After Wisconsin Voters Revolt Against GOP Lawmakers, GOP Lawmakers Approve Amendment Preventing Recall Elections

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/03/08/440491/after-wisconsin-voters-revolt-against-gop-lawmakers-gop-lawmakers-approve-amendment-preventing-recall-elections/

By Ian Millhiser on Mar 8, 2012 at 11:30 am

The Wisconsin GOP has not worn well with that state’s voters. Two GOP senators were removed from office last year in a recall election, and as many as four more could lose their jobs this year — along with the state’s anti-union Gov. Scott Walker (R).

Rather than accept that these mass recalls are a sign that they should abandon their current policies and pursue effort that won’t incur such ire from the electorate, however, the Wisconsin GOP has decided to pursue a very different tactic — changing the rules of the game:

In the face of an expected recall election targeting Gov. Scott Walker and four Republican state senators, the Wisconsin state Assembly voted Tuesday to amend the state constitution to make it more difficult to toss an official from office.

The measure, which still faces major hurdles before taking effect, would allow officeholders to be recalled only if they have been charged with a serious crime or if there is a finding of probable cause that they violated the state code of ethics. [...]

Republican supporters, including the amendment’s sponsor Rep. Robin Vos, R-Caledonia, argued changes are needed to limit recalls given the flurry of such efforts over the past year. Republicans have said Walker and the others are being unfairly targeted simply for doing their job.

For the record, Scott Walker’s job is to serve the very people who have decided that he is doing such a terrible job of it that he needs to be fired immediately.

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