Minutes ago, after hours of impassioned testimony from the Wisconsin Democratic Assembly delegation, a vote was held on a motion by Rep Fred Kessler (D-12) to refer AB-11, the so-called budget repair bill, to the Labor and Workforce Development committee - where, by all rights, it should have been
Unsurprisingly, the motion failed. One Republican failed to vote. But a small victory emerged for those on the side of workers: one Republican, freshman Representative Tom Larson (R-67), voted aye - voted to refer the bill back to committee.
Of course, one vote is only one vote. It is nowhere near what is needed to kill this bill. But success on the Republican side depends on absolute unity of purpose. This is not a vote that the media will notice, but you better believe that both caucuses have.
We've got a long fight ahead of us. But it's becoming clearer every day that we're winning. All we need is time. We need the Wisconsin 14 to stand strong. We need the Assembly delegation to stand strong. And to keep both those things happening, we need the workers of Wisconsin, and workers around the country to stand strong.
Keep the pressure on. Keep the marches going. If you know people in Republican districts, call them. Tell them why you oppose this bill. Better they should get their information from you than from the Club for Growth.
We're winning. Both parties are in caucus now, and I expect Representative Larson is getting something of a talking to. But when members start to crack on votes, more can't be far behind.
This is our fight, and we're going to bring it home.