Wisconsin Democrats May Return Soon

The leader of the 14 Wisconsin Senate Democrats who left the state last month to block legislation that would curb public-employee union rights said the senators plan to return "in the relatively near future," because negotiations with the governor have failed.

Democratic Sen. Mark Miller said the Democrats intend to let the full Senate vote and potentially pass Gov. Scott Walker's "budget-repair" bill, which would also limit public unions' collective bargaining rights. The Democrats believe that the measure lacks voter support based on recent polls and that passage could hurt Republicans politically, Mr. Miller said.

He said the Democrats, who fled to Illinois on Feb. 17, also want to fight Mr. Walker's recently announced two-year budget plan, which cuts spending by $4.2 billion, or 6.7%, including $1.25 billion less in state aid to schools and local governments.

"We are now looking at returning to the state capitol and requiring the senators to take a vote and have them declare who they're with -- the workers or the governor," Mr. Miller said Sunday. He said he thinks recent polls have been "disastrous" for Mr. Walker and give Democrats more leverage to seek budget changes.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704041504576185010446940614.html

sadness remains for now.


...........Chris Schrimpf, a spokesman for the governor, said, "If the governor made his decisions based on polling, he would still be in the general assembly. The voters elected people to make the difficult decisions to balance the budget and create an environment where 250,000 jobs can be created by the private sector."

Union solidarity rallies continue outside the Wisconsin Capitol as filmmaker Michael Moore tells the crowd that America is not broke, but that the elite controls the money. Video courtesy of NewsCore.

Mr. Schrimpf added that Mr. Walker has been "keeping the lines of communication open with Senate Democrats trying to give them a path home."

As the standoff in Wisconsin has dragged on, several polls show majorities of Wisconsin voters disapproving of Mr. Walker's plan to strip public employees of bargaining rights.

republican governors in states like Wisconsin, Ohio and TN are going to win these battles. That doesn't mean they'll win the war. We can't afford to simply slump into defeat because of this.

When they get a decent governor and legislature in Wisconsin they'll roll this indignity off their backs. This isn't over.

as soon as they return, and they know that. But, the die has been cast for the Republicans in Wisconsin. They have taken a step too far, and will pay for that quite soon.

Victory is not ours - yet. It soon will be, though, and Wisconsin may affect the whole country in 2012. If only we will take advantage of that.

Repuke Senators-with all the requisite signatures-in their hands. Not a minute sooner.

If nothing else they hold onto their principles like a lion mother defending her cubs.

I really don't have faith that we will have a chance at really doing something until the GOP controls everything.
Then finally people's lives will be so miserable that they will slowly begin to turn against them.

I don't think we are near that point yet.

credibility in doubt.