In Wisconsin tonight, the Republican state Senate stripped public employees of nearly all collective bargaining rights in a hastily called vote, in a dubious parliamentary maneuver. They did not notify the public or the minority party of their actions with adequate time for debate, and in just 13 minutes, they erased 50 years of progress on labor rights in Wisconsin.
They did this even as polling now shows that a significant majority of the public oppose Walker's plan and his methods, and support the unions and the right of workers to bargain collectively. Today, both political slush-fund ads put together by Karl Rove and the Republican leader of the Wisconsin state Senate openly stated that the measure was necessary to help Republicans win in 2012.
In the suddenly convened conference committee, the Democratic minority leader of the state Assembly, Rep. Peter Barca read aloud a letter from the current attorney general of the state of Wisconsin, which said that no such conference could be held without 24 hours notice. Sen. Fitzgerald ignored Rep. Barca, sought to interrupt him, then called for a vote, and held a vote to end debate and move the measure to a floor vote in the Senate.
Rep. Barca repeatedly shouted that the meeting was being held illegally, called on the Senate majority leader to explain what was "removed" from this bill. Fitzgerald refused to explain what was removed or changed, insisting that nothing was changed, though all budget-related provisions were reportedly removed.
The spectacle was as jolting as it was unprecedented. The majority leader of the state Senate was seen on live television ignoring information directly from the sitting attorney general of the state, which clearly showed his actions to be a violation of the law. When asked to explain what was in the bill, what was removed, the majority leader refused to provide any information of any kind.
This newly invented "nuclear option" exercised this evening without debate of any kind by the Republican majority was reportedly able to move forward because all "fiscal" provisions were "removed" from the bill. Numerous Republicans have said in the legislature and on television, in official documents, legislative briefs, legislative documents and budget proposals, that the very proposal to strip public servants of their collective bargaining rights was in fact a fiscal provision.
This raises the question of whether any of the Republican legislators, or the governor or any of his aides, engaged in a deliberate act of fraud in order to force through a provision they have now admitted is motivated by a plan to alter the political landscape in favor of their party.
What is happening in Wisconsin is a flagrantly corrupt political assault on the rights of all American citizens, and a concerted attack on the middle class. There appear to have been extensive communications between top Republicans in Wisconsin and national front groups channeling millions in corporate donations to political ads, with a very significant appearance of impropriety.
The people of Wisconsin deserve and should mount a concerted, civil, political and prosecutorial response to this assault on democracy. This response should include, but not be limited to, each of the following:
- Massive new rounds of sustained public protest at the state capitol, until the entire Walker budget proposal is withdrawn;
- A statewide effort to recall every elected official involved in this travesty of legislative process, including the governor, one year into his term;
- An independent investigation into specific communications between the governor and interested parties, inside and outside the state;
- An independent investigation into today's admission that the collective bargaining ban is a political strategy for the 2012 election;
- An independent investigation into the Senate leader's coordination of a process with zero transparency and during which he flagrantly ignored advice from the state's Attorney General to not move forward until 24 hours had elapsed after the announcement of the newly designed legislative process;
- Criminal prosecution of every public official involved in any quid-pro-quo, any use of legislative process to alter electoral outcomes, any outside party involved in any quid-pro-quo, and any act of fraud or sworn misstatement in furtherance of the collective bargaining ban;
- The immediate reversal of all legislation signed into law by Gov. Walker;
- A formal criminal probe into the actions of Gov. Walker relating to his reported attempts to use law enforcement and in at least one case, the National Guard, as well as his own admission to have contemplated using hired troublemakers, to disperse protesters by force;
- A formal criminal prosecution of the governor, if it is found that he ordered, in any case, any individual to act in the name of the state, or under private contract, to use force or intimidation to enforce his will;
- A 100% open process of public comment and stakeholder drafting of a new "budget repair" package.
UPDATE, 9:41 pm EST: Video from Madison, Wisconsin, shows protesters massing at the Wisconsin state capitol building. There appear to be images of protesters entering windows and demanding entry through the capitol doors. Democratic senators have said they do not intend to return to Wisconsin, until they have a guarantee that moderate Republicans will abandon Gov. Walker, reverse this measure and withdraw the budget proposal.
Michael Moore told MSNBC tonight that there is a call for a massive, nationwide walkout of high school students at 2:00 pm, on Friday. There is a massive protest planned for Madison, Wisconsin, for Saturday, March 12.
UPDATE, 10:27 pm EST: The minority leader of the Wisconsin state Assembly told MSNBC tonight that he and the Democratic minority will be seeking legal action to counter the Republicans' vote as an illegal violation of the state's Open Meetings law. He said he believes the state's attorney general, a Republican, will uphold his oath of office and take action to block the illegal vote and investigate the action as a violation of law.
Rep. Barca also said the attorney general is not the only official empowered to take legal action to oppose the Republicans' unfounded legislative maneuver. Barca said the process staged and carried out by Sen. Scott Fitzgerald was "a clear violation of the law." There is video showing Sen. Fitzgerald flagrantly refusing to provide any information about what is in the bill to be voted on and ignoring the notice from the attorney general, read aloud by Rep. Barca, informing him of his legal responsibility to give 24 hours' notice before voting.
UPDATE, 10:34 pm EST: Think Progress is reporting Madison police have refused to remove peaceful demonstrators, and Gov. Walker has reportedly ordered the state police —under the control of the father of the brothers who lead the Republican majorities in both houses of the legislature, and who was appointed by Walker— to intervene to force the protesters out of the state capitol.
Faced with public opposition to his radical agenda, Gov. Scott Walker has consistently engaged in a campaign of threats, political extortion and intimidation. Now, as he appears to have pushed his party's Senate leader to flout the law and call an illegal vote, he is said to be ordering the state police to remove protesters from the capitol grounds. It is not known whether he has ordered the use of force.