Meet Wisconsin state senator Bob Jauch. Jauch, who’s currently staying in an Illinois resort (complete with a water park), defended the senate Democrats’ ploy today, saying “We are working part of our job is to make sure there are good public laws passed and we happen to think the bill he is trying ram down the public’s throat is wrong for Wisconsin.”
Turns out Jauch wasn’t always such a fan of political games. Check out this statement he made in 2007:
There is no public good with the continued delay of a budget. So I am extremely disappointed that Republican leadership has chosen to issue political ultimatums rather than spending our day working with Senate conferees to identify solutions.
As one follows the debate, the political rhetoric will be laced with statements casting blame and pointing fingers. Political piety will not solve one difference. Only hard work and legitimate give and take will accomplish the job.
Wisconsin citizens don’t care who is more to blame for the budget delay. They simply want us to roll up our sleeves and achieve meaningful compromise. To that degree we must focus our attention during the next two weeks on serious negotiations that involve real compromise and movement from previously hardened positions.
And this statement he made a few days later that same year:
Impasse serves no one except the ideological few who seem too eager to trumpet political victory. When nothing happens, we fail. In order to finalize this budget each side must sacrifice matters of value. The system will fall apart if we as legislators don’t try to work together, to give some ground when we need to in order to move forward.
Of course, the GOP has not yet offered any compromises. But if the voters wanted to force compromises, they wouldn’t have elected a Republican governor and a Republican majority in the state House and Senate.