My goodness…what a whiny bunch of brats we have representing us in Madison.
This all started of course when Tony Evers made the big mistake of getting elected governor over the incumbent Scott Walker. As today’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel states…then Governor Walker called to congratulate Mr. Evers…but Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald didn’t and immediately starting putting together their lame duck session to remove powers and authority from the newly elected Democrats.
And of course neither side seems to want to talk to the other…but each complains about the lack of communication. I still maintain that all they have to do is walk across the rotunda and have a conversation. If they want to do it after hours, Blogging Blue would be willing to buy the first pitcher of beer.
The roots of the problem date to the election, when Evers edged out two-term Republican Gov. Scott Walker.
The next day, Evers received dozens of congratulatory phone calls — including one from Walker — but he didn’t hear from the Republican leaders of the Legislature, who kept firm grips on the state Senate and Assembly.
Instead, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald of Juneau and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos of Rochester were busy working on the legislation to clip the new governor’s wings before he took office.
And then there’s this:
Republicans say Evers packed so much liberal policy into the state budget he introduced in February that he left no room for compromise.
But the Evers’ budget is pretty much exactly what he ran on…hence its inclusion in the budget…and Democrats anticipating that’s why he was elected. So Rep. Vos and Sen. Fitzgerald are a bit in denial here.
And then there’s this:
Democrats say Republicans spoiled chances for bipartisanship with a lame-duck session that peeled power away from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul even before they were seated.
Yeah, that certainly put a damper on the party. And then there’s this:
Fitzgerald said lawsuits challenging the laws Republican legislators passed to limit Evers’ power are hampering progress.
I am not sure exactly what Rep. Vos and Sen. Fitzgerald expected to happen. They certainly had to know that these would be challenged in court. They certainly had to know that some of their handy work was going to get tossed. But yet, they decided to make it worse.
The courts for instance tossed the 82 lame duck era confirmations of Walker appointees (I asked about that a while back: (Side Question On Those 82 Lame Duck Appointments?) Well Governor Evers then rescinded them all and the courts reversed course and he reappointed all but 15 who have been kept from their offices. That whole childish scenario of course pissed off the GOP leaders who are now taking the next step (keep reading there’s more).
Today, Sen. Fitzgerald said he would withhold confirmation of Gov. Evers cabinet appointments until the courts decided. Even under Gov. Walker and President Trump, I support an elected executive should have the cabinet they want except when gross incompetence or illegal activities are exposed in the hearings. So the Senate should just do its Constitutional job and hold the hearings and confirm the appointees. It is their job!
The leader of the state Senate said Tuesday he is holding off on confirming Gov. Tony Evers’ cabinet because of a dispute over whether 15 appointees of Gov. Scott Walker can keep their positions.
“I think some of those cabinet members are going to be in trouble,” Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald of Juneau said of Evers’ top advisers.
Once this stuff gets to the courts, it’s out of the legislature’s hands…let the courts and the lawyers do their thing…and you just do your job!
But he apparently was a day late and a dollar short because as I was writing this…this happened: Appeals court sides with Gov. Tony Evers’ appointments as Senate leader puts off confirming his cabinet
An appeals court Tuesday declined to reinstate 15 appointees of former Gov. Scott Walker, handing a victory to Gov. Tony Evers amid an escalating fight over attempts to limit the powers of the Democratic governor.
The unanimous decision came just hours after the leader of the state Senate said he was holding off on confirming Evers’ cabinet because of the dispute over the Walker appointees.
The Court of Appeals on Tuesday sided with Evers, noting he withdrew the appointments when the only court order in effect had found their confirmations invalid.
“In short, if the governor had the authority to withdraw the nominations pursuant to the temporary injunction while that injunction was in place, then the withdrawals were valid and are not affected by our subsequent stay of the injunction,” the judges wrote.
So gentlemen, let’s get back to work. The three of you are supposed to be our ‘leaders’…you represent all of the state in your current roles…act like leaders! But my guess is the nonsense isn’t over yet.
And if you want Blogging Blue to roll up to Madison and hold a beer summit, have your office reach out to my office!
This is not a “both sides” situation. Republicans are acting like abusive spouses, limiting Evers’ powers in the lame duck and operating in dishonesty and bad faith, then whining “he doesn’t want to work with us!”
The gerrymandered GOP legislative leaders and their paid-off backbenchers are the problem. Evers may be asking for too much in his budget, but generally he should tell these guys to take a flying leap until they grow up.
Not interested in a patented Chuck “Both Sides Do It” Todd position on this. Vos and Fitzgerald need to quit pouting about the November election and quit sabotaging anything and everything Evers is trying to get done. These two, in particular, need to be tossed to the curb next time around.
One has to also wonder what kind of “black-list,” dirt these two compiled (with Walker?) on their unconstitutionally gerrymandered majority that has prevented that bicameal group of cowards from keeping any sort of check on their own “leadership.”
Or, these legislative sheep are so deeply engaged in financial conflicts of interest in their respective districts, out of sheer fear and self-preservation they are compelled to so dutifully tow the party line, where they see nothing, hear nothing and of course will do nothing to challenge the GOP status quo for any reason.