It's abundantly clear that Republicans today do not believe in government of The People, by The People and for The People.
2
“People just have to start being nice again,” Ms. Walter said.
Republicans aren't nice and they don't care about you.
2
How funny. When Obama still had 11 months left in his term and an opportunity to fill a vacant Supreme Court seat, the Republicans (illegally?) blocked him saying that the voters needed to decide.
Fast forward two years later and the Democrats are chosen by the voters at the grassroots and the Republicans now want to change the rules to suit their own agenda?
So much for democracy, making America great again and being the moral compass of the world. Shame on these Republicans.
10
The new Gov has to fight fire with fire. Tell the new legislators to reverse the new law, or face consequences for their constituents. Give them a week, tell them so.
At the end of the week, close every state function in the districts of the legislators who voted for this. Everything from DMVs to road maintenance, to school funding, everything. Move the state police from Republican districts to Democratic districts.
Every last thing the state does should be stopped in those GOP districts. Except traffic enforcement where there will be multiple roadblocks checking for anything and everything.
Be blantant about it.
6
Something is definitely wrong when 55% of the vote went to Democrats in the election, but result in 39 Democratic seats out of about 119 total seats in the legislature. The people have spoken this November and it was a repudiation of the Republican policies that were voted in in 2010. But in 2018, the people rejected those same policies. The Republicans are depriving people of their votes. Maybe it is time for the Justice Department to oversee the elections process in these midwestern states. Oh, wait . . . .
4
This is no shock. The Republicans, desperate to hold onto control, will do anything to maintain their power, regardless of the traditional ethics conservatism stands for. Wisconsin is not alone in this fight against authoritarianism. Here in Utah, the legislature (a Republican hegemony for decades now), immediately passed their own version of Medical Cannabis use, after we, the voters, passed the initiative with our vote. In Georgia, Brian Kemp oversaw his own election process as AG, and deliberately committed voter fraud to get himself elected. Then there is Trump, the iconic demagogue with authoritarian tendencies, who is giving Republicans open permission to sacrifice ethics and values in pursuit of power.
I fear that the damage the Republicans are doing to our nation, undermining democratic institutions and the rule of law, has only one foreseeable outcome: violence. I am a pacifist and believe only non-violent movements lead to positive outcomes, but democracy and the rule of law have always been the proxy, or substitute for political violence.
We have already had one civil war, and another one does not appear to distant. The first casualty of war is always truth, and we have a demagogue sitting in the oval office who has made the undermining of truth (especially truth established scientifically) his own special mission. He makes many believe absurdities, and in the words of Voltaire, "those who believe absurdities, will commit atrocities".
8
I have a buddy who is a long time state employee. "Time was", he said recently, "that the Republicans would call us to ask about rules on something, and then change their behavior to fit the rules. Now, they call and ask what the rules are so they can change the rules to fit what they want to do."
26
Each protestor in Wisconsin should be encouraged to post a video on YouTube to explain what has occurred in their state. That's how to turn up the volume on this unfortunate and politically motivated situation.
Not the media, not the politicians but the protestors should be getting out the message.
Otherwise, it will be more of the same in other states. Americans need to understand how ugly things are and the importance of their votes.
4
Elections have consequences, unless you live in Wisconsin.
It occurred to me at a recent meeting where the Pledge of Allegiance was recited, that it is time to change its wording to "And to the Democracy for which it stands . . . "
Walker is going out the way he came -- legislation developed in secrecy, that he did not discuss on the campaign trail and that is being rammed down our throat quickly.
This GOP approach is giving more evidence and energy to the yet to be resolve case of the Assembly's gerrymandering.
1
It will be interesting to see the results of the next election for these republican officeholders (I don't think "representatives" fits)
1
In 2016, a Democratic President sent the name of Merrick Garland to the US Senate for confirmation to be a Justice on the US Supreme Court. The Republican Majority Leader refused to allow that confirmation process, on the grounds that it was too close to an election, that the will of the people needed to be heard first.
In Wisconsin, the election took place, and the will of the people favored the Democrats. But now, that will must be ignored.
Then again, pointing out this sort of rank hypocrisy is like shooting fish in a barrel (or shooting a dish in a barrel for PETA)
5
Are the good folks in Wisconsin so out of touch with democracy that they are allowing a right-wing coup to occur to nullify an election? Wow.
4
If these tactics are not immediately blocked by the courts, I can guarantee you this will happen if Trump (or Pence) loses the midterms. At best this ya acting in bad faith, but it should be unconstitutional.
1
For all those on the hard left who thought it was a good idea to stay home or support Jill Stein, thanks a lot. This will get worse. When the GOP tried similar moves in N Carolina a few years ago, the courts knocked it down. Mitch and the GOP have quietly spent the last two years moving the federal judiciary to the hard right with record numbers of judge approvals. Sometimes you have to look at the entire impact of your actions, and we're about to find out how calculatingly successful the GOP has taken the advantage the left, well into the future when the Donald is gone. We have a socially liberal country being governed by a minority right wing party and soon to be judiciary. Sleep tight!
1
Let the lawsuits begin! It is now up to the courts to overturn this legislation.
If Scott Walker signs this bill, his legacy will be forever tainted by this bullying, sore-loser mentality.
The silver lining: in 2020, I predict that Wisconsin will turn MORE BLUE than it did in 2018. Even more Independents and moderate Republican voters will run away from the Republican candidates. The Republican Party is turning into a repulsive & irrational Frankenstein that even some Republicans don’t recognize anymore.
2
What Republicans are doing is sickening.
Americans in Wisconsin like elsewhere wanted to counterbalance republican conservative policies, but republican politicians are not listening to the people, instead they desperately want to keep their power.
There is only one way to solve this.
Punish them and vote a straight democratic ticket.
Children, pay attention:
If you can't have what you want, cheat.
If you get caught cheating, lie.
If you want to be wealthy, steal.
If you embody these qualities you can run for elected office. If you don't win, refer to the instructions above.
Now you can go out in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody or if you prefer, get a saw and cut them up into manageable little pieces.
Thank you, now go out there and be a good, law abiding American.
3
Is it any wonder the GOP suffered “significant setbacks” in the midterms? Wisconsin is going to go the way of Kansas.
When the state legislatures are flipped back to Dem in 2020, these draconian cry-baby provisions can be repealed. Thank goodness.
Speak out across America: " We will NEVER forget this!"
One party’s outrageous norm busting anti democratic assault on separation of powers is another’s god given right to rule.
And this is why I could never again vote for a Republican.
This party must go down in flames until it either goes the way of the dodo bird or something different and more wholesome rises from the ashes to take its place. But I will not vote for anyone who is still willing to be affiliated with a party whose brand is tarnished beyond redemption; you are whom you associate with.
1
American democracy is a game. The system is easily manipulated. The people of this country are played like a fiddle from both sides, with radical socialists and national socialists seemingly trying to run the country. The is no middle. The center has not held
1
Maybe the people of Wisconsin should import a few French "yellow jacket" protestors to demonstrate against those entrenched Republicans. You might have some quick action.
Republicans do it again!! I can't believe they keep getting away with this kind of immoral behavior.
1
Consistent with the actions of a banana republic. Shameful.
What's the state equivalent of treason?
A most shameful, and abusive, maneuver, on republican side. Sure hope it will boomerang and trap the guilty party into oblivion...once justice plays it's part. This is not politics, dirty politicking instead.
“Stop cheating because you lost. It’s such poor sportsmanship. Come on.” They don’t call it the heartland for nothing ❤️. Way to go Wisco, don’t let them get away with it.
When will everyone realize that fascism is on the rise in America and understand that it's creeping toward what happened in Europe in early 20th century? I guess it's just ignorance that people don't understand that Hitler didn't just appear one day. Like Hungary and Turkey today, the water torture of decades of democracy degradation prior to the horrors of that era are what we see across our country creeping us in that direction. And Republicans seem to be complicit in their ignorance and greed for power and money.
1
So if the Republicans win the governorship in 2022 but lose the legislature they will have effectively cut off their own hands per the executive branch. So they must think the future of their state politics is turning blue and will remain that way for some time.
But it might even get worse. They may have angered Wisconsin voters, even Republicans who believe in democracy, to the point of losing their majority in the legislature while losing the governorship again. Wisconsinites are very passionate and engaged voters. The Republicans will find out come the next election.
2
For eight years Robin Vos and the Republicans thought the balance of power in Madison was just fine. Now, at the eleventh hour, they suddenly get an epiphany? It is an attempt at spoiling the work of the next administration, which will still have to work in a bipartisan manner with the state senate and assembly. If the Evers administration can do anything, I hope it will be to reestablish non-partisan redistricting, and that will take care of the extremists.
5
Contemporary Republicans apparently believe that only they have a right to govern.
They need to be very afraid of a time in the not-so-distant future when Democrats will have regained control of all the branches of government, and elect to adopt this same attitude.
No good can come from this stunt.
3
Sadly, I know of no other way to emphasize that is is a great blow to democracy other than making a commitment to avoid purchasing all things Wisconsin. They are welcome to consume their own cheese and keep the liquid crystal displays etc. There are other sources. What a shame.
Oh please - we are being cheated here! And have been for 8 years under the oligarchical funding of small minded republicans in this state. Voter turnout - 57 percent statewide and 93 percent in Madison (yes, 93!) - was tremendous at the midterm election. It was a sweep. But please note, even though Dems won 55% overall votes, due to intense gerrymandering, have only 36 seats to the 63 held by Repubs. This is the subversion of democracy well funded by the Koch’s with a power hungry bunch of rabid right wingers (aka Wisconsin Republicans) who lie, cheat and steal and thwart the will of the people who were divided and conquered. This state under Walker has become a meth lab of democracy and the dress rehearsal for the likes of our current national “Situation”.
And beware - if it can happen here, it can happen anywhere.
It took a while, but the voters DID speak. They have been ignored.
2
Oh, dear me. Republicans undertake anti-democracy tactics. Just relax, everyone. It's in their DNA to be crooks and thieves and to love Jesus. These shenanigans are delightful to me because they convince me that the racist bribe-seeking and sanctimonious brand of Republicans so lately in prominence are looking over their shoulders in horror at the demographic beast which will devour them in the relatively near future.
1
Do you still wonder why they admire Putin?
Do you still wonder why they turned to Putin for help?
Is there any doubt in your mind where they are headed with this?
And the fools want to ensure that guns are allowed in the Capitol?
3
Robin Vos is a stone cold liar with his shtick about "restoring balance of power." Balance didn't matter for years as republicans pilfered the public trust. It only matters now that the people have made it clear that they need rid of the republicans' anti-democratic gerrymandering and voter suppression. Let it be clear, republicans are out to destroy this nation and divide the remaining wealth amongst their own offshore bank accounts. Sickening.
9
Not a power "struggle," a naked power grab by a party that has to cheat because it can no longer win the popular vote. Call it what it is NYT and stop pussyfooting around. Time for the courts to step in and stop this subversion of democracy.
6
STOP THESE CROOKS! What they are doing is criminal.
We have a well-defined Democratic process in this country which these evil Republicans choose to ignore. Were the shoe on the other foot they would be screaming like skewered pigs. This tribal warfare must stop NOW, and Wisconsin is the right place to make a stand. The people have spoken - let their word be heard or suffer the consequences.
There is a name for the Republican political philosophy...."assholism".
2
Skanky.
Subversive.
and,
Shameful.
“People just have to start being nice again,” Really??!! Likely to get better results when asking a savage rapist to pause and put on a condom. Don't ask them to be nice. Waste of time. They aren't. FIGHT BACK!!! HARD!!!!!
3
So what is the democrats plan to change what the GOP is implementing in Wisconsin??? These GOP lawmakers should be prosecuted and Walker should be in jail.
5
Take it to court.
2
Suggested title:
"Democracy Struggle in Wisconsin"
1
Republicans like to talk about how Christian they are, and flaunt their evangelical credentials. Well, the basic principle of Christian morality is "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." If the situation were reversed, and Democrats tried to pull this kind of nonsense, the Republicans would be howling bloody murder. They claim to be Christians, but their actions belie what they say. They don't understand what Christian morality is all about.
8
The Republicans are no longer representative of anything other than their own power-hungry, greedy shameless little souls. In the process of eliminating themselves for the future (they don't actually think that the upcoming generation of voters would ever support them do they?), they have and continue to damage the country and the world. The sooner we are rid of these malevolent forces, the better.
2
Nowadays the only way the Republicans can gain and retain power is by lying, cheating and stealing, but they can't hold back demographics and progress forever. Trumpism is not the future of the GOP -- one full of optimism and new ideas -- it's its nasty, wailing, raging end. Good riddance.
2
Did they take away the citizen's Second Amendment rights?
Republicans are enemies of democracy. Their time in the barrel is coming.
Given what is happening in Washington D.C. right now, I think the New York Times needs nothing less than a Feature piece on whether or not today's Republican Party is ready to accept the peaceful transition of power to the Democrats or to anyone else.
Because that will most likely be the main story of 2019.
6
The GOP are often the first ones to wrap themselves in the American flag and all that it stands for. But such political machinations that these Wisconsin Republicans have enacted betray their real self serving interests. Perhaps they should read "our" Constitution and pay attention to its first word- We, because they (Wisconsin Republicans) seem to think the "We" means only them.
36
Do the Republicans in Wisconsin and Michigan see how this looks, how it is appears to be nothing more than a power grab and that they look sore losers?
The 2020 elections in Wisconsin and Michigan will sure be interesting.
Once again, we see the only way Republicans get power is by cheating.
1
Just another example of how our two party system seems, ultimately, doomed. There is no cooperation, no compromise, no desire or plan to build a better future, no respect for the entire electorate rather, our governance swings from radical left to right.
10
@Charles Tony Evers is hardly the "radical left," but stripping powers from him because the majority of voters wanted him is indeed radical. Stop conflating Dems and Repubs. One them isn't interested in democracy, and it's the one that lost the popular vote yet still has control in WI due to gerrymandering.
9
@Charles
May I suggest that, since the radical right started it and continues its unprecedented assault on democracy, the "left" has no choice but to meet it radically.
4
@Charles
Since when has this country been controlled by the radical left? Obama was a center-left corporate Democrat and Bill Clinton moved the party to the center in pursuit of corporate money. From where I sit, we’ve been controlled for the most part over the past forty years by the radical right.
8
In the last two years we repeatedly have seen exhortations to vote to overturn the horrors that have afflicted the nation. And here we see, yet again, subversion of that vote by the GOP with phony justifications for their outrageous behavior.
If you were intent on teaching your children to have no faith in their government you couldn't come up with a better lesson.
Take them to court.
45
@dmdaisy
In our current political climate, the lawyers are laughing all the way to the bank.
4
The voters of Wisconsin can fix this very easily. Take note of exactly who voted for these measures and then vote them out in the next election.
2
Yes but a) maybe the voters in those districts, who lost to the overall majority of Wisconsin, prefer that, and b) everyone in the State has to suffer with potential gridlock for four to six more years.
This move seems like a change that needed to be made to the state’s Constitution, not by legislators in gerrymandered districts. And I wonder if part of their move is related to controlling the shape of their districts. And if the powers they seek to limit now were specifically expanded for Scott Walker.
These voters have a lot more to do than vote to get their government to reflect the majority.
The Declaration of Independence is very clear about the duty of the people against tyranny. I hope the people of Wisconsin do what is necessary to preserve democracy.
3
A very sad day for democracy in Wisconsin. The actions of Mr. Walker and Mr. Vos directly contradict the popular vote. The GOP is desperately trying to maintain control in the face of losing popular/majority support in areas all across America. Their prior focus on judgeships may serve them well in the moment, but the people are getting angry about their votes and voices being ignored by the GOP. I hope that as subsequent elections drive the GOP into minority there will be ways to stop this blatant power grab at state levels.
1
I am from Minnesota and have lived in Wisconsin.
I could have retired anywhere in the Midwest.
Very glad I chose Illinois.
Not the Northern Blue cloister I spent 50 years surviving, but Deep Red Southern Illinois.
I have hope for Illinois and like warmer weather.
1
The people of Wisconsin have lost their state to the Republican wealthy who control Republican politicians.
1
This is a step along the path that ends at removing opposition party candidates from the ballot or dissolving the legislature. Will I someday live in the people’s republic of Wisconsin or the federated counties?
2
The little moral decency left is now gone. Immorality is now the political norm.
1
Remember this when Republicans cry foul if anyone says to pack the supreme court.
When you ignore your constituents, you're not a democracy.
1
I would submit that the concept of the Wisconsin and the North Carolina Republicans to "cleverly" subvert democracy emanates from the same source. We see that in the Cross Check travesty and the Stand Your Ground law, both coming from the same source Kris Kobach, minion of the Kochs). My guess would be some Koch outfit.
The origin of this blatantly undemocratic move should be investigated, a task apparently now always relegated to the free press. Pull the covers off and see what is under them. We already know that Scottie Walker is a Koch boy, so it's not much of a stretch to suspect the same group gave the Wisconsin legislature its orders.
3
The Wisconsin legislature is free to do as it wishes, particularly if the same folks will still be in power during the next session. But Scott Walker was repudiated as the state leader and has NO moral authority to strike out against his successor in the lame duck session.
Anyway, Republicans should remember what goes around, comes around. Fairness dictates the Dems are entitled to take actions to solidify their control of government. Some measures, like universal voter registration and unfettered poll access, are just good government measures. But it would also be fair for the Dems to stack the courts and gerrymander legislative districts. Or at least do this long enough to rebalance state governance and offset the prior overreach of the opposition.
The Democratic Party and Democratic voters also have to remain engaged and show up in every election. They have the governorship but the 2020 legislative elections will be important for federal redistricting after the census.
The Dems also need to govern well. And, in a closely divided state, they need to go far enough beyond the interests of their electorate to have broad and sustained support statewide.
30
@Michael Tyndall
Although I am also outraged by the actions the Republicans in the Wisconsin legislature are now taking, one should remember the old aphorism re an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth leaves all blind and toothless. Your suggestions border more on retribution than a solution. Yes to broad and sustained state-wide support, no to retribution.
1
@Michael Tyndall Actually, all we need is non-partisan redistricting, and all would be well. A non-gerrymandered Wisconsin would naturally lean blue.
7
@Katrin
Thanks for your comment. I'm not sure of the demographics and population distribution in Wisconsin, but Nate Silver at FiveThirtyEight has noted that Democrats aren't necessarily favored in non-partisan redistricting. Dems tend to be more concentrated in urban areas than they are sparse in rural and suburban communities. Hence the probability that non-partisan redistricting would waste more Dem votes in urban districts while allowing modest Republican majorities to still prevail in districts outside the cities.
To be fair (itself subjective) to all the voters and their chosen political parties, redistricting needs to be done such that the voting percentage of each party roughly correlates with their representation in state and federal legislatures. However, it should also be noted that increasing percentages of voters register as Independents. How they're dealt with might make all the difference.
This story should be front page.
Republicans claimed voter fraud but found none.
They gerrymandered their way across the country.
They suppressed votes and blocked voters and (allegedly) threw legitimate votes in the trash.
Now they are cementing their power by blocking duly elected Democrats on their way out.
Run this story above the fold and commend these valiant protesters! This is yet more outrage from a dying party’s final desperate attempts to stay in power, shattering small d democracy as they fall...
57
@Nancy Connell
I live in Texas and Lord knows we have our problems. But a story like this just makes me feel defeated and deflated and ready to give up. What good does it do to run a good campaign and win only to have it virtually negated? What good does it do to function fairly when the other side consistently resorts to cheating in order to win? Dang, I wish there was justice in this world...
7
The events in Michigan and Wisconsin further cement the narrative that the GOP no longer cares about the constitution or the rule of law. The GOP only cares about maintaining power at all costs. This mentality was prevalent before Trump, ushering in the authoritarian Trump regime, which disregards both the law and proveable facts.
The GOP can no longer claim any moral authority and both members of the party and vociferous supporters of the party have invalidated themselves by supporting such a vile and nefarious political organization.
81
@David
Well said. If the Supreme Court can't strike down these moves in the name of rule of law, due process of law, equal protection of the law, separation of powers, checks and balances-- then the Court's authority is bogus, its reputation much akin to that of the Dred Scott SCOTUS, and our Constitutional system
Chief Justice Roberts-- this is your moment in history; you too Gorsuch with all your talk about how the Court can't do much since there is something called legislation. Don't pretend your Harvard education didn't equip you to understand what the experts on gerrymandering and mathematical tools to guarantee minority partisan tyranny. Step up or we are doomed. But you will be too if there is anyone left to care about the deeper principles underlying Constitution and about the reputation of the last Chief Justice.
5
Actually, Robin Vos is probably right. The Republican legislature does have a responsibility to protect the policies put in place by the outgoing Republican governor. If the good people of Wisconsin are that upset, they should vote for more Democrats in their state legislature. As it is, they put a majority of Republicans in power and this is the result.
1
@Ms. Pea If you are interested, please look into the gerrymandering phenomenon in Wisconsin. It may well be the reason that a party which received fewer votes in total nonetheless holds a strong majority in the legislature. The district concept was put in place in an era in which personal transportation depended on walking, and horses. Technologically, there were no telephones. Think about that. Currently, the majority in the legislature uses computers to create districts which advantage themselves. Result? Minority representation.
We do. Gerrymandering at its worst. Despite more overall dem votes, The republicans control both chambers due to finely honed gerrymandering skills. Search the archives - Aug 17, 2017 - for a good explanation. Repubs are funded by the Koch’s here, with a small intellect governor who has run this state for his own benefit and those of his contributors. And if it can happen here, people, it can happen anywhere.
Evers still will have one power, furnished to him by the Wisconsin Constitution and therefore not assailable by the GOP - the power of the line item veto. Evers will be able to veto appropriation bills either in their entirety or in part. "In part" includes the right to veto a single number or letter.
Watch the GOP cringe as all of their appropriations get cut after Evers assumes office. They'll have to cut a deal with Evers that restores the current status quo or watch their favorite programs die the death of a thousand line item veto cuts.
50
Wisconsin resident here (just not at the moment). Actually, he can’t delete single letters or numbers. But he CAN delete whole words, like “shall” or “not” — and so alter the entire purpose of a bill. Thank goodness.
11
I have worked with Mr. Ever and know him to be a man ethics, sadly, he will be unlikely to use his veto power to exact revenge on the Republicans.
1
@smokeywest. Its not revenge...its doing the right thing.
5
It is crucial (and entirely legal) that Wisconsin Republicans move quickly to restrict the powers of the incoming Democrat Governor.
Wisconsin has experienced economic resurgence under Republican rule and is no longer the haven for welfare recipients from Illinois that used to plague it.
The Republican legislature must move quickly to prevent the new Governor from destroying the state's wonderful economy.
And they only have a limited amount of time to accomplish these goals while Gov. Scott Walker is still in office.
1
Your views have no basis in fact. The WI legislature is an embarrassment. The election of a Democrat does not justify the anti-democratic panic driven legislation.
35
You MUST be joking. Have you ever been to Wisconsin? I have lived here 25 years and the last 8–under Walker—have produced a dramatic downturn in prosperity, infrastructure and civility.
53
So why in the world was Mr. Walker defeated if the Wisconsin economy under him is so utterly fantastic??
18
Wisconsin voters, where are you? And what are you thinking of? The theft of even-handed, open, democratic governance has been occurring in broad daylight, but you seem oblivious to the fact--and I wonder if you even care. Yours is a great state, with a unique and historic connection to national politics--yet you allow this travesty of a governor, and this corrupt legislature, to circumvent due process and saw away at your Tree of Liberty. Wisconsin voters, where are you? And how could you allow this to happen?
32
OK...what would you have us do?
7
@Robert. Agreed. How did Wisc let this happen? They actually voted for this GOP crime family? Have you now seen enough? So Plan A: resist and chase these people out at every turn. Then fumigate. Because they will never back-off. Never. They’re pre-programmed to crawl into absolutely every office, at every level, at every opportunity. You’re in a war, people. And your home-state GOP is hoping that you’re not looking. They don’t consider an election loss a loss. Its just time to plan their next assault.
17
Vote sensibly moving forward.
That would be a start.
Come on people! We live in the same country.
8
As an anti-progressive, anti-Democrat I find this behavior of the Republicans abhorrently repugnant. It would be proper to finish the legislative session completing bills in conference and preparing for the transfer of power, but let's be honest, the apoplectic rhetoric the Dems have hurled at the Republicans on a daily basis since the election of Trump has been fodder for this retaliation of sorts. I'm afraid that It's going to get a lot worse before it gets better as we all know that an elephant never forgets.
1
@Kurt Pickard No, stop the excuses. This kind of abhorrent behavior started well before Trump. The only defense Republicans can now muster is whataboutism. The party needs a total rethink and a move back to center-right from the extremes.
44
The elephant has forgotten every principle upon which the GOP was founded and it is crushing the country under its backside. I hope it wakes up and remembers that before it is too late.
7
@Realworld Media's fault. They reported it, so they must be lying liberals. Gop will never have back-bone to accept facts. It exposes them for the big business cheerleaders they are. No worries, it will trickle to your bank account .
4
As Ilive in a sane country I am not familiar with the ludicrous ways of some of the States. Just as a question: can't the future Democrat Government simply undo whatever the outgoing ones try to introduce?
7
@pierre In order for the new Democratic Governor to undo what the Republican Governor does, the Democratic Governor would need to have the bills to "undo" passed by both houses of the legislature. Since the legislature will continue to be controlled by the republicans, they won't do that.
In this country to really do much (I.e. pass laws)
the parties (Democrats or Republicans) need to control both houses of the state legislature and
the governors office. That is true also at the federal level -- House of Representatives, Senate, and President.
13
or
they need to have a partner to approach governing in a bipartisan way.
Where are the Republicans who are going to do that?
3
@pierre This demonstrates that the legislative branch is the preeminent branch of government, just as Jefferson said. This is true of both the federal as well as state governments.
The ballot should be re-arranged: the House voted on at the top of the ballot, the Senate candidates next, and the office of President (or Governor) to the third position on the ballot.
1
"Robin Vos, the speaker of the Assembly, said Republicans owed it to their voters to protect policies enacted under Scott Walker, the Republican governor who was defeated in November, and to institute checks on the power of the incoming Democrat, Tony Evers."
It is very disturbing to read these words.
Democracy is not only about accepting the results of a free and fair election, but more importantly it is about accepting the idea of change.
On both counts, the republican law maker here fails the test.
10
As a Republican, I applaud this. The Dems and their open border, liberal agendas must be contained. They can't do it so it's up to the republicans to do it for them.
2
This is typical of Republicans. They misrepresent either through ignorance or lies the Democrats position on immigration (ie open borders) and are clearly willing to undermine democracy to retain power.
27
True. Hate to see those Canadiens crossing the border. Oh wait you only care about keeping the southern border closed.
The good part of this legislation is that it should keep your party out of government for a very long time. Voters will remember and be reminded.
15
Sorry but you can’t strip a governor of his powers just because you don’t like the election results. This is the undemocratic undermining of
the will of Wisconsin voters. The GOP stop at nothing to win. They are truly the party of corruption.
37
time to take it to the streets
9
The Republicans' policies are so unpopular they have to gerrymander, suppress voting, and pass legislation like this to keep their grip on power. Pathetic and anti-democratic. WI Republicans are giving Republicans everywhere a bad name. This is going to come back to bite you.
6
There are only two kinds of Republicans, conmen and stooges.
5
Where and when do we order our
"chartreuse vests" ??
It's Time.
Viva La USA !
4
You fell asleep, Wisconsin. You fell under the spell of Mafia Donald. You fell and scraped the knees of democracy. All it takes for the GOP - Gnarly Old Pirates - to climb aboard is for you to fall asleep at the helm. Eternal vigilance is required in a functioning republic. Now, atone.
1
What is happening in Wi is pretty typical GOP tactics both nationally and locally. They cant win on policy so they have to rig the system so that challenging and changing their policies are near impossible. That along with gerrymandering and measures to suppress the vote is really all they have to sustain their party. They seem to have totally forgotten the whole government for and by the people thing. Last I knew the majority gets to set the path as determined by the majority of a states constituents.
Republicans far and wide are for all intent and purpose attacking democracy simply because it is no longer good for their deceptive wealth oriented agendas.
12
As the saying goes "when democrats lose they get sad, When republicans lose they get mad" Democrats are going to have to get mad also from now on.
1
@JCM Agree somewhat. Getting mad is fine so long as it is doesn't compromise the integrity of democracy. It is one thing to get mad, quite another to push aside the principles of democracy in retaliation.
Elections have consequences. If the citizens of Wisconsin do not approve of these Republican actions they can vote for Democrats in 2 years. If enough Democrats are elected they can rebalance the power. Citizens everywhere need to educate themselves on candidates' policies and positions and vote for those who represent their interests. Elected officials work for their constituents.
Tom
2
Those state legislative districts are set up for the Right Wingers to win 65% of the seats with just 45% of the total votes cast.
@Tom Wisconsin's GOP has gerrymandered the State assembly so bad that even though Dems won 54%(!) of the aggregate vote, they only picked up one seat. When 54% of the vote leads to a 36-63 deficit, the voters are speaking but the goalposts have been moved.
2
This is a not a power struggle. It is a straight-up corrupt grab of power to nullify the results of an election that Wisconsin Republicans do not like. This publication's inability to call a spade a spade here is why the GOP has been able to change America without passing any laws. They simply do what they want and the media keeps quiet. Please make sure that you take your responsibility for this disaster in the years to come.
10
This will be struck down in court, or course, but it highlights in no uncertain terms:
Republicans hate American values
They hate our freedoms
They hate Democracy
They want to silence the citizens of the United States
They believe they are entitled to rule regardless of the will of the people
All good Americans will pledge to NEVER vote for another Republican ever again. Ever. No matter who they are.
The Republicans party, as former Republican strategist Steve Schmidt said again yesterday, needs to be obliterated. Wiped out. Destroyed. Erased from our politics.
9
@John
Everyone in the United States needs to recomment this comment!
1
The GOP in Wisconsin is wronging their voters, Republican, Democratic, and independents who voted in the new governor and attorney general. When these voters voted for their choice it was with the understanding their choice would be operating under the current conditions and powers of their respective office. So, this strikes any reasonable, patriotic citizen as an attempt to dilute their vote and therefore is un democratic. That is why many of their citizens are down at the capitol building getting in your fsce.
3
Across the country, the Democratic frogs now realize that the water in their pot is about to boil. The Kochs' long game, beginning in 1981, is now taking full effect. Just read Dark Money by Jane Mayer and all this makes perfect sense. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Money_(book)
3
How is this LEGAL?
7
The irony of telling people on Medicaid that they are lazy and they need to work more while providing 82 golden parachutes to Walker appointees, all in one session!
15
If the GOP can't win an election, maybe they should rethink their policies rather than stripping power from duly elected officials. Either the rules apply to everyone or there are no rules.
8
I look forward to the imminent imprisonment of all Wisconsin Republican legislators. Lock them up!
4
For a true democracy to work, the transfer of power should be seamless. This lame-duck power grab truly embodies the rapacious nature of the modern GOP. Trump is a symptom, not a cause, and Scott Walker will go down as a major root of our morally-corrupt conservative establishment.
9
The GOP once again showing the are anti democracy.
10
@Randy
Plus being Anti American, against Democracy and all it’s meanings!
1
We are witnessing the birth of a dangerous, dystopian society in slow motion.
12
It will be interesting to see how the general public, both right and left, react to what is certainly an unethical action. Just because they can, doesn't mean they should - especially as they are trying to preserve their own power. Generally a majority public isn't very forgiving of those that rule as a minority, in fact, I don't know why anyone would want power over those that don't want them.
4
An elected official is in power until the inauguration of the next elected official.
@William - yeah but that elected official can do a lot of damage to democracy within those waning lame duck days.
2
I don't live in Wisconsin. I live in Texas, another state which has had Republican teeth locked on its neck for so long now. But getting back to your state of Wisconsin, what do Scott Walker and the Republicans really think they're creating there? Or miscreating? I keep thinking I'll wake up and Scott Walker will be gone - along with some other "leaders" in various states & national politics but it just never happens. And I don't feel like some sort of rabid Democrat. Just kind of an average American really.
7
You know this is the result of some national Republican strategy that some nasty dark-money think tanks cooked up months ago in the event that things turned out like they were fearing during the midterms.
I say that come January 2019 the newly Democratic controlled Wisconsin state legislature reverse these un-disguised wrongful "laws".
And btw, cheers to that one Republican who voted against it. Someone who actually showed a little honor in that party? Kind of unbelievable.
9
This move by Wisconsin's legislature essentially disenfranchises all of those who voted for the Governor-elect. The GOP is strangling our democratic republic.
11
At least fascists and communists are more candid about their contempt for democratic processes and the voice of the people. The Republicans in Wisconsin--and North Carolina and Michigan, as well--have really gone off the rails and have completely abandoned any mooring they may once have had in American constitutional democracy.
8
Keep up your fight, citizens of Wisconsin. How a legislature can do such an illegal and self-serving act of treason against democracy is appalling. Take it to the courts. Take it to the streets. Don't hold back.
7
The true colors of these Wisc GOP legislators is now exposed. Some reveal party. Who are they taking their orders from now? And a significant % of Wisc voted for these people? How are your choices working out for all of you? You were played.
2
The U.S Senate did this same thing to OBAMAs last scotus appointee. They changed the rules, ignored the rules and out right stole the rights and prerogatives of the democratic elected leader.
it is a pattern and one that needs to be countered.
Frankly I hope the D controlled states retaliate which would put the GOP in the position to cry foul as they do the same thing in R controlled states.
4
Wisconsin repubs have thrown down the gauntlet and escalated an all out war. Dems will have a very long memory and what goes around comes around.
5
Republican politicians, you disgust me and you disgrace our nation.
We’re a democratic nation. The voters are supposed to be in charge, and you’re supposed to be our servants. The entire point of electing officials is to avoid these sorts of power grabs. The voters pay you, and you have no business overturning the votes of the people.
10
How quaint to shout shame. They should’ve rushed the Senators and taken over the proceedings. That would’ve been real democracy in action.
1
Republican lawmakers might just as well sy to citizens of Wisconsin;
"If we can't fleece you (Foxconn), we will see to it that no one else is able to lead you out of the darkness we created. We will do everything we can do to see that you fail."
So goes the republican scorched earth playbook. The dead end pettiness of the republican machine and their supporters.
It is up to the people of Wisconsin to write down the names of the people who are perpetrating this nasty vendetta. Write the names down on a slip of paper and put it on the refrigerator.
Cynical politicians believe the the attention span of the average voter is short.
It is up to us, all of us, to preserve the memory of the people who tried to turn our government upside down.
It is up to us to do everything we can do to see that they fail.
So if they ever attempt to regain power in any position we will be able to object, and to fight back.
3
It could always get worse. The Republican Legislature could pass laws that make it almost impossible for democrats to win and then when they have the full reigns of Government, pass a law to allow Ballot Harvesting so the minority party can never regain power. In other words, they could just follow the example of California if they wanted to really control the Government. Sounds like they are just fighting a rear guard action to me and not the full fledged assault you are portraying.
Cats on a hot tin roof. These Republicans are simply making their last stand before their eventual removal.
1
The Republican party has nothing to do about governance or those governed. It's all about power, keeping that power and using that power to the party's own glory.
What is it that Republicans have forgotten about our form of government being a democracy?
8
This is how Scott Walker and friends will reach out from the grave.
They lost. Move on.
4
Plain and simple if you vote republican then your voting for a lying cheating stealing party B4 country do anything to keep power including trample your rights fiscal responsibility failing womanizing tax scamming lowest of low Party. If you vote democrat well then your voting for freedom.
10
I always am surprised that people, like these Republican legislators, don't understand the backlash they will create. They are not only narrow minded, but short sighted.
17
Thanks to the Koch brothers and other billionaires who have supported Walker and other gop puppets. I don’t recognize my state. A disgusted Wi voter
24
Ah, so Wisconsin GOP wants to emulate the GOP scoundrels in NC.
7
I worked in the state capitol during the 1990s before leaving the state, and have been increasingly dismayed by the rightward and one party direction of politics there over the last 10 years. The days of bi-partisan policy making on important issues supported by civil and personal relationships across the aisle seem gone. All of the state's citizens of all political persuasions need to demand a return to those days of bipartisan policy making at all levels of government. The civic and economic future of the state depends on it.
7
Blue in 2020 in all branches of government or people who work lose. Republicans know how to steal, but not how to govern.
17
Typical outrageous behavior by the GOP. If you can’t win an election fair and square, then you deprive voters the right to vote, when that doesn’t work after you lose, you game the system in the interim. Wisconsin and Michigan might just as well pass laws creating authoritarian states.....while there is still time.
10
Here's a suggestion for the 2020 ballot in Wisconsin: a constitutional amendment, forbidding lame duck sessions of the legislature.
11
If voters want to have intelligent legislators, they have to vote intelligently.
6
So the Republicans are now concerned with the "balance" of power. Where was that concern before the election?
I'm pretty sure this is unconstitutional and may be criminal. Perhaps every member of the State Legislature should be investigated for, well, just being Republican.
13
Get rid of the long interval between election and assumption of office. Is it really necessary? That would help cut down on these shenanigans.
7
I haven’t read all of the comments, but has anyone asked how is it that state legislators across the country come up with the same ideas to protect their ideology and control? We’ve been through this before in Wisconsin with ACT 10. A professor at UW-Madison asked that question early on and it was then that we learned of ALEC. Almost every Republican legislator across the country are members of ALEC, as are our large corporations. Laws are written and passed on to legislators for them to introduce. It is obvious that ALEC/corporate America is still running the show. I am grateful every day since this last election that the likes of Leah Vukmir did not win. We have Tammy Baldwin who consistently works for the people of Wisconsin. It is some comfort to know we now have a governor who stands with the people of our state. I add my “shame” to Robin Vos and Scott Fitzgerald and company. I can only hope this power grab will backfire on them in the 2020 elections.
20
Time to go to court and sue every Republican involved. Multiple lawsuits. Depose them.
17
Time for Americans to order yellow vests from Amazon.
24
Wisconsin’s previous governor Democrat Governor Jim Doyle tried to lock down the teachers union’s stranglehold on the Wisconsin taxpayers before Walker was sworn in during his lame duck session 8 years ago. Wisconsin only elected a Democrat governor but kept a majority republican legislature so no liberal mandate here in Wisconsin.
1
When a Republican stands before an assembly and declares they are working "on the behalf of the American people...", you can pretty much be assured they are working for their own self interests.
19
The Republican did this in North Carolina too. So much for democracy, civility and the integrity of our elected officials in office.
13
Don't forget we have over $4 billion in promised incentives to a foreign company washing around this state. If Republicans are willing to strip democracy for their principals, what else are they willing to do? I hope our accountants are keeping a very watchful eye on things.
12
Democrat or Republican.
Good or evil.
White hat or black hat.
Potter or Voldemort.
Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader.
It's your choice, folks. It's really become that simple.
16
Go protestors go!! Give them as much stick as you can and don't back down!
15
Time for “Yellow Shirts” in Wisconsin? Like what just occurred in France, albeit a different issue. Yellow shirts would even look like cheese! Go people of Wisconsin! Circulate a Yellow Shirt plan on all social media platforms!
10
What is happening in Wisconsin is a perfect example of how democracy can always be subverted by creative dishonesty and poor sportsmanship.
We Americans can never forget that even a democracy like the United States started out with legalized slavery and disenfranchisement of women!
25
Why hasn't anyone reported on what happened last year, when North Carolina's Republican legislature tried this after a Democrat was elected? A court ruling shut it down.
14
Here in Maine we have a lame duck Republican Governor who has vetoed Medicaid expansion five times. It was then voted in on a citizens referendum, but he continues to block it by filing court petitions. The Republican Party has gone off the rails and they are determined to bring American values with them.
24
We have to stop them! Someone please tell us how to do that. The republicans have taken over our state for eight years and are disregarding the will of the voters. I am angry and scared and filled with thoughts I never imagined I would ever have.
20
If voter suppression and gerrymandering were not sufficient evidence, this should underscore the complete disregard the GOP holds for our democracy; merely an inconvenience subordinate to their party. When will the electorates in these states see them for who they show themselves to be?
14
With every act of dirty pool the Republicans bring (from the Supreme court on down) the rhetorical question is "how would they react" if the situation was reversed. They're vandalizing our democracy and need to be stopped at the ballot box.
25
I would like to respectfully request that a majority of the Republicans in the Wisconsin State Legislature vote no on these bills. They are completely un-American, and they are not what the people of Wisconsin want to see happen. This is clear. Republicans, please show some integrity. If you do not, we will know you are taking Wisconsin down the final path of no-return--you will be known as a fascist, anti-democratic state, and one without decency.
Wisconsin is a beautiful state and I was proud to make my home there for quite a number of years. I am sick sick sick. This is really BAD.
13
Something about true colors, in a song
1
If the Wisconsin Republicans are going to practice "Scorthed Earth Politics" and overturn the votes of 1.3 million Wisconsinites who voted to end the stench of Scott Walker's corruption, then it's time for Democrats to play hardball.
IF the Republicans pass even ONE piece of legislation in this lame duck session, I call upon the DNC to immediately strike Milwaukee from the list of finalists to host the 2020 Democratic convention.
I do not want my fellow Democrats from across America to spend even $1 in the Fascist Dictatorship that the Republicans are establishing in Walker's Wisconsin.
20
@Jim B
Agree 100%
3
It's about time we limited the "Lame Duck" period and permit those newly elected to assume their offices as soon as possible
The "Lame Ducks" have no loyalty to their constituents because they have been voted out by them, hence they attempt acts to disrupt the will of the people.
5
This latest salvo against democracy in our state reveals the power of special interests to thwart the will of the people. Republican legislators in Wisconsin take cues from outside groups like "ALEC" and corporate donors at the expense of citizens. As if their gerrymandering of districts was not enough, now they engage in childish, "sour grapes" attempts to thwart our newly-elected Governor and Attorney General before they even take office.
Many of us have high hopes that under our new leadership we can reassert Wisconsin's progressive traditions and leadership in environmental protection. Walker's reign has been marked by rollbacks--unless you're a corporate special interest.
I just emailed my Republican state representative to let her know my opposition. Do you think she cares?
This is disgusting and symptomatic about everything that is wrong with politics in America today.
12
There is much to admire in US governance, but the right of out-going legislatures to stimy an in-coming administration is not one of them.
4
One minute Republicans are bemoaning the "liberal mob," and the next they're pulling a stunt like this. Ever since the Merrick Garland nomination, I've had trouble saying the Pledge of Allegiance. I'm sorry, but those words no longer ring true.
14
Authoritarianism is not just a Deep South problem. If the courts cannot stop this demise of democracy, we are just as bad as Turkey or Hungary. Without a Blue Tsunami in 2020, I don't see a good outcome for citizens.
9
In those small towns of WI, which are in the 60 counties which consistently voted for Walker and the GOP, what has Trickle Down Economics brought to you and your community? Better schools than 10 years ago? Higher incomes? Better roads? Affordable college tuition? Better healthcare? More jobs? Or, did the lives of the Top 2% get a lot better while your community crumbled? I grew up in one of those small WI towns.
19
There is so much frustration and angst being expressed here about these futile protests in Madison, but there is yet to be seen any acceptance that this is the way things are now. Slogans and signs are impotent in the face of entrenched political establishments, and when their constituents are already armed to the teeth , and just waiting for the word to go in, then no amount of MLK-ing is gonna change it. Is anyone kidding themselves that it’s not just republican-voting haters that have storage lockers full of ammo? Notice how the shelves are cleared in ammo stores every time a Dem wins big somewhere?
This country needs to separate amicably before the proverbial hits the fan; if there’s anyone who votes other-than-republican that still thinks this power-grab in WI, and the nations courts etc is a mere episode that will slip away into history as the cycle revolves again in the near future, then you’re no use to those who see it for what it is, and who fear the authoritarianism that is looming.
Me? Well I’ve only got about 20 yrs or so left, so am not visible, or at least am seen as harmless/irrelevant, to those planning this clamp-down. It’s the Acorns and the unions and the poets and community activists ( remember Giuliani’s sneer about them in 07?) that they’re coming for.
Good luck everyone.
6
In Trump's America, Republicans believe laws and elections don't apply to them.
They don't care a whit about democracy, it's all about power. They are a disgrace to our nation and a disgrace to their party as well.
25
I used to respect reasonable conservatives. Didn't agree with them much but they were honorable and had their own reasons for what they believed - they were principled. Now, one of the worst things I can think about someone is that they're a republican. (small r is intentional)
21
Sounds like they have taken lessons from the NC legislature.
8
Is what Republicans are trying to do in Wisconsin any different than a certain Republican in the Senate did to Merrick Garland?
10
Again, true colors from a Republican Party that has become anti-democratic (little d.)
Voter suppression.
Bogus claims of widespread voter fraud.
Extreme gerrymandering.
And when they do lose, don't allow the other party to govern.
We are being ruled by a minority that once again was trounced in a fairly held election, yet somehow maintains a majority of power in the country.
16
Ah, Wisconsin. Seems like a cheesy state looking to milk its constituents. Such a wonderful Republican spectacle or is that a debacle? We'll see in November.
I love it!
2
Isn't it curious that Wisconsin’s Republican legislators only noticed power was tilted in favor of the executive branch when voters sent their executive out on his ear?
23
Republicans are an entitled lot. When they don't get what they want through a fair election, they believe they have the right to steal it. History will name them for the stinkers the've become.
11
Wisconsin Republican legislature acting in such a brazen way is shocking. That they are actually defending their behavior in defiance of voters only more so.
Best you can hope for is citizens remember this move during the next round of state house and senate elections.
8
This is what has been happening in NC for years. The Republican supermajority did the same thing in 2016 when we elected a Democratic governor. There were large protests in the capital and a barrage of calls, tweets and letters, but the legislators had the protesters arrested and ignored the citizens. It's a horrendous abuse of power.
2
Do not let them get away with this or Democracy will be lost.
8
Sorry, I know this isn't politically correct and that we should all work to come together, but honestly, Republicans are thugs. Their style of politics, at both the State and National levels, is the equivalent of a purse snatching or a brass knuckles sucker punch. Dems and libs are damned if we do and damned if we don't. We either get down in the mud with the GOP and MAGA-ers, in which case the level of discourse deteriorates further, or we turn the other cheek -- again and again and again...
26
Is the Wisconsin GOP so stupid that they've forgotten the adage "what goes around, comes around"?
6
Subverting the will of the voters is a form of vote suppression. The Republicans who are so concerned about fraud in elections and voter suppression are now practicing it openly in Wisconsin. This is the same tactics they used in Texas in the past.
22
The greatest terrorist threat to America today is government run by Republicans.
41
This is like so banana republic.
13
Wisconsin GOP is pro-coup, anti-democratic.
15
The authors of these bills state that they are "afraid that Evers will bring a liberal agenda to Wisconsin" and that these bills are necessary to protect citizens from that agenda. But citizens elected Evers BECAUSE he is bringing a liberal agenda to our state. We don't want this kind of "protection" - so we voted to get rid of it. This isn't hard to understand. The GOP is essentially nullifying our election.
26
This whole article has ZERO mention of role of Koch’s Brothers In what right now underway in WI. NYTimes gave Kochs a totally pass. Scott Walker a Koch-made-politician.
11
Five different sets of bills? I can picture the meeting of the Wisconsin chapter of the Republican Geniusness We're Totally Not Sore Losers Club (Powered by Koch®)
R1 - Why don't we just burn the place down?
R2 - No, I'm allergic to the smoke, and Mommy doesn't let me play with matches.
R3 - What if we pass a law that says the Democrats have to be Republicans to pass a law?
R1 - That sounds good. How do you spell our party name? I always get it wrong after K O C....
R2 - It has an R somewhere, but it's hard. Why don't we pass a law that says they can't win the election?
And so on. Paging Bobby Jindal - you're now beyond party of stupid, and over into criminally contemptuous of the purpose of elections. John McCain's gone. Bush just died. Your party gets lower each time one of the decent ones passes on.
PS - dear Michigan GOP. Taking back rules you passed that help voters. Real classy. You folks are tops. Why not spend the rest of the year telling your voters you were just kidding when you passed laws that help the working class?
5
The GOP culture of corruption need to go to jail and fast in this state. If they are allowed to weaken a Democratic governors power then we are in a fake Democracy and all thanks to the Catholics and evangelicals who voted for this corruption. Sick.
6
Absolutely disgusting. Pretty clear that lots of Republican politicians value power more than Democracy. Have they no shame?
10
@AL
You are just realizing that they have no shame?
2
Republican Party: the party of Domestic Terrorism. Republicans are anti-democracy, and why? Because close to one half of today’s Americans (and most all immigrants) are the wrong color to suit they’re Humanity palate.
Republicans are now in league with the Know Nothing Party of pre-Civil War America...and how’d that work out for everyone?!
5
What do I call a Republican party led by a Russia backed President that is anti-democratic and ignores the will of the governed?
Communists!!!
8
Don’t trust the Republicans. Being born bullies they don’t care for democratic values. I have a suggestion. Why don’t we hand over the country to the GOP and make Trump life time president. I am sure that will make them happy and make ‘em put on them wear the lambs’ clothing.
4
They are exercising theirs constitutional authority as duly elected legislators. What is the problem? Were the same people whining about Obama pushing through regulations as a lame duck? Lame duck laws are still law.
@KBronson
I know hypocrisy is a complicated concept for conservatives so let's just say, remember Merrick Garland.
1
Wisconsin right wingers are throwing a four year old’s tantrum because something they feel entitled to has been taken away. They don’t look to the people to legitimatise government. They believe in divine right. In Wisconsin it’s 1775.
6
the koch brothers spent millions to buy the power to control Wisconsin gooverment. They expect the Republican legislators to protect their power, which is why they bought and paid for Walker and his minions. The Koch brother are simply trying to keep a stranglehold on the people of Wisconsin.
11
The GOP has declared war on democracy.
Voter suppression, fraud (in N Carolina, it appears), gerrymandering, and now, in Wisconsin and Michigan, lame duck GOP governors and the GOP's gerrymandered legislators are attempting a limited form of a coup, to overthrow the powers of the Governor, Atty General, and other statewide officials.
Recent events in Georgia, Florida, North Carolina are further evidence that the GOP at state levels is no longer a "conservative" party. (At the federal level, this has been clear for two years.)
The GOP no longer stands for the baseline value that has made America great: democracy via elections.
This will have severe consequences for them in the future, as it will leave only a small proportion of voters willing to support them in the future.
They cannot & will not win this war, even if they win a few battles.
That is why Mitch McConnell's GOP Senate is furiously attempting to pack the judiciary with right wing judges. The GOP leadership knows that it will eventually control only this single branch of government. Their plan is to use the judiciary to block progressive legislation for the next several decades.
When Democrats eventually control the House, Senate, and Presidency, there are many options to ensure that a GOP judiciary does not block human progress.
6
“These are the right things to do,” Mr. Vos told reporters. “We are going to make sure the powers of each branch are as equal as they can be.”
You weren't too concerned with doing this before, with Walker as governor. Why now? Your hypocrisy knows no bounds, Vos.
15
If anyone wanted proof that the Republican party does not believe in democracy anymore, this is it.
18
A coup d'état is correct. With actions like these, imitating the actions in Congress, evidence is given that the Republican Party seeks to destroy our democracy one act at a time. I hold that the entire party is guilty of treason and must be dissolved. As some kind of non-profit organization, that means they have a charter, and it is past time to revoke it. These legislators belong in prison, as do many, too many Congressmen, like Paul Ryan.
10
This kind of action reminds us of the need to enshrine the allocation of powers between the executive and legislature in state constitutions,where they are not as amenable to this kind of gamesmanship.
3
Wisconsin. Michigan. North Carolina. The US Senate.
When will the public learn that the GOP does not honor democracy or their interests?
The GOP play a game of ruthless hardball and its time the Democrats returned the favor.
6
As if we need another reason to never, ever again vote for a Republican candidate for any office at any level of government.
10
Basically the Republican party is now dominated by Trumpian pols who only believe in winning at any cost- legal or otherwise- and paying off those who are their backers. The lame duck power grab by those who can only get elected in gerrymandered districts seeks to overturn the election of legitimate winners who won in state wide races where gerrymandering isn't possible. This type of behavior was pretty soundly defeated in November in elections that weren't distorted by the illegitimate actions of Republicans who in every way possible sought to keep people from voting or voting in districts where the politicians have so carefully chosen who will be voting. 2020 will see more results throwing these bums out and there will also be a new census that will redraw district lines. Dems need to keep up the fight and make sure democracy again means fair races for state and congressional offices that aren't determined beforehand by those who will be running.
2
You can never count the republicans out! Even if cheating isn't enough to give you an election, there's always the pre-transition power grab! It's never about democracy, it's always power and control!
8
These people act as if they are surprised the legislature is doing this, don't they know who the Republican Party really is? I guess not, they voted them in.
3
A coup d'état is correct. With actions like these, imitating the actions in Congress, evidence is given that the Republican Party seeks to destroy our democracy one act at a time. I hold that the entire party is guilty of treason and must be dissolved. As some kind of non-profit organization, that means they have a charter, and it is past time to revoke it. These legislators belong in prison, as do many, too many Congressmen, like Paul Ryan.
We are agog at other countries when such things happen, but here, we see it happening incrementally. It must be stopped. Completely.
5
I am a longtime Madison resident temporarily living abroad, watching the gilets jaunes of France and keeping a furious eye on things at home. It kills me not to be at the Capitol today, trying once again to help my friends and neighbors and colleagues save democracy. Walker and his minions have had their day, or really, their (almost) decade. Time’s up. This. shall. not. stand.
34
Wisconsin, you should be chanting:
YOU WORK FOR US ! ! !
...as if they need to be reminded.
And yes, they DO need to be reminded. In no uncertain terms, and in ways that they cannot ignore.
28
The Christmas Tree is from Ed Gein's hometown of Plainfield, Wis. Weird!
5
Ladies and Gentlemen: MEET YOUR REPUBLICAN PARTY!
Corrupt, anti-democratic and beholden to plutocrats.
Look behind their star spangled curtain and what do you see?
Greed and a thirst for power, always more power. Power gained by any and all means possible -- as here we see.
45
What was it about the last election that Republicans didn't understand? They weren't just tired of Scott Walker. They were tired of Scott Walker's policies.
346
@Tom Q
Of course they understand perfectly well and they have just as much respect for their citizens and their state as they have the entire time Scott Walker has been governor, which is none at all.
13
President Bush was elected by his teammates to be Captain of his 1948 Yale baseball team.
Democratic elections are no longer a system that is widely popular among members of the Republican Party.
14
It is enough that the people know there was an election. The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The Republicans who vote to limit the authority of the incoming government decide everything. - Joseph Stalin (updated)
24
The GOP has been flanking our American values for years. No longer. This is NOT “reasonable people can disagree on matters of policy and direction.” This is a full, frontal assault on our Country, perpetrated by zealots. Sickos. But the hay is stored and the cows are in the barn. So grab your pitchforks, people. Now. Our blazing bonfires will keep us warm. Because our beautiful, American experiment is in jeopardy. Real jeopardy. Madison calls, Our Country calls...mount up.
33
This is ludicrous.
In a country that beats its breast bragging about democracy how can this even be legally permissible? Where are the checks and balances?
43
@CaptPike66: This is a state matter. Surely, there will be lawsuits in state courts.
3
It is not surprising to read the leftist radical Judaic-Protestant New Yorker Democrats' criticism of a healthily centrist state of Deep North. Let them be and solve their differences rationally and peacefully.
1
Nothing so rational & peaceful as the GOPigs hogging the political trough all to themselves, eh, TX?
17
If you call this rational the only thing in doubt is your rationality, or honesty.
15
Rationally and peacefully? What?
1
Walker Republicans trying to nullify the will of people of Wisconsin.
Can whatever Walker Republicans pass be reversed in January ?
15
Again Republicans trying to take power from the Democrats. It reminds me of when they refused to even meet with the Dem's choice for Justice for the SCOTUS, which seems unConstitutional. I'm so proud of Wisconsin for kicking Scott Walker out but Walker wants to limit the next Governor's power. Go away Scott Walker.
24
Walker and his cabal - Vos and Fitzgerald, and the rest of the power drunk GOP lot - have for years run fast and loose with the rules of democracy: public meetings with little advance notice, voter restrictions, gerrymandering, and misrepresentations of their policy intentions.
This latest end-run is breath-taking in its brazenness, however, and shows just how desperate this band of outlaws is. Their MO for the past several years has been: if they can't win by the rules, they change the rules.
These guys are of the same ilk as Trump and his clan: dishonest and shady. They make a mockery of democracy and should be run out of town.
43
The GOP is out of control. This is not how a party behaves in a democracy. So that makes them authoritarian, period. Call it like it is, NYT. This not a disagreement. This is a power grab directly opposing the results of an election. If that doesn't matter, then we no longer live in a democracy. The media and a lot of the public have a blind spot when it comes to white Christians misbehaving. If there were a majority black state legislature doing this, people would lose their minds.
34
"It's kind of real inside baseball, kind of legislative stuff that it's hard for me to believe people will get too excited about." That's Scott Fitzgerald, Republican Senate Majority Leader, speaking to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Now that it's obvious people are getting excited, Fitzgerald just says "we don't trust Tony Evers." Legislation being voted on now, sure to pass, my beloved progressive Wisconsin is dead.
19
@Richard Beverly
Another Fox Pointer, here, Mr. Beverly. I agree, this is NOT the State of Wisconsin I grew up in, and knew to be so even-keeled over the years.
Am heartsick and angry. I mean, we showed up to vote. Isn't that what it's all about? These hostile actions by the Legislature are just beyond words ...
The worst part is, I feel / fear there is no remedy. They will get this done.
5
In 2010, after Wisconsin elected a GOP Gov, Senate and Assembly, the Dems called for a lame-duck session to approve labor contracts that were completely opposite what the GOP legislators had campaigned on changing. These contracts would have committed future budgets to increased expenditures that would have to be passed on to the citizens of Wisconsin. The Dems even got one legislator, who was not re-elected, out of jail for his vote to approve the contracts. The move failed when the outgoing Democratic Senate Majority Leader killed the measure.
Incoming Gov Evers does not have a mandate. He didn't even get the majority of the vote last month. He won by only 30K votes state-wide on the strength of carrying liberal Dane County by 150K votes and liberal Milwaukee County by 138K votes. These restrictions on the Gov office were already in the works before the elections and would have been introduced even if Walker was re-elected.
So the Democrats DIDN’T subvert the democratic process after all. Why do you discount votes just because they’re from liberal areas?
3
@Brian Higgins
Unions brought you an 8-hour workday and weekends.
2
@Brian Higgins "The move failed when the outgoing Democratic Senate Majority Leader killed the measure." Doesn't that negate what was written right there?
2
Until the disenfranchised voters of Wisconsin recall these Republicans cheaters, they will suffer at their hands. Clearly the swamp is pretty thickly populated in Wisconsin. Voters need to show them who works for who.
23
the problem, well one of the problems, is that the Republicans have gerrymandered the heck out of our state to ensure they stay in power. so the representation doesn't as actually reflect the proportion of votes cast.
15
The solution is very simple. No legislative session between an election and the seating/swearing-in of the new legislators. The fact that we allow laws to be passed after an election and before the newly elected legislators are sworn in is insane. Well... just as insane as this power grab is.
We need election reform BADLY!!!!!!
62
If you don’t like the results of democracy then then take democratic outcome out of the office! What a country we live in. No wonder Putin and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia are high-fiving each other.
19
This article fails to mention that Dems won the majority by 300,000 votes and the Republicans lost ONE seat in the state legislature. The state is gerrymandered beyond belief.
148
@John
Someone said 30k above.
2
Besides the gerrymandering that has been done to Wisconsin, the people that voted for Scott Walker are responsible for this. Even Aaron Rodgers can't save them now.
19
The Wisconsin legislators could care less about the constitution AND democracy. They should move to Saudi Arabia, or Turkey (just two example places). And leave our country.
6
Too bad Wisconsin doesn't have initiative or referendum rights for their citizens. Might be something to work on for the future, Wisconsinites.
6
Mr. Walker said. “This is just putting into statutes what we’ve done in practice.”
What? Isn't that illegal?
4
Add "sore losers:" to the list of pejoratives that describe the pathetic G.O.P. In addition to being the perpetrators of that which they profess to hate -- voter fraud -- they are guilty of ballot manipulation, gerrymandering, voter intimidation, registration rejections based upon spurious critique, and now this, even after they have engineered to get more seats with fewer votes. This truly is voter fraud. Quite seriously. Challenge them in the courts. Present evidence. Lock. Them. Up.
11
This is such a despicable act by republicans that i believe they should be voted entirely from office in 2020 election ,
18
There’s almost a religious dimension to this. This blatant, desperate, even messianic power grab aligns with the evangelical belief that they don’t have to submit to worldly governments or the will of the people (despite multiple New Testament verses including the words of Jesus himself clearly stating the opposite) if they perceive the government or popular will doesn’t align with their religious beliefs. In fact, without delving into the minutia of a state I once admired but now couldn’t care less about, I bet you most of these republicans are either evangelicals or deeply beholden to evangelicals. There’s a real jihad-martyr feel to this jaw-dropping display I thought once was confined to Muslim states.
An analysis of the religious and/or evangelical connections in the current Wisconsin Republican legislature as well as more broadly the way evangelicalism has deeply harmed the Democratic will of the country’s majority since the GOP got in bed with these theocrats is long, long overdue. Start with Wisconsin today.
269
@left coast finch Nice summary.
8
@left coast finch
wow, i just now finished watching my first episode of Handmaiden's Tale, read this article, and yours was the first comment I read. It sent a chill down my spine.
16
@left coast finch The only thing that is being worshipped is money. These money worshippers are the holders of the true levers of power. The so-called evangelicals are just patsies.
13
"The package of last-minute bills proposed by Republicans is sprawling — five sets of bills, to be precise. Most of them seek to reinforce policies cemented under Governor Walker and to block Tony Evers, the soon-to-be governor, and Josh Kaul, the newly elected Democratic attorney general, from exercising oversight or from rolling back conservative policies of the last decade."
Republicans are trying to stop Tony Evers and Josh Kaul from doing what the people of Wisconsin elected them to do. They're ignoring the results of the election.
They can't be allowed to get away with this kind of unAmerican behavior.
515
@L - They aren't just ignoring, they are intentionally subverting the will of the electorate. It is a civil rights violation of the entire state. It is purely dictatorial and in line with the tyrannical and theocratic leanings of Trump Republicans.
135
@L
We have been up against this kind of skulduggery since Walker won the governorship, though it has gotten progressively worse. What does one do when one's elected officials IGNORE the will of the People???
62
@Can you hear me now
The French started a rvolution in 1789
13
One of the key messages that far-right media has been hammering home for decades is that only Republicans are legitimate leaders. Unfortunately, not only have many Americans accepted this premise, so have many Republican officeholders.
This is why compromise became a dirty word among Republicans:regardless of what the Constitution says, one doesn't compromise with with people whose claims to power are entirely illegitimate, one only defeats (or better yet destroys) them.
This is also why we are seeing Republicans engaging in such consistently amoral and immoral behavior: it is a perfect storm of ends justifying means. They have persuaded themselves that no matter what they do to maintain power, it is better than if they were to cede it to Democrats.
196
It’s pretty simple. Republicans represent white people and Democrats represent all colors.
A bunch of spoiled brats with a feeling of superiority.
10
They have come to hate Dems and liberals more than they love their own country.
26
From the outside (I live in Oregon) it seems that the election was in large measure against Walker (and Trump). Wisconsin's new governor is a milk-toast nice guy who wants to work with Republicans. (Just like Obama did.)
I wonder when the Democrats will finally get the message that you can't work with Republicans. Their idea of a compromise is when they get 110% of everything they want — instead of 150%. And they lie, cheat and steal to get it. (Look what's going on in S.C. where the Republican committee hired a former felon to literally go around and steal people's votes before they were mailed in.)
What's too bad is the the Democrats didn't elect a firebrand as governor. As the official party of bullies, all the Republicans understand it power — and there is plenty a real fighter can do to disempower them when the Dems take control of Wisconsin — if they have the guts to do it.
15
@Philip S. Wenz
Wisconsin doesn’t do that.
Remember that Walker survived the recall election because Wisconsinites thought it would be unfair to remove him before the end of his term.
It’s just how they are. They believe in fairness.
7
@retired physicist, i tend to doubt that. WI supported Walker because of the rural vote. He was not popular in urban areas.
this is the 'age old' battle of educated urban 'elites' against frankly ignorant rural left-overs.
and yeah...at the moment I mean that as mean as it sounds given the filth those rural voters keep giving us.
18
North Carolina was the state where ballots were “collected” in person.
4
Unfortunately Wisconsin voters have learned the hard way that resistance is futile, almost like flailing at windmills or something. I have no doubt these will be rammed through like everything else. Republicans have no fear since most of the districts favor them by so much they have zero interest in capitulating. It does seem like democracy is dead here. Republicans won my districts by 65% and up and the lone democrat ran unopposed.
I see the outraged comments but unfortunately most of these are from blue coastal states, not small town Wisconsin.
76
@Kooper I think you don't see so many Wisconsin outrage comments that's because so many outraged Wisconsinites are at the Capital, in Milwaukee, writing letters, calling their state senators and representatives.
27
@Kooper
I see you live in Saint Joe McCarthy territory. That might explain the 65%.
11
@Kooper correct, WI is going to be force fed this utter insanity ....and right after the monumental DEM win??!?! ....the only path now is to start a bunch of finely scalpel'd monumental lawsuits ...or go home & admit defeat (and turn the heat up) ....you have my WA state sympathy WI !!!
13
The Madison Capitol Rotunda:
A place where I have taken my grandkids to know the honor of our state government.
A place where I brought Brownies and Girl Scouts to see first hand our Capitol and experience a sense of patriotism.
A place where I accompanied Wisconsinites afflicted with Muscular Sclerosis so they could speak about the cost of their pharmaceuticals with legislators.
A place where my daughter and son-in-law got married.
A place where the citizens of Wisconsin denounce the corrupt governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker, and his fraudulent Republican pals.
As you can see, Scott Walker and the Republican legislators have poisoned our state, toxified a most gracious place, and tried to implant corruption in our beautiful and precious Rotunda, a place symbolic of our steadfast and enduring Wisconsin. Thank goodness for those opposed to this fraud meeting by the hundreds and maybe thousands lifting their voices against this untoward governor and legislators. Thank goodness for the Democrat legislators trying their best to speak for so many of us.
And then there’s Scott Walker, son of a pastor, so far from what God should stand for here. Ironic.
290
More than ironic, tragic, I would say.
1
They succeeded in North Carolina. And they will succeed in Wisconsin. It would be a grave mistake to assume that the Democratic congressional seats gained can have the effect of diminishing the controlling power that the GOP has effectively achieved at the local, state, and federal levels of government, including total control of the SCOTUS, where all five of the Republican justices are ultra conservative orthodox Catholic men
(notwithstanding the smokescreen of Goresuch’s late conversion to the Episcopal church), all five beholden to the strictures of the Vatican, and to the mandates of corporate globalization.
78
@citizennotconsumer i have not studied the triggers of civil 'wars', but a lot of what is going on in the US sure portends.
13
@citizennotconsumer Their only god is money. Don't mistake all the bells and whistles for any kind of belief.
17
This is straight out of the USSR.
How far we've fallen.
14
I recent the term "Angry Democrats" used in your second paragraph of this article. In addition to using a term that is frequently used by Trump to describe Mueller and his team, this unlawful and undemocratic power grab by Wisconsin's current Republican legislature and Governor should make every American angry -- not just Wisconsinites and not just Democrats. It belittles the opposition to these actions as just another partisan sideshow when it is so much more.
7
Next, they'll hamstring the next Packers coach from changing Mike McCarthy's scheme.
6
Maybe the Packers will make Walker head coach. It could only benefit my Chicago Bears.
3
If Wisconsin goes this it will negatively affect all of the other states. There must be standing for other states like California to sue to stop this
3
How you can be a Republican in this day and age and consider yourself a decent person is beyond me. North Carolina absentee ballot fix'ngs...voter "fraud" laws....and the latest games played by the Wisconsin republican legislature is the dirty playbook loved and followed by the GOP.
But perhaps the mistake on the left is thinking there was ever an ethical standard on the right. Saying you hold God, Family, and Country above all else...doesn't make you a decent person.
13
"Unethical power grab" should be the motto for the Wisconsin Republican party.
10
People up there just too lazy to defend their rights? Too meek to save their democracy? There comes a time to draw a very bright line. Maybe that time is now? 20,000 angry people marching on the Capitol won't be ignored, I'll bet you. 200,000 and you can rule the world.
3
@Thomas Payne
No sir, we are not lazy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Wisconsin_protests
And those of us too far away to protest, made calls and canvassed.
3
Madisonian currently abroad here. @ Patricia: hear, hear! There were hundreds of thousands of us at the Capitol in the coldest months of 2011. Lazy? I think not. The thing is: when they have the power and you don’t, they don’t have to listen. And they didn’t. And Wisconsin has suffered terribly in the aftermath.
5
I am watching the demise of the Republican party destroyed by their own hubris. Sad.
5
@Bewley5
Not sad to me. Destroy away. The sooner the better.
6
Wisconsin is the Koch's test tube. We're about to see how they deal with losing at the ballot box. In Central America - it's called a bloodless coup.
11
Not surprising, after watching Making a Murderer I'm convinced Wisconsin is one of the most corrupt states in our nation.
6
These are probably some the very same people who in 2000 mocked the Democrats chagrin over the Supreme Court's decision on that year's presidential election. "Sore Loserman" was the cry and perhaps it's time to turn the tables on those in Whisconsin who repeated that epithet with such glee.
2
Maybe the national Democrats finally will wake up and make a major and continuing issue of the Republicans' subversion of our democratic institutions. I still hold it against them that they didn't lift a finger to defend their Wisconsin comrades during their protests against Walker and the GOP ramming through their anti-labor legislation.
6
My home state Republicans seem he77 bent on being the biggest embarrassment and bigger crybabies than trump. Didn't losing the governor's office and others tell them anything? Wait until the lawsuits and your even bigger loss in 2020. Our state has had enough of you.
8
Republicans only believe in democracy when they win.
28
Can we please troll and shame every Republican in Wisconin (or everywhere) with the NOT FAKE but very descriptive title "Poor Loser?"
8
@janet silenci...they don't care. they really don't. they think winning is all that matters. principles are for the other guy. contemptible and contemptuous.
10
Pathetic.
8
Republican Party = sore losers and enemies of democracy.
19
So basically, the Republican state politicians want to prevent a Democrat from having the same power that they were happy to have a Republican wield.
This is an explicit acknowledgment of the illegitimacy of the goals and tactics of the Republican deep state.
I case anyone needed any confirmation of that.
29
Do Republicans even care that they're viewed by most of us as a party defined by self-interest, corruption, and cheating the system? That they have sunk so low that they only know how to appeal to voters' fears? I can't think of a single GOP policy that isn't somehow an attempt to put more money in corporate donors' pockets and to make us less equal. There's no set of values there anymore, only an attempt to gain power, hold onto power, "win" in the cheapest way.
13
“Most of us”? Does that include the 48 percent who could’ve voted and sat out the 2016 presidential election? They must not have been too concerned about the GOP or who inhabits the White House.
2
The present-day Republican Party has chosen Crooked Donald to be the best person in the country to represent and advance their values. Mitch McConnell and his Senate Gang have gone mysteriously impotent to do anything about the president. If that doesn't tell you what's really going on here, you'd better wake up.
Playing nice is not how our freedom was won and it won't preserve our democracy in the face of a organized coup attempt.
13
I have been a loyal reader/subscriber of the NY Times for my entire life. During that time I have always appreciated and defended the often courageous reporting found within it's pages. I appreciate the challenges that are inherent in striving for objectivity. I loathe overreaction, hyperbole, and hand wringing. I also appreciate that most within the organization are trying to do the best they can in what is a very difficult time. As a result, I have steadfastly maintained my subscription even when, in more recent times, I find myself repeatedly dismayed by their milque toast coverage of stories and facts that warrant far more decisiveness.
However the cowardly and shameful "reporting" around the unprecedented subversion of democracy underway in Wisconsin (and WI) may be a bridge too far for me. Presenting this as just another benign "Gee, our politics sure are divided these days" story while completely glossing over the constitutional ramifications - both in WI/MI and nationally - is nothing less than an abscondment of responsibility. What the WI GOP is attempting here is a direct affront to democracy and a slap in the face to the notion of 'government for and of the people.' This corrupt and fascist-leaning-accrue-power-at-all-cost attempt will have grave ramifications if allowed to proceed. This should not be a a partisan issue- this is a matter of right and wrong and do we or do we not value the Constitution. It should be reported as such.
336
@Jack
Hey Jack! What’s new about this? They did it in North Carolina and got away with it. The subversion of our democracy has been going on strong for at least 40 years. Most people haven’t noticed because the news media are owned by very individuals who have been engineering the subversion.
19
@Jack, you're right, but the place for that is commentary and opinion, not news stories.
I think it would behoove the Times to write the news story in a more carefully factual manner, stating precisely the positions of both sides and the relevant background. That would have been better.
3
@Thomas Zaslavsky
Generally speaking I would agree with you. Good news reporting should never use overly emotional language or seek to hyperbolize subject matter. However it is equally dangerous to use language that fails to provide an accurate account of what is taking place. The role of the media is to provide readers with accuracy and understanding, and to do so CONTEXT, as well as the language used to explain such context, matter greatly.
The goal should be truth and accuracy, not willfully ignoring context to create a manufactured appearance of neutrality.
If a man walks down the street and someone runs up behind him, hits him over the head with a baseball bat, kicks him while he's down and then spits in his face before running off, should that be reported as "two men have altercation in street." Is that accurate? Do we need the op-ed pages to note the clear victim/aggressor roles here?
There are too many examples of shamefully misleading passages in this article to note them all, but just start with the headline: "Lawmakers Clash..." 1) We've seen this phrase a million times. It's tired, lazy, and could just as easily refer to a dispute over a local zoning ordinance as it does a subversion of democracy. 2) It implies conventional partisan maneuvering and alludes to culpability on both sides. 3) It implies nothing out of the ordinary and nothing worthy of alarm.
Do you really think this allows for an accurate understanding of what is taking place here?
3
I just voted in Milwaukee on November 6th and was so relieved that the Walker era was finally toast....don't let them get away with this, people.
18
@bw3: What do you suggest those of us outside Wisconsin do? (I'm not being facetious.)
The slow rolling Republican coup of the United States gathers some steam.
The Republican Donor Class is a threat to this country's existence.
22
I'm not sure how their state constitution is written but is seems about time they put some protections in place to ensure separation of powers. The AG's job will become obsolete or pretty much hamstrung if they enact their new bills. Some states allow for the people to vote on constitutional referendums and this may be a way forward for the people of Wisconsin if the state legislature continues to act in bad faith.
23
"what they deemed an unethical power grab"
Why does NYT have to mince words on the facts here? Republicans lost and are trying to diminish the power of the people who will take over. How is this a matter of opinion?
397
It's called OBJECTIVITY.
No one is mincing words here. They're reporting the facts. Facts are open to interpretation. You call it what you will.
5
@mizdeirdre This isn't an editorial board op-ed. It is news. Therefore they have to describe the point of view of both sides and allow an educated reader to form their own opinions. To be clear, I agree with your take - Republicans are acting in bad faith to disrupt the democratically altered balance of power. Nonetheless I won't attack NYT for reporting news as it should be reported.
15
“After losing top state offices in the midterm elections, Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin were racing on Tuesday to push through a series of bills that would diminish the power of the incoming Democratic governor before he’s sworn in.”
I wonder if the Republicans actually admit to this.
9
@Oliver
the leadership has stated repeatedly that their actions are because they do not trust the new Governor-elect.
pretty close to a power gab if you ask me
5
@Oliver The Republican leadership is trying to sell the line that all these (140?) changes to state law are tiny tweaks that they were planning to do in January had Scott Walker won a third term... conveniently forgetting that Scott Walker did *not* win a third tern, and that after eight years of this nonsense the electorate is now well aware of how the GOP has been maintaining control of the Legislature, and that it's a far cry from the "popular mandate" that the Republican would-be dictators always claim. And "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain" is no longer an acceptable answer in Wisconsin politics. Eight years of failure to govern for the benefit of *all* the people is enough.
3
this should be changed immediately in court and the state Congressmen who are sponsoring this bill should be prosecuted under criminal offenses as it done with criminal intent to prevent democracy and election mandate from doing what it's supposed to do.
GOP is dragging itself down to new levels of low with every passing day.
63
Psychologists are missing out on a great opportunity here. The GOP legislators in Wisconsin and North Carolina make a perfect subset to study for the absence of a conscience. What happened to these people, exactly, to make them as irredeemably self-centered, corrupt and amoral? Scorched earth, no remorse, no shame... psychologically, they seem to have certain traits in common with serial killers.
That rumbling sound you hear is George H.W. Bush spinning in his coffin at these hideous, pathetic "Republican" descendants. Another sad day for this country.
72
Agreed. Inhumanity is a symptom of fascism.
4
@Streamliner
Money.
@Thomas Zaslavsky
And power.
Both combined with greed, of course.
I am getting tired of NYT reporters using the phrase, "Angry Democrats....", as if, this is a partisan issue and only registered Democrats are part of the protest. Have you verified that no Independents and (former and current) Republicans part of this protest? If not, then what's stopping you from saying, "Angry Wisconsinites"?
As a former resident of state of WI, I wish I could join in the protests. All the best to everyone out there protesting - may you succeed in saving the soul of the Badger state that is being choked by GOP. Go Badgers!
509
Republicans are not interested in the will of the people. They serve the interests of the corporations and the 1% and nothing else.
Wise up America working class and realise Republicans will not look out for your interests. If you are white working class, do not be fooled by their appeals to white nationalism, God, and making America great again. It is merely bait to get your vote, and when they have that they will serve corporate interests and forget your needs.
151
@Truthseeker
Couldn't have said it any better. Spot on. Resist.
4
As a proud Packer fan and equally proud former Wisconsin resident, who was once able to register to vote at my polling place on election day, I humbly offer the following fall-back solution: In January, circulate signatures and pass statewide referendums nullifying all these decrepit acts of pretended legislation.
It is the only way to insure adherence to the voter mandate evidenced by this last election.
57
@rds I doubt Wisconsin allows for this, or it would have already been tried in response to the anti-union laws passed in 2011.
Some states allow laws to be adopted or repealed via referendum, and others do not. It's really the only way to fight extreme gerrymandering such as what we're seeing in Wisconsin and North Carolina.
4
@rds
There is no option for voter initiated referendums in Wisconsin. The Republican legislature isn't going to solicit the voters' opinion because they don't care what the voters think.
3
Wisconsin Republicans are opposed to democracy. They are reactionaries who are loath to share power with others. It’s as simple as that. If people want to live under a system where the most wealthy and powerful can do as they please and others must solicit their patronage to do anything, then the Wisconsin Republicans are their kind of people. If one wishes to live with liberty for everybody, then the people must drive the Republicans in the legislature from office.
14
Republicans seem to know how to win only by cheating. First they gerrymander and skew districts in their favor. Then they limit people's voting rights. Then they lie. "Yes, of course Obamacare is bad. Of course we have cheaper alternatives for you and OF COURSE those cheaper alternatives cover pre-existing conditions! " Until they don't and they have nothing. They they smile, look the other way and place ads on every social media source designed to play into people's prejudices and fears. That big tax cut that another Wisconsin Republican con-man named Paul Ryan promised would bring tax relief to every Joe-Sixpack in America? Yeah, that turned out to be of benefit only to the rich guys at the top who will most likely hire the same now-retired from Congress Mr. Ryan at one of their fancy so-called "think tanks" where they can make plans for the next con-job over clueless Americans. And why does this work? Because there are still plenty of fools and masochists who vote Republican! And even when we win, like voters finally did in Wisconsin, electing some decent people who actually give a damn about their constituents, Republicans are STILL conning and ducking and cheating to pull things back in their favor! Do these people ever quit?! They're like a bad rash that keeps spreading, a scabbed over sore that refuses to heal! I cannot take this anymore!
98
Elections used to have meaningful consequences. Now the results are being undermined before they can take effect.
19
@Rich...Unless it's Democrats acting ethically. Republicans have lost their minds as they lost their elections.
1
As it circles the drain, the GOP reeks of desperation and fear.
91
What is the Republican’s end game? Do they honestly believe they’ll hold their majority for ever? Where do we go from here?
22
@Soccer mom We course-correct, by any/all means necessary, back to decency, honesty, and the bed-rock values of this Country. “What did you do in the war, Mommy?”
2
Q: “where do we go from here?”
A: Do you really think Republicans care? They’ll get by on their tax cut.
Republivans who sing "election has consquences" seem to tjhnk that it does not apply to them. That is one good reason to bar them from any future elections..
31
Why can't these bills be immediately repealed by the new Democratic legislature in January?
7
The Democrats do not control either house of the Wisconsin legislature, though they do control the Governor's office and the Attorney General's office come January. They lack the votes to repeal-a more likely outcome is a court case disputing the legality of the actions, I believe.
29
@Mcp
They lack a majority in the state legislature if I have my facts straight.
5
@Bruce Browne
And if it gets to the Supreme court...
6
Bless there hearts; Democrats don’t believe what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. After conducting the most corrupt and shameful opposition to Governor Walker and his administration, not the least of which was 2 failed recalls, they cry foul at lawful efforts to protect what they accomplished. Cry me a river, but in the future maybe they should behave the way they expect to be treated should they swap positions. In the meantime, let the chips fall where they have been the last 8 years.
1
@HENRY The people of Wisconsin have spoken through their votes. GOP is subverting the will of its people and will be remembered for it. Nobody is crying but Scott Walker on his way out the door.
87
@HENRY
How is opposition to Walker corrupt? I have a front row seat to this, and the only corruptions in this state is from the Republican side.
Also, there was only one recall. As a resident of Wisconsin, I frankly don't want to let the chips lie. (Heading down to the Capitol now to disrupt some chips.)
102
@HENRY the republicans have gerrymandered themselves into power. A clear majority of voters chose democrats in the Wisconsin state legislative races this fall, but they did not gain a legislative majority in either chamber because of GOP gerrymandering of districts over the past 8 years. It’s incredibly undemocratic. The GOP continues to act like facsist authoritarians.
93
"what [Democrats] deemed an unethical power grab that amounted to an unwillingness to accept the election outcome"
WHAT THEY DEEMED??? What would you call it, Mr. Smith? Ms. Davey?
If Republicans say that black is white and night is day, it shouldn't be necessary to qualify Democrats' respond with "Democrats believe that black is black and night is night," should it??
71
@mkc Happy to see that the unnecessary and outrageous qualification has now been removed from the article.
1
Fix your headline. This isn't a fight for political power. Republicans are straight up ignoring the voters and acting like an authoritarian regime.
404
@Tom
They were put in office by their voters and are still there in accord with the state constitution. They are acting in accord with the voters that put them there.
@KBronson, you don't believe in heeding the results of elections, either, do you?
12
@KBronson
You might want to check with Mitch McConnell on that. I seem to remember that he took the opposite tack with Merrick Garland, insisting that the nomination be held for the next president.
3
My family marched on the Capitol for weeks during the first coup. Now, eight years later, we have nothing to show for it and the Republicans press for ultimate power. They are hell bent on destroying democracy. The saddest thing of all is people who do not understand how gerrymandering works, with their simplistic cries of "One person, one vote, quit whining." Utter baloney. We are cut adrift from everything I was taught as a youngster. I have told our daughter to flee this state, post haste, when she graduates high school. It is no longer the state I grew up in and loved.
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@East Side Toad
Us too. We have 2 daughters who left Wisconsin after graduation from high school. I dutifully went and registered my opposition at yesterday's hearing. We're currently planning our exit strategy. I can't take it anymore.
11
@East Side ToadDon't run, stay and fight for democracy.
10
@East Side Toad. It’s happening everywhere. Stay! It’s a fight worth fighting. Absolutely. Your children will be proud. And it’s your home.
9
they lost. they need to get over it.
It really says something about the Rs when their leader makes a public announcement that they don't trust our newly elected governor before he is even sworn in.
Sad. very Sad.
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@Sally McCart
Utterly shocking. Fitzgerald is an embarrassment. He's also not very bright in admitting the partisan reasons for all of these proposals.
11
If any state needs Voter Initiative it is this one. As long as the courts can't seem to resolve gerrymandering, and as long as one party continues to hold the legislature through deceit, craft and cunning, there will never be accurately Representative government. The public, the people, the voters -- whatever your term of choice -- need to muster, gather or gang up and wrest the process of drawing fair districts away from what appear to be self serving officials. This state needs and independent agency for drawing district lines -- and the public is absolutely powerless to get this done.
19
This is GREAT news! "Angry Democrats were gathering at the State Capitol for a tense showdown and a second day of protesting what they deemed an unethical power grab that amounted to an unwillingness to accept the election outcome."
Every able-bodied person in Wisconsin who understands what is going on MUST join the protests. NOW is the time to stop the democracy-destroying Robber Barons who are trying to destroy democracy in your state and run them out of town on a rail. Scare the hell out of them without hurting them.
Leave your job to protest. Take the kids. Get there any way you can to take a stand. Nothing is more important on this day. Nothing.
This must not stand in Wisconsin or any state in OUR United States of America. WE THE PEOPLE - average democracy-loving people across America - stand with you.
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@njglea
We might be too late, but we are coming and not to "protest". We are coming to prevent, by any means.
6
@njglea The people of Wisconsin voted to elect Walker three times. There were mass protests and what did it get the people of Wisconsin other than four more years of Walker? Republicans still control both the state's Senate and House and the majority of the US Congressional delegation. In fact the expanded their control of the state Senate. Evers, the governor elect, didn't even get 50% of the vote. In other words Wisconsin is still a red state. A state that repeatedly sent Paul Ryan to Washington but sent Russ Feingold packing. May they get what they deserve.