Exactly two years ago, Capitol chaos erupted
“The institutions of the state—from the Legislature to the Wisconsin Supreme Court—at times seized up and ceased to work as they had for years.”
That’s how two Capitol reporters, Jason Stein and Patrick Marley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, nicely summarized the 2011-12 political tsunami that swamped Wisconsin in their new book, “More Than They Bargained For.”
As another reporter who slogged through those political storms, although not with the exhausting deadline-per-minute intensity of Stein and Marley, I commend their reporting.
In fact, here are 10 things I learned from the book:
1. Jim Messina, chairman of President Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign and an Obama deputy campaign manager, warned against trying to recall Republican Gov. Scott Walker in a fall 2011 Madison meeting.
But Messina was told that there was no stopping the momentum behind a populist statewide push to gather enough signatures to force a recall election. Walker became the only governor to survive a recall in U.S. history on June 5, 2012.
2. Supporting Walker’s Act 10 changes that all but repealed collective bargaining for public workers, except for police officers and firefighters, was a wrenching decision for some moderate Senate Republicans. One of them, Senate Education Chairman Luther Olsen of Ripon, wept after casting a committee vote for it.
3. So few police officers were on duty one night during a mass protest that they used handcuffs to lock a Capitol door—a maneuver that could have resulted in injury or death in the event of an exit stampede.
4. Although this Capitol was fully completed in 1917, there are no “maximum occupancy” crowd limits set for it, and there were no accurate ways to count the protesters in the building.
That forced UW-Madison Police Chief Susan Riseling, often officer-in-charge of interior security during the protests, to develop both her own method of crowd counts and interior crowd-safety limits. Riseling’s department oversees the 80,321-seat Camp Randall Stadium.
5. At one point, Riseling also refused an order from a top Walker aide who wanted the Capitol cleared of protesters. Instead, Riseling said there was no way of implementing the order over the crowd noise and that doing so would have invited a riot. Or worse.
6. Walker “dismissed” the suggestion of the longest-serving Republican senator, Senate President Mike Ellis, who warned the governor that private-sector unions would join public employee unions in their war on Act. 10. Ellis was quickly proven right.
7. Stein and Marley document the balance-of-power shift caused when all 14 Senate Democrats fled to Illinois on Feb. 17, 2011—a move that delayed a Senate vote three weeks.
When they left, Senate Democrats “shifted the power dynamic within the Capitol. … Suddenly, Walker and GOP lawmakers were no longer fully in control. For the first time in his short tenure as governor, Walker needed something from a Democrat.”
8. Although all Senate Democrats agreed to leave Feb. 17, they did so without talking about, or even considering, what it would take to get them to return. As a result, they often fought bitterly over whether—and when—to come back.
When two compromise-seeking Democrats, Sens. Tim Cullen of Janesville and Bob Jauch of Poplar, tried to broker Act 10 changes, they were ripped by their peers. Cullen, who was Senate majority leader in the 1980s, is “trapped in a time bubble,” one veteran union official anonymously complained.
9. Three union leaders, including National Education Association Executive Director—and former WEAC lobbyist—John Stocks, met with 13 of the 14 Democrats at the Illinois Education Association office one day. Jauch refused to attend.
Jauch chafed at union leaders who wanted to control the exiled Senate Democrats. “Some of the union leaders didn’t care if we stayed in Illinois for the rest of our lives,” Jauch told the authors.
10. After Senate Republicans' dramatic March 9 vote for Act 10, police had to escort the Republicans from the Capitol through an underground tunnel and to a bus.
Some of them were thirsty. They are from Wisconsin, after all.
“When the bus neared the Avenue Bar—a favorite tavern for some—Sen. Rob Cowles asked if the bus could stop.”
Told that protesters were following the bus, Cowles reconsidered. “Forget it then.”
Steven Walters is a senior producer for the nonprofit public affairs channel WisconsinEye. This column reflects his personal perspective. Email stevenscwalters@gmail.com.
Mar 12, 2013 at 10:56 p.m.
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dtb Mar 12, 2013 at 6:09 p.m. Quote, "Johnson abandoned the Great Society so he could spend more resources on Vietnam." End Quote.
Please do not rewrite the history that I lived through. Johnson imposed a 10% surcharge on income taxes so he could fund both. The Great Society would, "end poverty in our life time" said President Johnson. Trillions of Great Society dollars later we still have poverty.
Where did you learn history and civics? You should get your money back.
Mar 12, 2013 at 10:36 p.m.
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"Ok RAF, name one single piece of Legislation passed by Republicans that has included ANY form of participation from Democrats."
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Red, that depends on what you consider to be participation. You obviously are misguided on the term "silenced" so it is unclear what your terms for participation are.
"BTW, liberals ARE consistent, RAF - its obvious you don't know the definition of the word."
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Red you yourself are not consistent. You complain about oil drilling and mining but have not stopped using products made from these same operations, and you are very liberal.
"Liberals think independently, we are not lemmings like the conservatives who must march to a specific concept in lockstep no matter how faulty the reasoning."
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Yes, I see al gore using private jets, living in huge homes (multiple), and selling his assets to oil rich nations...pretty independent.
"Using HandBookHarry's reasoning, Obama was elected twice so that must tell us something - like evidently his policies and actions should not be challenged? You won't see Democrats signing narrow-minded inane pledges! (Norquist anyone?)"
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Tell that to the fleebaggers that met with the leaders of the NEA, out of state. Keep pretending red, it is funny to read.
Mar 12, 2013 at 7:08 p.m.
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One day
Is that where democrats have you? In the dark?
Mar 12, 2013 at 7:01 p.m.
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@handbookharry..tsk, tsk, tsk. Some day you might see the light.
Mar 12, 2013 at 6:11 p.m.
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Dtb
So Democrats are warmongers..oh well...
Mar 12, 2013 at 6:09 p.m.
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harry; Johnson abandoned the Great Society so he could spend more resources on Vietnam. Apparently you missed history class as well as civics.
Mar 12, 2013 at 4:54 p.m.
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Was it "Capitol chaos" or simply the citizenry arising from it's far-too-long slumber? Many are still wide awake and forgoing that slumber to participate at the Capitol defending your free speech. Spontaneous singing every weekday, noon-1, all are welcome, Capitol rotunda. "Erupt" in song!
Mar 12, 2013 at 4:51 p.m.
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Ok Willie......so 50 plus years of The Great Society welfare programs since Kennedy have worked oh so well.
Mar 12, 2013 at 4:43 p.m.
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concernedwi Mar 12, 2013 at 4:15 p.m. So this is a personal attack against Wislady?
Mar 12, 2013 at 4:27 p.m.
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The polyester patriots and cardboard christians of the Tea Party are due the accolades of the masses for making 2010s election of a republican majority into the political abortion it has become.
The Tea Party has had its 15 minutes of fame...now its time to sweep up the remmnants of its misguided and jingoistic aims and relegate the Tea Party and the cretins who support it to historys trash pile.
Mar 12, 2013 at 4:20 p.m.
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People like concerned can only see the path to success go through the government trough.
Mar 12, 2013 at 4:15 p.m.
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The rules of Wislady Land go way beyond this one story. Wislady Land is where everyone is happy, unless you are poor, a democrat (which in Wislady Land, if your a democrat your poor), or disagree with The Great Leaders who know better than we do.
Mar 12, 2013 at 3:51 p.m.
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Liberals thrive on chaos. Otherwise, we would not have a Democratic Party.
People keep voting for these people and yet they remain in the ditch trying to crawl out but there is a Democrat ready to kick you in the face so you keep your place in the hole.
Mar 12, 2013 at 3:43 p.m.
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" Using HandBookHarry's reasoning, Obama was elected twice so that must tell us something - like evidently his policies and actions should not be challenged? You won't see Democrats signing narrow-minded inane pledges! (Norquist anyone?)"
Obama was elected twice because people got used to the Illinois welfare machine Obama brought to the WhiteHouse. Younger uninformed, work ethic lacking, fascist following, welfare mentality thinking, government loving, food stamp using, and freeloading younger folks voted for this abomination called Obama.
Mar 12, 2013 at 3:18 p.m.
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I would call 38 out of 2655 (1.4%) a few.
Mar 12, 2013 at 3:13 p.m.
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I see Stubby has comprehension problems. I'm not worried about Oblah Oblah. He is from corruption infested IIllinois. What else can I say? He will go down as one of the worst public serving plagues our country will ever endure.
Mar 12, 2013 at 12:54 p.m.
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"Two-thirds of Madison teachers participated in at least one day of a coordinated four-day absence in February to protest Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal to curb collective bargaining, according to information released by the school district Friday.
According to the district, 1,769 out of 2,655 teachers took time off during the four days without a legitimate excuse. The records also show 84 teachers submitted fraudulent sick notes; 38 received suspensions for failing to rescind the notes by April 15, a deadline set by the district."
Wisconsin State Journal...April 29, 2011
Remember also, that some of the schools added 20 minutes onto the school days to make up for the 4 days the school were closed.
Mar 12, 2013 at 12:31 p.m.
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That seems as much the doctor's poor judgement as the few teachers who participated.
Mar 12, 2013 at 11:28 a.m.
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wislady asked, "Remember the BOGUS "sick" notes the teachers were getting from the UW doctors? Is that in the book?"
Remember Ryan's Medicare flip-flops? Are they in the book?
Feb. 25, 2010: Ryan Against Medicare Cuts
April 5, 2011: Ryan For Medicare Cuts
August 16, 2012: Ryan Against Medicare Cuts
March 10, 2013: Ryan For Medicare Cuts
[ http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2013/... ]
Mar 12, 2013 at 10:54 a.m.
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concernedwi Mar 12, 2013 at 10:03 a.m. How did you extrapulate your comment from Wislady's question?
Mar 12, 2013 at 10:51 a.m.
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PanamaRed Mar 12, 2013 at 9:36 a.m. Quote "Low information voters are those who voted for Walker, twice." END Quote
Just as I suspected.
Mar 12, 2013 at 10:03 a.m.
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In Wislady Land, a Tea Party Rally is a true showing of a group exercising their constitutional rights. The capital protests were obviously wrong and should have been arrest. Wislady Land law says that only right leaning groups are allowed to gather publicly.
Mar 12, 2013 at 9:53 a.m.
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HB Harry wrote: "Two times he was elected fear,,TWO.....does that tell you something?
Denial is not a river in Egypt."
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You were speaking about Obama, right?
Mar 12, 2013 at 9:36 a.m.
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Blowgal, there is a difference between NOT allowing Democrats to have a voice and the Republicans electing to NOT participate in health care reform. Obama took ideas from Republicans and included them in the health care reform bill. Obama asked Republicans to submit proposals, to contribute yet Republicans declined. That was their choice.
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Ok RAF, name one single piece of Legislation passed by Republicans that has included ANY form of participation from Democrats.
BTW, liberals ARE consistent, RAF - its obvious you don't know the definition of the word. Liberals think independently, we are not lemmings like the conservatives who must march to a specific concept in lockstep no matter how faulty the reasoning. Using HandBookHarry's reasoning, Obama was elected twice so that must tell us something - like evidently his policies and actions should not be challenged? You won't see Democrats signing narrow-minded inane pledges! (Norquist anyone?)
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Low information voters are those who voted for Walker, twice. His budget includes $188 million in unfunded obligations (that's spending MORE than you're taking in) and the mining bill is a prime example of allowing special interests to change Wisconsin law at the expense of tax payers. Conservatives like you have criticized deficit spending and benefits handed to special interests yet you still support Walker. Just read the comments - low information defines Walker supporters.
Mar 12, 2013 at 9:23 a.m.
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Yes, HandBookHarry. It aptly demonstrates that far too many in Wisconsin are slumbering and not paying attention to how each and every vote in the WI GOP locked-up legislature and executive office under the command of corporate bosses is impacting their lives each and every day. It's never too late to wake up and stand up!
Mar 12, 2013 at 9:15 a.m.
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PanamaRed presents the dilema of the liberal in Wisconsin. Quoting PanamaRed, "How are Democrats being represented if their elected Senators sit mute while a Republican majority is allowed to introduce and enact new law..."
On the national level flip flop Democrat and Republican in the above quote and it's valid the other way.
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FearandRhetoric: Is a 'low information voter' simply someone that disagrees with you? If I just read enough and study enough will I come to agree with your viewpoint and thus be a 'high information voter?
Just wondering how that works.
Mar 12, 2013 at 7:43 a.m.
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Two times he was elected fear,,TWO.....does that tell you something?
Denial is not a river in Egypt.
Mar 12, 2013 at 6:46 a.m.
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Remember the BOGUS "sick" notes the teachers were getting from the UW doctors? Is that in the book?
Mar 12, 2013 at 5:39 a.m.
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fear...still making excuses why you didn't get your way in the recall!
Mar 12, 2013 at 5:13 a.m.
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lol, the same rhetoric that fear posts is nothing worse than the record obama ran on and fear voted for. Expecting consistency from liberals is never a good thing; the epitome of low-information voters.
Mar 12, 2013 at 2:59 a.m.
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exactly 2 years ago union thugery lost its punch.
Mar 11, 2013 at 11:42 p.m.
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Scott Walker survived simply because the majority didnt believe that he should be recalled for a policy. Next election he will be forced to run on his record, which is abysmal at best. Rhetoric? Wisconsin is bringing up the rear in just about every economic category after 3 years of a supercontrolled Republican congress we would think in a recovering economy we would be seeing more progress. I for one am not rooting for his failure, I want Wisconsin to stay great. Unfortunately Scott has his eyes on Washington, not on whats best for Wisconsin. As we found out in the Presidential election, you can adjust(gerrymander) district borders all you want ou CANNOT adjust the state lines. Obama beat Paul Ryan (Romney) by 5 Points, Baldwin beat Tommy fairly soundly, how many people that voted for Obama or Baldwin will be casting a ballot for Scott Walker? Ill bet.....ZERO.
Rhetoric? A compliment from another low-information voter.
Mar 11, 2013 at 10:27 p.m.
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Silenced voices red? Looks like your rhetoric is getting close to fear's.
Mar 11, 2013 at 9:57 p.m.
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All of the chaos couldn't keep Governor Scott Walker from being elected TWICE.
Mar 11, 2013 at 9:46 p.m.
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Make no mistake Bowlgal you are still a very uninformed voter.
Mar 11, 2013 at 9:41 p.m.
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He may not make it past 2014.
Mar 11, 2013 at 4:10 p.m.
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Bowlgal- The healthcare bill, a good thing by the way, was discussed for over two years. Did you just learn to read at that time or start watching faux news.
Mar 11, 2013 at 3:11 p.m.
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That was actually the first thing I discovered. There is a strong double standard and the media will not report much of what Democrats do. You have to dig for truth. To maintain "low information" voters for Democrats seems to be goal #1 with the press.
Mar 11, 2013 at 3:08 p.m.
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"by not allowing ANY input from Democrats. That's NOT how a Republic OR Democratic form of government is supposed to work."
PanamaRed, you are exactly right. Which is why I went from being an uninformed voter during the Obamacare shovel down our throats disaster when Democrats decided to not allow ANY input by Republicans, to a gobble up as much info as I can and get involved.
I no longer vote Democrat. At least not anyone available at this time.
And yet, when Democrats do it, that didn't seem to bother you.
Mar 11, 2013 at 3:03 p.m.
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Since Walker won the recall, Prosser won his seat, and the Republicans are still in control of both chambers, I'd say that's a victory for Wisconsin in general.
Proving harassing, vandalizism, death threats, bullying small businesses, boycotting products and tampering with grocery store items aren't the answer.
Mar 11, 2013 at 2:48 p.m.
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Let us all remember, and kick every single Republican out ASAP!
Mar 11, 2013 at 2:21 p.m.
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donnaw, you are confused. Obviously you haven't grasped the concept of "representation". The job of an elected Senator is to represent his or her constituents. How are Democrats being represented if their elected Senators sit mute while a Republican majority is allowed to introduce and enact new law that eliminates the rights of thousands of Wisconsin workers without allowing ANY CHALLENGES by Democrats? Republicans have silenced the voice of all Democrats - which has been evident from Act 10 to the recently passed mining bill - by not allowing ANY input from Democrats. That's NOT how a Republic OR Democratic form of government is supposed to work. The majority is not always right - that's why there's compromise. I'm proud those 14 Senators took the drastic action they did in an effort to effectively represent their constituents! Republicans complained their ideas were ignored during Doyles term in office yet they don't have a problem shutting out Democrats - now THAT'S hypocrisy!
Mar 11, 2013 at 1:30 p.m.
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dtb..but it was okay for the Dems to run away to Illinois to avoid doing the job they were elected to do. Hypocrisy from the left, again.
Mar 11, 2013 at 1:03 p.m.
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DTB the minority is not always right.
Mar 11, 2013 at 12:05 p.m.
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#2 - Spare me the tears. You voted in lockstep with what Walker told you to do to save your political skin.
If you have to sneak out of the chambers to escape from your constituents after a vote, you're not representing the people and maybe you shouldn't be in office in the first place.
Mar 11, 2013 at 12:02 p.m.
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The majority is not always right.
Mar 11, 2013 at 11:59 a.m.
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+1 BBB......and the results of the recall election confirmed that.
Mar 11, 2013 at 6:53 a.m.
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The minority did not over rule the majority.
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