Wisconsin Protester
Posted on 03/12/2011 3:22:35 PM PST by bigbob
In their first joint appearance in the state since leaving Feb. 17 to stop a vote on the budget repair bill, Wisconsin's Democratic senators said it's time to trade in rally signs for clipboards to force the recall of Republican senators they claim ignored the will of the people.
Thirteen of the 14 Dem senators were present for the noon presser at Madison's Monona Terrace convention center. Missing was Sen. Jim Holperin, who had an event in his northeastern Wisconsin district in the morning. Sen. Jon Erpenbach said Holperin was on his way and would be at a 3 p.m. rally at the Capitol.
In a press conference that ran about an hour and 20 minutes, the senators, appearing in groups of three and four, thanked those who rallied in Wisconsin and around the country for giving them the strength to stay out of state to delay action on the bill and give the public time to learn about its provisions.
GOP senators ultimately passed contentious collective bargaining restrictions and other non-fiscal matters by taking them up separately from the the budget bill, eliminating the need for a quorum.
The senators did not concede defeat, and said the battle would continue through recall efforts and legal action. In the meantime, they vowed to fight against various provisions in Walker's recently introduced two-year budget plan they said would harm education and the middle class.
While none offered support for a general strike, Sen. Kathleen Vinehout suggested people engage in a financial strike and boycott businesses that supported the Republicans in their efforts.
“If you think about what motivates these people, it's all about money,” she said, arguing a boycott would be as effective as a general strike.
Sen. Bob Jauch predicted eventual victory, saying a fight for freedom has never been lost in America.
While they had kind words for Republican Sen. Dale Schultz, who voted against the bill, they ripped into the Republican majority for backing measures they said would take away workers rights, deny people health care and consolidate more power into the governor's office. They accused Republicans of attempting to shut out the voice of the people during the process and scolded them for the procedure they used to hurriedly pass the measures this week and said it would be challenged in court.
Sen. Jon Erpenbach said the 22-day stay in Illinois was paid for out of each of the senator's own pockets and they would not seek any reimbursement for the state.
In the hallway, a small group of supporters chanted “thank you” and dubbed the senators heroes as some came out to greet and thank them.
RATS will be rats, every time liberals show us who they really are and what they really fear. This was always about power and their only response is to try to get it back.
The people of Wisconsin spoke last November and they will continue to do so, no matter how much blubbering from the charter members of the Flee Party.
Arrest them.
“If you think about what motivates these people, it’s all about money,...”
Typically stupid Democrat criticizes the responsible members of government for not wanting to bankrupt taxpayers.
They RAN away. This is not fighting.
The Democratic Party is now committed to (and prepared to justify and defend) an extraparliamentary component to their efforts, while the Republican Party is not.
I have been predicting the emergence of a sturmabteilung within the Democratic party since Florida 2000.
At that time, Gore's minions claimed that actual arithmetical counting of votes was inadequate, that "voter intent" was the proper standard, and that further, "voter intent" was simply an expression of the General Will.
Now, those who justify their rule by recourse to the General Will sooner or later have to start building mountains of skulls.
What we have seen in Wisconsin is the beginning of a story we have seen over and over again since the rise of the Committee of Public Safety. A duly elected representative assembly has been betrayed by its own members, and combinations too powerful to be suppressed by the ordinary course of judicial proceedings have arisen. These combinations have (temporarily) prevented the legislature from meeting.
Since the legislature, when convened, represents the sovereign, such disruption is intolerable.
It is intolerable, but inevitable, because of the existence within the Democratic party of an alternative theory of sovereignty.
That theory - that the wretched of the earth rule by right (through a revolutionary vanguard, to be sure) - is subversive of the Constitution and all that flows from it.
The answer to these forces which have arisen will not be found at the ballot box, since they have made it clear that they will not be bound by decisions made there.
If they do not step back from the precipice, there will be all-night machine gun pits at RFK stadium in the not too-distant future.
The only question is, who will man the guns?
Here comes the Flee Party back.
Talk about what motivates people, you democrat libs. IT’s all about big union money to you. It’s all about union money to you.
Government workers work for the taxpayers. If we decide we need to change their salaries and change how many we have working for us, WE THE PEOPLE can do that.
That’s why we kicked the dems out last November. They don’t get it. They alreay lost 5 months ago and haven’t figured it out.
He did remove withholding of union dues.
Very well considered.
I'm not saying you're wrong about the "all night machine gun pits," and, if this was an earlier time, I'd agree that's where we're headed.
Could not the feedback loops be faster nowadays? Could not the higher speed give us the extra margin of stability to ride out this transient?
“existence within the Democratic party of an alternative theory of sovereignty”
Something to ponder, thanks. I’ve really found their wilingness to “flee” when confronted with the inevitability of losing quite alarming. It is, as you described it, an alternate view of how we should be governed. Not by a representative democracy as described by the Constitution but by abstaining from participating while attempting to manipulate public opinion.
Sort of the political version of a “denial of service” attack...
Take heed, RATS, all is not as favorable to your side as you may think.
Why don’t they lock the dem senators in the chambers and vote on the original bill. Then they can rescind the bill they just passed.
On another note, if I was a republican senator I’d inform the dem senators that if there is a recall petition against me I’m going to kick their asses.
Sure, but what state will they do it in? Any bets on their next destination?
Let em’ join a non-taxpayer union and then they can quit their bitchin’. Oh wait, they haven’t the skills for that. They can take their socialism and ram it up their ass.
Dem Senators? What Dem Senators? (Irrelevant.)
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