Recently, the leader of the Wisconsin Senate Democrats-in-exile, Sen. Mark Miller, offered to meet with the Senate GOP at the Wisconsin-Illinois border. This afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald responded to this odd request. Behold a thing of beauty.

0307fitzgeraldresponse

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From Wisconsin State Journal:

Senate Republicans Thursday ordered the arrest of their 14 Democratic colleagues, who fled the state two weeks ago to avoid a vote on Gov. Scott Walker’s controversial budget repair bill.

It’s unclear whether the resolution to force the senators back to the Capitol is constitutional. The state Constitution prohibits the arrest of legislators while in session unless they’re suspected of committing felonies, treason or breach of the peace.

Democrats say the Republicans have overreached, and have consulted an attorney for an opinion on whether the GOP actions are legal.

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Great question by Fox News’ Neal Cavuto to Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels: “I am wondering if you just got punked?”  Daniels responded that he did not understand the question, and then proceeded to answer his own question. (transcript)

Yes, the governor and Republican House Speaker Brian Bosma were punked by Big Labor Democrats in several ways:

• The Governor tossed aside a law providing every Hoosier the right to choose whether or not to belong to a union, better known as the Right To Work. With f Democrats rattling sabers, Daniels chose to discard Right To Work and got nothing in return.
• For months prior to the Democrats’ fleeing the legislature and the job for which they were elected, Daniels and Speaker Bosma went from meeting to meeting predicting that introducing Right To Work would cause Democrats to throw a legislative tantrum.  They telegraphed that they were not going to fight for this employee emancipation issue. Democrats knew that Daniels would quickly give them what they wanted most:  dropping Right To Work, and Daniels delivered.
• Because Daniels and Bosma said that they intended to blame the Democrats’ childish behavior on the Right To Work bill, the Governor handed Democrats an excuse to justify their actions.  Worse, Daniels continues to repeat his “blame Right To Work game” every chance he gets. Daniels’ actions provide cover for the scurrying Democrats.  But, as Cavuto pointed out, the Governor’s team quickly caved on Right To Work, and yet, the Democrats did not return.
• Sadly, the Governor weakened his own bargaining hand.  Because Right To Work was quickly tossed, Democrats have every reason to believe the Governor and Bosma will cave on everything else.  And, having already caved, it will be harder for Governor to justify standing his ground.  This is why Democrats aren’t back in Indiana yet!

Yep, Daniels was “punked,” if Cavuto means losing the battle before it began. Indiana gave public teachers the Right to Work in 1995, but Gov. Daniels refused to even fight for freedom for private sector employees. (more…)

Fox News has this developing story:

Fox Nation has learned exclusively from a highly placed source within Wisconsin state politics that the fourteen AWOL Democrats are experiencing “dissension in the ranks.” State Sen. Julie Lassa (D) is pregnant and “extremely unhappy” about being on the run. State Sen. Jon Erpenbach (D) has been hit particularly hard by his paycheck being withheld. Wisconsin State Senate leadership is currently negotiating with eight of the fourteen to come home. Gov. Scott Walker (R) has declared today the deadline for action on his budget repair bill and plans to give a budget address at 5 p.m. ET. A deal may be announced around that time. Developing…

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First, I need to start with a confession and a plea for forgiveness. For the last two years, when the DC parlor game of “who should run in 2012″ came up, I had one answer: Mitch Daniels. Sure, he was kind of boring. But, I thought that after four years of the “flash and dash”, “hope and change” flimflammery of the Obama Administration, boring would be right up the voters’ alley. Daniels was competent, in precisely the kind of way you trust-and want-your accountant to be competent. He was, I thought, the man for the times.

I was wrong. I am sorry.

It turns out Mitch Daniels is a 1990s conservative; hesitant, afraid to stand on principle, desperate to be loved by editorial writers from the dying newspaper industry. (Newt Daniels?) He needs everybody to support him and stands ready to jettison any principled policy position for an extra few points bump in the polls. No doubt, he wants to ‘rise above’ politics, but he has personally risen so far above it that one wonders why he even bothers. He wasn’t pressed into service as Governor and presumptive presidential candidate. He chose that path, presumably, because he had a vision for how to lead. Again, and I will say this a lot, I was wrong.

Yesterday, Indiana House Democrats took a page from the Wisconsin Senate ‘fleebagger’ playbook and fled the state to avoid a vote on legislation to curtail union privileges. At even a basic level, it is an unbelievable abdication of responsibility. We are a representative democracy. We have elections and those elections have consequences. You don’t get to simply pick up your ball and go home when you don’t like the results. That’s a temper tantrum, not responsible, adult behavior.

But, Mitch Daniels endorsed it.

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Spotted in the wild, south of the Illinois-Wisconsin border!

More details coming.

UPDATE: Is this Chris Larson?

UPDATE: We are receiving reports that the police were called out against the Illinois Tea Party members who found the Wisconsin Democrats in a local hotel. From a Tea Party member on the ground in Illinois:

Subject: OUTCOME OF THE CONFRONTATION WITH FLEEING DEMS

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Illinois Tea Party board member Doc got the Heritage Suites in Harvard, and found the fleeing senators in the lobby of the motel. He said that they were laughing like school children. News cameras were there.

Doc confronted the senators, saying, “Do you know any reason why you shouldn’t be recalled for your failure to fulfill the duties of your office?” and the like. They asked him who he was. When he identified himself as a member of Northern IL Tea Party the mood changed. The hotel clerk asked him if he was a paying guest. He/she said, if he wasn’t he would have to leave.

Doc asked if this was still America. The clerk called the police. Three cars pulled up. Doc went outside and said, “I guess I’m the guy you’re looking for.” They said they had to go into the lobby to pick up the complaint against him.

Doc was interviewed by a reporter outside the hotel. The reporter asked for his name, and Doc said, “It’s “Doc” — if they’re going to try to arrest me, that’s all you need.” Then he drove away.

Mary Alger, Coordinator of McHenry County Tea Party was outside the lobby with her sign, “We’re the Tea Party. They’re the Flee Party.” She was interviewed.

UPDATE: Jim Hoft has more pictures