From Wisconsin conservative James Wigderson:
Republicans in the legislature are getting some heat for their plans to have an active post-election session to settle some issues before Governor-elect Tony Evers can take office.
Some of the rhetoric from the Democrats, of course, is ridiculously overblown.
Democrats have been suffering from a politically convenient self-inflicted amnesia concerning the events of 2010 when, after Governor Scott Walker defeated Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Democrats actually tried to ram through public employee contracts in the waning days before the new governor’s inauguration. The new contracts would have tied the hands of the incoming governor who ran on a promise of making public employees contribute to their health insurance costs and pensions in an effort to bring state spending under control. Democrats even pulled Rep. Jeff Wood (I-Bloomer) out of rehab to cast the deciding vote in the Assembly, just months after they voted against expelling him following his fifth arrest for operating under the influence, a record even for the Wisconsin legislature.
Democrats have also forgotten how former Governor Jim Doyle actually tried to make it impossible for Walker to cancel the contracts for so-called “high speed” trains that Doyle purchased without legislative approval. The Obama Administration and the Doyle Administration also conspired to try to make the so-called “high speed” rail project (that wasn’t faster than a car) between Milwaukee and Madison impossible to cancel.
Wigderson had my attention up until he started talking about messaging, at which point I started to feel like he was insulting my intelligence. If Republicans are talking about tactics and benefiting Republican candidates, their intentions are clearly *not* principled.
This doesn’t pan out either:
“Republicans have a much more limited agenda which continues a long-standing conservative goal of trying to reduce executive and administrative power in Wisconsin.”
It that was such a long-standing and important goal, surely they would have done it well before now.
Finally, I’m certain that Republicans complained about what Wigderson claims Democrats did in prior years. If that’s the case, what are we to make of *their* decision to engage in similar or worse behavior? There is more than a little hypocrisy here in accusing Democrats of selective amnesia. But that’s selective principles for you.
This authoritarian anti-democracy mentality is supported by double standards, whataboutism and glaring false equivalence. EVERYTHING is IOKIYAR.
When will Democrats actively assert to the people that Trump and the Republican Party are enemies of democracy?
It’s not fair, but tactics that work for Republicans are not always as effective for Democrats. I’d like to think that there’s enough here to justify Democrats making it a slogan going forward, but I’ve been wrong before when betting on the American public’s knowledge, understanding, and concern.
Ryan,
Unfortunately, the American public’s knowledge, understanding, and concern are formed by corporate and social media.
How about a simple bumper sticker? “Democrats for Democracy”? Or are they afraid of having to defend democracy too?
The problem is they depend too largely on the same corrupt system as the elephant in the room.