The bill is SB5, and it will limit future collective bargaining for Ohio state employees to base salary: it passed the Ohio Senate with a one-vote margin (all hail the power of having a strong enough majority to allow you breathing room: elections matter, folks*). The bill now goes to the House, where the GOP has a 59-40 advantage: and a simple majority constitutes a quorum in the Ohio legislature, which means that the bill will likewise almost certainly pass there with sufficient margin to permit a defection or two. Governor Kasich will of course sign the bill once it is law.
While this is all of course good news for advocates of reform generally, it does also have a bearing on the specific situation in Wisconsin. The time has come for union leadership and other Democrats in that state to ask themselves what they want to do. To wit: do they want to start an armed insurrection against the legitimate government of Wisconsin? Or do they want to start preparing their supporters for what promises to be a crushing defeat of their (misguided) hopes?
Because there really isn’t a third option, even if recall drives against four Republican state senators is being touted as one. As John McCormack notes, no recall election is likely before July**; and it structurally cannot be before mid-June. The Democrats do not have until mid-June to stay away from the Senate. They do not have until April – unless Wisconsin Democrats are comfortable with mucking up Medicaid programs. Come right down to it, they don’t have until mid-March, given that the AWOL Democratic Senators’ pay is now being (rightfully) fined $100 a day for not doing their jobs. The Wisconsin GOP is not going to back down, and that was the only way that the Democrats were going to win.
There comes a time in any battle where the side that’s losing has to come to terms with the fact that it’s not going to win, and that it’s time to retreat. If I was advising the Democrats, I would be saying that now was that time – because better a retreat than a rout, which is what they’re going to suffer if they don’t start preparing their supporters for defeat now.
Moe Lane (crosspost)
(via @seanhackbarth)
*Some people may be upset that there were Republican defections: don’t be. It passed, after all – and if we had a smaller majority in the Ohio state Senate the bill would have been weaker to start with. When you have a big margin in the legislature you can afford to take a strong position on a bill, in other words.
**Up to sixty days to get the petition signed by in-district residents (yes, the government will check this time) totaling 25% of the total voters for governor in that district in the last election. A month to review the petition. Ten days to allow for a challenge. Six weeks for an election season. That’s almost two months minimum, four months more likely (spamming the petition with fake names will give the government the perfect excuse to throw it out).
Moe Lane
Dan Spencer
Dan McLaughlin
Jeff Emanuel
I never knew how important local elections could be.
earlgrey (Diary) Wednesday, March 2nd at 9:34PM EDT (link)We have a special election for a state rep.in TN and the GOTV effort is in full swing. Acitivism isnt’ just for elelction years.
earlgrey, great point. In Arizona, ONLY precinct committeemen
ColdWarrior (Diary) Wednesday, March 2nd at 11:43PM EDT (link)get to vote in special elections to fill vacancies in the state legislature. For example, if one of my Legislative District representatives happened to be a Republican and were to step down, the precinct committeemen, and ONLY the precinct committeemen, in the LD would assemble and vote for three nominees to fill the seat. Then, the county Board of Supervisors would select one of the three nominees. If a majority of the precinct committeemen were conservatives, they’d be in a position, with their majority, to select three conservative nominees.
With three conservative nominees, it would not make any difference which nominee the Supervisors picked — no matter which one, we’d now have a brand new conservative Republican in the legislature.
Thank you.
ColdWarrior
In 2012, will YOU become a “voting member” of the Republican Party in your precinct?
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Learn how to GOTV at The Concord Project and at Procinct and
Details please. Where and who?
Melody Warbington (rwm52) (Diary) Wednesday, March 2nd at 11:52PM EDT (link)I have lots of conservative family & friends in TN and will pass info along to them.
The woman saith unto him, I know that Messiah cometh (he that is called Christ): when he is come, he will declare unto us all things. (John 4:25)
Kerry Roberts running for Senate not Representative
earlgrey (Diary) Thursday, March 3rd at 9:12AM EDT (link)He is Senate District 18, in the central time zone (I always ask because I dont’ want to call during dinner hour).
they set through a website on callfire. Where you enter in the account number (specific for the campaign), your phone number (I’ve used cell and home number to do this) and pass word. The computer calls you with another number you enter into the computer and then you go straight to the calling. The computer calls for you and there is a screen with a script and place for entering in responses. There is also a drop call option, for when you get a voicemail and that has a pre-recorded message.
Here is the information from local GOP.
I hope you’re doing well. We have a very important special election taking place right now in Robertson & Sumner counties. Our candidate is Kerry Roberts, who is running for the State Senate seat vacated by Rep. Diane Black.
Early voting ends on Thursday and Election Day is next Tuesday. Turnout has been VERY low and the Democrats have already gone negative and organized phone banks acoss the state for their candidate.
Thanks in advance,
Adam
—
Adam Nickas
Political Director
Tennessee Republican Party
(615) 269-4260
adam@tngop.org
www.tngop.org
Your relatives can contact Adam. If you have any problems, let me know. I’ll put my email up and we can talk directly.
Earl Grey, it's a small world.
Melody Warbington (rwm52) (Diary) Thursday, March 3rd at 12:27PM EDT (link)I’ll do what I can. I read Roberts’ bio online, and we went to the same college. I am also a member of the church of Christ, so I’m sure I can reach some folks.
The woman saith unto him, I know that Messiah cometh (he that is called Christ): when he is come, he will declare unto us all things. (John 4:25)
Thanks Rightwingmom52.
earlgrey (Diary) Thursday, March 3rd at 12:34PM EDT (link)I am not from TN originally, so I just don’t know the state that well. I live in the far SW corner of the state and the politics here can be different from other parts. If you friends/family have any questions, I’d be happy to either answer them myself or get them in touch with someone who can. I deal mostly with my country GOP and have done some work for the state GOP in GOTV.
The Fleebaggers are synonomous with deadbeats
Deskpilot (Diary) Wednesday, March 2nd at 9:40PM EDT (link)who have collection agents calling. They simply aren’t answering the phone, much less their call to return to work, hoping the problem will go away.
They aren’t telling their families of the great problems their actions are compounding upon themselves.
In the meantime, the sherrif (Governor) and his deputies (GOP legislature) are preparing to enforce the existing, and prepaing the future law that is going to put them out on the street, and wipe them into obscurity.
If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you can still read it in English, You’re Welcome
Deskpilot, AM(H)1 (AW), USN (Ret)
Join the RedState Strike Force
not to mention family needs...
techsan (Diary) Wednesday, March 2nd at 10:08PM EDT (link)At some point, I would think a 7-month pregnant Senator might want to, you know, come home to the family. Besides, as a WI-ite, not sure you want your kid to start life in IL…it’s that whole FIB (with pre-apology for the foul language) thing.
In the end, all we have on our side of the debate are facts and history.
you mean
grateful_red (Diary) Wednesday, March 2nd at 11:36PM EDT (link)Our
Fellow
Illinois
Bretheren — right?
"better a retreat than a rout"
carolina Wednesday, March 2nd at 10:57PM EDT (link)I think it is too late for them to retreat. Maybe the $100/day fine that starts soon will be enough for them to “save face”.
I agree that they better start preparing their supporters for defeat. Imagine: Walker and Kasich signing their respective state laws on the same day. wow
Not a big enough fine. Not nasty enough.
writeblock Wednesday, March 2nd at 11:31PM EDT (link)And I read just now that Andrew Cuomo had 15 protesters arrested for blocking the entrace to the NY capitol building. Apparently even in this, the Dems are tougher than we are.
They're not *tougher.*
Moe Lane (Diary) Thursday, March 3rd at 1:36AM EDT (link)They simply have better press. That’s not the overwhelming advantage that too many people on both sides think that it is, but it does matter in certain circumstances, and Cuomo’s arresting people is one of those circumstances.
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"better a retreat than a rout"
carolina Wednesday, March 2nd at 10:57PM EDT (link)I think it is too late for them to retreat. Maybe the $100/day fine that starts soon will be enough for them to “save face”.
I agree that they better start preparing their supporters for defeat. Imagine: Walker and Kasich signing their respective state laws on the same day. wow
The unions and the national party want them to fight
Adjoran (Diary) Thursday, March 3rd at 1:52AM EDT (link)Walker’s plan for annual certification elections and ending payroll deduction of dues, coming as it does in “progressive” Wisconsin, would open the flood gates for similar moves in other cash-strapped states – who would have had to take action to put their own fiscal houses in order over a year ago, if not for Obama’s “stimulus” cash transfers, mainly used to avoid public employee cuts.
The whole cycle of the gravy train with unions feeding Democrats who give them sweet contracts for more feeding, etc., is endangered. They will fight like cornered beasts.
I agree. I can't see the Wisconsin Democrats backing down now.
Spiral (Diary) Thursday, March 3rd at 4:45AM EDT (link)If they were going to back down, it would have been in the first week of this mess. But how can they go back to work now and watch as the Republican controlled State Senate “shreds basic human rights.”
They have boxed themselves in with their own rediculous rhetoric, leaving themselves no fallback option.
They will have to just stay in Rockford, IL until the election in 2012 and hope that the 2010 GOP Wisconsin Wave was a once in a generation event.
That’s what many Democrats think, too. When Republicans win, they say, “Let’s delay, dissemble, distract and delay some more because in 2 years the voters will reconsider their views and vote us back in.”
That’s how the Democrats played it after the 1994 Gingrich revolution. They got Clinton to veto everything. They told everyone that the GOP wanted to kill old people, sick people and young people. And by 1996 the “folks” were ready to reelect Clinton. Trust me. The Wisconsin Democrats do not think that their state is now a “RedState.”
The safest bet is to assume that the Democrats are nuts because most often they are.
The Obama Bread Lines
Bing!
The_Gadfly (Diary) Thursday, March 3rd at 5:59AM EDT (link)Because WI is where the progressive and union movements started, they are much more important symbolically than Ohio is. One of the key elements of Liberal Fascism is the building of a state-centric mythology to replace the Judeo-Christian basis of our founding. The unions are part of the new mythology, and if their founding state abandons them all hope is lost.
If Republicans in other states where they hold majorities are paying attention, they can use one of Patton’s dictums to their advantage: Grab them by the nose and kick them [elsewhere] until you’ve beaten them. Wisconsin is the nose. They have to stay focused there, so their efforts elsewhere won’t be as well organized or sustained.
Ending payroll deduction of dues
adair Thursday, March 3rd at 11:44AM EDT (link)has seemed to me to be a financial boost in itself. Perhaps if the Payroll staff has fewer deductions to make from checks, maybe they could lay off a staff member or two.
Hmmmm. wait a minute. They’re going to have to increase deductions for Health and Pension and remove deductions for union dues. Good heavens, they might have to hire more government employees to take care of all that arithmetic.
Wiscon needs to be sure the certification elections aren’t required to be paid for by the taxpayers.
Very little news about the school districts or city/county entities which have signed new contracts, solidifying their union employees’ protected status. It’s hard for me to fathom why they would do this, considering that they’re more than willing to pay the extra health & pension costs IF ONLY the governor would sit down across the table and truly, sincerely, honestly negotiate. Sure.
Walker should mention Ohio's bill. It's a tougher law than his.
Spiral (Diary) Thursday, March 3rd at 4:49AM EDT (link)Ohio’s law does not exempt firemen and policemen, as does the Wisconsin bill.
To those who call him a dictator who is “shredding the basic human right to collectively bargain,” Walker can say, “In addition to the 20 plus states that have no collective bargaining for public employees, in addition to federal employees who have no collective bargaining, the Governor of Ohio is signing a law to some of their collective bargaining, and yet the Ohio Democrats decided to show up to vote and do their jobs. If only Wisconsin Democrats would do the same thing.”
The Obama Bread Lines
Walker should mention Ohio's bill. It's a tougher law than his.
Spiral (Diary) Thursday, March 3rd at 4:49AM EDT (link)Ohio’s law does not exempt firemen and policemen, as does the Wisconsin bill.
To those who call him a dictator who is “shredding the basic human right to collectively bargain,” Walker can say, “In addition to the 20 plus states that have no collective bargaining for public employees, in addition to federal employees who have no collective bargaining, the Governor of Ohio is signing a law to some of their collective bargaining, and yet the Ohio Democrats decided to show up to vote and do their jobs. If only Wisconsin Democrats would do the same thing.”
The Obama Bread Lines
Recall 3 Democrats
melbedewy (Diary) Thursday, March 3rd at 9:21AM EDT (link)Efforts need to be made to get the signatures and the election set as soon as possible.
Pretty hard to move out of state and defend a recall campaign.
Doesn't residency come into play?
dmccracken Thursday, March 3rd at 10:00AM EDT (link)Residency would kick in at some point with the Wisconsin dems, wouldn’t it?
Can you be a state senator and reside in another state?
I think the norm for residency is 6 months, and recall efforts might get rid of some before then, but if they stay in Illinois long enough, can’t an argument be made that they are no longer residents of Wisconsin?
That might get rid of the whole batch of them in one shot!
WI Supreme Court
howardbeale (Diary) Thursday, March 3rd at 11:24AM EDT (link)A lot of Walker’s legislation could end up in the WI Supreme Court, which has a 4-3 conservative edge. One conservative justice, David Prosser, is up for re-election in April. It is critical that he win.
Ohio tax heavy
sheryl Friday, March 4th at 4:10AM EDT (link)I grew up in Ohio and still have fond memories of my years spent there. How-
ever i moved to Florida forty years ago. When i got my first paycheck i was
astonished i didn’t have state income tax or city income tax taken out of my
check. My move to Florida was for the weather. As i continue to watch the
drama unfold in states with no right to work law i love Florida even more.