Fresh off his success destabilizing the government in Egypt, President Obama is now taking aim at domestic tyrants — beginning with Republican Gov. Scott Walker in Wisconsin.
This time, rather than help the Muslim Brotherhood assume power for the first time, Obama is desperately trying to keep public employee unions —call it the Collective Brotherhood — in power.
Why? Unions spent $400 million dollars electing Obama in 2008, and although Barack does not appear to comprehend the damage crippling deficits do to the nation, he’s well aware of what a $400 million dollar hole will do to his re–election budget.
For his part, Gov. Walker is not exactly holed up in an undisclosed location with a junta of military cronies attempting to cut the power to Al–Jazeera. Last November Wisconsin voters elected Walker in a near landslide and threw Democrats out of power in both the state Senate and House.
Real deal breaker for union honchos is ending the state’s role as enforcer for union dues collection
Now Walker is attempting to implement the program Wisconsin voters approved. This includes balancing the budget by bringing government employee’s benefits in line with those of taxpayers in the private sector and limiting collective bargaining for non–public safety employees. However, the real deal breaker for union honchos is ending the state’s role as enforcer for union dues collection.
The state of Wisconsin doesn’t deduct Netflix fees or health club dues from paychecks, why should it be mandatory that it deduct union dues from every employee paycheck?
If public employee unions are such a great deal for employees, and a real boon to mankind, shouldn’t union members eagerly volunteer to pay dues?
Wisconsin Democrats love for democracy ends when they start losing
Wisconsin Democrats love for democracy ends when they start losing. This is because “progressives” know what’s good for us. As long as elections confirm their benevolent wisdom, we can vote to our heart’s content. But when voters start grasping for God, guns and gasp, the GOP it’s time to reassert “progressive” control.
After the November drubbing, it is obvious Democrats will lose the vote on Gov. Walker’s reform bill. Senate Democrats decided to destabilize the government by fleeing the state and denying a quorum for the vote. Which makes Dems the willful minority, holed up in some dingy hideout, clinging to power in defiance of the voters.
This is typical. Dems in Texas have done it three times, most recently in 2003, and yesterday Indiana Dems copied Wisconsin dead–enders and joined them in Illinois.
My advice to Gov. Walker is to schedule as many senate votes as possible over the next week or so to highlight the “progressive’s” dereliction of duty. Demonstrate conclusively that these Democrats are willfully disrupting the will of the people by preventing the legislature from functioning.
Invoke Article 13, Section 10 of the state Constitution that says the legislature may declare a seat vacant
Then leaders in the Wisconsin Senate should invoke Article 13, Section 10 of the state Constitution that says the legislature may declare a seat vacant. This vote only requires a majority of the Senate for a quorum, which the 19 GOP members more than satisfy.
Threaten the AWOL senators with loss of their seats and privilege and I predict the romance of a life on the lam will lose its attractiveness.
Make no mistake; this confrontation in Wisconsin is Stalingrad for public employee unions and big government–supporting Democrats.
Madison, Wisconsin was the birthplace of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Wisconsin was the first state to give public employees collective bargaining rights. In 2010 unions as a whole spent $2.5 million in Wisconsin to elect candidates to do their bidding.
If they lose here, public employee unions can lose anywhere and that means a large part of the rent–an–activist and campaign contribution base of the Democrat party will be crippled in 2012.
Obama has expressed his support for protesters occupying the Wisconsin capital. His political operation “Organizing for America” is helping organize the protests that are disrupting the government and closing public schools.
Democrats are road testing “government shutdown” arguments and media massaging techniques in Wisconsin that they plan to use here in DC when Republicans confront the White House over federal budget cuts.
The stakes could not be higher for both sides.
The situation and its outcome are also important for Virginia. Currently Dems in our Senate have a tenuous grasp on power. But after November’s election Senate Dems, newly in the minority, may be issuing manifestos from somewhere in the wilds of West Virginia.
It’s time Republicans learn to play hardball and enact the will of the taxpayers. Wisconsin — home of the Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers! — is a great place to start.
