Wisconsin GOP Wants Lawlessness As The Law Of The Land
A group of Republican legislators - - angered that elected circuit court judges have stayed through injunctions some high-profile GOP measures, such as Voter ID or the Act 10 elimination of public employee collective bargaining - - are planning a breath-takingly arrogant and politically-stupefying solution:
Ending the effect of circuit court injunctions:
Under a measure announced Wednesday, such injunctions would be automatically stayed as soon as they were appealed - meaning the laws would be put back in effect.
The measure is being offered by Rep. David Craig (R-Big Bend), Rep. Al Ott (R-Forest Junction), Sen. Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) and Sen. Leah Vukmir (R-Wauwatosa).In other words, laws deemed illegal or unconstitutional after a judge had done his or job to make sure laws were legal and constitutional would remain in place - - making Wisconsin a place where lawlessness was the law of the land.
Since Scott Walker's election - - a polarizing event, for sure - - Republicans, with certainty, have been willing to manipulate the law for their own partisan advantage.
Checks and balances? Forget it.
* Unhappy with Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson's service as Chief Justice? Amend the State Constitution so the current conservative court majority can elect the Chief Justice and end the constitutionally-proscribed selection method: seniority.
* Unhappy with student and urban election-day turnout because those are generally-Democratic voting blocs? Institute cumbersome and restrictive ID requirements. Cut back registration opportunities. Limit early voting.
* Unhappy with union power and union support of Democratic candidates? End public sector union collective bargaining.
* Unhappy with state agency rule-making authority, and thus the insertion into the process of non-partisan expertise and fresh sets of eyes unattached to special-interest and campaign-donation influences? Transfer the authority to the Governor - - who happens to be a Republican - - but who will not be Governor forever.
Nor will the GOP be in power here forever, which means these exclusionary and self-interested power grabs can and will be turned against the party that created them.
What a power-mad, short-term, self-dealing and eventually self-destructive agenda.
12 comments:
Attorney General Holder: where are you?
Rep. David Craig (R-Big Bend), Rep. Al Ott (R-Forest Junction), Sen. Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) and Sen. Leah Vukmir (R-Wauwatosa).
Now there's a brain trust that should be making Wisconsin's judicial decisions. Or: How to Become a Wisconsin Judge without going to college, law school or being elected or appointed. Legislative fun!
@anon,
He is sending guns to Mexico.
The Republican Party is starting to conduct itself like the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. These people are aiming to set up a dictatorship in Wisconsin. There is no way to put a pretty face on this political ugliness. They aren't worried that this repressive legislation will be used against them because they think they are the natural party of political power and assume they will be able to rig elections and the courts forever.
"...,power grabs can and will be turned against the party that created them." Nope. Won't happen because the Dems are just not cutthroat enough to do it. More's the pity.
Gareth,
Did you mean to say Democratic Party and US instead of Republican and Wisconsin?
You would have to be blind to assume one and not recognize the other.
He is sending guns to Mexico.
Yeah, that's only allowable when it's Reagan.
Snark aside, your whole comment is based, yet again, on a lie. It only sounds clever in your head.
Gareth, the Kochs and ALEC are just working to make Wisconsin the Norther Laboratory for Bad Policy, to paraphrase Molly Ivin's term for Texas.
Did you mean to say Democratic Party and US instead of Republican and Wisconsin?
Really? You want to use the "I'm Rubber and You're Glue" defense? LOL
And you usually call ME a child.
Did you ever wonder why most of these circuit court cases against Walker and Republicans are always filed in Madison, where the courts are stacked with liberals? This is what the Nazis did in Germany.
Regardless of party, these cases are filed in Dane County because that's where the Legislature and Governor are and took the actions being challenged.
The Nazi connection is empty-headed. Shame on you.
It is also the reason Grassley would like to reduce the number of seats in teh DC circuit court (and that the Republicans are incessantly refusing to vote on appointments to that court). It hears some of the more involved and important cases, that set teh standards for the rest of the judiciary.
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