All these transparent power grabs by Wisconsin Republicans - - Voter ID registration and balloting restrictions, redistricting absurd legislative boundaries and even keeping 300,000 State Senate voters from a contest in 2012, and now Mary Lazich's last-ditch plan to hamstring recall petition circulators with notarization rules to help Walker save his hide - - indicate that Republicans still remember Politics' First Rule:
Nothing is Forever.
They know that the agenda they are shoving through the Legislature because they have the edge right now - - from the attack on collective bargaining to the hand-over of the environment to private interests to wacky and unpopular gun carry permissions - - will all provoke a strong counter-response in recall and regular election cycles.
Changing the rules to preserve one-sided governance may provide an advantage in the short run, but in the longer term guarantees a fall.
Remember the failure of their fake Democratic candidates entered in the Senate recall elections, a tactic to both confuse voters and delay the elections with costly and unneeded primaries. They still lost two seats, real Dems - - none.
In a democracy, you can keep people down and manipulate the system for only so long before "hoist by your own petard" turns into a political epitaph.
And Republican majorities in power will be swept aside, an outcome made even more certain by their efforts, without shame or a second thought, to rig the electoral system,
After some inevitable and irreparable tipping point, the fresh powers Republicans have transferred to the Governor for Walker's use and special-interests' gain - - greater authority over the former Department of Commerce, probable new 'chamber of commerce-style' management and program powers over a revamped Department of Natural Resources, and top-down rule-making micro-managing all state agencies - - will be exercised by Democratic Governors, too.
Prepare for the whirlwind, short-sighted Grand Old Party.
Let's hope this is true. Right now I fear that the rules have been so radically changed and the boundaries so skewered to protect the republicans that 'we the people' don't really have a chance, much less a voice. It is depressing to think about the havoc he has wreaked on this state.
ReplyDeleteThe boundaries have been temporarily skewered. A three judge panel ,two which were appointed by republican presidents strongly indicated that the new redistricting maps are unconstitutional given that 300,000 citizens will not be able to vote for a state senator. This is going to federal court and will be thrown out. What a mess it will be, especially in the middle of a recall election. Mary ( my hair is perfect) what's her name from New Segraville is obviously running for the hills but no doubt will create more jobs in the state with thousands of Notaries being trained and itching to feel their seal penetrate the recall petition with a cold compressing mechanical crunch. Calling all notary publics!
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