Is it time to take off the orange t-shirts now, Wisconsin Assembly Democrats?
I think so.
It's time to go home and take a shower.
Over the beat of the protesters' drums, one can hear the sweet voice of the fat lady singing.
Governor Scott Walker's budget repair plan was approved.
From the Associated Press:
The Wisconsin Assembly early Friday passed a bill that would strip most public workers of their collective bargaining rights — the first significant action on the new Republican governor's plan.
The vote put an end to three straight days of punishing debate, but the political standoff over the bill is far from over.
The Assembly vote sends the bill on to the state Senate, where minority Democrats have been missing for a week. No one knows when — or if — they'll return from their hideout in Illinois. Republicans who control the Senate sent state troopers out looking for them at their homes on Thursday, but they turned up nothing.
Gov. Scott Walker's proposal contains a number of provisions he says are designed to fill the state's $137 million deficit and lay the groundwork for fixing a projected $3.6 billion shortfall in the upcoming 2011-13 budget. The flashpoint is language that would strip almost all public sector workers of their right to collectively bargain benefits and work conditions.
Naturally, the lib media are dutifully reporting this story from the perspective of the mighty unions.
Rather than stressing the bill's passage as a victory for the taxpayers and an important step in getting Wisconsin back on track, they're calling it an anti-union bill.
Look at the headline of an AP account of the story in the New York Times: "Wis. Assembly Passes Bill Taking Away Union Rights."
Here's the headline from Reuters: "Wisconsin Assembly approves bill to curb union power."
FOX News has this breaking news alert banner on its website: "Wis. Assembly OK's bill stripping public workers of collective bargaining rights."
The alert could say "Wis. Assembly OK's bill providing public workers with collective bargaining rights for salaries; public protections for state employees remain; thousands of public jobs saved."
It could but it never would.
Yeah, whatever.
Bang the drums.
The bill passed.
Time for the Senate Dems hiding out in Illinois to come back and vote.
They have to come back eventually. They aren't Roman Polanski.
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Don't buy the libs' spin. Get the full story. Read the FACTS about Governor Walker’s Responsible Budget Repair Plan.
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UPDATE: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel offers more details about the vote.
The early accounts of the bill's passage said nothing about the Dems' screaming and the anger.
The first reports didn't mention the complete lack of decorum.
After a bitter, 61-hour debate that was the longest in living memory, the sleep-starved state Assembly voted in just seconds early Friday to approve a watershed proposal repealing most union bargaining rights held by public workers.
Just after 1 a.m., Republicans cut off debate on Gov. Scott Walker's bill and in pell-mell fashion the body voted 51-17 to pass it. In the confusion, nearly one-third of the body - 28 lawmakers including 25 Democrats, two Republicans and the body's lone independent - did not vote on the bill at all.
All Democrats voted against the proposal along with four Republicans - Dean Kaufert of Neenah, Lee Nerison of Westby, Richard Spanbauer of Oshkosh, and Travis Tranel of Cuba City.
Democrats erupted after the vote, throwing papers and what appeared to be a drink in the air. They denounced the move to cut off debate, questioning for the second time in the night whether the proper procedure had been followed.
"Shame! Shame! Shame!" Democrats shouted in the faces of Republicans as the GOP lawmakers quietly filed off the floor and a police officer stood between opposing lawmakers.
"Cowards all! You're all cowards," yelled Rep. Brett Hulsey (D-Madison) as another Democrat tried to calm him down.
Most Republicans had no comment on the vote afterward and some were escorted out under police protection. Earlier in the night, Majority Leader Scott Suder (R-Abbotsford) said that Democrats had been given more than two full days and nights to make their case - effectively turning the debate into a filibuster - and that Republicans had done nothing wrong.
"It seems clear our side wants to vote and I challenge anyone watching to say we have not held out for an adequate debate," Suder said.
“The democrats were clearly stalling,” said Rep. Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc). “That’s why Assembly rules allow for a vote on final passage. We took that vote and did what the people of this state asked us to do on Nov. 2 – get spending under control.”
Charles Benson, TMJ4, and Jay Sorgi, 620 WTMJ, report:
To Republican Assembly members, it was time. From Democrats to their counterparts, it was "Shame! Shame! Shame! Shame!"
As Republicans walked out of the State Assembly chambers early Friday morning following the passage of Governor Scott Walker's budget repair bill that - among many other provisions - would strip most public workers of many of their collective bargaining rights, the repeated screams of "Shame!" were the words screamed by orange-shirted Democratic counterparts.
It was very dramatic. Pandemonium. Chaos inside the state assembly.
After more than 60 hours of debate, Republicans said it was time to vote.
Shortly after 1:00 a.m., after more than 60 hours of debate on this, the Republicans quickly called for the vote, which ended all debate.
Some of the Democrats were so taken aback by what had happened, they didn't get a chance to vote.
The vote happened so fast, within seconds, that the bill pass with Republican voting for it, but while they were voting, Democrats kept yelling, "No! No! You can't do this!"
Republicans kept on voting, and within seconds, the bill had passed 51-17. Four Republicans voted against the bill.
Some Democrats never had any time to vote on this because they were screaming and yelling to try to stop the vote, but it passed. It happened so fast, so suddenly, they were caught off guard.
"I'm incensed. I'm shocked," said Rep. John Richards, D-Milwaukee. "What a terrible, terrible day for Wisconsin."
There might have been one or two Republicans that might not have had the chance to vote.
After it passed, Republicans started walking off the floor, and the Democrats started yelling "Shame! Shame! Shame!" as Republicans walked off, one by one, and left the Assembly floor.
Many Democrats claim it was an illegal vote, because they started talking about a rare procedural movement that they thought the Republican were going to use. It's still unclear whether the Republicans played that card. That's why the Democrats think this was an illegal vote, and they were going to meet and see if there was any sort of wrongdoing.
Republicans say there was no wrongdoing.
Oconomowoc Republican Assemblyman Joel Kleefisch told TODAY'S TMJ4's Charles Benson that Democrats were holding the taxpayers of Wisconsin hostage. To him, it was time to vote, and the time came shortly after 1:00 a.m.
"The vote we took wasn't the easy thing to do, but it was the right thing to do," Suder, R-Abbotsford, said.
Eventually, state troopers had to escort Republicans outside the State Capitol. Democrats went into the Rotunda, and protesters applauded them, cheering, saying "Thank you."
Read the complete breakdown of the VOTE.
AYES - 51
NAYS - 17
NOT VOTING - 28
Watch VIDEO of TMJ4's early morning coverage of the overnight events in the Assembly.
Watch RAW VIDEO of the vote as it happened.
Yes, I would call it pandemonium.
Bottom line: It was a given that the Dems would react with a lot of drama when the vote took place. They did.
It was a given that the bill was going to pass. It did.
Looks like the elected Dems have taken lessons from union thugs.
How embarrassing!
Not a proud moment for the Democrats.
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