Early this morning, In the Wisconsin state assembly, the republican speaker called for a very short surprise roll call vote. The Budget repair bill was passed in a short -43 second- roll call vote, after which the republicans fled the building.
2 Republicans and 1 Independent did not vote for the bill. Was this because, like the 13 democrats who didn't vote they did not have time? probably not; by all reports, and the footage I have seen, they were all near enough to their seats.
This means that some of them were not comfortable with using semi-legal tactics to get their vote through.
This was not the first attempt at passing this thing behind the backs of Democrats, I was attending the assembly earlier, when a roll call vote was quickly called. The minority speaker, Peter Barca shouted out the rule that was being broken, and then moved to remove the speaker. The vote to remove the speaker was 33-63, so at least 4 Democrats did not vote to remove him. The Dems who spoke beleived that he called the vote not because he thought it would work, but because he wanted to incite the masses of people gathered outside watching the proceedings on TVs.
After witnessing hours of republican/democrat straight party line votes, I am so glad that a few Republicans were willing to not vote for this bill in this way.
Perhaps all is not lost.
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