I can’t see how anyone would dispute that this would be a much-needed and long overdue piece of legislation. Milwaukee-based state senator Tim Carpenter plans to introduce legislation to eliminate the so-called “Frankenstein veto” from the toolbox of the state’s County Executives–a perfectly sensible step considering that Wisconsin voters finally rid the state’s governor of that authority by referendum last year.
Carpenter has gotten around to this legislation in the most savvy of ways–by first taking on the authority of the governor from his very own party, and only now moving to target County Executives. It is no secret that his primary concern is Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker.
Regardless of the ideology of whomever happens to hold the veto pen, the Frankenstein veto is an embarrassment to Wisconsin. This example of the use of the veto by Governor Doyle perfectly illustrates the absurd and potentially dangerous nature of this power. Write your state senator and urge them to support Carpenter’s legislation.
Oh, and one other thing. Even though Scott Walker’s use of the veto, as opposed to some Democrat’s, is the primary target here, we expect full-throated support of this legislation from right-wingers who went crazy over the need to take this authority from Doyle’s hands (despite never mentioning a word of this when Tommy Boy or the forgettable Scott McCallum were in charge.)
Yes, I’m looking in your direction, Pheistyblog. And Badger Blog Alliance. And Althouse. And Boots and Sabers (by the way is there anything more disgusting or anti-American than the ad that site is running for the “Impeach Obama” store? What an astonishing hatred for democracy. Newsflash: you can’t impeach a president-elect.) And Real Debate Wisconsin. And Charlie Sykes.
(Sidenote: Why does WTMJ apparently delete the archives from Charlie’s blog, by the way? Shouldn’t all of us be able to go back and bask in his incredible wisdom and foresight whenever we feel the need?)
Tags: Charlie Sykes, Frankenstein veto, Tim Carpenter, Wisconsin Senate
November 22, 2008 at 7:32 pm
I didn’t even have a blog before 2001, when ‘Tommy Boy’ was governor. Not only that, but I was in my early twenties raising two young children on my own at that point in my life. I wasn’t real ‘up’ on the particulars of the Governor’s veto power. Sue me.
You’re also presuming a great deal by stating that just because I stood up in support of legislation taking the power of the Frankenstein Veto away from Doyle, that I must therefore–because of my ‘right-wing’ ideologies–not want to take that power away from a Republican/conservative simply because there’s no blogged record of me speaking out against this veto power in any other elected office. Your blog was the first I’d heard about this Scott Walker business, and since what goes on in Milwaukee county is near the bottom of my concern list (as opposed to the statewide budget, of which I obviously have good reason to be concerned), I’ll leave this one up to the ‘right-wingers’ in that neck of the woods to hash out.
I have enough trouble trying to make heads or tails of my own incompetent county board, let alone the one down there. But just for the record, I think that Frankenstein Vetos are a disgrace, no matter who’s doing the budget dissecting.
And by the way, there’s plenty more disgusting things than posting an ‘Impeach Obama’ store on a blog, and that would be the Communist Party celebrating an Obama victory.
http://www.pww.org/article/articleview/14039/