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The vote in the Wisconsin Assembly on the anti-union bill jammed through last night should happen soon. The legal challenges will begin almost immediately. The Assembly Minority Leader, Peter Barca, has filed an official complaint that yesterday’s conference committee violated state open meetings laws. The complaint has a number of findings of fact, and then asserts that the conference committee “was not conducted in compliance with Joint Rule 3″ of the Wisconsin Legislature, as well as not being exempt from open meetings law requirements, specifically the stipulation that 24 hours notice be given for a public meeting. This complaint goes to the Dane County district attorney. Greg Sargent notes:
The general sense I’m picking up in labor circles today is that people are pessimistic that there will be a legal way to block what happened last night. On the other hand, Dem and labor strategists think it’s worth a shot. Kicking up as much noise as possible about potential illegalities will keep the story in the news and help feed the impression that Republicans subverted democracy last night — an impression that can only help recall efforts.
But that’s not all. In the Assembly today, Rep. Jon Richards (D-Milwakuee) raised a point of order that the bill was before the chamber improperly, because “the bill remains a fiscal bill.” Therefore, it would need a quorum of 20 in the Senate to move to the Assembly, and only 19 members voted there. Richards also raised a point of order that the conference committee report had been changed after it was passed. Both of these points of order were overruled and upheld on roll call votes. But it sets up the legal battles to come.
Meanwhile, you may be interested in White House Press Secretary Jay Carney’s statement about the events:
“The actions taken last night, which divorced the issue of the state’s budget problems from the issue of the rights of public sector employees, pretty clearly showed that the actions were not following the principle that we need to all come together and work together and not denigrate or vilify public sector employees, but bring them into the process,” Carney said.
That’s clearly as far as the White House is willing to go on this. Anything more would violate their “just talk about winning the future” message discipline.
But no matter. In the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party, this fight is just getting started.
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Mr Hope and Change proves once again that he is liar.
Seems to me that the case is stronger than Greg Sargent seems to think it is. Repub’s whole defense is that senate rule 93 trumps the open meeting law. Senate rule 93(2) says
But that only trumps the open meeting law requirements of informing senators and newspapers, etc. It says NOTHING that trumps the 24 hour requirement (or 2 hours when 24 is “impractical or impossible”).
Also, Repubs have NO defense for the other points you mention: of a conference committee being formed on a bill that hasn’t passed the senate yet, of the capitol being locked in violation of the open meeting law or of it actually being a budget bill.
These tactics smack of desperation to me. They actually have the power to pass this in a non-budget bill, but they can’t seem to do that right. Time to recall them.
As we lurch towards “Winning the Future” -WTF(TM)- just how many of us will be left behind?
too bad national democratic leaders don’t have the spine of our Wisconsin democrats.
At this point, the Wisconsin Dems don’t want any Beltway sellouts to show up, because it would just be to try to get some undeserved luster-by-association from hanging out with the Sconnies. Let the sellouts stay the hell away and hobnob with Tim Kaine and Jamie Dimon.
True friends, such as Keith Ellison and Mark Dayton from next door in Minnesota, are always welcome; both gents have been supportive of the Wisconsin Democrats from the beginning, making TV and other appearances on their behalf and helping out in other ways (Ellison was among the first folks to do mass pizza orders for the Capitol protesters).
Oh yeah: just like Obama “came together” with federal workers to “bring them into the process” of freezing their pay for 2 years. Like that, Obama??
Sure, when Obama talks about being all compromise-y ‘n stuff, we all know that means that the proles should bend over further & get ready to take it more. ptoui!
Clapping for the People of Wisconsin again!
they are attacking the corporations who support evil Gov. Walker
Read below:
“Teachers, firefighters and police officers said they would begin a boycott of M&I Bank if the bank does not begin publicly opposing Gov. Scott Walker’s efforts to curtail collective bargaining for public workers.
Unions representing those groups said they would start other boycotts of businesses that backed Walker in his campaign.
I have seen posts that the firemen withdrew all their money today and one of the branches closed over it! This bank is a big supporter of Scott Walker. ”
link below
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102×4764444
Bite the hand that feeds Gov. Walker! I love it
Damn right. Wanker and his fascists are shortly going to find out the high cost of taking on organized labor.
This should be the point of no return for those who care about the future of humanity.
REally? Ok, then why don’t we apply that thinking to the Democratic party?
Fuck you, Obama.
me likey mucho
https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.bravenewfilms.org/images/kb-shirts-lrg.jpg
x2,where da sun dont shine……………g
As I said in another thread, Obama and the D’s relationship to Wisconsin is pretty much the same as their relationship to Libya.
It’s too bad we don’t have any of that wing in Washington DC.
Kudos to state and local Dems that know what being a Democrat means.
Me Thinks, Gov. Walker and the Elites did not see this coming? :)
Corporations are easy targets! Stock Holders only care about profits.
LOL
Me Think the CEO of M&I bank has some pissed off stock holders. LOL
I hope the people Wisconsin tell us here at FDL, which companies they wants to boycott nationally.
Nationwide Strike…all unions unite.
Are you sure he wasn’t saying “Hoax, end change”?
x3.
SD knows how to make a point in just a few words.
i really detest the fraud in chief
Count me in 4X.
Different scale, different issues, but so what: France has recognized Libya’s Interim National Council — the rebels — and thereby disavows the legitimacy of Libya’s current head of state. Sometimes all it takes is a diplomatic sucker-punch from a sovereign or legitimate state. I know if I were a governor of a US state or the head of state of a country, I’d declare Wisconsin a failed state and establish relations with a democratic and sensible group, like the “public employee sector”.
Obama Budget Proposal: Cuts To Target Poor, Middle Class & Students
Edited on Thu Mar-10-11 05:36 PM by Wisconsin_2_Nation
WASHINGTON — Less than two months after signing tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans into law, President Barack Obama proposed a spending plan to Congress that cuts funding to programs that assist the working poor, help the needy heat their homes, and expand access to graduate-level education, undermining the kind of community-based organizations that helped Obama launch his political career in Chicago.
Obama’s new budget puts forward a plan to achieve $1.1 trillion in deficit reductions over the next decade, according to an administration official who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity in advance of the formal release of the budget.
Obama has been a colossal disaster. He gave new life to the Republican Party in wanting to forgive the crimes of the previous administration in the interests of fair play with his fellow plutocrats. I hope that one day his children will have to visit him in a prison cell at the Hague.
Labour has supported the Dem Party for decades and these neoliberal motherfuckers can’t even come out with a simple statement supporting the rights of unions and their members.
I think of him as the Jag Off in Chief.
SD #11
said it best
Fuck you, Obama.
Anyone still thinks Obama is the better of two evils? anybody?
Fuck the Democrats!
We don’t have Dems in DeeCee any more. We’ve got Vichycrats. Fuck ‘em. I’d put my red flag out in the front yard but some reichwing asshole would steal it or set it afire, that’s assuming they know what a red flag symbolizes.
HIGHJACK!
BoxTurtle Benefactors Membership Contest winner announced!
*Snoopy Dance*
Walker is a political novice who just does what he is ordered to do by his fascist masters. I am sure they naively believed they would prevail, in the long run they most certainly will not. They counted on a flaccid and apathetic public to help do their bidding. They guessed wrong by getting into a pissing match with unions.
As for the so called national “Democratic” party, they aren’t the party I supported all these years. Those cowards aren’t worth a warm bucket of piss to progressives that genuinely care about social justice and equity.
Time to have a populist uprising and throw off the oppressive yoke of the fascists that want to exploit workers and destroy the middle class.
That’s a big assumption.
I love that Vichycrats has caught on. Let’s ride that until the wheels fall off.
I big amen on that one
Vichycrats and Regressives. Might as well call a spade a spade.
Amen. Give us a list of Koch businesses . . . or any other national businesses that supported this whorish governor. I’ll not only boycott–I’ll write the letters to CEOs, congresscritters, etc.
Is this going to be the final proof there is no rule of law is in the United States?
in a depression…FDR,and Ellie are rolling in their graves
And I hope W is his cellmate.
As I recall, you were also one of the first to come up with the scholarship idea, so kudos to you.
I sprang for $45 which is a big deal to me *g* and am still waiting for a phone call? Not that it matters.
Will the good gentleman yield? Begging to differ: it’s only the rule of law that allows these miserable pricks to sleep at night and not have to hire someone to taste their food and start their cars for them. We’re coming to realize that justice is controlled by the state — no one else can administer it — and justice has been perverted out of existence.
What part of Western PA you from?
Only one real solution for public workers exists in such a climate of abuse of power by corrupt politicians..
use the GOP strategy to give them what they have always wanted:
SHUTDOWN.
Stop them. Stay home, take a break. Structural change. EVERYBODY in. UNIONS NOW!
Respect.
No hope in O finding his soft shoes to join the picket line.
I’ll just leave this here:
http://www.balloon-juice.com/2011/03/10/liberals-its-time-to-stop-bitching-and-start-organizing-just-shut-up-and-get-to-work/
Corporatists of the world unite! You have nothing to do but forge chains.
Mr. O bummer? why you flip flop!? WISCONSIN is a National Security State now with all these rethuglican cronies.
He’ll probably release the oil reserves to pacify the Teamsters. Wanna bet they’ve already had discussions? Prolly some beers too.
I don’t have any connections to unions (some extended family were union, but they’re retired now). Over the past 2 years, I’ve felt like some of the unions were often too accommodating to Obama’s agenda. It might be more accurate to say that the leadership of some of those big unions were too accommodating. But I do want to support them in something like this. I wish there was a way to become sort of an associate member, maybe call it a sympathizer member, to bolster their numbers and show support for their cause as well as make sure that supporter/sympathizers were in the information loop.
The Articles of Confederation failed largely because the colonies-become-states hadn’t formed themselves into a union. Hence The Constitution of The United States. After it was established, well, you know, there was a slaughter of a civil war to preserve that union. Did those who died die in vain?
No quorum required for non-financial bills right?
So, what exactly is the reason they’re giving for screwing unions?
It can’t be financial, that would require a quorum.
If this bill isn’t thrown out in court, then we do not have a Democracy governed by the Rule of Law and therefore should not be required to follow any laws of said ‘Democracy’ which result in undue harm to innocent people. Know what I mean?….
Does anyone know what was left in the bill besides the union busting? I heard that it also contained the provision that allows Walker to sell public utilities based on no-bid contracts and that it strips funding from women’s services. Aren’t those financial issues?
And if they are, then aren’t the people raising the legal battles missing the point by focusing only on the public meeting law and the union busting. There is at least one (selling public utilities) issue that is obviously, clearly on it’s face financial.
Oh yeah……… and fuck Obama. I lay this at his feet for not doing the right thing at the start to support the unions and for not doing jack shit about Citizans United.
If Prosser is reelected to the Supreme Ct. all of the illegal behavior engaged in over the last couple of days will stand. Hell, even if Prosser loses to the Democrat, Kloppenburg, it still may stand since one of the Democratic justices may decide that undoing it months after the fact is too problematic.
Just a important as the Supreme Ct election, which really can’t be counted on to change anything, is a general strike of ALL local and state public sector employees. Let Wanker try to fire and rehire all 100,000 of them.