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Prepare yourselves for a GOP cave

Pragmatism!

Somebody’d better contact these “moderate” Republicans and tell them that to “compromise” on something that is to the left of FDR, for Chrissakes, is to surrender the country. Period. Full stop.

Thing is, if Walker’s coalition breaks down, Ohio will do the deed.

That supposed GOP “moderates” are looking for some cheap grace here is repulsive enough. But doing so after watching the thuggish, childish, and downright anti-democratic behavior of the left over this past, just goes to show that the establishment GOP is fighting tooth and nail to remain the party of surrender.

Fair warning: if the GOP goes this route and decides to follow the “moderates,” it is essentially dead as a party. To me, at least.

Period.

Full stop.

(h/t Terry H)

63 Replies to “Prepare yourselves for a GOP cave”

  1. cranky-d says:

    Those guys are fucking pussies. If they stand firm, they will win. However, they apparently lost their spines some time ago.

    I hope they all choke.

  2. newrouter says:

    squish – “hey let’s negotiate with terrorists”

  3. newrouter says:

    the voice that counts

    February 20, 2011 11:00 P.M.
    Walker Holds His Ground
    Despite protests, the Wisconsin governor vows to keep pushing for reform.

    Madison, Wis. – Hundreds of protesters continue to occupy the capitol, and 14 Democratic state senators remain roosted in Illinois, stalling consideration of his budget-repair bill. But Gov. Scott Walker, a first-term Republican, tells National Review Online that he will not blink. “By the end of this week, we will have a bill passed,” he pledges.

    Walker is confident that he can pressure the on-the-run politicians to return and secure passage of his plan, which would drastically reduce the collective-bargaining power of public-sector unions and force state employees to put 5.8 percent of their salaries toward their pensions and pay 12.6 percent of their health-care premiums.

    “We are looking at legal options to compel the senators to come back,” Walker says. “They have no endgame. They don’t know what they are doing. They got caught up in the hysteria and decided to run, but that’s not how this works. You have got to be in the arena.”

    Bringing up hot-button legislation while the Democrats are gone is another arrow in Walker’s quiver. Though the Wisconsin constitution requires three-fifths of the senate to be present to pass fiscal legislation, a simple majority of 17 members constitutes a quorum for other bills in the 33-seat state senate. So the 19 GOP senators who remain in Madison can pass any number of bills while their Democratic colleagues are on the lam, and Republicans are a majority in the assembly, too. “They can hold off, but there is a whole legislative agenda that Republicans in the senate and assembly can start acting on that only requires simple majorities,” Walker warns.“If they want to do their jobs, and have a say, they better show up.”

    Non-spending bills and government appointments could see action early Tuesday. Walker says he will not yield as the standoff unfolds, especially since Wisconsin is facing a projected $3.6 billion budget shortfall over the next two years.

    link

  4. iron308 says:

    Gotta vote for those big tent Repub moderates too so we can gain the majority and thus the agenda…. Oh, wait…Uh…Hmmm???

  5. serr8d says:

    The pragmatards are speaking out? Looks like the train is right on time.

    I called for this to be over by Wednesday. I may need a new more-better jinx.

  6. Shaitan says:

    When I lived in WI, Shultz was my guy. So disappointed in his squishyness…

  7. newrouter says:

    i don’t think squishes win here. walker knows the probs with unions at a local level.

  8. Abe Froman says:

    There’s nothing “moderate” about caving on something like this. They deserve a frozen cheese log in the squeakhole if they don’t back the fuck down.

  9. Ernst Schreiber says:

    if the GOP goes this route and decides to follow the “moderates,” it is essentially dead as a party.

    the politicians? DEAD!
    their political familiy DEAD!
    their political house of cards BURNED TO THE GROUND!

    (wanna go their in the middle of the night an’ piss on the ashes?)

  10. newrouter says:

    The MacIver Institute continues:

    If all the teachers in Milwaukee and Madison are paid for the days missed, the protest related salaries for just the state’s two largest districts would exceed $6.6 million dollars.

    Using a figure of $100,005 for average teacher compensation in MPS and an average yearly workload of 195 days, these teachers cost approximately $513 per day in salary and benefits to employ. Spread over 5,960.3 full-time licensed teachers in the district, this adds up to $3,057,634 in daily expenses.

    link

  11. Ernst Schreiber says:

    Disclaimer: violence is bayhad. m’kayy?

    So teach your children well or else we’ll have nobody to work our fields or pay our taxes.

  12. serr8d says:

    “By the end of this week, we will have a bill passed,”

    quoth Walker. If he fails (rather, if Team R fails him) he’ll be finished as a national politician. But if he wins…this man could have 2016 or 2020 in his pocket.

    Oh, and blogs are dead.

  13. Ernst Schreiber says:

    What is this “twitter” thing you speak of? Is it anything like My Face-space Book?

  14. serr8d says:

    Well, not the ‘meaty’ blogs…

    But some blogging services like Tumblr and WordPress seem to have avoided any decline. Toni Schneider, chief executive of Automattic, the company that commercializes the WordPress blogging software, explains that WordPress is mostly for serious bloggers, not the younger novices who are defecting to social networking.

    In any case, he said bloggers often use Facebook and Twitter to promote their blog posts to a wider audience. Rather than being competitors, he said, they are complementary.

    “There is a lot of fragmentation,” Mr. Schneider said. “But at this point, anyone who is taking blogging seriously — they’re using several mediums to get a large amount of their traffic.”

  15. Ernst Schreiber says:

    and do they say that blogs are dead-dead or only mostly dead?

  16. Ernst Schreiber says:

    Only mostly dead then.

  17. Abe Froman says:

    What a terrible situation when the blog world is being deprived of the thoughts of teenagers. Next the NYT will tell us that bored housewives have abandoned blogs in order to tweet their favorite recipes.

  18. newrouter says:

    Walker (Still) Holds His Ground, Won’t Back Deal
    February 21, 2011 9:25 A.M.
    By Robert Costa

    Over at Developing, Katrina Trinko notes that Wisconsin state Sen. Dale Schultz, a moderate Republican, is trying to craft a deal with the unions that would temporarily eliminate collective-bargaining rights for public-sector employees. On MSNBC’s Daily Rundown this morning, Gov. Scott Walker (R., Wis.) rejected the idea. “No,” he said. “We can’t do a short-term fix.” GOP senators, he added, remain supportive of his budget plan.

    link

  19. Ernst Schreiber says:

    How goes the recall strategy? You’d think at least one of those democrats would be vulnerable to a recall, wouldn’t you?

  20. serr8d says:

    Some lefty said that Lincoln once jumped out of a window to avoid a vote in the Illinois State House. No word on whether he ran to Wisconsin or swam to Michigan, however.

  21. bh says:

    According to to all the legislative staffers we’ve been speaking with, Shulz isn’t getting anywhere with this and Walker and leadership are standing a dozen steps past staunch. So, I’m not getting ready for them to cave, I’m getting ready to continue winning.

    Starting Tuesday we start pushing everything through on the agenda that doesn’t require a 3/5s quorum for finance. Let them stay in Illinois for awhile longer. We’ll have half our bills passed in a week.

    All Schulz is doing here is putting a giant target on his back for a primary. Good for him.

  22. bh says:

    There’s movement on a couple separate recalls, Ernst.

  23. bh says:

    Somebody’d better contact these “moderate” Republicans

    Oh, Schulz has been hearing about it. Don’t have any doubts about that.

  24. bh says:

    Here’s his contact info:

    Madison Office
    Room 122 South
    State Capitol
    P.O. Box 7882
    Madison, WI 53707-7882

    Telephone
    (608) 266-0703 Or
    (800) 978-8008

    District Telephone
    (608) 647-4614

    Fax
    (608) 267-0375

    Email
    Sen.Schultz@legis.wisconsin.gov

  25. bh says:

    Schultz not Schulz.

  26. Pablo says:

    Starting Tuesday we start pushing everything through on the agenda that doesn’t require a 3/5s quorum for finance. Let them stay in Illinois for awhile longer. We’ll have half our bills passed in a week.

    That’s the spirit! You’ve got until June to pass the budget, right? Make them pay for every day they’re not doing their jobs.

  27. newrouter says:

    shultz “i zee nothing i know nothing”

  28. bh says:

    We can special session them to death, Pablo. If one of them is here, we’re call a session. Whether it’s midnight next Sunday or sometime in July.

    Of course, all their staffers will start going without pay and offices pretty quickly. They might prefer sooner rather than later.

  29. bh says:

    This is an open secret so there’s no problem mentioning something here. They actually can’t cave. The whole budget is going to require an element in this bill, the collective bargaining on benefits.

    The teachers get their health policies from WEAC. It costs a shitload. If the teachers moved onto the state plan instead, it saves somewhere around $70 million. Now, guess how much we’re going to cut state aid to local school districts in the coming budget. $70 million.

  30. bh says:

    We know we’re striking the king here. We’re not being timid.

    Take away WEAC’s health plan scheme. Take away automatic union deductions. Take away the need to join the union. Require a yearly secret vote.

    We’re playing to win. They’re… what exactly?

    It’s why we’re all saying endgame, endgame, endgame. It reminds our side we have many paths to complete success and they have none.

  31. Entropy says:

    I can’t believe this is going down in Wisconsin of all places. Did not see that one coming.

    But if Walker crushes the unions, this could be actual progress.

  32. Jeff G. says:

    We know we’re striking the king here. We’re not being timid.

    Take away WEAC’s health plan scheme. Take away automatic union deductions. Take away the need to join the union. Require a yearly secret vote.

    We’re playing to win. They’re… what exactly?

    It’s why we’re all saying endgame, endgame, endgame. It reminds our side we have many paths to complete success and they have none.

    So why this Republican “Gang of Pussies”? Why even float a compromise?

    I called Walker a hero before the protests started. I saw the endgame — but I was dubious he would pull it off. So far, he’s really showing me — and the nation — something. The establishment GOP had better pay attention… If he wins here, they are obsolete.

  33. newrouter says:

    As I show in Radical-in-Chief, the dream of Obama’s community organizing mentors was to jump-start a populist anti-business movement of the left that could be quietly guided from behind by socialists. At one point Obama’s mentors even sponsored a “Big Business Day” designed to launch a permanent anti-business movement, in the same way that Earth Day launched the ecology movement. The reform plans Obama’s mentors had in mind were very much like the ones that he himself has proposed today. Obama’s strategy, I argue, has always been a “movement strategy.” But the longed-for anti-business movement never materialized, and we’re faced now with an unattractive and defensive public-labor-based movement instead. That puts Obama in a bind. Either he steers the movement toward more broad-based left-goals and constituencies (at the cost of his “moderate pragmatist” persona), or he risks being pulled down by an unsympathetic movement he effectively created, but cannot control.

    link

  34. bh says:

    There’s no gang as far as I can tell and Schultz was floating this even before the shit went down.

    Why is he floating it? Well, because he’s an asshole that needs to be removed from office as soon as possible. That’s on the todo list now.

    1. Pressure local school boards and superintendents to do their jobs in progressive districts.
    2. Go after “sick” teachers.
    3. Recall absent Dems who’ve been in office over a year.
    4. Get those doctors disciplined.
    5. Push through all non-finance bills.
    6. Pass budget repair bill.
    7. Win the Supreme Court election.

    and…

    8. Take Dale Schultz out of office.

    We’re working on it. Problem is, there are fewer workers than people might imagine. Trying to keep their spirits up is a major priority and we have years of work left.

  35. Ernst Schreiber says:

    9. Move to Wisconsin!

    I’m a northwoods kind of guy. If Wisconsin wants to be the Texas of the Big Woods, then I guess I’ll just have to learn to live with Cheezhedz (sigh).

  36. bh says:

    From all accounts — and this includes speaking with staffers myself and talking with others who have done the same — the protesters have created an nearly perfect “external threat creates internal cohesion” dynamic. Also, they realize that they’ve thoroughly pissed off those on the other side and could only do the same with their own base if they caved in now. That’s a suicidal position to now shift to.

    So, yeah, we’re pressuring Schultz like mad but we don’t want the legislators to start thinking he’s made any progress with anonymous colleagues. And, seriously, by all accounts, he hasn’t.

  37. bh says:

    A for an.

    (And, just imagine this comment also corrects all other spelling and grammatical mistakes I’ve made over the past few weeks.)

  38. bh says:

    If you stay to the northwest of the state, Ernst, you don’t even need to change teams. There’s as much purple as green up there.

  39. Pablo says:

    I can’t believe this is going down in Wisconsin of all places. Did not see that one coming.

    Could there be a finer place to start driving the stake into progressivism? It is truly a thing of beauty.

  40. Ernst Schreiber says:

    Since Wisconsin spawned the demon Progressivism, what better place to drive a stake through it’s undead heart?

  41. cranky-d says:

    If Wisconsin would fix its gun laws, I might be interested. MN is still better on that front.

  42. […] 2: Jeff G, for one, won’t be happy with the WI State Senators if they compromise here–even if the situation could theoretically […]

  43. bh says:

    Fix the gun laws?

    Sounds like concealed carry will be one of the things pushed through this week while the Dems are valiantly hiding. I’ve been hearing voter ID as well.

  44. LBascom says:

    You mean right to carry of course.

    I wish California Dems would conveniently run off and hide for a few weeks…

  45. Abe Froman says:

    Stroszek left me with the impression that there’s a gun every three feet in Wisconsin.

  46. bh says:

    Yes, you’re right, Lee.

    Towards Schultz, Walker said this today (http://www.newstimes.com/news/article/Neither-side-budging-in-Wisconsin-union-fight-1023021.php#page-1):

    Walker has rejected both offers, saying local governments and school districts can’t be hamstrung by the often lengthy collective bargaining process and need to have more flexibility to deal with up to $1 billion in cuts he will propose in his budget next week and into the future.

    “It will never get to me because other than that one state senator, all the rest of the Republicans are firmly behind our proposal,” Walker said in an MSNBC interview on Monday, calling it an unacceptable short-term fix.

    Sounds like Schultz stands alone.

  47. bh says:

    That’s not far off, Abe. We probably have one of the largest disparities between our gun laws and our culture in the country.

  48. newrouter says:

    The OFA’s involvement is highlighted on it’s website. Evidence of the Twitter support can be seen here.

    Politico’s Ben Smith and Glenn Thrush also separately reported the Involvement of Obama and his political operation, as did ABC’s Devin Dwyer.

    Now Obama is trying to disown his support for the Wisconsin public unions because it is as monumental a political blunder as was the Obamacrats cramming the unpopular ObamaCare down our throats in the face strong public opposition. Like the ObamaCare, Public workers’ unions are not popular.

    Last week Rasmussen Reports released a poll that found 70% of likely voters think voters are more willing to make the hard choices needed to reduce federal spending than elected politicians are. Fifty-five percent (55%) don’t think President Obama’s proposed $3.7 trillion 2012 budget includes enough spending cuts, and 40% of don’t think the GOP spending cuts go far enough either.

    Also, A poll from the Clarus Group found that 64% do not think that government employees should be represented by labor unions.

    Perhaps more important, Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll finds Obama’s popularity has returned to pre-tax deal levels. Obama’s Strongly Disapprove numbers are back in 40% range, giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -18. These are similar to disapproval ratings Obama had during the midterms when the Democrats got shellacked.

    link

  49. Pablo says:

    Sounds like concealed carry will be one of the things pushed through this week while the Dems are valiantly hiding. I’ve been hearing voter ID as well.

    Yes, please. And more, thank you.

  50. newrouter says:

    ad this to the list:

    “Governor Jim Doyle made it official Thursday, Dec. 10: He signed into law AB 172, the Labor History in the Schools bill, culminating 12 years of efforts by key legislators, workers, unions and others to pass legislation to assure the teaching of labor history and collective bargaining.”

  51. bh says:

    You betcha, Pablo.

    I can google it but could you give me a link on that, newrouter? That’s the sort of thing that keeps people fired up.

  52. bh says:

    Thanks.

  53. John Bradley says:

    I ‘spect the events of the last week are teaching folks in WI more about the Labor movement than any dippy-ass “Labor Studies” class ever would have managed. Learing is so much easier when you have good examples and Teachable Moments…

  54. newrouter says:

    The University of Wisconsin Health System will investigate the far left doctors who were handing out fake sick slips to protesters at the Madison union protests this weekend.
    The Wisconsin State Journal reported, via Free Republic:

    UW Health is investigating doctors who wrote medical notes last weekend excusing protesters at the Capitol from work, and the Wisconsin Medical Society has criticized their actions.

    “These UW Health physicians were acting on their own and without the knowledge or approval of UW Health,” UW Health said in a statement. “These charges are very serious.”

    The UW School of Medicine and Public Health and the UW Medical Foundation, the university’s doctor group, are investigating.

    link

  55. newrouter says:

    “Learing is so much easier when you have good examples and Teachable Moments…”

    true but this would eliminate future brain deformities in youthful noggins.

  56. bh says:

    Thanks as well, nr.

    I certainly hope so, John. It seems to be working out that way so far.

  57. John Bradley says:

    “Learing”? Damnit, the Kaiser stole (some of) my ‘N’s!

  58. newrouter says:

    here’s some “learing”

    The Wisconsin Republicans are challenging that idea directly. The vociferous political left isn’t wrong about that: the crisis in Wisconsin is a power struggle for the future of government, not just a clash of this year’s fiscal priorities. If the voting public can, in fact, deny professional autonomy – in this case, the option to organize for collective bargaining – to public employees, the essential premise of progressivism is badly undercut. Public employees, in their professional capacity, would not then have a “right” to anything the voters don’t choose to accede to. That would include the scope of their agencies’ portfolios as well as the terms of employment for government workers.

    To applaud Scott Walker’s stand in the present case is not to suggest that government would function perfectly if only there were more partisan political squabbling surrounding our public decisions. No system is perfect. But progressivism has produced the opposite of its promise: its yield is a proliferation of government agencies funded by the taxpayers but in thrall to special-interest activism. If the Wisconsin Republicans can undo the progressive movement’s basic premise of an insulated public-agency establishment, the prospect of what may follow –a meaningful political dispute over the size and scope of government – will be a most welcome one.

    link

  59. Abe Froman says:

    I have to say that the best part about what’s going on in Wisconsin and elsewhere is that it literally makes it impossible for Obama to play the phony centrist as we approach ’12. There’s simply no way he can hold the center and placate a base that is riddled with parasites.

  60. newrouter says:

    a base that is riddled with parasites moonbats.

Comments are closed.