Republicans are staging mini-coups across the U.S.
Democracies empower the will of majorities. In the US, Republican lawmakers on both the state and national level have rejected that basic principle.
In a lame-duck session in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, Republican legislators in the state of Wisconsin passed a sweeping bill designed to radically check the powers of the incoming governor. The result of this 11th-hour tactic is an attack on progressive causes, the integrity of the electoral process, and democratic accountability.
Last month, Democrat Tony Evers won the state gubernatorial race, unseating Republican incumbent Scott Walker. Among other things, Evers, who made affordable healthcare a key issue in the race, promised to withdraw Wisconsin from yet another tiresome suit against provisions of Obamacare. But the Republican bill would strip him of the power to do so. [Continue reading…]