Agorism
12-16-2010, 01:02 PM
http://polipundit.com/?p=28490
It’s not always Republicans who defect to the other side on important votes. Sometimes, a Democrat will defect and join the good guys on an important vote:
[Wisconsin] State lawmakers have officially ended a messy lame duck session to approve state contracts after the Senate’s top Democrat turned on his party and voted the deals down.
Democratic leaders in the Assembly and the Senate called the session on Wednesday to approve 17 contracts with state employee unions. The Assembly passed the agreements, but things fell apart in the Senate after Majority Leader Russ Decker decided he couldn’t support any of the deals. The move stunned his fellow Democrats, who immediately stripped him of his leadership post, but they didn’t have the votes to pass the contracts without him.
Senate President Fred Risser, D-Madison, convened the chamber for moments Thursday morning, then adjourned the session.
Democrats and union leaders said Decker never hinted he wasn’t with them.
Wisconsin State Employees Union executive director Marty Beil lashed out at Decker, calling him “a whore” for siding with Republicans who opposed the contracts.
“There’s no reason for what Decker did here tonight,” Beil said. “No one saw it coming.”
Decker declined to respond. The 20-year Senate veteran lost his re-election bid in November and is out of the Legislature in three weeks anyway. “I have no regrets,” he said.
…
Assembly Democrats came to the floor first Wednesday evening. They passed 16 contracts by one vote and the last one by three votes.
The key was Rep. Jeff Wood, a Chippewa Falls independent. Wood is serving a 60-day jail sentence in Chippewa County for impaired driving in Marathon County. Jail officials said Wednesday he got a judge to release him long enough to go to Madison and vote. He ended up siding with Democrats.
Wood left the chamber after the vote with a horde of reporters on his heels. He said nothing before ducking into an office.
Minutes later the Senate convened. Decker got up and said he couldn’t approve the deals. He said Doyle should have completed the contracts a long time ago and it’s the next Legislature’s turn to address them.
Democrats voted anyway. Decker and Sen. Jeff Plale, D-Milwaukee, voted against the first contract, creating a 16-16 tie, which meant the vote failed. Democrats immediately recessed to a closed-door meeting, where they stripped Decker of his leadership position and gave it to Sen. Dave Hansen, D-Green Bay.
It’s not always Republicans who defect to the other side on important votes. Sometimes, a Democrat will defect and join the good guys on an important vote:
[Wisconsin] State lawmakers have officially ended a messy lame duck session to approve state contracts after the Senate’s top Democrat turned on his party and voted the deals down.
Democratic leaders in the Assembly and the Senate called the session on Wednesday to approve 17 contracts with state employee unions. The Assembly passed the agreements, but things fell apart in the Senate after Majority Leader Russ Decker decided he couldn’t support any of the deals. The move stunned his fellow Democrats, who immediately stripped him of his leadership post, but they didn’t have the votes to pass the contracts without him.
Senate President Fred Risser, D-Madison, convened the chamber for moments Thursday morning, then adjourned the session.
Democrats and union leaders said Decker never hinted he wasn’t with them.
Wisconsin State Employees Union executive director Marty Beil lashed out at Decker, calling him “a whore” for siding with Republicans who opposed the contracts.
“There’s no reason for what Decker did here tonight,” Beil said. “No one saw it coming.”
Decker declined to respond. The 20-year Senate veteran lost his re-election bid in November and is out of the Legislature in three weeks anyway. “I have no regrets,” he said.
…
Assembly Democrats came to the floor first Wednesday evening. They passed 16 contracts by one vote and the last one by three votes.
The key was Rep. Jeff Wood, a Chippewa Falls independent. Wood is serving a 60-day jail sentence in Chippewa County for impaired driving in Marathon County. Jail officials said Wednesday he got a judge to release him long enough to go to Madison and vote. He ended up siding with Democrats.
Wood left the chamber after the vote with a horde of reporters on his heels. He said nothing before ducking into an office.
Minutes later the Senate convened. Decker got up and said he couldn’t approve the deals. He said Doyle should have completed the contracts a long time ago and it’s the next Legislature’s turn to address them.
Democrats voted anyway. Decker and Sen. Jeff Plale, D-Milwaukee, voted against the first contract, creating a 16-16 tie, which meant the vote failed. Democrats immediately recessed to a closed-door meeting, where they stripped Decker of his leadership position and gave it to Sen. Dave Hansen, D-Green Bay.