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The Wisconsin Legislature’s playbook: Covid-19 edition. Illustrated in 15 steps:
1: Create the nation's most extreme legislative gerrymander, ensuring complete control over the legislative branch for a decade and securing leadership’s power to enforce absolute party discipline. https://bit.ly/3dX2Y2D
2: Leverage the gerrymander to pass laws suppressing the vote through voter ID, voter purges, making voter registration harder, moving election days to disenfranchise voters (e.g., holding primaries when colleges aren’t in session), etc. https://bit.ly/2TjGbpP
3. Repeat GOP orthodoxy paying lip-service to local government, while consistently undermining the concept of local control and centralizing policymaking in the Legislature's hands. https://bit.ly/36bSWrH
4: Dismantle nonpartisan, independent watchdogs established over decades to ensure clean government. Replace with bodies designed to deadlock along partisan lines on important issues, allowing Legislature to step into the breach and do as it pleases. https://bit.ly/2WFQPJI
5: Disrespect election results. Take extraordinary, unprecedented, and indefensible actions to undermine new Governor and Atty General from the moment they’re elected, solely because you disdain the voters’ decision. https://bit.ly/2LBO9Xj
6: Be petulant, always. Refuse to govern in response to pandemic. When Governor calls special session, adjourn after 60 seconds. Disenfranchise and endanger voters by holding election during pandemic; jump into litigation solely to limit absentee voting. https://wapo.st/2LEenIz
7: Convene in response to Covid-19 both belatedly and hastily. As a result, ensure that Wisconsin loses out on $25 million in federal unemployment funds. Refuse to reconvene, even as crisis continues. https://bit.ly/2WGA15a
8: After Governor’s actions make Wisconsin the safest Midwestern state, whine and complain. Deride science-based policy, encourage armed protesters to act irresponsibly, willfully ignore federal government guidance. https://nyti.ms/3cLzswB
9: Refuse to legislate. Rather than pass laws or hold hearings to learn more about how/why public health officials are acting, run to state supreme court, complaining that Governor's response hasn't followed inapplicable regulatory process. https://bit.ly/2LBphim
10: Ensure your taxpayer-paid lawyer impresses upon supreme court that you are eager to work with Governor's team to fast-track the regulatory process in response to Covid-19. Be clear that all you want is "a seat at the table." https://bit.ly/2ZmXKcF
11: Take victory lap when state supreme court issues a 4-3, nonsensical, outcome-driven opinion ignoring precedent to adopt your position. Ignore how the court created chaos by refusing the stay your own lawyer requested. Encourage haphazard conduct. https://bit.ly/2X50Krc
12: When local officials express confusion over their authority to create Covid-19 policies on county or municipal basis, do nothing to dispel concern or clarify that Wisconsin law grants local officials broad authority to adopt public health protections. https://bit.ly/2TlrOl3
13: As soon as Governor complies with your request to pursue regulatory process, announce that, contrary to your representations in court, you oppose all statewide rules, won't participate in policymaking, and will block ANY Covid-19 health regulations. https://bit.ly/2WIp6bh
14: Prepare to blame Governor and local officials for any surge in infections. Hope like hell the public doesn’t figure out that you completely abdicated doing your jobs. Rest easy with confidence that gerrymander protects your jobs.
15: Exploit public cynicism over Covid-19, and the ways the chaos you fomented hampered a coherent government response, as a way to increase your own power.
