WI Republicans belittle democracy, 'lead' through arrogance

Maybe a better headline would be WI GOP rolls out longer-lasting chokehold.

Because Wisconsin Republican legislators have amped up their sore-losing campaign against Democratic victors and the democratic process by moving to weaken Wisconsin's gubernatorial veto authority which they had protected for the ousted Gov. Walker.


This obviously partisan and belittling slap, cloaked in faux concerns over the separation of powers, is like a jilted boyfriend slashing a rival's tires, then claiming his only concern that public safety be enhanced because now the victim had a new set of tires.

And the GOP claim is as phony as its justification for firing Evers' ag secretary nominee, which had nothing to do with his qualifications or state policy, but was driven by thin-skinned legislators irked when the nominee, Brad Pfaff, said they should be appropriating rural mental health treatment dollars with greater speed.

All this maneuvering by insecure GOP legislators interested only in preserving their careerist titles, perks and eventual insignificance is only the warm-up for Thursday's major act of arrogant, short-sighted defiance: their pledged quick dismissal of Gov. Evers' requested special session consideration of gun safety measures which enjoy 80% polling support in Wisconsin and have been implemented in other states. 

And, by the way - - returning to the separation of powers canard hauled out by Republicans this week - - does anyone remember that after Walker was elected in 2011, his partisan enablers in the legislature gave away to him some of their oversight authority, which thus removed one check on the chief executive and added to an imbalance in Walker's favor.

Wisconsin Governor Walker Signs Regulatory Reform Bill into Law

Friday, July 1, 2011On May 23, 2011, Governor Scott Walker signed legislation making important changes to the administrative rulemaking process.  This measure, which became 2011 Wisconsin Act 21 (and became effective June 8, 2011), changes State agency authority to promulgate rules, provides for gubernatorial approval of proposed rules, makes revisions to the requirement of an economic impact analysis for proposed rules and changes venue in the process of judicial review of agency rules.  

Key changes to the law made in Act 21 include...

1. Governor Must Approve Rules Before Promulgation, Including Emergency Rules, and Has Authority to Prescribe Guidelines: Act 21 requires the Governor's approval before an agency proposes an administrative rule for Legislative review.  In addition, the Governor must approve the issuance of emergency administrative rules by a State agency.  Further, the Governor "by executive order, may prescribe guidelines to insure that rules are promulgated in compliance" with the law. 

Of course, GOP legislators decided after Evers was elected that they needed on phony 'principled' grounds to take back that authority, including it in their power-grab grab bag which the right-tilted, GOP-friendly State Supreme Court predictably upheld, and which Walker signed without any changes. 

Among the power-curbing effects of the legislature’s measures, which were signed by outgoing Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker, are limits on the governor’s ability to put administrative rules in place...

And when GOP legislators trash Evers' special session gun legislation on Thursday, please remember that it was in a special session Republicans launched mere days after Walker's 2011 inauguration when they began working to strengthen his autocratic status by giving away those rule-making powers which, on 'principle,' they have already stripped from Evers, as I noted here. 

In other words, some special sessions are more special than others.

The hypocrisies and double-standards which now define Wisconsin politics through GOP behaviors are nauseating.