Today is

Friday, November 13, 2015

When Will State Democrats Stop Saving Republicans From Themselves?


Over the last several months, state democrats missed two golden-rare opportunities to let the single-party ruled GOP state houses led by Gov. Scott Walker reach their full potential and to be perfectly honest, it's been all downhill from there.

The first missed opportunity happened when Democrats failed to make substantial demands in return for their votes on Walker's $400 million state welfare package for the Bucks arena. That should have been a huge warning sign for democrats' supporters.

But the epic fail wasn't over as weeks later Democrats folded like a cheap tent yet again when they "saved" major roadwork projects including the I39/90 expansion from delays and future higher costs at the hands of the majority red state ideologues. All six senate republicans on the joint finance committee voted against the borrowing. The problem is, despite large GOP majorities, voters will remember that it was democrats who pushed another $350 million on the state's credit card and that because of their votes - 21% of the state's gas tax will go to repay debt.

That will pose huge talking points' problems in the near future for state democrats trying to convince Wisconsin voters that they are NOT the party of corporate welfare and state debt.

But state Republicans are not yet done tapping Democrats for as much stupidity as they can and I don't blame them one bit. When your mortal enemy is that willing to commit suicide - you probably should just give them a loaded gun and be done with it.

Because if missing those two opportunities weren't enough, members of the GOP majority are now "pledging to work" with the wayward feckless democrats yet again, for get this - to create a sustainable transportation budget - whatever THAT means. Point is; that means very different things to the different parties and the majority republicans know they can rely on democrats for revenue legislation.

Believe it or not, minority democrats have already taken the bait and swallowed it whole as they are vowing ...vowing to introduce legislation to raise the gas tax and/or registration fees AHEAD of republicans ...while the same republicans are messaging bi-partisanship, "pledging to work" with them, but are saying policy-wise that spending, spending, spending is the problem. See what I mean?

You know, I can't get over some of the rhetoric used by Democrats to explain their votes on borrowing for transportation. Seriously, why are democrats complaining about republicans "not doing the right thing" on transportation when republicans can rely on democrats, as sure as the Sun rises every morning, to do the wrong thing? Dems said 71 percent of Wisconsin roads are in poor or mediocre condition, making us one of the three worst states for road conditions in America, so they had to approve the borrowing. Never mind that the borrowing restores the timetables for the road builders expansions and not crater maintenance.

But hey, we're a red state now - our roads are supposed to be crumbling, our schools are supposed to be in shambles, our workers are supposed to be skill gapped, our jobs are supposed to be leaving, our government is supposed to be corrupt and our trains are supposed to derail. Yet, it's the democrats (and locals) at every turn working to prevent those policies from going full metal jacket as intended. Don't democrats get it that Wisconsin business chambers endorsed and voted for a single party ruled republican majority to carry out those policies and a GOP executive to sign them into law?

If everything goes by the hands of their own making, and it is their own making, state Democrats, even under full red state majority legislative rule, will not be viewed as saviors. Instead, they will be the party identified with corporate welfare, debt and now higher taxes. Whoopeee! Voters will certainly gravitate to that. LOL.

But it's not over, folks. Because yet another group of legislative democrats have come up with a rebranding scheme to prevent the failed corrupt red state donor redistribution network (WEDC) from collapsing onto the majority party and Scott Walker's delicate reputation. You can't have that happening, huh? It's like the state's democratic party have become the republicans catastrophic insurance policy.

This in my opinion is an unbelievable string of one folly after another. It's like a runaway train going downhill without any brakes.

One small bit of advice for Democrats that will surely be ignored: don't fight it because you'll feed it and if you feed it, you will be surrendering. In fact, unless someone steps in really soon in the democratic party with strong messaging abilities and electoral strategies to win back the hearts and minds of voters, state Democrats will most likely remain in the minority not for years in Wisconsin, but for decades.

5 comments:

Jake formerly of the LP said...

This is so true. The elected Dems are under the impression that they will be rewarded for "doing what is responsible" to.keep things from falling apart, and that voters are smart enough to know that nuance.

They are dead wrong. GOPs are counting on the Democrats to bail them out when needed. And if the Dems ever want to get back into power in Wisconsin, they have to learn not to play the GOP's game.

Lou Kaye said...

Thanks for that, Jake.

I'm tired of biting my lip on this and I know a few other bloggers feel the same way. Excluding their unity on the recent recusal votes, Since 2010, Dems election campaigns including their legislative prowess have been weak to non-existent. On top of the recent major job losses, the Kenosha Hard Rock casino, high-speed rail, the train derailments, the mining fiasco, corrupt WEDC, failed Medicaid expansion, etc..etc.. Wisconsin at this stage should also be without a professional basketball team and without modern interstates - all at the hands of the GOP. But the Dems are right there with dent-pullers and wax cleaning up the messes. I don't get it and I'm convinced there is no magic to save the day behind the Dems madness.

Anonymous said...

Gee, you think rocking the democratic party with all their legislative victories is a good idea, Lou?

Dead on as always. You give me hope.

Unknown said...

All too true....I get absolutely no sense that any Democratic power broker-is that an oxymoron?-has clue about this. Disappointed beyond belief.

KCT said...

For years, my political mantra has been, "Republicans are heartless and ruthless, and Democrats are spineless and clueless." It's truer than ever now in Wisconsin.

Post a Comment