In Wisconsin the word is that the absent senators are on their way back
Playing a game of political chicken, Democratic senators who fled Wisconsin to stymie restrictions on public-employee unions said Sunday they planned to come back from exile soon, betting that even though their return will allow the bill to pass, the curbs are so unpopular they’ll taint the state’s Republican governor and legislators.
Or maybe not:
Wisconsin Democrats who fled the state more than two weeks ago to block a vote on a Republican plan to limit public union collective bargaining said on Sunday they have no immediate plans to return.
Or perhaps maybe:
Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller (D-Monona) said in a letter sent out Monday that he wants to meet with Republicans “near the Wisconsin-Illinois border to formally resume serious discussions” on Walker’s budget repair bill
So they want to meet at the border, what is this the cold war? Ed Morrissey nails it:
I suspect that Walker will explain yet again that the state of Wisconsin already provides a forum for that discussion, and it’s not “near the Wisconsin-Illinois border.” It’s in Madison, which is where the Democratic legislators should have been all along if they wanted to take meetings.
Protesters or no all the visuals help the GOP. Walker can make his statements from the statehouse where is supposed to be. Every Democratic statement has to come from hotels or “undisclosed location”. Ed gets that as long as this keeps up Democrats look bad and Republicans (re-Walker) looks good.
I think that Kaus has it right:
To the extent a liberal MSM conspiracy helped produce and publicize those polls–and it can only be a limited extent since one of the polls is Rasmussen’s– did they inadvertently do Gov. Walker a favor by giving the Dems the PR cover they need to save face while they lose the actual legislative battle?
The problem for the dems it its too easy to understand the whole playing hooky angle. Even people who don’t follow politics get it.
I’m pretty sure how this is going to end, (they come back, bill is passed) I’m just not sure when, the decision however will not be made by the Wisconsin Senators, but by the democratic and union money that is currently backing them up.