Partisan infighting handcuffs Wisconsin's ability to fight a surge of coronavirus cases jsonline.com/story/news/pol…
GOP lawmakers are urging a judge to strike down Wisconsin’s mask requirement, but have not come up with their own plan to fight coronavirus.
They’ll try to negotiate with @GovEvers on a new plan if the case goes their way, even though they have barely talked to him for months.
Asked what plan Republicans would put in place if a judge sides with them and strikes down onthe mask rule, @SenFitzgerald said:
“I’m not going to try to rattle a list off. To be quite honest I don’t know what those things would be because that’s what you would negotiate.”
“We’ll be back in the governor’s office the next day asking to sit down at the table and figure out a rule-making process and something we can all work on together to eradicate this,” Fitzgerald said.
But he couldn't provide any rules he wanted, saying it was up to the governor to take the first step by proposing something that lawmakers can react to.
“That would not be anything the Legislature should be even trying to develop,” Fitzgerald said.
If the courts throw out the mask requirement, Fitzgerald said he might consider shutting down bars.
“If we could get to the table with the governor, I think that would be part of the discussion,” he said of closing bars.
Whether other Republicans would go for that is unknown.
Instead of fighting in court, GOP lawmakers could vote down the mask requirement that they want to undo.
Fitzgerald this summer said he wanted to do that, but now he is resisting that idea. He said such a vote would make Evers’ order appear legitimate when he thinks it’s illegal
In the summer, Fitzgerald said he had the votes to take down the mask mandate, saying his caucus was united. He said then that the Assembly was short on votes.
Where the Senate Republican caucus stands now on the mask mandate is unclear. None has spoken in favor but many are mum
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The group lobbies the Legislature on numerous issues, including ones not related to voting, and has taken liberal stances on legislation related to tax cuts, school vouchers, abortion and environmental issues.
Republicans are in court to end Wisconsin's mask mandate, but most won't talk about it bit.ly/2GFWudr -- via @MollyBeck, @ericlitke and me
State Sen. @Vanwanggaard says if the court case on ending @GovEvers' mask requirement doesn't go their way, Wisconsin Republicans will come into session soon after the Nov. 3 election to end the mandate.
Wanggaard said he would oppose a mask mandate under any circumstance, even if the COVID-19 outbreak grew 10 times worse.
INBOX: Longtime conservative activist Bob Dohnal criticizes @AndrewHittGOP and GOP Waukesha Co Chair Terry Dittrich for their opposition to a post by GOP staffer Keith Best that they saw as demeaning to @KamalaHarris.
Dohnal: “GOP leaders develop some BALLS for once.”
Sen. Steve Nass (R-Whitewater) wants to end the public health emergency declared by @GovEvers because he views it as illegal.
The Legislature could vote down the emergency declaration. Nass blames @repvos, the Assembly's Republican speaker, for not doing so.
Nass said three people are responsible for a "constitutional crisis" in Wisconsin.
"They are Governor Tony Evers, DHS Secretary-Designee Andrea Palm and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos."
Nass: "Assembly Speaker Vos continues to enable the illegal conduct of this administration by blocking the Legislature from meeting to put an end to the improper emergency declaration and emergency orders issued under it."
UPDATED: Wisconsin Supreme Court tells election officials to suspend mailing absentee ballots while it considers whether to add Green Party ticket to them bit.ly/3m9ym2W
If the high court orders changes to who is on the ballot, 2.3 ballots would have to be reprinted.
Counties warn that would cost them large sums and result in them missing deadlines that require absentee ballots to be sent to voters by next week.
Up to 378,000 ballots have already been sent to Wisconsin voters, according to court filings tonight.
If the court finds candidates need to be added to the ballot, those voters would have to be sent a second ballot. And then clerks would have to make sure no one voted twice.