"Fleebaggers" Want to Vote by Phone

"Fleebaggers" is the new term for the Fleeing Fourteen Wisconsin Democrats who lit out for Illinois rather than do their job in Madison. One even did a TV response to Gov. Walker's fireside chat while sitting in front of Wisconsin flag...in Illinois.

Apparently some of the Senate committees have in the past allowed Senators to debate and vote via phone, but on Republican committee chairman was having none of it:

Republicans on a state Senate committee approved a bill Tuesday to require voters to show ID at the polls, in their latest effort to entice Democrats to end their boycott of Senate proceedings.

The committee made significant changes to the bill in a meeting that included a bizarre element. Sen. Jon Erpenbach (D-Middleton) participated in the meeting by phone, but Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin), the committee chairwoman, refused to let him vote because he and the 13 other Senate Democrats left the state Thursday.

Senators routinely participate in committee meetings by phone and are allowed to debate, offer amendments and vote on measures. But Lazich said she wasn't allowing Erpenbach to vote because he had an invalid reasons for being absent.

"I won't extend courtesies for unethical behavior," Lazich told Erpenbach.

"Do you want the headline to be, 'Republicans won't let Democrats vote,' even though we've allowed that many, many times?" Erpenbach said.

Erpenbach's name was not called as the clerk took the roll, but he repeatedly yelled, "No!" over the speakerphone. The committee's three Republicans voted for the bill.

If Democrats want to participate they've got to show up. That's what life is all about.