[Updated, 12:51 p.m.] I am glad to see Journal Sentinel Editorial Page editor David Haynes call out conservative Wisconsin Republican legislators for their power play aimed at shoving the duly-elected liberal Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson off the court.
The notion that these GOP monkey-wrenching Legislators are only concerned about judges' ages is 100% b.s. while everyone can see it for what it is: a power play by the right to further assert their dominance on a Court it already rules.
Truth-in-advertising-their bill-writing is not these legislators strong suit.
The right can't beat the Chief Justice at the polls - - Abrahamson, the first elected female Wisconsin Justice and now the court's longest-serving member - - won her last race in 2010 in a 59-41% landslide when her age of 75 was well known.
So a scheming and dictatorial-minded GOP and the very corporate funders which had withheld support from Abrahanson's opponent in 2010 because they knew she was unbeatable have come up with end-run legal tampering to erase Abrahamson's 2010, fair-and-square victory,
I've been trying to raise the alarm about this obvious outrage, this Putinesque ploy- - last year....this year...again...
It's an assault on democracy. You don't change the rules in the middle of the game, and you don't undo elections by arbitrarily ending the term of an incumbent so you can further embed a party or an ideology, especially when its practice is to carry water for the state's most powerful, monied special corporate interests.
When did the GOP Legislature caucus become a political death panel, deciding when certain independent, non-partisan elected officials' careers shall end?
If the GOP has a central committee, it's taking the concept too far.
The notion that these GOP monkey-wrenching Legislators are only concerned about judges' ages is 100% b.s. while everyone can see it for what it is: a power play by the right to further assert their dominance on a Court it already rules.
Truth-in-advertising-their bill-writing is not these legislators strong suit.
The right can't beat the Chief Justice at the polls - - Abrahamson, the first elected female Wisconsin Justice and now the court's longest-serving member - - won her last race in 2010 in a 59-41% landslide when her age of 75 was well known.
So a scheming and dictatorial-minded GOP and the very corporate funders which had withheld support from Abrahanson's opponent in 2010 because they knew she was unbeatable have come up with end-run legal tampering to erase Abrahamson's 2010, fair-and-square victory,
I've been trying to raise the alarm about this obvious outrage, this Putinesque ploy- - last year....this year...again...
It's an assault on democracy. You don't change the rules in the middle of the game, and you don't undo elections by arbitrarily ending the term of an incumbent so you can further embed a party or an ideology, especially when its practice is to carry water for the state's most powerful, monied special corporate interests.
When did the GOP Legislature caucus become a political death panel, deciding when certain independent, non-partisan elected officials' careers shall end?
If the GOP has a central committee, it's taking the concept too far.
The trick will be getting rid of Abrahamson and Crooks, then repealing the law before they have to get rid of Roggensack and Prosser. They might have to call a special session!
ReplyDeleteThe use of the phrase "monkey wrenching" is an insult to the memory of Edward Abbey.
ReplyDelete