WI GOP leaders' stage crocodile tears-soaked tantrum

And it's all so needlessly tragic-comic, this ongoing Vos-Fitzgerald hypocrisy that is pathetically obvious.

In a pandemic. 

That in Wisconsin keeps infecting thousands, killing scores and endangering health-care workers and first-responders (more about them in a few grafs) and everyone else.

Shorter lede: To wit, GOP hypocrites... 

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel enterprise reporting Thursday which is now behind its paywall discloses the last-second successful limitations pushed by corporate lobbying during the GOP-run Legislature's slow-walked acceptance late last week of federal Covid-19 assistance - - changes that that are sure to make it near-impossible for some first-responders to tap key virus medical treatments.

The bill's outcome, without the knowledge of the insiders' anti-worker, pro-business, was noted here last week:

They made sure to add a contemptible partisan flourish to what should have been bipartisan pandemic cooperation to again disrespect Governor Evers, because that, above all, is the WI GOP legislature's hyper-partisan #1 priority:

Assembly meets, in person and virtually, and passes legislation to help the unemployed, capture federal medical dollars

Now we know that the 'process by which the GOP's rotten, anti-worker language got added was not-transparent, and not-bi-partisan, certainly, but here's what makes it even more contemptible: 

The alligator-teary complaint by the same GOP Speaker Robin Vos to the GOP-friendly State Supreme Court that, with a straight face, alleges - - wait for it - - a lack of bi-partisan involvement and "transparency" in Gov. Evers' emergency orders.

Vos and Fitzgerald, however, said the decision amounted to "unprecedented administrative overreach" that left them with no choice but to "ask the Supreme Court to rein in this obvious abuse of power." 

"Wisconsinites deserve certainty, transparency, and a plan to end the constant stream of executive orders that are eroding both the economy and their liberty even as the state is clearly seeing a decline in COVID infections," they added. 

And, for the record, as I said earlier this week when looking at the data, the state is clearly not seeing a decline in Covid infections, as the Fitzgerald-Vos statement claimed:

4/22 Update: Wisconsin reports biggest one-day case increase.

Wisconsin health officials reported 225 more positive tests, the largest one-day increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases so far. 

The state now has 4,845 COVID-19 patients and 246 deaths, 4 more deaths than reported Tuesday. 

* Wisconsin's first two deaths from Covid-19 were disclosed on March 19.

* On April 14 - - see official charts and related historical and cumulative data there were 3,555 confirmed cases and 125 deaths.

* Data for today, 4/21/2020 show 4,620 confirmed cases and 242 deaths - - an increase of 10 deaths and 153 confirmed cases from yesterday. Sixteen days ago there were 155 confirmed cases.

That doesn't sound like flat or lessened case numbers; it sounds like equivalent case numbers as the death toll continues to rise.

PolitiFact yesterday agreed, and data just released Thursday shows a fresh spike for the second-straight day of more than 200 new confirmed cases.

Meanwhile, what's the GOP's actual plan if they win in court?

Plan? What plan?

Plus, remember Vos is half the hyper-partisan GOP 'leadership duo which quietly-drafted 11th-hour lame duck legislative rollbacks of incoming Governor Evers's powers without, ahem, bi-partisan involvement or transparency...

And Fitzgerald and Vos, despite their new embrace of transparency and bi-artisanship, repeatedly balked at, or instantly blocked Evers'-called meetings or special legislative meetings on Covid-19 planning, homeless crises and gun safety measures without, further ahem, any bi-partisan involvement.

Cry me a river of crocodile tears.