Democrats Missing, Wisconsin Vote on Cuts Is Delayed

[sfc_oliver]

Gee, another situation where they have been spending beyond their means and this time run and hide instead of facing the problem and working on a solution.

[irishbobcat]

Democrats Missing, Wisconsin Vote on Cuts Is Delayed
Narayan Mahon for The New York Times

. MADISON, Wis. — Debate in the State Senate over Wisconsin's controversial bill to cut collective bargaining rights for public workers ended, at least temporarily, on Thursday morning before it began. As the session was due to begin, Democrats failed to appear in the chamber, leaving the body without a quorum and leading the Republicans to send capitol officials in search of the Democrats.

By noon, Ted Blazel, the sergeant-at-arms, began making his way through the Capitol building, packed with chanting protesters (elated at the development), in search of a Democrat — in offices, under desks, in corridors. "Nothing yet," he said, his forehead drenched in sweat.

If none of the lawmakers were found in the building, the Wisconsin State Patrol would be assigned to begin searching for them elsewhere, said a Senate official.

Inside the Capitol, speculation swirled: Were the Democrats together somewhere, maybe even in another state by now?

The presumed reason for their disappearance is that Democrats — and thousands of teachers, state workers and students — vigorously oppose the Republican-backed bill that would sharply curtail the collective bargaining rights and slash benefits for most public sector workers, including teachers, in the state. Republicans control the Senate by a 19-to-14 margin, but 20 senators — and thus, at least one Democrat — are needed to vote on a bill.

"This is the ultimate shutdown," Scott Fitzgerald, the Republicans' leader in the senate, said angrily after it became clear that no Democrats were present. "I guess what they decided to do was just not show up today."

All morning, as thousands of protesters gathered here as they have all week, tensions mounted outside the Senate chamber. Some pounded on windows and said they intended to prevent members from entering. At least one Senator had to call the Capitol police for help to get through the crowd and inside. "Shut it down! Shut it down!" protesters chanted. And even as the Senate convened, several in the audience inside the chamber began loudly chanting "Freedom, democracy, unions." At least one person was removed by security.

Madison public schools were closed for a second day on Thursday, as teachers called in sick to lobby at the Capitol against the sweeping proposal. More than a dozen other public school districts announced they were closed for the day as well.

Late into Wednesday evening, a legislative committee approved the measure on a 12-to-4 vote that split along partisan lines, Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed. After an emotional debate, the committee made only minor changes to the proposal put forth last week by Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, clearing the way for what Mr. Walker had hoped would be swift approval by both chambers by Friday.

The battle in Wisconsin, which some view as a precursor to similar fights in other states, was drawing attention around the country, including from Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who said he planned to talk to Mr. Walker by telephone on Thursday. "Where we're fighting each other, where we're divisive, where we're demonizing or vilifying any group, including unions, I don't think that helps us get where we need to go as a country," Mr. Duncan told CNN on Thursday morning.

President Obama also weighed in during an interview Wednesday with a Wisconsin TV station, "I think it's very important for us to understand that public employees, they're our neighbors, they're our friends. These are folks who are teachers and they're firefighters and they're social workers and they're police officers."

But Mr. Walker has insisted that he is not singling out any group, merely searching for solutions to close a deficit of $137 million in the current state budget and the prospect of a $3.6 billion hole in the coming two-year budget. "It's not about the unions," Mr. Walker said in an interview. "It's about balancing the budget."