# Governor Scott Walker just sealed his own fate **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 24, 2011, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/governor-scott-walker-just-sealed-his-own-fate/572417 "2011-02-24T03:21:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2011, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/governor-scott-walker-just-sealed-his-own-fate/572417/141 "2011-03-04T20:57:08Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > What power do the unions have? They are under 7 percent of the work force and the Republicans have put them under siege? How is that power? They are fighting against huge corporate directed political power. They are being over powered badly in the papers and on TV. > Buffet said it was class warfare and his class won. Of the ten largest contributors to campaigns in the last election three were liberal (i.e. donated more to liberal candidates) and all those were unions. Kill the unions and that picture changes dramatically leaving no one but those with conservative interests donating money to congresscritters (at least in considerable amounts). A substantial coup if the conservatives can pull it off. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2011, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/governor-scott-walker-just-sealed-his-own-fate/572417/142 "2011-03-05T16:29:31Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > 1. The Dems ARE doing their job, and doing exactly what they were elected to do instead of rushing to the phone to wrap their lips around some sugar daddy’s cock like Walker. Not singling out Diogenes, but I read this particular sentence and a thought came into my head. Are the people supporting the Wisconsin Dems leaving the state to deny a quorum because: 1. They’re doing what their constituants want 2. It is a perfectly valid parliamentary move are they the same people who blast the U.S. Senate Reps for (threatening to) filibuster because 1. It is undemocratic - the minority should not be able to subvert the will of a majority of elected representatives 2. Although it is legal by Senate Rules (let’s ignore the fact that the Senators themselves fucked up the rules to begin with), it is somehow “unparliamentary” 3. By preventing the Senate to conduct its business, the Republican senators are obstructionists. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2011, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/governor-scott-walker-just-sealed-his-own-fate/572417/143 "2011-03-05T17:17:56Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Not singling out Diogenes, but I read this particular sentence and a thought came into my head. > > Are the people supporting the Wisconsin Dems leaving the state to deny a quorum because: > > 1. They’re doing what their constituants want > 2. It is a perfectly valid parliamentary move > > are they the same people who blast the U.S. Senate Reps for (threatening to) filibuster because > > 1. It is undemocratic - the minority should not be able to subvert the will of a majority of elected representatives > 2. Although it is legal by Senate Rules (let’s ignore the fact that the Senators themselves fucked up the rules to begin with), it is somehow “unparliamentary” > 3. By preventing the Senate to conduct its business, the Republican senators are obstructionists. One thing worth noting is the Wisconsin Dems are doing this once, for a very serious issue. US Senate Republicans were filibustering everything, without much in the way of focus because they were politically aligned against the administration. I think you’d find that the Wisconsin Democrats wouldn’t smell as sweet if they did this for every vote. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2011, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/governor-scott-walker-just-sealed-his-own-fate/572417/144 "2011-03-05T17:26:05Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > One thing worth noting is the Wisconsin Dems are doing this once, for a very serious issue. US Senate Republicans were filibustering everything, without much in the way of focus because they were politically aligned against the administration. I think you’d find that the Wisconsin Democrats wouldn’t smell as sweet if they did this for every vote. So I’ll take that as, “Yes.” But if I go with your point, The same arguments I listed would apply to the Reps back when we were only discussing their filibuster of Obamacare. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2011, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/governor-scott-walker-just-sealed-his-own-fate/572417/145 "2011-03-05T17:26:07Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Of the ten largest contributors to campaigns in the last election three were liberal (i.e. donated more to liberal candidates) and all those were unions. > > Kill the unions and that picture changes dramatically leaving no one but those with conservative interests donating money to congresscritters (at least in considerable amounts). A substantial coup if the conservatives can pull it off. Political campaigns are more and more financed by the internet contributors in small donations. That is how the Dems became competitive with the Repubs and their corporate owners. You do understand that the Repubs are trying to crush unions . that will end the horrible problem of working people impacting elections financially. It is a war to kill the political impact of organized union members. It is not about wages since the unions agreed to all of walkers financial demands. It is about crushing the political power of union membership. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2011, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/governor-scott-walker-just-sealed-his-own-fate/572417/146 "2011-03-05T21:57:18Z")
**Saint Cad** , I think you’ll find that many people object to the procedural filibuster not because it’s anti-democratic per se, but because it’s too easy. I’ve seen many folks arguing that we should go back to the genuine filibuster, complete with reading of the phone book for hours or days on end. It’s still undemocratic, but it’s enough of a sacrifice that legislators will only do so when they consider it vitally important, and it make it very clear to the public exactly what they’re standing up for. It seems to me quite consistent that the same people who object to the procedural filibuster but don’t mind the genuine filibuster might likewise not mind the Wisconsin Democrats’ actions. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/governor-scott-walker-just-sealed-his-own-fate/572417.md?page=7)