How Far Are the Republican’s willing to Go Hang on to Power
Lame duck Governor Scott Walker has once again revealed his disregard for the intent of the law by signing the legislation designed to limit the power of the incoming Democratic governor. It is unclear if the law will stand up in court as constitutional. But, for now, it is the law in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin is a Swing State for the 2020 Elections
Wisconsin is in a unique position. First, the Republicans dominate the legislature. This is largely due to heavy gerrymandering of the districts. As a result, although the governorship went Democratic, the Republicans retained control of the legislature. Second, it is likely to be a critical swing state in the 2020 presidential elections [1]. As such, the Republicans decided to undertake a scorched earth approach to legislating and introduced bills to limit the power of the incoming Democratic governor.
This tactic is not surprising as it was recently undertaken in North Carolina but it is deeply disappointing on multiple fronts. First, it is an abuse of power by the legislature. Limiting the powers of the governor because they are from the opposition party is anti-democracy. Second, to take such substantive actions during a lame duck session and with a lame duck governor is going against the will of the people who voted the governor out. Ignoring the election results in this transition period is also anti-democracy.
The drive to hang on to power appears to be so strong among Republicans that they are willing to subvert the intent of the law. From voter suppression laws to changing the powers of incoming officials, the Republicans actions to hold on to power have become increasingly radical.
Is there no Moral Line in the Sand?
This behavior begs the question: What evidence of wrongdoing by the President will exceed their threshold for unacceptable illegal behavior? Is there a threshold anymore?
Meanwhile, some 40-45 percent [2] of Americans appear to be blinded by a 3.7 unemployment rate. The economy is good (based on a ballooning deficit) and that appears to be all they care about. All the bad press the President has gotten in the past 2 weeks has not moved the approval polls by much. How many more of his associates need to be convicted, how many more illegal activities does he need to be implicated in, before people say this is enough. In France, people took to the streets, albeit over economic conditions. We are witnessing outrageous behaviors on a daily basis yet there are no crowds of protesters. Have we lost our moral fiber? As long as there are jobs, we will compromise our democratic principles?
[1] http://politicaleye.org/2018/11/27/do-you-live-in-a-state-in-play-in-2020/
[2]https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/latest_polls/
Thank you for sharing.