For those of you not already aware, set forth at the bottom of this note is a link to a Wisconsin Public Radio News account describing proposals that the Republican-controlled Wisconsin legislature is reported to be considering in a lame-duck session this week. Although there is no point to regurgitating the information provided through the link, a few of the proposals on the table include:
- Limiting incoming Governor Tony Evers’ ability to modify Wisconsin’s Voter ID law, change state work requirements for food stamps, authorize Wisconsin to leave a federal lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act, or make changes to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (which Mr. Evers indicated, during his campaign against Republican Gov. Scott Walker, that he would like to eliminate).
- Reducing the in-person early voting period from that currently allowed by law. (Early voters have generally favored Democrats. To state the obvious: to the extent that this law suppresses voter turnout, it serves to disenfranchise legally-authorized voters.)
- Moving the Wisconsin 2020 Presidential Primary from the current April date to March – which can be expected to reduce turnout in the April elections, clearly to the benefit of conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly. (In addition to the blatant political nature of the measure, the Clerks of several counties have already expressed concern about the practical logistics of such a change, and there are estimates that the additional statewide cost of the switch may approach $7 million.)
I recently had refreshers with a close friend, a lifelong Wisconsin Republican, who indicated in passing that he had been angered by the recall vote against Mr. Walker in 2012, because he felt that those that had lost in 2010 “were trying to take away my vote.”
This weekend’s Wall Street Journal contains a piece by Lance Morrow, “America is Addicted to Outrage. Is There a Cure?”, in which Mr. Morrow suggests that we, no matter where we stand on the political spectrum, can’t go on being outraged by everything; we are exhausting ourselves by blowing everything out of proportion.
I understand my friend’s indignation at the 2012 recall effort. I also find Mr. Morrow’s piece thoughtful and persuasive. That said, since the most welcome outcome of the 2018 elections for me was Gov. Scott Walker’s defeat, I can’t – try as I might – feel anything but frustration – indeed, outrage – at what the Republicans are reportedly intending to do. They lost every statewide race in 2018. It is clear that the majority of Wisconsin citizens do not agree with the direction that Republicans have taken the state. They nonetheless appear intent on imposing their will of the majority of the state’s citizens.
Democrats are obviously vociferously denouncing the Republicans’ actions. I note with interest that State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, in defending the actions the Republicans intend to take, has issued a statement which provides in part:
“The legislature is the most representative branch in government and we will not stop being a strong voice for our constituents.”
Any resident of this state over the age of 18 will recall the 2011 dispute over and demonstrations against Act 10, the Wisconsin statute that adversely affected the collective bargaining, compensation, retirement, health insurance, and sick leave rights and benefits for most Wisconsin public sector employees, and will probably also recall that prior to the law’s enactment, Wisconsin Senate Democrats staged a boycott in an vain attempt to prevent Act 10’s passage.
During the standoff, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported that Democratic State Senator Spencer Coggs defended the boycott: “We’re doing our job of making sure the people have an opportunity to have their voices heard.” The Journal-Sentinel included Sen. Fitzgerald’s response: “That’s not democracy. That’s not what this chamber is about. [My emphasis].”
The efforts listed in the linked account are unquestionably intended to hamper incoming Gov. Tony Evers and thwart the will of the majority of the citizens that voted in 2018. State Republicans are resorting to these efforts because they clearly understand that the greater the percentage of legally-qualified Wisconsin citizens that vote, the more likely they are to lose elections and influence. What they apparently intend is not — to cite Sen. Fitzgerald — democracy. What they intend is execrable.
I really did find Mr. Morrow’s piece compelling. I really do intend to work on controlling my outrage. It would help, however, if Wisconsin state Republicans claiming to represent me – as a resident of the state of Wisconsin – had the slightest respect for our democratic form of government and for fair play.
https://www.wpr.org/gop-state-lawmakers-look-limit-early-voting-lame-duck-session
McCoy's Noise 