Wednesday, September 20, 2017

WI Republicans fight, Vos loses. School kids, too.

So David Clarke has moved on, as has Freddy Krueger creator Wes Craven, permanently, which left the badass field wide open for one Scott K. Walker, Wisconsin right-wing GOP Governor and State Capitol back-stabber-in-chief. 

And occupy the field he did with a vindictive move against a fellow Republican right out of the Donald Trump-clobbers-Jeff Session-playbook.

You may remember that during the stalled summer budget process - - which was an embarrassment to Walker who, after all, has a leadership image to project and a re-election campaign schedule to keep - - Assembly Republicans led by Speaker Robin Vos were harder to satisfy over major funding issues than were State Senate Republicans.

Walker rewarded Senators with unusual, last-minute veto promises to get a budget finally produced, and that display of favoritism further irked Vos who was already in high peevitude.

Vos even complained out loud that Walker's Senate allies were holding the Assembly and the process hostage, and Vos decided to show everyone that two could play the hostage-taking game by taking a personal day this week in his Racine-area popcorn factory rather than staying at the Capitol and affixing his signature to the final budget document so it could be moved to Walker's office for signing.

So Walker struck back by including in his line-item budget veto package the elimination of one of the Assembly's prized initiatives - - a method for low-spending school districts to raise additional funding - - leaving Team Vos to explain to their constituents just why Assembly Republicans couldn't protect them from Walker's pointed stick.

Walker says he made the move to help keep down local taxes, putting Vos and his Assembly cohorts in the position of, what, saying they were in favor of higher taxes. Heresy!

Vos could try and override the veto, but none of Walker's veto have been overridden since he took office, and I'd be surprised if Vos has the votes, the nerve to try, or the energy to go for it, since going from a whining hostage to injured party with his knees cut out from under can take its toll.


 

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