March 9, 2011

"Republicans in the Wisconsin Senate voted Wednesday night to strip nearly all collective bargaining rights from public workers..."

"... Republicans on Wednesday split from the legislation the proposal to curtail union rights, which spends no money, and a special conference committee of state lawmakers approved the bill a short time later."

This is the proposal we were discussing in the previous post. I'm surprised this happened so suddenly.

I hear the protests have gone wild on the scene there tonight. We will have first-hand original reporting from New Media Meade before the evening is over.

IN THE COMMENTS: Revenant quoted the linked article — "Republicans in the Wisconsin Senate voted Wednesday night to strip nearly all collective bargaining rights from public workers after discovering a way to bypass the chamber's missing Democrats" and said:
Interesting word choices:

1. "Nearly all"
2. "Discovering"
3. "Bypass"
4. "Missing".
Yeah. I'd noticed that. Textbook journalistic bias. Thanks, AP.

164 comments:

The Dude said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ALH said...

Anybody know who the 1 Republican Senator was that voted no?

Matt Sablan said...

Wisconsin Democrat Senators learned that not playing is not a winning move.

chickelit said...

This could get really ugly. Meade should bring a friend or two.

Jason said...

Not showing up for work has consequences.

Perhaps if Mark Miller hadnt been such an arrogant asshole earlier today, Walker and Fitzgerald wouldnt have done this. Read that letter, which basically says that either the GOP agrees with what the Dems want, or dont talk at all. Its the height of arrogance.

After reading that, Im sure Fitzgerald said fuck 'em.

sane_voter said...

After the GOP detonated the nuclear option, there should be plenty of union thug actions for Meade to get on video tonight and tomorrow. Make sure he takes an extra battery, SD card and a bodyguard.

Anonymous said...

I'm hearing the Capitol is being stormed, hippy drum corps back in action-

Are the protesters inside?

After hours?

Are you guys really going to do this all over again?

Mojoski said...

Can't WAIT to see some live video of the Union thugs pitching their fits tonight. Please hurry and get there with the video camera!!

Jason said...

"Anybody know who the 1 Republican Senator was that voted no?"
---------------

Dale Schultz from Richland Center. He has been a spineless RINO for years now.

Real American said...

AMERICA! F@#% YEAH!

James said...

Dale Schultz voted no.

Revenant said...

Republicans in the Wisconsin Senate voted Wednesday night to strip nearly all collective bargaining rights from public workers after discovering a way to bypass the chamber's missing Democrats.

Interesting word choices:

1. "Nearly all"
2. "Discovering"
3. "Bypass"
4. "Missing".

PaulV said...

Power to the People. Democracy has won.

Anonymous said...

State Senate Democratic Minority Leader Mark Miller issued a statement saying, “Tomorrow we will join the people of Wisconsin in taking back their government.”

Michael said...

Revenant: What you said. Spot on.

Unknown said...

Coincidentally, Dale Schultz is also the only GOP State Senator who currently has a positive approval rating. Wisconsinites are very, very against this move.

familyfuninthekitchen said...

Could be a ruse. The dems come back, horrified at what has happened. They enter the chamber to start their tantrum, and the doors get closed, and the vote taken on the original bill with the quorum needed.

Then...then I will laugh!

ALH said...

Odds that the National Guard gets deployed.... 4:3

wv: awayomis - when you are away, you miss the vote

J Lee said...

Miller's response, basically doubling down after the Journal-Sentinel's publication of Walker's email communications with the Senate Democrats, pretty much was a dare to Senate Republicans to pass the bill, all bu forcing the 14 Dems back to Wisconsin (of course it's still possible there could be a compromise which offers a scailing back of the collective bargaining limitations, but Miller's now pretty much staked his credibility on being the Last Angry Man, so unless his coalition revolts, the new law is going to be in place at least until early 2015).

ALH said...

@familyfun -

i wondered the same thing.
And yes, it would be the -Funniest. Thing. Ever.

Tom Spaulding said...

Reports of broken glass at the Cap? It's Kristallbrat!!

TWM said...

"Coincidentally, Dale Schultz is also the only GOP State Senator who currently has a positive approval rating. Wisconsinites are very, very against this move."

Ah huh. Once this is done and the media moves on things will settle down and Wisconsinites will be just fine.

Anonymous said...

"Dale Schultz voted no."

And let's not forget this. This guy is a fucking traitor to the Republican Party and he sided with government and Fleebagger Democrats over the People.

We need to go after every single source of this guy's re-election funding and make Goddamned sure people are aware of his calumny. This guy should be made persona non-grata at every Wisconsin Republican Party event. He's a traitor and is probably funneling inside information to the Fleebaggers.

The fact of the matter is that the Republican Party has been infiltrated by these Democrats and these votes are the best way to flush out who is really with whom.

Looks like we spotted us a bogey.

James said...

Coincidentally, Dale Schultz is also the only GOP State Senator who currently has a positive approval rating. Wisconsinites are very, very against this move.

We'll find out in the recall elections if you guys can even get enough signatures for your petitions.

MayBee said...

I said this in the other thread, but don't you all think the Senate Dems are probably relieved? This was really their only out, and their fingerprints aren't on it. Otherwise, they were trapped forever.

Anonymous said...

"Dale Schultz is also the only GOP State Senator who currently has a positive approval rating."

Bullshit. He has a negative approval rating. And it just went further south.

He will not be re-elected. We'll make goddamned sure of that.

He just ended his political career.

traditionalguy said...

Game, set, match Walker.The CNN guys and the MSNBC guys are super stressed out and blabbering nonsense that they clearly don't believe in. It seems that taking a majority vote by the elected representatives of wisconsin is the end of democracy in Wisconsin. huh?

Methadras said...

The flood gates to the full impact of unhinged leftardism is going to be felt in Madison tonight.

ambisinistral said...

I wonder what happens when the people in the unions (not the union leadership) realize they would have gotten a marginally better deal had Walker been taken up on his compromise offers.

Well played Gov Walker, well played.

Methadras said...

Better bring a gun to the knife fight Meade.

Jason said...

"Coincidentally, Dale Schultz is also the only GOP State Senator who currently has a positive approval rating. Wisconsinites are very, very against this move."
---------------

I live in his district, and let me tell you first hand that there are many people in this district who have lost any positive thoughts of him. There are some liberal pockets here and there, but the majority of his district is conservative. I can say with full confidence that, while Schultz probably wont be recalled, he will NOT be re-elected.

James said...

Rachel Maddow is going crazy...LOL.

Unknown said...

Guard Sterling Hall!

Wonder what Ayers and Dohrn are up to these days???

Almost Ali said...

Just so we're clear: I'm assuming folks here understand the context and ramifications of "collective bargaining" - specifically.

Methadras said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
chickelit said...

@garage: here are some slogan ideas for tomorrow's big rally on the square:

"The Cold, Crisp Taste of Koch"
"Things go better with Koch"
"Koch ... after Koch ... after Koch"
"Koch - It's the real thing"
"Koch adds life"
"Have a Koch and a smile"
"Koch is it!"
"Koch - America's Real Choice"
"Catch the Wave (for New Koch)"

ALH said...

@ UT -
not sure where you are from, but Schultz represents an area just south of my district. He is moderate and well liked. If he runs in the future, he'll have a better chance of winning with his "no" vote (which I think is consistent with his position all along to compromise on some of the main issues). His district is transitioning from a mainly rural/agricultural to a more liberal district (ex. Viroqua, a great little town with lots of "alternative" types that are earthy and organic).

Someone further right would likely lose the next election and be replaced by a much more liberal candidate, IMO.

Florida Gator said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

The AP reports about 200 protesters inside the Capitol tonight chanting "occupy" and "general strike."

Methadras said...

chickelit said...

@garage: here are some slogan ideas for tomorrow's big rally on the square:

"The Cold, Crisp Taste of Koch"
"Things go better with Koch"
"Koch ... after Koch ... after Koch"
"Koch - It's the real thing"
"Koch adds life"
"Have a Koch and a smile"
"Koch is it!"
"Koch - America's Real Choice"
"Catch the Wave (for New Koch)"


Here is another one that Garage can use:

"Unzip your pants, we got Koch'ed!!!"

Jason said...

The AP reports about 200 protesters inside the Capitol tonight chanting "occupy" and "general strike."
------------------------

Good. I hope they strike. They are only making it worse for themselves.

Once they calm down and actually read what Walker's proposal was yesterday that got shot down, they should be more mad at their Dem reps and union bosses.

MikeR said...

"The Nuclear Option". Absolutely bizarre: Can someone tell me why they didn't do this long ago? What's the big deal?

ALH said...

@Jason -
glad to see someone from Schultz's district...my thought was that someone further right than him would have more difficulty getting elected in the future?

Jim C said...

Over 3 weeks is "suddenly", since when?

MikeR said...

And now they say the Senate Dems are returning tomorrow. No problem.

Anonymous said...

YAY for Wisconsin!

And passed so suddenly... that's gotta hurt the Democrat ego...

We need more anger in politics. I hope this will make the Democrats furious, and I hope this pattern is repeated in other states.

Walker's op-ed in tomorrow's WSJ presents a very reasonable case for his plan btw.

Chase said...

The New York Times on he Web Headline (always fair and balanced in it's new reporting as we are constantly told so by liberals and Democrats):

G.O.P. Tactic Ends Stalemate in Wisconsin Union Fight

"G.O.P. Tactic" ?!?!?

How about "Wisconsin State Constitution Tactic Ends Stalemate in Wisconsin".


No, that wouldn't be considered "fair and balanced" by the union partisans and their scared Democrat supporters now, would it?

Big Mike said...

I think Bugs Bunny said it best.

Jason said...

@Jason -
glad to see someone from Schultz's district...my thought was that someone further right than him would have more difficulty getting elected in the future?
----------------------------

Its been hard in the past because Schultz has been in Wisconsin politics forever...so nobody runs against him. After this, where Schultz is on record as the ONLY Republican to vote against this bill, somebody WILL run against Schultz in the GOP primary. Either that, or Schultz wont run.

Schultz' no vote is all about politics. His wife is the superintendent of the Richland School District, so he is in the pocket of WEAC. He also can be an arrogant douche who sometimes thinks that no idea is a good one of he didnt think of it himself.

Shanna said...

State Senate Democratic Minority Leader Mark Miller issued a statement saying, “Tomorrow we will join the people of Wisconsin in taking back their government.”

The only reason he has to "take it back" is because he skipped town...

Fen said...

And now they say the Senate Dems are returning tomorrow. No problem.

The Congress should offer a bill to make Wisconsin a Right-to-Work state. What are the Dems going to do? Flee the state again?

Anonymous said...

"Coincidentally, Dale Schultz is also the only GOP State Senator who currently has a positive approval rating. Wisconsinites are very, very against this move."


word. very surprising and interesting political moves.

Chef Mojo said...

This is what democracy looks like!

Y'know? The people's representatives actually voting?

Between the idiocy with NPR/PBS and the idiocy in Madison, it's been good times the last few days. Good times, indeed.

Chennaul said...

This is video recently uploaded from inside the Capitol.

Looks like the Republican Senators running the gauntlet of protesters as they exit the chamber?

youtube

****

shiloh said...

When you find yourself in the majority, it's time to pause and reflect! ~ Mark Twain

All fame is fleeting ...

especially in politics.

btw, Rachel's going crazy is rather inane/innacurate hyperbole, but it is intersting to know AA's conservatives watch Rachel, eh.

take care, blessings

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

The democrats abandoned their baby to die in the night.. running off to another state.

So instead of killing his baby.. (I mean the bill).. Walker did the wise thing.. he divided it.

If that makes any sense ;)

Chef Mojo said...

Oh, shiloh! How profound!

Even quoted Twain! Clever lad...

Now, piss off.

JohnJ said...

Well, this is what democracy looks like, to borrow a phrase from the percussion section.

And, as my dad liked to say, you must be present to win.

chickelit said...

Why are they chanting "Shane shane shane"?

Do they want somebody to come back?

rcocean said...

Next comes the court challenge. Is it "constitutional"? Was it really a budget matter that could be passed without the Democrats?

Remember nothing becomes law until our Unelected Philosopher Kings decide.

Anonymous said...

I do like to watch Rachel Maddow a few times a year. My impressions:
1) Smart
2) Passionate
3) Condescending in a particularly smirky way

And yes, when she gets hyperbolic it is fun to watch. Wondering if she'll blow a vein in her forehead after this one.

Chef Mojo said...

@Lem:

FTW.

Anonymous said...

The historians are in the house.

The Smithsonian has sent a curator to record events.

http://channel6newsonline.com/2011/03/wisconsin-protests-so-historic-smithsonian-sends-curator/

Fen said...

Shiloh: blah blah blah

I'm so happy you're here for this.

We won. You lost. Get over it.

This is what Democracy looks like.

"Take care" little Libtard.

James said...

Rachel Maddows knows next to nothing about Wisconsin politics yet she's opining about Open Meetings law.

She's good for a laugh tonight as was Lawrence O'Donnell earlier.

shiloh said...

3) Condescending in a particularly smirky way

Sarcastic yes, crazy never. If you want crazy ~ billo, beck, hannity, limbaugh etc. are your boys to watch.

Methadras said...

shiloh said...

When you find yourself in the majority, it's time to pause and reflect! ~ Mark Twain

All fame is fleeting ...

especially in politics.

btw, Rachel's going crazy is rather inane/innacurate hyperbole, but it is intersting to know AA's conservatives watch Rachel, eh.

take care, blessings


Oh youthful douche, watching Maddow grasp at the most inane straws to bolster her pathetic narrative as a function of her ideology is fun in and of itself. Why are you a leftard again? What do you stand for again? Clinging to leftism like you do only seeks to make you mentally dwarfed. It's easy to quote others to do the talking for you instead of actually articulating your position from one of reason and explored thought. One of your ideological ilk is incapable of that, because your ideology requires no thought at all.

Anonymous said...

Sarcastic yes, crazy never. If you want crazy ~ billo, beck, hannity, limbaugh etc. are your boys to watch.

shiloh, you are such an asshole.

Once again, it's the "right-wingers" and Fox News.

You never have anything to say.

You're just a dumb asshole. A tiresome dumb asshole.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Gov Walker Profiles in Courage Winner..

(and I dont mean Tiger Blood win ;)

Anonymous said...

Any live streaming of the capital and surrounding area?

Leland said...

Good for Walker and Republicans in WI.

Also +1 to Revenant.

Almost Ali said...

Hey, Dem slackers: "95% of life is showing up."

(often attributed to Woody Allen)

Anonymous said...

Shiloh -
I'd agree that "sarcastic" would be a better word to describe her than "condescending" (although she is that at times too).

Although I don't watch "billo, beck, hannity, limbaugh", Limbaugh is definitely not crazy. Funnier than hell and constantly driving the narrative.

I'm a Shaaaaark said...

Reports coming out that UWPD has delivered hundreds of plastic cuffs to the capitol; union leaders callong for emergency meeting to discuss a potential general strike; protesters passing info on GOP political figures' current location to "make life difficult for them" etc...

Unconfirmed of course. Basically, people are going apeshit all over. Unconfirmed reports of broken windows, rocks being thrown, etc.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

When you abandon the battlefield you forfeit your right to bargain for peace.

The Democrats shot themselves in the foot running off like that.

They lost - We won - get over it.

Chennaul said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Odds of the WI State Guard being deployed - 2:1

Chennaul said...

Here is some pretty good footage of the Senators during the open meeting hearing to call the vote....

Yelling from protesters and a Democrat Representative attempting to hold it up.

youtube-MacIver News Service

***

Excuse me Mr. Chairmen, excuse me Mr. Chairman!

TAKE A MOMENT! TAKE A MOMENT!

NO! NO!

Anonymous said...

Madison is clearly headed for a disaster of biblical proportions.

Almost Ali said...

Republican politicians better get out there every day and explain exactly what "collective bargaining" means. Apparently the average Wisconsin voter doesn't have a clue. Imagine what they think in Mississippi.

Chennaul said...

Any live streaming of the capital and surrounding area?

Can't find any.

Unknown said...

Now the Demos come running back, having realized Walker called their bluff; O!, how sharper than a serpent's tooth, the outrage as it's realized these clowns spent 3 weeks jerking around (or off, if you prefer) at the Tilted Kilt, allowing the Republicans to pass all sorts of mischief.

And, of course, the union goons will show all and sundry their legendary restraint.

This could make the demonstrations in Japan when the Navy wanted nuclear subs to make port at Yokusuka look like the First Continental Congress.

chickelit said...

This could get really ugly. Meade should bring a friend or two.

Like an A-team or two?

Big Mike said...

I think Bugs Bunny said it best.

Not his best reading, though. The other clip is better.

PS Fame is fleeting again?

Best part is it isn't even apt.

Fen said...

Shiloh bitched: crazy beck blah hannity blah limbaugh

"and to hear the lamentation of their women."

Jason said...

One window in the capitol has been cracked/broken by someone throwing an object, according to a report I read.

New tone. Civil disagreement indeed.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I'm surprised this happened so suddenly.

Compared to lighting Obama?

Sure.

Anonymous said...

So, according to tweets, the west entrance was bum rushed, police have now vacated guarding the doors--have let protesters into upper floors, allow sleeping bags in, and protesters are now tweeting for pizza.

Other disturbing things are also being reported, but I won't repeat without further verification-

How do say "cheesehead" in Greek?

Chennaul said...

Why are they chanting "Shane shane shane"?

LOL!

Ack-that same youtuber took outside footage of the Capitol but it's pretty boring.

It might have been taken right before the vote or during it-not sure.

shiloh said...

I do like to watch Rachel Maddow a few times a year.

I did force myself to watch fixednoise a couple nights after the 2008 presidential election until billo/hannity et al whining became unbearable lol.

And as long as Obama is still president, the conservative whining will continue ad nauseam, especially at this blog. :)

>

and constantly driving the narrative.

He was kinda funny when he said: he would no longer be a (((water carrier))) for Reps, but that lasted a couple days as old habits die hard! ;)

I'm a Shaaaaark said...

CapitolmPolice now seriously concerned about the number of people on the bridges of the second floor.

Just heard DOA spokesman said doors and windows have been broken.

Anonymous said...

Another idiot comment from shiloh.

You are consistently the lowest idiot on this site, shiloh.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I hope this move will embolden other Governors to clean house.

Christopher said...

Will there be mass hysteria?

Anonymous said...

"and to hear the lamentation of their women."

Ah Fen, ain't nobody happy if momma ain't happy.

I'm a Shaaaaark said...

DOA: Concerns about number of people on upper level bridges could cause collapse - those bridges are timber, not stone.

chickelit said...

@madawaskan

Thanks for those MacIver News Service links. Who are they? They look a bit more upscale than New Media Meade (not to diss Meade mind you)

Almost Ali said...

How do say "cheesehead" in Greek?

Michael Mooresaka.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Will there be mass hysteria?

On Ash Wednesday?

chickelit said...

Just heard DOA spokesman said doors and windows have been broken.

I hope this revolution is televised.

Gil Scott Heron was wrong!

Almost Ali said...

Moore is on Maddow now, on the verge of a heart attack. He's so upset he can hardly talk. Calling for mass "war."

I'm a Shaaaaark said...

Reports that protesters are attempting to remove door hinge pins, to take doors off building. Unconfirmed.

Sprezzatura said...

"lowest idiot"

Is it best to be at the lowest level of idiocy?

It could be argued that it's a better than being highly idiotic.

Fen said...

Just heard DOA spokesman said doors and windows have been broken.

Now we get to see their true colors. "A Little Kristallnacht In The Capitol", Act I.

We suspected as much when they started parading around with their Hitler signs.

Unknown said...

Almost Ali said...

Moore is on Maddow now, on the verge of a heart attack. He's so upset he can hardly talk. Calling for mass "war."

The Lefties can use him as the Hindenburg

Jason said...

DOA has confirmed windows and doors have been broken. And a reporter says he has seen protesters taking pins out of the doors.

Needless to say, the GOP's actions today have been justified by the actions of the people destroying the capitol building tonight.

shiloh said...

Imagine what they think in Mississippi.

The 50% in MS who actually do have the ability to think, and I use "think" loosely lol, think Obama is a Muslim Islamo-Fascist born in Kenya.

And a former Rep governor of AR think's Obama is a Mau Mau lol

btw, Huckleberry is the odds on fav to be the Rep pres. nominee in 2012.

You bet'cha!

Anonymous said...

"Moore is on Maddow now, on the verge of a heart attack."

Clarification needed: Is there ever a time when Moore is NOT on the verge of a heart attack.

DaveW said...

Every dollar given to affluent public employees and their unions is a dollar that can't be spent on school lunches. Why do democrats want children to go hungry?

The Dude said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lem the artificially intelligent said...

DOA: Concerns about number of people on upper level bridges could cause collapse - those bridges are timber, not stone.

The City Engineer Robert F. Phillips, P.E. should be contacted..

We don't want people to get hurt.

The Dude said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Chennaul said...

chikenlittle

Ya I should have remembered them before now-because it's not the first time they've produced really good video.

In fact that video is better than what CNN or MSNBC is showing....

Or "allowing" you to see.

Basically MSNBC is doing a colloquy between Lawrence O'Donnell and some other guy looking all sadz. (-with about 30 seconds of actual video.)

Truly gag worthy.

****

Methadras said...

shiloh said...

You bet'cha!


Seriously? You actually use this like every other leftard out there. What the fuck is wrong with you people? Is there some collective insanity that you idiots tap into for talking points? Keep dishing the unthinking retardation. I'm sure your mom and dad are really proud of dropping a bundle on you at University when you crap out such lavish retorts as this to demonstrate how deep and nuanced you must really think you are.

Anonymous said...

Here's a live stream-

not the best

http://www.livestream.com/theuptake

Chennaul said...

Moore is on Maddow now, on the verge of a heart attack."

Oh crap! How did I miss that!

I just saw the Lawrence O'Donnell thing on youtube I really don't know what channel MSNBC is on my cable.

shiloh said...

Let the record show many of AA's conservatives are watching MSNBC tonight, which should increase their audience by 10s of 10s ...

Anonymous said...

Curious how many of the people chanting: "General Strike!" actually have jobs.

damikesc said...

Is Mikey Moore still suing the Weinstein for the kind of money he condemns those less perfect than he for accepting?

Send out the National Guard and beat heads. Screw every hippie in the Capital. Heck, cut off all funding for UW until they kill off the TA union.

Almost Ali said...

Is there ever a time when Moore is NOT on the verge of a heart attack.

He turned white. We're talking electric shock, nurses screaming... CLEAR!

damikesc said...

Let the record show many of AA's conservatives are watching MSNBC tonight, which should increase their audience by 10s of 10s ...

..or, as MSNBC refers to it as, 45%.

Anonymous said...

shiloh speaks:

Can you go jump into moving traffic or something?

You are such a fucking idiot.

Fen said...

"On May 1st, the first riot erupted in Kent on a Friday night, with glass bottles hurled at police cars which were out on their normal patrols.

Then, a massive fire was lit in the middle of the street, and a mob blocked the street before marching on the center of town.

The mob became more violent, smashing dozens of windows in the town, before police responded in sufficient force to clear the mob from the area."



http://www.westernyouth.org/articles/new-documents-reopen-questions-over-kent-state-national-guard-shootings/

Big Mike said...

Not his best reading, though. The other clip is better.

The blackberry pie clip? I didn't care for the FDR-like accent the cartoonists gave Bugs in that one.

Almost Ali said...

Turn on the "Ed Show" (MSNBC); he's got many of the 14 - and they don't look happy.

Chennaul said...

Oh gawd I found it...

Michael Moore: Can I just say this---it has...it has...this Egyptian feel to it [...]

Thank gawd for Ed Schultz too...

Rachel Maddow:..Ed Schutlz was the first to identify this as a huge issue [...] But does he have Michael Moore's handcuffs?

****

Schadenfreude update Ed Schultz will have on some of the Badger 14 for their reactions..

Ya....

Anonymous said...

"I hope this pattern is repeated in other states."

This just opened the floodgates.

And yes Maddow is going crazy with a blubbering Michael Moore sitting across from her.

Take care, Blessings

I'm a Shaaaaark said...

Everytime I hear a lib shout "General Strike" my mind automatically thinks "Surgical Strike".

Jim said...

Wait, wasn't it just a year ago that we were told that ramming through a bill that a big majority of citizens opposed (and loudly so) was tantamount to tyranny?

Now all of a sudden it's something to be cheered.

Interesting.

I'm a Shaaaaark said...

Well, Jim, wasn't the reply "We won" and "Elections have consequences"?

You reap what you sow.

Synova said...

Apparently the uber pro-union Moore didn't use a union crew for his documentary on capitalism.

Shocking, I know.

I'm a Shaaaaark said...

Althouse just tweeted that some doors to the capitol have been closed by using handcuffs.

Fen said...

In fact that video is better than what CNN or MSNBC is showing.... Or "allowing" you to see.

And we've moved past arguments of leftwing media bias. The only surprise is that the MSM really thinks they can get away with it.

David said...

This is the proposal we were discussing in the previous post. I'm surprised this happened so suddenly.

It's not exactly sudden, as this has been going on for 3+ weeks. This idea has been out there for a while, and since it was clear that the Democrats are not coming back, why not go ahead.

I understand what the polls seem to be saying, but with the biased press coverage, that's not a huge surprise.

Imagine the press coverage if the Republicans pulled this trick.

When the world does not come to an actual end, the polls will moderate, and the only poll that matters anyway will be elections. Not that they matter much to a lot of people anymore.

blenj

Anonymous said...

Funniest thing ever on the live feed from inside the capitol:

Ponytail (NTTAWWT) says: "This is not over. We're just getting started. We've got all of our tools that we've got at our disposal. We're here with our markers and posters and all or our chants. And we'll continue doing what we have to do. And there are other things too, but that's not for me to decide...it's for those at higher levels".

Funniest / saddest / smelliest thing I've ever heard.

David said...

I will say one thing.

The unions and democrats have done a great job of changing the subject.

Sprezzatura said...

Jim,

Why spoil the fun?

I love the absurd irony of the con comments here.

[Don't do anything that may cause them to realize their silliness.]

I'm a Shaaaaark said...

Ok, sounds like it is protesters locking doors with metal handcuffs. Looks like we have an old-fashioned 1960s/1970s style occupation.

I'm a Shaaaaark said...

Man, I remember when the democrats rammed through Obamacare, and we all went to DC and stormed the capitol building and destroyed stuff and all that. Man, I miss that. Good times. Gooooood times.

Anonymous said...

video from around an hour ago-

2 min.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svsgvqyr0rQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Chef Mojo said...

Ok, sounds like it is protesters locking doors with metal handcuffs. Looks like we have an old-fashioned 1960s/1970s style occupation.

That's funny. Wait till they realize the pizzas can't get in.

wv: emotic: Sometimes wv freaks me out.

Fen said...

Funniest / saddest / smelliest thing I've ever heard.

Wait. You sure that wasn't tonight's Survivor? Sounds more like Boston Rob:

"This is not over. We're just getting started. We've got all of our tools that we've got at our disposal. We're here with our markers and posters and all or our chants. And we'll continue doing what we have to do. And there are other things too, but that's not for me to decide...it's for those at higher levels".

Tribal Council tonight.

Bob Loblaw said...

Ah huh. Once this is done and the media moves on things will settle down and Wisconsinites will be just fine.

I hope you're right, but I might point out that's what Democrats were telling each other after they passed Obamacare, before getting shellacked last year.

Fen said...

Ah huh. Once this is done and the media moves on things will settle down and Wisconsinites will be just fine.

Thats what they said about Kent State. Before the fires.

LakeLevel said...

PBAndJ said: Is it best to be at the lowest level of idiocy?


No dude. It's better high. The highest level of idiocy is at the knarly Dead shows at Alpine. wait, what year is it? Oh yeah, they're all at Madison. Stick it to the man dude.

Blair said...

The most annoying thing about this whole debacle is the continued insistence on use of the Newspeak phrase "collective bargaining right", which must be the Wisconsin equivalent of putting "Democratic" in front of the official name for North Korea.

Your actual bargaining right as an employee is to either bargain yourself, or get a union to do it for you. What people call a "collective bargaining right" is THE EXACT OPPOSITE! Instead of having a choice, you're forcing the employer and employee to engage with the union, and actually depriving individuals of the right to be employed on terms separate from a union.

It's a biased term, and credible media (not to mention anybody who supports Scott Walker) should reject it.

Peter Hoh said...

The phrase ". . . after discovering a way to bypass the missing Democrats" is slanted?

Really?

I don't know enough about the issue to know if "nearly all" is a fair description. Is it? Would "most" or "some" have been better?

A bypass that's discovered is much more neutral than a loophole that's exploited. Describing the Democrats as missing sounds neutral.

Since you insist that this is slanted, how would you propose it be written in a more neutral fashion?

Peter Hoh said...

"Collective bargaining" is a biased term, too?

Someone alert the guy who said this:

"where free unions and collective bargaining are forbidden, freedom is lost."

kent said...

Rachel Maddow is going crazy...LOL.

Wrong verb tense. ;)

sunsong said...

So the huge protracted tantrum accomplished nothing.

kent said...

Moore is on Maddow now, on the verge of a heart attack.

Moore is on the verge of a heart attack every time he attempts to unbutton his fly.

StewartIII said...

NewsBusters: Althouse Says It All About AP's Coverage of Wis. Collective Bargaining Vote
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tom-blumer/2011/03/09/althouse-says-it-all-about-aps-coverage-wis-collective-bargaining-vote

kent said...

We've got all of our tools that we've got at our disposal. We're here with our markers and posters and all of our chants.

Oh, God.

That. Is. The. Single. Most. Pitiful. Bleating. Of. Whipped. Kitten. Defiance. I've. Ever. Ever. Heard.

BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH -- !!!

Revenant said...

Someone alert the guy who said this:

"where free unions and collective bargaining are forbidden, freedom is lost."

Or the guy who said this:

"I am convinced that we cannot possibly dispense with the trades unions. On the contrary, they are among the most important institutions in the economic life of the nation."

Revenant said...

The phrase ". . . after discovering a way to bypass the missing Democrats" is slanted? Really?

Voting was discovered several millennia ago, and people who voluntarily refuse to participate in a vote are not referred to as having been "bypassed".

It is also strange to refer to people as "missing" when you know (a) where they are and (b) that they are deliberately avoiding the place they are "missing" from.

Peter Hoh said...

You are suggesting that Reagan = Hitler?

Peter Hoh said...

I'm still not buying that "missing" is a loaded word, especially in this context. It's not like the "missing" in "missing children."

Given that everyone pretty much knows the facts, I don't think that the choice of "missing" is intended to deceive or mislead.

What wording would you have used?

Would you have preferred something like "Republican legislators worked around the attempt of Democrat Senators to thwart the legislative process"?

That strikes me as fairly neutral, too.

Revenant said...

You are suggesting that Reagan = Hitler?

No, just highlighting the silliness of the argument from authority fallacy.

Revenant said...

It's not like the "missing" in "missing children."

I didn't say "missing" was a loaded word, I said it was an interesting choice. It is a very passive way of describing people who are actively avoiding being in the statehouse.

What wording would you have used? Would you have preferred something like "Republican legislators worked around the attempt of Democrat Senators to thwart the legislative process"?

"Republican legislators passed a bill significantly limiting the collective bargaining rights of public employee unions."

Second graph: "The controversial measure was originally contained in the state budget bill, which has been deadlocked in the legislature since Democratic senators left the state three weeks ago." Etc, etc, backstory backstory.

jim said...

Stupid move.

Whether someone told him to do this now or whether he screwed up on his own is academic. Do this MUCH earlier & you defuse the dissent, not to mention probably dividing it into factions - doing it now just breathes new life into a lot of very tired, very pissed-off people. The recall movement was a curiosity (or at best a long-shot) a day ago: now it's a guillotine.

Start counting the days until the GOP loses the state as repayment for its over-reach, because regular people are by now likely FURIOUS at his cravenly playing chicken with public workers' rights, & will be more than happy to recall as many of his gang as it takes to send the message: no Shock Doctrine bullshit here, not now, not ever.

"Game, set, match" my ass - there's some question as to whether this move was even legal, & if Walker royally buggered up yet again, as seems likely, Wisconsin will be footing the bill in full for his rank idiocy. I'm pretty sure he would in fact call in the National Guard - & a more obvious motif of systemic political failure would be hard to imagine.

I'd guess Walker is basically praying for violence 24/7 by now, & wondering why he still hasn't been able to instigate it yet. Perhaps he'll wind up deciding to initiate it. It's about the only route to sympathy he has left right now: people across America are sickened & outraged at such a naked display of realpolitik in action, & that anger & loathing isn't going away any time soon, to put it mildly.

Make no mistake: you can forget the unintentionally-comical boilerplate about "fiscal responsibility" - this is about 2012 & making Obama a one-term president; the GOP has repeatedly stated outright that that alone is their top priority. Even with Citizens United stacking the deck in their favor like never before, the GOP dreads another beatdown from Obama in 2012, & unions are a major source of funding for the Democratic party.

IRONY JACKPOT: Scott Walker has done more to revitalize & energize the American left in 2011 than Obama, Michael Moore & a dozen Keith Olbermanns put together.

Anonymous said...

Although for different reasons, I agree with Jim. This should have been done two days after the dems went missing. Then when asked why they did it, they could say because they DID NOT leave the state when they were the minority and Duffus, I mean Doyle pushed through that bill in 24 hours and locked the Republicans out of the negotiations.
If there is a recall, we will vote for the same people, simple as that.
Now to nuclear option number two, make Wisconsin a right to work state.
One thing that Scott Walker is a leader on, because of this, he ran interference for all of the other states that are doing the same thing now, this is a classic divide and conquer that worked brilliantly!

test said...

"Shanna said...

State Senate Democratic Minority Leader Mark Miller issued a statement saying, “Tomorrow we will join the people of Wisconsin in taking back their government.”

I miss the good old days when liberals were telling us it was racist to use the phrase "take back the government". What a different a few months make.

Eugene Robinson: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/11/02/race_and_the_tea_partys_ire_107805.html

kent said...

I miss the good old days when liberals were telling us it was racist to use the phrase "take back the government". What a different a few months make.

"IOKIYAD!"

888 said...

Revenant,
great catch.
I thought "to strip" was just as good as the other four choices.

But wait:
"Republicans in the..." should read "The Wisconsin Senate...."

Peter Hoh said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Peter Hoh said...

Rev, I quoted Reagan in direct response to Blair's post in which he decried the "use of the Newspeak phrase 'collective bargaining right.'"

Citing examples of usage is a common way to argue about the meaning of words and phrases. That's different than an argument from authority.

As for the language used by the AP, you are correct that you merely identified the word choice as interesting. Althouse went on to assert that these choices represented bias. I'm still not buying that assertion.