If nothing else, the on-going situation in Wisconsin demonstrates the hypocrisy of the Left. A little more than a month ago in the wake of the Tucson shootings, we were lectured by everyone from the President on down about the need for civility in political discourse. Yet, for the past few days, mobs of angry public-sector union members have compared Gov. Scott Walker to everything from Hosni Mubarak to Adolf Hitler. Just today, the state capitol had to be evacuated because of the threats made against the governor and Republican lawmakers. Because asking union members to pay for their pensions is totally on the same level as killing 20 million people, especially when many of these people make more than $100,000 a year.
In order to demonstrate their devotion to democratic ideals, the rule of law, and the ability to hold adult conversations, the Democrat members of the state legislature have … (wait for it)… fled the state! Really? What do they really expect to accomplish by running away? It’s not like they can hide forever. Eventually, they’ll either have to resign their seats or return to the capital. For a fun mental exercise, imagine if a group of Republicans tried this. Would they be commended by the President for their commitment to democracy? No! And rightly so. Such a move is a huge blow to the rule of law and popular sovereignty.
What these legislators are effectively saying is that last November’s election is irrelevant and that the will of the people can be ignored when it conflicts with their politics. Such actions are shameful and a direct assault on the core values of this country. What makes the situation worse is the national Democrat’s machine declared intention to spread this labor rebellion to other states. The President would do well to remember the oath he took to “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
We operate under a system of government that provides a constructive outlet for political disagreements. We have regular, open and free elections to select people to represent the interests of the people in our government. Between elections, we are free to contact our representatives, encouraging them to support the passage or defeat of legislation. The representatives themselves have the advantage of public forums and open legislatures to argue their position. There is no need to threaten the safety of those legislators and hamstring the operations of the state assembly by mobbing the capitol. Illusions to Hitler are completely unnecessary and only serve to further polarize the opposing factions. If the AWOL legislators truly respect the people they claim to serve, they will recognize that they lost last November, return to the capitol, and have a mature and civil conversation about the issues confronting Wisconsin. The longer this anarchy persists, the more damage will be done to this country’s great institutions.