Wisconsin governor: If the fugitive Dems don’t come back, I might have to cut funding for their staffs; Update: Assembly forced to recess due to threats

Allahpundit
HotAir.com
2/18/2011

Let’s play hardball.

“The protesters have every right to have their voices heard, but I’m not going to be intimidated into thinking I should ignore the voices of the five-and-a-half million taxpayers,” said Republican Gov. Scott Walker…

With no end to the standoff in sight, Gov. Walker said that if the Democratic senators do not return, he’d consider cutting the funding that pays for their staff.

“If they’re not here, it begs the question whether or not they need to have staff,” he said. “They’re not performing their functions.”

Someone e-mailed me the Wisconsin statute governing “misconduct in public office” earlier this afternoon. Hmmmmm:

946.12 Misconduct in public office. Any public officer or public employee who does any of the following is guilty of a Class I felony:

946.12(1)
(1) Intentionally fails or refuses to perform a known mandatory, nondiscretionary, ministerial duty of the officer’s or employee’s office or employment within the time or in the manner required by law; or

946.12(3)
(3) Whether by act of commission or omission, in the officer’s or employee’s capacity as such officer or employee exercises a discretionary power in a manner inconsistent with the duties of the officer’s or employee’s office or employment or the rights of others and with intent to obtain a dishonest advantage for the officer or employee or another…

Update: The “what if conservatives did it?” line of attack can get old, but really — imagine the reaction if a tea party protest got so raucous that it forced a state legislature to shut down over security concerns. A surreal moment in modern U.S. political history:

Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald said he decided to adjourn the Assembly this evening because Gov. Scott Walker called minutes before lawmakers took the floor to tell him to get his caucus members and staff out of the building because their safety could no longer be assured

The GOP Assembly leadership — Speaker Fitzgerald, Majority Leader Scott Suder and JFC Co-chair Robin Vos — have issued a statement reaffirming their commitment to pass the bill next week.

“The leadership of the Assembly has decided to recess due to security concerns. We will reconvene on Tuesday morning and are confident that the security concerns will no longer exist. We are committed as ever to pass Governor Walker’s Budget Repair Bill and will do so next week,” the statement reads. “Millions of taxpayers spoke in November and we will not let them down. We have a fiscal crisis that can’t be ignored. We have the votes to pass the bill; it is only a matter of time.”…

…Meanwhile, recall petitions are being launched against some of the fugitive Democrats.

Read the entire article, with video of Gov. Scott, at HotAir.com

Also at HotAir, Boehner rips Obama for meddling in Wisconsin.

“The President of the United States has a unique opportunity and responsibility to lead this nation. President Obama has acknowledged the challenges we face, but – thus far – he has done nothing to offer solutions. Now, worse, his political organization is colluding with special-interest allies across the country to demagogue reform-minded governors who are making the tough choices that the President is avoiding

Read the whole thing.

Update: At GatewayPundit, Rick Perry & Republican Governors Release Statement in Support of Scott Walker.

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