The Wisconsin Cheese Showdown

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From the AP (Happy, Lunar?  )

Police officers were searching for Democratic state lawmakers who had not shown up for a vote on the sweeping legislation. The state Senate Democrats did not show up when they were ordered to attend a midday vote on the legislation. Though Republicans hold a 19-14 majority, they need at least one Democrat present to vote.

CNN reiterated radio reports that indicated Democratic state legislators had boarded a bus and left town. Mike Browne, communications director for Wisconsin Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller, told the network he had not been in contact with any Democratic legislators on Thursday. Browne said he was at the state Capitol and that he had seen no Democrats show up

Much as I find quorum denial to be an underhanded tactic, how can it be legal to have the police drag legislators to the legislature and force them to vote?

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Wow, when even Rasmussen is showing numbers like that, you know the jig is up.

The Pubbies cannot afford to back down, and won't.

They may not have to. Recall petitions are already circulating on the eight GOP Senators who currently qualify for a recall. Of them, two were reelected by a combined margin of less than 2,000 votes in 2010--a rather ominous sign for a recall election--while a couple of others also represent marginal seats.

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Wow, when even Rasmussen is showing numbers like that, you know the jig is up.

The Pubbies cannot afford to back down, and won't.

They may not have to. Recall petitions are already circulating on the eight GOP Senators who currently qualify for a recall. Of them, two were reelected by a combined margin of less than 2,000 votes in 2010--a rather ominous sign for a recall election--while a couple of others also represent marginal seats.

Recalls can work both ways, you know.  Cowards who flee the state to avoid doing their jobs are subject to recall, too.  

It would be quite a shame if the two DEMOCRATS who won by less than 2,000 votes in 2010 were subject to recall, especially the Democrat who won 401 votes.  Oh, and by the way, if the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's numbers are right, NO Republicans won by less than 2,000 votes in 2010.  Maybe 2008?

Ah, right, must have been 2008 because you can't be recalled within a year of election (which is why no one is trying to recall Walker, for example).

Also, polling has shown pretty strong support for the Democratic side in Wisconsin by the voters, so I doubt the Democrats would do worse in recalls.

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To the point on the ultimate legal issue of whether a supermajority quorum is required for all bills fiscal in nature or just some, there is a 1971 formal opinion from the Wisconsin attorney general stating that a bill altering collective bargaining rights isn't fiscal as it is narrowly defined by the relevant Wisconsin constitutional provision and therefore not subject to the supermajority quorum.

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1773153

Game.  Set.

An AG opinion won't save it from a challenge on state constitutional grounds in the courts, at least not necessarily. I don't see anything suggesting that courts have actually agreed with the AG.