Absent state senators paying for their own food and lodging, not accepting donations

[kpete]

Source: Wisconsin State Journal

Absent state senators paying for their own food and lodging, not accepting donations

Democratic senators holed up in Illinois to prevent the Senate from voting on a bill to limit collective bargaining for public workers are paying for their own food and lodging and are not accepting donations from labor unions, several of the senators said.

"We all are paying our expenses personally," said Sen. Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee, on a phone call from someplace in Illinois.

In a prank call from a New York blogger made public Wednesday, Republican Gov. Scott Walker suggested unions were paying the senators' costs and said he was waiting for an opinion from Attorney General J. B. Van Hollen on whether that constituted a crime or an ethics violation.

Justice Department spokesman Bill Cosh declined to comment about any possible investigation. Government Accountability Board spokesman Reid Magney also declined to say whether union contributions could legally be used to pay expenses of the 14 Senate Democrats who fled to Illinois.

Read more: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_fb7b1cb2-3fb1-11e0-b215-001cc4c002e0.html

[polichick]

1. I guess they'll have to pick up their paychecks individually...

Now that they won't have direct deposit - can't risk all of them being on site at the same time.

[inademv]

2. Actually they only need 1 of the Dems to quorum

[polichick]

3. Yikes! After hearing how Walker had planned to trick them into showing up...

...and then taking a vote, wonder how they're going to get their paychecks.

[Karia]

4. They'll pile on private credit card debt first

The senior senator, Risser, has always been scrupulous about paying his own way and advising others to do the same. I'll bet that was one of the first things they talked about, even if it was just a quick check to make sure all were on the same page. The WI 14 are good people and they are not stupid.

[BenzoDia]

5. A big ol' thumbs up to these guys.

Wish we could help them out, but hey, they're not accepting donations. Too bad the same can't be said about other politicians.

[chill_wind]

6. K & R.

[GOPGoindown]

7. Act Blue?

Act Blue has raised over $400,000 for the Dem 14 already. They're not accepting that?

[LiberalFighter]

8. After it is all over they probably could accept it for their next campaign.

[Karia]

9. I'm sure they will put it to good legal & ethical use

But they also need to be very careful.

[JDPriestly]

10. Was Walker's suggestion that the unions might be giving financial

support to the Democratic senators a veiled hint to "Koch" (the person Walker thought was the wealthy Koch) that corporate contributions to Republicans would be needed to counterbalance the union support Walker wrongly thought the Democrats were getting?

[DollyM]

11. "on a phone call someone in Illinois . . ."

I guess us FIB's come in handy on occasion, huh Wisconsin!

[groundloop]

12. Glad to hear this. I'll sure as hell donate to their campaigns through ActBlue.

[tanyev]

13. Walker just assumed someone else was footing the bill 'cause that's how he rolls.