GOP looked for ways to punish Wisconsin Democrats

[Roger Perry]

By SCOTT BAUER
Massive protests in Wisconsin

Everything from taking away computers to denying a year of service in the state retirement system was considered to punish the 14 Wisconsin Democrats who fled to Illinois for three weeks to block passage of a bill taking away union bargaining rights, newly released emails show.
Members ofRepublican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald’s staff bounced ideas off one another and the Legislature’s attorneys for days about how to penalize the Senate Democrats for leaving and pressure them to return, according to records released Wednesday byCitizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
The watchdog group obtained the emails from Fitzgerald’s office under Wisconsin’s open records law.
The emails show Fitzgerald’s staff members were as worried about the public relations campaign as they were actually figuring out a way to get the Democrats to come back.
“I would just be somewhat cautious in whatever we do so that it doesn’t end up creating sympathy for the Dems,” Tad Ottman, a Fitzgerald aide, wrote to his chief of staff John Hogan on Feb. 20.

Senate Republicans approved a number of sanctions during their absence, most notably voting to find the missing Democrats in contempt and ordering police to compel them to return. The emails show that Fitzgerald’s staff knew the state constitution barred them from actually arresting the senators other than for committing a crime or acts of treason.
“It now seems that monetary penalties and removal of privileges may be our only recourse,” Fitzgerald legislative aide Rob Richard wrote on Feb. 20, citing the constitutional prohibition on arrest.
The Senate voted on March 3 to find the Democrats in contempt and ordered the sergeant at arms to use police force to compel the senators to return. Fitzgerald said at the time that while the action was technically not an arrest, under Senate rules police could force absent members to return.

Fitzgerald said Wednesday that troopers were only sent to assist the Senate sergeant at arms, who was looking for the Democrats, and never were expected to be asked to make an arrest.

If the troopers were sent out to find the troopers and the troopers took them into custody would that not constitute an arrest???? Or could it be construed as kidnapping as I am sure the senators would have been forced to do something against their will.

“I say we not only make it hurt for them, we have to make it hurt for their staff as well,” Richard wrote on Feb. 20.
One idea Ottman suggested in a Feb. 20 email was cutting the size of each Democratic senator’s staff by one person “since one person from each of their office is failing to show up for work (the Senator).”
That idea and several others, like reducing or taking away per diem payments and denying a year’s service in the retirement system, were not pursued. Richard pointed out in the same Feb. 20 email that taking away a year of retirement service likely would engender a court fight.
The emails also show there were discussions about what would happen if the Democrats returned unexpectedly. Fitzgerald’s chief of staff Hogan asked the Senate chief clerk in a Feb. 21 email what would happen if a Democrats showed up in the Capitol but not on the floor of the Senate.
“Then I assume we compel them back to the chamber via Ted/Trooper/TV cameras,” Hogan wrote, referring to sergeant at arms Ted Blazell. “We should just be ready with a procedure in case it happens.”

Compel them as in kidnaping or forcing them to do something against their will????
http://www.capitolhillblue.com/node/39917

[Ken Bora]

Against their will??????
They ran for office.
They asked for the job, probably asked a lot.
And then they did not do the job, they ran away and hid.
If you hire somebody to mow your lawn and they sit across the street and watch the grass grow.
Do you let them sit there?



.

[Roger Perry]

Against their will??????
They ran for office.
They asked for the job, probably asked a lot.
And then they did not do the job, they ran away and hid.
If you hire somebody to mow your lawn and they sit across the street and watch the grass grow.
Do you let them sit there?



.

I would not send out the police to take them into custody. They were also elected to serve the people and if they did what they did to protect the people they serve what is wrong with that? The Republicans wanted to ram rod through a law that the people the senators represented did not want passed into law.

[Ken Bora]

The Republicans wanted to ram rod through a law that the people the senators represented did not want passed into law.

And so instead of doing that job, if as you say the specific folk in the specific districts WANTED them to do.
To which I would read as being on the floor debating and challenging and re-writing and compromising and promising.
You know, all the things our elected lawmakers are paid to do………
They RAN AWAY AND HID.
If I was one of those specific voters I would be very mad.
They should be flogged on the pubic square.




.

[Roger Perry]

And so instead of doing that job, if as you say the specific folk in the specific districts WANTED them to do.
To which I would read as being on the floor debating and challenging and re-writing and compromising and promising.
You know, all the things our elected lawmakers are paid to do………
They RAN AWAY AND HID.
If I was one of those specific voters I would be very mad.
They should be flogged on the pubic square.




.

there would not have been a debate because the Republicans had the majority, they just needed 1 Democrat there so they had a quorum and could ram rod the bill through and have it passed into law. The article posted was about what the Republicans tried to do not about what the Democrats did.

[Ken Bora]

I feel the voter would respect the backbone required to go into a fight they knew they would loose.
More
Than the ability to make reservations at a motel 6

If indeed the specific voters in the specific districts were against the state they live in finally making the sacrifices necessary to live within it’s means……
Then those run and hiders could have made hay during the next campaign. Even a semi-qualifies speechwriter would make Alamo type comparisons. “We fought the loosing fight for you!”
But who but the most stupid will hire a feller who’s campaign slogan will be “Re-elect me ‘cause when the going get tough you can count on me to run away!”




.

[road kill]

I feel the voter would respect the backbone required to go into a fight they knew they would loose.
More
Than the ability to make reservations at a motel 6

If indeed the specific voters in the specific districts were against the state they live in finally making the sacrifices necessary to live within it’s means……
Then those run and hiders could have made hay during the next campaign. Even a semi-qualifies speechwriter would make Alamo type comparisons. “We fought the loosing fight for you!”
But who but the most stupid will hire a feller who’s campaign slogan will be “Re-elect me ‘cause when the going get tough you can count on me to run away!”


.

DEMOCRATS!!!!!

(Ken, you should know by now logic is wasted on Roger)


RK

[M&K's Retrievers]

I would not send out the police to take them into custody. They were also elected to serve the people and if they did what they did to protect the people they serve what is wrong with that? The Republicans wanted to ram rod through a law that the people the senators represented did not want passed into law.

Ha Ha Ha, another one of RP's jokes. Isn't it? You don't really believe that BS do you? The only way for them to do the job they were elected to do is not show up? What a concept. Let me get this straight. Fill out a resume, ask and campaign for a position, get hired, accept compensation for the job and then fulfill your duties by not coming to work. Yep. Sounds like liberal thinking to me.

[Uncle Bill]

I feel the voter would respect the backbone required to go into a fight they knew they would loose.
More
Than the ability to make reservations at a motel 6

If indeed the specific voters in the specific districts were against the state they live in finally making the sacrifices necessary to live within it’s means……
Then those run and hiders could have made hay during the next campaign. Even a semi-qualifies speechwriter would make Alamo type comparisons. “We fought the loosing fight for you!”
But who but the most stupid will hire a feller who’s campaign slogan will be “Re-elect me ‘cause when the going get tough you can count on me to run away!”




.

Like an old steer, you keep trying Ken. But when it comes to logic, even you must realize you are talking to an airhead. Your last line says it all. That's how the Rogers of this country get their Dimmycrats in.

But, now that you have tried, you will eventually come to agree with UB's #1 edict for BB posting...."Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience."

Plus in Roger's case, my #2 also fits the occasion..."If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong."

Syrupy regards.

UB

[Roger Perry]

I feel the voter would respect the backbone required to go into a fight they knew they would loose.
More
Than the ability to make reservations at a motel 6

If indeed the specific voters in the specific districts were against the state they live in finally making the sacrifices necessary to live within it’s means……
Then those run and hiders could have made hay during the next campaign. Even a semi-qualifies speechwriter would make Alamo type comparisons. “We fought the loosing fight for you!”
But who but the most stupid will hire a feller who’s campaign slogan will be “Re-elect me ‘cause when the going get tough you can count on me to run away!”




.

I would say that the democratic senators slowed down the process so the people of Wisconsin knew and understood what was going to happen to them.