State senators who miss two or more session days will no longer get paid through direct deposit. They’ll have to pick up their checks in person on the Senate floor during a session.The new rule is aimed at forcing the return of 14 Senate Democrats who have been hiding in Illinois since Thursday. They fled the state to stall a vote on an anti-union bill, and have threatened to stay away until Republican Gov. Scott Walker agrees to compromise.
Tuesday’s vote was along party lines. The three Republicans on the Committee on Senate Organization voted for it and the two Democrats opposed it.
The measure applies to paychecks, per diem checks, and any expense reimbursements. The absent senators will have to collect their checks from the Senate majority leader.
I'd love to hear Wisconsin Democrats' case against this new rule. No matter how they dress it up, their position is perverse: Lawmakers who have fled the state to avoid the people's business still deserve to receive automatic payments (paid for by the people the aren't serving) so they can continue to shirk their duties with minimum inconvenience. I suspect that argument isn't going to fly with most Wisconsinites.
If Governor Walker keeps this up, his star will slingshot into the stratosphere with the conservative base.
UPDATE: Hey, who's up for some more Left-wing civility? Check out the sign in red ink:
In fairness to the individual explicitly calling for Walker's death, he may have received a "new tone" waiver from the White House, so it's all good. (Although someone might want to point out that the Governor isn't exactly the party who's actions have earned a "wanted" poster in this dispute).
Paging Paul Krugman.
UPDATE II: Ed Morrissey has more on Wisconsin Democrats' misappropriation of history (hello, inaccurate Hitler comparisons!) and preposterous new negotiating advice for Governor Walker.