SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
Outgoing Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker flipped the switch to light the state Christmas Tree in the Capitol Rotunda, Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018 at the Capitol in Madison, Wis. (Photo: Steve Apps/Wisconsin State Journal via AP)
After hours of debate and secret negotiations that dragged on into the early hours of the morning amid a backdrop of mass protests, Wisconsin's Senate on Wednesday approved a Republican plan to strip power from Democratic governor-elect Tony Evers and transfer major authority over the state's legal affairs from the incoming Democratic attorney general to the GOP-dominated legislature.
"Democracy dies in darkness... or perhaps in the early morning light," wrote The Nation's John Nichols, a Wisconsin native, after the measure passed the state Senate and headed toward an Assembly vote, the final hurdle before the legislation reaches outgoing Republican Gov. Scott Walker's desk. The plan is expected to easily sail through the Assembly as early as Wednesday morning, and Walker has said he will sign it.
Update: The Republican plan has passed the state Assembly.
\u201cIt's official. The power-grab bill cleared the Wisconsin State Senate before sunrise. Just now, it passed the State Assembly. The only step left is Scott Walker's signature, which\u2014if he signs it\u2014will seal his legacy as an enemy as democracy and a friend only to his own power.\u201d— Ben Wikler (@Ben Wikler) 1544019869
Described by Mother Jones journalist Ari Berman as a "lame duck legislative coup," the sweeping measure would dramatically curtail Evers' power to implement new rules and require the Republican legislature--rather than the incoming Democratic attorney general--to approve any attempt to withdraw from federal lawsuits.
"This is outrageous abuse of power and should be huge national scandal."
--Ari Berman, Mother Jones
The measure also attacks voting rights by restricting early voting to no more than two weeks before an election. A similar measure passed by Wisconsin Republicans in 2016 was ruled unconstitutional on the grounds that it disproportionately harmed minority voters.
Read the full details of the GOP power grab here.
"This is outrageous abuse of power and should be huge national scandal," Berman declared.
Though Wisconsin Republicans and Walker attempted to downplay the scope and significance of their legislation, Wisconsinites saw through the GOP's rhetoric and turned out to the state capitol in force, flooding hearing rooms and rallying outside the capitol building in the freezing weather to denounce the legislation as an attempt to "undo democracy itself."
"Scott Walker may be on the way out of office for the first time in a quarter century," said One Wisconsin Now executive director Scot Ross, "but his corrosive brand of politics lives on in his fellow Republicans."
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
After hours of debate and secret negotiations that dragged on into the early hours of the morning amid a backdrop of mass protests, Wisconsin's Senate on Wednesday approved a Republican plan to strip power from Democratic governor-elect Tony Evers and transfer major authority over the state's legal affairs from the incoming Democratic attorney general to the GOP-dominated legislature.
"Democracy dies in darkness... or perhaps in the early morning light," wrote The Nation's John Nichols, a Wisconsin native, after the measure passed the state Senate and headed toward an Assembly vote, the final hurdle before the legislation reaches outgoing Republican Gov. Scott Walker's desk. The plan is expected to easily sail through the Assembly as early as Wednesday morning, and Walker has said he will sign it.
Update: The Republican plan has passed the state Assembly.
\u201cIt's official. The power-grab bill cleared the Wisconsin State Senate before sunrise. Just now, it passed the State Assembly. The only step left is Scott Walker's signature, which\u2014if he signs it\u2014will seal his legacy as an enemy as democracy and a friend only to his own power.\u201d— Ben Wikler (@Ben Wikler) 1544019869
Described by Mother Jones journalist Ari Berman as a "lame duck legislative coup," the sweeping measure would dramatically curtail Evers' power to implement new rules and require the Republican legislature--rather than the incoming Democratic attorney general--to approve any attempt to withdraw from federal lawsuits.
"This is outrageous abuse of power and should be huge national scandal."
--Ari Berman, Mother Jones
The measure also attacks voting rights by restricting early voting to no more than two weeks before an election. A similar measure passed by Wisconsin Republicans in 2016 was ruled unconstitutional on the grounds that it disproportionately harmed minority voters.
Read the full details of the GOP power grab here.
"This is outrageous abuse of power and should be huge national scandal," Berman declared.
Though Wisconsin Republicans and Walker attempted to downplay the scope and significance of their legislation, Wisconsinites saw through the GOP's rhetoric and turned out to the state capitol in force, flooding hearing rooms and rallying outside the capitol building in the freezing weather to denounce the legislation as an attempt to "undo democracy itself."
"Scott Walker may be on the way out of office for the first time in a quarter century," said One Wisconsin Now executive director Scot Ross, "but his corrosive brand of politics lives on in his fellow Republicans."
After hours of debate and secret negotiations that dragged on into the early hours of the morning amid a backdrop of mass protests, Wisconsin's Senate on Wednesday approved a Republican plan to strip power from Democratic governor-elect Tony Evers and transfer major authority over the state's legal affairs from the incoming Democratic attorney general to the GOP-dominated legislature.
"Democracy dies in darkness... or perhaps in the early morning light," wrote The Nation's John Nichols, a Wisconsin native, after the measure passed the state Senate and headed toward an Assembly vote, the final hurdle before the legislation reaches outgoing Republican Gov. Scott Walker's desk. The plan is expected to easily sail through the Assembly as early as Wednesday morning, and Walker has said he will sign it.
Update: The Republican plan has passed the state Assembly.
\u201cIt's official. The power-grab bill cleared the Wisconsin State Senate before sunrise. Just now, it passed the State Assembly. The only step left is Scott Walker's signature, which\u2014if he signs it\u2014will seal his legacy as an enemy as democracy and a friend only to his own power.\u201d— Ben Wikler (@Ben Wikler) 1544019869
Described by Mother Jones journalist Ari Berman as a "lame duck legislative coup," the sweeping measure would dramatically curtail Evers' power to implement new rules and require the Republican legislature--rather than the incoming Democratic attorney general--to approve any attempt to withdraw from federal lawsuits.
"This is outrageous abuse of power and should be huge national scandal."
--Ari Berman, Mother Jones
The measure also attacks voting rights by restricting early voting to no more than two weeks before an election. A similar measure passed by Wisconsin Republicans in 2016 was ruled unconstitutional on the grounds that it disproportionately harmed minority voters.
Read the full details of the GOP power grab here.
"This is outrageous abuse of power and should be huge national scandal," Berman declared.
Though Wisconsin Republicans and Walker attempted to downplay the scope and significance of their legislation, Wisconsinites saw through the GOP's rhetoric and turned out to the state capitol in force, flooding hearing rooms and rallying outside the capitol building in the freezing weather to denounce the legislation as an attempt to "undo democracy itself."
"Scott Walker may be on the way out of office for the first time in a quarter century," said One Wisconsin Now executive director Scot Ross, "but his corrosive brand of politics lives on in his fellow Republicans."