Wisconsin GOP senate leader to Dems: You’re in contempt, so you can’t vote anymore
posted at 9:41 pm on March 14, 2011 by Allahpundit
This is the guy who not only held his caucus together under tremendous pressure, who not only signed the orders of contempt dispatching state police to hunt down the Fleebagger 14, but who greeted them with a rhetorical MOAB when they finally returned to Madison this weekend. Now this.
I bet the death threats he’s getting these days are exquisite.
In a sign that Republicans are still smarting from the exodus of Democrats during deliberations on the budget, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) told his caucus on Monday that Democrats remain in contempt of the Senate.
That means, he said, that Democrats can’t vote on bills or amendments.
Fitzgerald wrote:
“When taking roll call votes on amendments and bills during executive sessions, Senate Democrats’ votes will not be reflected in the Records of Committee Proceedings or the Senate Journal. They are free to attend hearings, listen to testimony, debate legislation, introduce amendments, and cast votes to signal their support/opposition, but those votes will not count, and will not be recorded.”
One of the fleebaggers called the move “mean-spirited,” which is a nice big red bow on three weeks of Republicans needing police protection inside the Capitol.
Here’s Scott Walker arriving tonight at a restaurant to meet with local GOP leaders. Exit question: As sweet as this feels, is it smart to further motivate the opposition when they’re scrambling to meet petition deadlines for recall elections?
Blowback
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From today’s Wisconsin State Journal:
Barnestormer on March 15, 2011 at 1:52 PM
Something we need more of.
Roy Rogers on March 15, 2011 at 2:03 PM
In related news:
Madison — A Democratic state senator wants to make it impossible for senators in the future to block legislative action by leaving the state.
Sen. Tim Cullen of Janesville was one of the 14 Democrats in the Senate who sought unsuccessfully to block Gov. Scott Walker’s budget-repair law by driving to Illinois on Feb. 17 and only returning last week. That law drew massive protests by repealing most collective bargaining by public employees in the state.
In other news, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) has scheduled a press conference for 1:30 Tuesday at the Capitol following his statement Monday that Democrats in the Senate would be unable to immediately vote in committees because they are still being held in contempt of the Senate.
“The main point I want to make is that what we did we had every legal right to do. It was an extraordinary step against an extraordinary bill,” Cullen said. But “the institution of the Senate is not well-served going forward by having this particular avenue available.”
Cullen said his proposal for a constitutional amendment would simply eliminate the requirement currently in the state constitution that three-fifths of state senators be present for the body to vote on certain fiscal bills, including those that contain spending items.
http://www.jsonline.com/newswatch/118016999.html
Daisy_WI on March 15, 2011 at 2:30 PM
Cullen was one of the reluctant fleebaggers who was trying to negotiate a return to Madison.
Is this his attempt to makeup for the disgrace of his party or an attempt to further polarize Wisconsin voters?
WisRich on March 15, 2011 at 2:41 PM
Cullen wants to hold onto his job.
Roy Rogers on March 15, 2011 at 2:45 PM
I think Cullen had a few weeks to think about his actions, and realized that his attempts to negotiate, only to be shot down by his union overlords, may be the death-knell of his career (the obeying the overlords part, not the trying-to-find-common ground part).
See, the moderate D’s had negotiated that unions only had to recertify every 3 years, and a number of other compromises, but the puppetmasters said no – so the R’s invoked the nuclear option and the D’s got squat. Instead of a decent compromise, the R’s called their bluff and put the union busting part through w/o their halfway points.
There was a protestor outside my local Pig today (motto: “turn groceries into gas”…none of the locals see the humor in that). The guy had a sign “Talk to me if Alberta Darling is your senator”. No one was talking, no one was honking. Either I live in the most politically ignorant town in WI, or this guy was NOT popular.
One final note, I’ve discovered another fun blog if you like “Wisconsequences” (her word). It’s althouse.blogspot.com. Ann Althouse is a law professor in Madison and has great fun documenting the madness there.
Daisy_WI on March 15, 2011 at 2:53 PM
Cullen: Yes, I ran like a scalded dog, but if I say that I don’t think politicians should run like scalded dogs I hope you’ll forget the sight of my fat a$$ bouncing as I fled the state.
SKYFOX on March 15, 2011 at 2:54 PM
The Republicans were advised by three separate non-partisan state bureaus that essentially their entire original bill could be taken up by a simple majority quorum. Reason: while portions had a fiscal impact, they did not require appropriations. Cullen’s proposed amendment would eliminate the supermajority quorum requirement for appropriations bills. How is expediting public spending a good idea at a time of “budget repair?” Expose Cullen’s proposal for the sham it is.
Barnestormer on March 15, 2011 at 3:05 PM
OMG – anyone want to go back to school w/ me?
http://www.labornotes.org/madisonn (credit Lombardi chick @ althouse).
Madison Troublemakers School – April 1 & 2, 2011
Friday April 1, 2011, 5p.m., free
Reception. Cartoon and photo exhibit.
Guest speakers on “The State of the Unions”
Saturday, April 2, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Workshops
$25 includes Saturday lunch, Register Now
Labor Temple, 1602 South Park St., Madison
Union busting, the governor’s attack on public employees, concession demands, layoffs, threats to Social Security and pensions, increased health insurance costs, contracting out, furloughs, wage freezes, free trade deals, tax giveaways to the rich, tuition increases, wars, charter schools, sustained high unemployment, runaway shops, Right to Work…did we leave anything out?
Working people are under assault and the assault will continue until we put an end to it. The protests at the Capitol are showing what working people are made of.
That’s the idea behind the Madison Labor Notes Troublemakers School. How do we build on the protests, protect what we have–and lay the foundation to fight for more? Led by experienced labor activists, our workshops will explore strategies to fight back and give you the hands-on skills to make it happen.
The idea is not just to talk about problems for a day and then go home, but to come up with specific plans in some areas, so that we can go out Monday morning and get to work organizing to build on what we’ve done. There will be ample time to assess what we’ve gained through our unprecedented activism of the last month.
Workshops include:
Public Sector Workers: What’s Next?
Labor’s Electoral Strategy: Are We Getting Our Money’s Worth?
New and Old Organizing Strategies
Protecting the Interests of Immigrant Workers
Art for Mobilization
Media Outreach
Contract Campaigns
Labor-Campus-Community Solidarity
Racism: History of Divide and Conquer
Is Capitalism Working for Us? Saving the Social Safety Net
Know Your Workplace Rights
Up Your Union: Get Involved and Revitalize It
Daisy_WI on March 15, 2011 at 3:08 PM
Yes it is. There’s nothing more effective than hitting bullies back twice as hard as they hit you. Let them think twice before they try to reverse the results of an election – not just in Wisconsin, but throughout the country.
Trying to appease the opposition in the hope that they hate you less or the electorate will like you more, just makes the GOP look weak and encourages these two bit tyrants.
It’s no different than the stupid notion that fighting Islamo-Fascists and calling them out by name will make them more angry. No, they, like the left, despise us no matter what we do and scorched earth can be a great incentive for an attitude adjustment and some respect.
RadClown on March 15, 2011 at 3:08 PM
This will come off as cynical, but …..
Cullen’s not feeling remorse for what he did.
“Fleebagging” has been legitimized & Senate Dems could be on the “receiving end” of tactic someday. He wants to take that off the table.
BD57 on March 15, 2011 at 9:52 PM
Is the fleebagger having buter’s remorse?
Too bad, so sad…
Khun Joe on March 15, 2011 at 10:36 PM
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