HappyinVT

    It was shown live apparently on Wisconsin’s public access channel.  For any sane, thinking person that video would have them incensed.  The Democratic Minority Leader plainly asks to be given the new bill and an opportunity to read it.  Majority Leader Fitzgerald, who admitted on FNC today that the overarching goal is the break the unions and to prevent Obama from using unions in his re-election bid, says that “nothing has changed” but yet “some things were taken out.”  Fitzgerald refuses to say what was taken out and, while Barcas is consistently stating that the meeting violates the state’s open meeting law calls roll, they vote and then leave.

    The whole thing is a disgrace and, I believe (call me a cockeyed optimist) that this will backfire big time on the Republicans and Walker.  The base might cheer heartily but independents and dems will not.

    (It would be too cool if the Brewers and/Packers would stand on the capitol steps with the protesters.)

    Here’s link to the video.

    http://wiseye.org/Programming/…

  5. Jjc2008

    unions.  It is about democracy.

    But whether one believes that or not, or whether one thinks that “public schools, public unions, public anything” should compete with “for profit” is becoming moot.

    Unions are among the largest donors to democratic candidates.  It is how non millionaires compete with the corporations who overwhelmingly will contribute to defeat dem candidates.  When teachers (who are not rich) unionize, when cops who are not rich unionize, when any group unionizes, the purpose is to give voice to those who cannot compete with money.

    Bill Gates who never spent one minute in a classroom is getting a national voice on “how education should work, how schools should work, how teachers should teach and be evaluated.” WHY?  Because he is rich.  I taught forty years, worked in seven different schools in those years, from  a school in one of the highest socioeconomic neighborhood  to  a school in one of the lowest socioeconomic neighborhoods.  I have worked with some of the best teachers to some of the worst.  I have seen that great teachers, gifted teachers generally stick it out and STAY in the classroom, regardless of the money, the trashing, the lack of supplies while more often than not, the mediocre leave the classroom.   I have an MA in tech ed, a master’s equivalent in counseling, and 100+ credits above those.   I have worked with pre K thru college.  And, have been in WHO’s WHO in American Education twice (one must be nominated by a successful college student who was in the National Honor Society).  

    And yet my voice, like the voice of thousands of experienced educators, is ignored while a “never taught in public education” is given the credence of a guru annointed on high.

    UNIONS are our only voice.

    It needs repeating. UNIONS are among the biggest, largest donors to dem candidates, including Obama.  Yet, many union members, or former ones like myself, are feeling quite abandoned by “frightened centrists”.  Obama SHOULD be speaking out on this strongly.   It is clear for anyone following that a part of this scheme, going on in MANY states, to destroy unions is as much about the 2012 presidential election as it is about the state elections.

    The right wing has openly talked about killing unions as a way of denying support to national candidates.   NEA, AFT, and many other UNIONS gave huge support to Obama in the campaign.  Losing the money from public unions , as well as the votes of teachers will hurt dems badly.  Teachers have one of the highest percentage of active voters.  

    Trashing the left wing of the party does no good for Obama or anyone.  

  6. HappyinVT

    Walker and the WI GOP.

    “But the core issue is that we’ve reached a state of ‘war.’ Koch/Walker/etc. own the (governor’s office), the Senate and the Assembly. That means that in the span of only two years, one budget cycle, they can wreak total havoc on the state, doing damage that can never be repaired.”

    “So yes,” he added, “in times of war, there will be collateral damage.”

    With more than 9,600 followers by Wednesday afternoon, Hokin’s Facebook page, titled Boycott Scott Walker Contributors, is a central clearinghouse for information feeding this next wave of opposition to Walker’s controversial budget repair bill and spending plan for the next biennium.

    snip

    “Basically the only thing corporations care about is money,” Hokin said in an interview. “We can’t really affect them by saying things or flashing (protest signs). The thing to do on a day-to-day basis is to try to reduce their revenues.”

    http://host.madison.com/wsj/ne…  

  7. HappyinVT

    and ran across someone referring to the GOP as the Grizzled Old Perverts party.  I’m going to get ready to go shopping on that note.

  8. HappyinVT

    Scott Walker is labor’s BEST FRIEND since Jimmy Hoffa, in a perverse sense. He’s going to go down in history as the guy who broke the glass and pulled the alarm on all out class war in America.

    A war the people are going to win this time.

    The Democrats should trademark his stupid face and have it etched on urinal cakes and distributed nationwide…

    Look at the face of this delusional man whose misguided, strong-arm tactics will help end the Republican party in America for good this time.

    Gov. Scott Walker seems intent on pouring gasoline on the class war, but it’s only going to burn his own political career to the ground, bring his political party into a fight with its own fucking citizenry-that it can’t possibly win!-and see him go down in history as one of America’s single biggest assholes…

    http://www.dangerousminds.net/…

  9. HappyinVT

    Hundreds of students at multiple Madison middle and high schools walked out of class Thursday to participate in protests at the state Capitol.

    And students are planning another walkout for 2 p.m. Friday, organizer and East High School senior Jesse Banks said.

    “There’s been a lot of claims that we’re wasting educational times and the student walkouts are counterproductive,” Banks said. In response, the walkout is scheduled during the last hour and is expected to include a rally at Library Mall where high school students will discuss a Republican bill that dismantles public sector employee collective bargaining.

    “The plan is to use it as a tool for education,” Banks said. http://host.madison.com/wsj/ne…

    Between the two high schools it looks like about 1400 students walked out today.

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