Tony Evers is asking Scott Walker to veto the “lame duck” legislation. The governor-elect is requesting that Governor Walker veto measures that will restrict some of the authority of Evers and Attorney General-elect Josh Kaul. “My belief is that the people of Wisconsin have spoken, and that . . . the three bills that have passed are a repudiation of that,” Evers said Wednesday in Madison.
GOP leaders say they acted in extraordinary session this week in order to restore the “balance of power” between the legislative and executive branches.
Democrats have been exaggerating and resorting to hyperbole throughout the debate. The vote is about ensuring equal branches of government exist in #Wisconsin especially during this time of divided government.
— Speaker Robin Vos (@SpeakerVos) December 5, 2018
Kaul doesn’t buy it. “They are focused on their own power, and taking it away not just from executive branch officers, but from the people of Wisconsin who went out and voted in record numbers.”
Democrats are not alone in asking Walker to consider the veto — Governor Walker is being sharply criticized by a long-time supporter. The Journal Sentinel reported this week that influential Republican businessman and philanthropist Sheldon Lubar of Milwaukee sent Walker an email on Tuesday. In it, he asked Walker to consider what the governor’s recently deceased father and Jesus Christ would say about legislative efforts to limit the powers of Governor-elect Tony Evers and Attorney General-elect Josh Kaul. Lubar pleaded with Walker not to destroy his reputation by siding with Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald.
Walker has ten days to make a decision. All indications are he’ll sign the bills. “Our efforts now is making sure the people of Wisconsin communicate directly to the governor, and communicate to him and his staff in a way that would convince him that he needs to change his thinking,” Evers said.
