Can Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Huebsch Become A Leader?
Enough is enough!
Along with most people in Wisconsin, I am very tired of the legislative stalemate that has occurred over the past many months as Democrats and Republicans have struggled to fashion a state budget. At first it was mildly amusing to watch the cat fight as the two parties sparred and wrangled over the issues. Next was the national embarrassment as Wisconsin seemed to be the only state unable to get a budget completed. Then when the financial impact started to be felt by college students and school districts the amusement turned to angst and disgust over the process. Now as we near mid-October there is still no sign of a budget.
And we have to ask ourselves why.
Governor Doyle answered the question on Monday when he said that Speaker Huebsch needs to break from the extremists in the GOP and fashion a budget with moderate members of both parties. Doyle is correct about both the need to finish this budget, and the reason that a final deal has not yet occurred.
Over the past few years fringe groups on both sides of the political aisle have used the internet and other resources more successfully to attempt to stampede politicians to act in certain ways. As with any fringe group, the intent is to marshal their supposed strength in such a way as to make it appear they are in the majority, and therefore need to be reckoned with.
A very loud and persistent group of conservatives in Wisconsin, (the same type that gave us Bob Welch and Mark Neumann) buoyed by a few hyperactive bloggers, have hijacked the budget process with gimmicks such as a no tax pledge, and other hype meant to detract from the grown-up work of getting a budget passed. While many friends have spoken these sentiments countless times at Happy Hour on the Square, it was only Monday that the words finally made it out of Doyle’s mouth.
As WKOW TV reported Doyle said, “”Yet, whenever we got to a point where an agreement could easily be reached, extreme voices in the Republican caucus let out a howl, and their leaders shied away.”
To prove his point, and to bring some sanity back to the process, Governor Doyle has called a special session for Monday if no state budget has been crafted by that time. I suspect that the extremists in the GOP will continue to stomp their feet and prevent any movement on progress, and therefore come next week Speaker Huebsch will have to step up to the plate. Not only is Doyle doing the right thing for Wisconsin with this action, he is also making a brilliant political move.
The question is can Speaker Huebsch deliver?
This is the time for Speaker Huebsch to show the state some leadership. Will be stand up for the needs of the state and all those who now feel, or will shortly feel, the impact of the budget mess? Will he publicly endorse deals, and fight for them which can bring this budget process to a close? Or is his legislative power so weak that he can only retain power by capitulating to the extreme elements in his caucus?
The coming days will tell us not only if we have a state budget, but will also tell us a great deal about the kind of man and politician that Speaker Huebsch is.
I hope that Huebsch works on behalf of the state, because enough is enough.
Technorati Tags: MikeHuebsch, JimDoyle, Wisconsin, Madison, StateBudget,
Apparently, the good Representative Huebsch is waiting until all of the State’s essential services are in deep trouble before he does a laying-on-of-the-hands ceremony, similar to those he must have witnessed at his alma mater, Oral Roberts University. At the very least, he learned about how to speak of Christian values while he was at that hotbed of corruption–too bad that school doesn’t teach its students how to live those values in their own lives.
Doyle is trying to force Republicans to pass a budget compromise that he invented all by himself.
What on earth would make you think that will fly?
Hewbie is no leader.
He supported the cig tax, and now he doesn’t; the same with the hospital tax even after the hospitals agreed and said it was good for Wisconsin.
The budget would be passed, if Hewbie didn’t flip-flop and keep the impass going.
Hewbie is the Gard reincarnate. We still don’t have good campaign laws in Wisconsin.
Hewbie wants to be known as the obstructionist leader….you see; simply opposing the Dems is the main goal of a Republican.
The content of a bill, or the safety of the state’s many vital needs is secondary to getting a hot topic headline.
It’s time for the Republicans to get a “time out”.