For the Wisconsin 14, via WisPolitics.com:
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald wrote this afternoon in an email to his caucus that Senate Dems remain in contempt of the Senate and will not be allowed to vote in committees despite returning from their out-of-state boycott of the budget repair bill vote.
“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,” wrote Fitzgerald, R-Juneau.
The Democrats, of course, are fuming:
Sen. Robert Jauch (D-Polar) said the letter appeared to be a “mean-spirited response from a man who lost the battle of public opinion.”
Jauch said the issue of the senators’ presence is moot: The budget bill was passed last week and signed by the governor.
“I am not sure what purpose this serves,” Jauch said.
>>“I am not sure what purpose this serves,” Jauch said.
I said the same thing as a five-year-old when I was made to stand in the corner after promising to "behave from now on."
It's punishment for behaving like spoiled, petulant little children.
Not just elections, but behavior, too, has consequences you spoiled little brat.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMiscreants seldom understand the hard hand of justice.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseBased on Mr. Jauch's comment, the issues and consequences related to Governor Walker's budget bill apparently didn't matter to Democrats as long as they won the battle of public opinion - which is why their side had to be the loudest and ugliest. Mr. Jauch might want to reserve his declaration of victory until the smoke has settled and the people of Wisconsin find out - as Hoosiers already have - the positive results of Governor Walker's budget bill.
It's been six years since Governor Daniels clipped the collective bargaining wings of public employee unions and not a single Indiana teacher has been forced to work an 80 hour work week or died in the street from lack of health insurance. While the economic crisis has left many states in serious financial trouble, Indiana is weathering the storm with a balanced budget.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThat's some kind of democracy where the majority can get together and say the votes of the minority won't count. Work this way in the U.S Senate too?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseJust curious, how do they get out of contempt?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSame question as Kyle's. Can find no answer, except maybe indirectly, in a 10-day-old story about when they first found them in contempt: "Fitzgerald also said that even after Democrats return, Republicans would consider possible discipline for them, such as reprimanding them, censuring them or expelling them from the Senate."
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Guess they can get out when the (R)s says they can, and this would be the additional punishment Fitzgerald mentioned? I believe the (D)s can challenge the contempt charges, but no one is bothering to explain that, either.
Journalism in this country is awesome, huh?
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"While the economic crisis has left many states in serious financial trouble, Indiana is weathering the storm with a balanced budget."
Every state but Vermont is required to adopt a balanced budget. This aspect of Indiana's budget is hardly unique.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMy compliments Colonel Travis- you beat me to it- but I have the same questions and a couple more. Please forgive me if I repeat any of your excellent points or fine research....
Do they still teach the "Who, What, When, Where, How and Why" stuff in journalism school? I had to read over a dozen so-called "articles" on the "mean spirited" email sent out by the leader of the WI State Senate to find a single explanation of the critical issue...(otherwise it is just a he-said, he-said "gossip" account...not a story that answers critical reader-questions...).
WHAT do the WI State Senators need to do to get OUT of "contempt"? That is what needs to be explained...if only some journalists would, say, reference an article from ten days ago they could actually be "helpful" to their readers (imagine that...).
I think I found the answer:
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Specifically, from the end of the article:
"Discipline for senators
Fitzgerald said citizens who see absent Democrats in Wisconsin could report them to police.
Once they return, Democrats would be able to challenge the contempt finding. But Fitzgerald also said that even after Democrats return, Republicans would consider possible discipline for them, such as reprimanding them, censuring them or expelling them from the Senate."
So it appears that after being declared in "contempt", there must be a disciplinary procedure to "lift" that contempt- and the person(s) in contempt, must appear at that proceeding.
Question for "Legal Minds" out there- can a judge in court lift a finding of contempt without the individual in question appearing first before that court? I guess I am looking for parallels based on fact (there is that terribly inconvenient word again...). (I have a suggestion for WHEN to hold these proceedings to lift the "contempt" orders: How about ten days after La Follette actually bothers to print the recently passed legislation? That seems like the traditional amount of time it takes to do important things in WI....)
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Also note the order of a WI Judge on the subject (a link later in the above referenced article...).
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Maybe Bench Memos or some other legally trained person could enlighten this tax-paying nobody as to what this order means (thanks in advance...).
Hopefully future articles on the "contempt" issue for the WI State Senators in question will actually include some FACTS relating to the critical matter of "contempt", and possible proceedings of that body to lift the contempt order(s).
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseUm, I'm afraid this isn't going to play well. The policy victory was the all-important thing, but let's be honest: Walker and the GOP shed some blood to get there.
What's the point in setting yourselves up as vindictive bullies when there's nothing stopping you from winning every vote with sheer numbers? Fitzgerald just gave MoveOn and the unions fodder for another fundraising drive. For no good reason!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWait, you mean now they want to play?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseBrave, Brave Sir Robin...
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI hope all those Wisconsinites who are being told by the Republican leadership that they are no longer permitted representation in the state legislature will beat the pavement to recall these over-reaching Republicans.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe punishment needs to be severe enough that no Dem is ever tempted to violate the Wisconsin constitution again to thwart democracy. Since the Dems are the ends justifies the means party, not punishing them severely for breaking the constitution would just encourage them to do it again. Part of the punishment should include a public apology by the Dems for trashing the Wisconsin constitution. It would also be a good idea if they did a video that could be used as training in schools explaining why what they did was so bad, so unconstitutional, so undemocratic.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseRiotLibrarian: Pretty much by definition, if a Wisconsinite is represented by one of the Democrats being held in contempt, they will not have the ability to vote in one of the recall elections of the Republicans. Unless the pull a Democrat, and cheat.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseDoes anyone remember Riot Librarian complaining when the Wisconsin Democrats undermined the ENTIRE system of representative government for the state, when they fled the state and refused to do the job to which they were elected?
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"a “mean-spirited response from a man who lost the battle of public opinion.” "
This is the mantra now--you can see it setting in with people like Riotlibrarian. The left will make this a truth--that Walker did what he did aganist the wishes of his constituents. And some will buy it.
'he shed some blood'
Soon his 'dictatorial' stance will be a given on the nightly news. Like Palin's idiocy, Bushs' snobbish cluelessness, and Reagan's stupidity/senility.
But it's okay--we'll bleat in our echo chamber about how we've 'gotten the truth out' each time we talk to another echo chamber. From NRO to PJM to Rush to....whatever.
Walker didn't lose the PR battle. He wasn't fighting a PR battle. He was fighting to give his state a future. Why is it so hard to see that?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWalker certainly should be fighting a PR battle, as well. A big part of leadership in a democracy is educating the voters about what needs to be done and persuading them that what you are proposing is the right thing to do.
Walker could have stripped the union bargaining rights much quicker and reduced the Dem ability to demagogue the issue. You also have to wonder about his timing, why not do this after the Wisconsin Supreme Court election instead of right before it?
There is also the issue of the redrawing of the Wisconsin legislative districts. This needs to be completed before recall elections have a chance to complicate the process.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseGo Fitzgerald. These fleebaggers must be punished. In a just world they would be removed from office. What I don't get is what excuse is the left using to Recall those GOP senators? They did their job? WI law requires that a petitioner for recall must document how the elected official violated their oath of office. I look forward to reading what the left/WH ended up using, as their justification for each GOP recall.
I also think that Walker needs to take a page from Christie's playbook. If he goes the aw shucks G W Bush route, he's toast. He needs to fight back and be persistent about it - he can keep the Midwest nice but he needs to get in their faces and be unrelenting.
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