Context and comments to follow:

“I would first invite the committee to perk up a little bit. If this is a long day you’ve had an easy life, because there are Wisconsinites who’ve been on their feet when we got up this morning and they’ll still be working when we go home tonight, and they’re doing it for a lot less money than we make, because they’re not making a living wage. …

I am the state co-chair of Our Revolution Wisconsin, a non-partisan group with one aim, and that is to restore democracy in the state of Wisconsin because we’re well aware it does not exist in its current state. And as an organizer, there’s always that, that fear of what you’re going to do if people lose attention, when they lose focus, after an election. So unlike others that have spoken to you today I’m going to thank you, for these ridiculous bills. For all this attention! …

This is a pointless short-term power grab that has been chosen in place of adult, bipartisan governance. … The most disgusting thing about this is the attack on elections themselves. My father spent 30 years in the United States Army and was a veteran before he had the right to vote in his home state of Georgia. And what you’re doing to deployed servicemen and veterans in this state is disgusting. I will keep fighting the same way that my father did for this country and for our rights, the same way that my brothers do as marines, as police officers; I will plant my flag and die for this, I will make sure that my people vote everywhere in this state.

Before this election, we reached out to all 72 county clerks in the state of Wisconsin to see if they needed help, and I was wondering what unifying issue I was going to bring to every municipal clerk this spring: Thank you. Thank you so much, for starving them of resources, for disrespecting their wishes, and for making holding a legal election almost impossible. Beyond anything else, all you’ve done is remind us that we need to never take our eyes off of you. There is not a moment in this state that we can rest on our laurels. This will not work. We will restore democracy in this state. This moment of power that you have before we get fair maps – and we will get fair maps – will be remembered, and corrected. Not vindictively, not in the way this party operates. But out of fairness and concern and love for our neighbors, which is how things should be governed in the state of Wisconsin. Thank you.” -Terrence Warthen

On Fri Nov 30 at 5pm, after Democrats won every state-wide election in Wisconsin, the Republicans on the Wisconsin legislature announced hundreds of pages of new legislation that would cripple the incoming Democratic executive branch (details forthcoming). The bills were rushed through committee Monday night Dec 3, after 10 hours combined of public hearing and debate, and then passed into law 8am Wednesday.

The above quote is from the public testimony given at the hearing; at 5h47m in this video: http://www.wiseye.org/Video-Archive/Event-Detail/evhdid/12961

There was a lot of dramatic rhetoric, especially from the public testimony, but also the Democrats on the committee in session. While I don’t suggest watching all of it, I watched enough that I now have favorites (maybe Rep. Katrina Shankland: “Wow [the state is] delivering an unfunded, ridiculous mandate to you [cities] in order to rig a supreme court election, to give political preference to Republicans, weren’t not going to send you the money to help you administer this election, we’re just going to leave you hanging dry. So all the municipalities have to fund this from their own local pot of money that then would take away from local services, garbage pickup, paving their roads, nursing homes.” … “You guys are going crazy here, it’s like gremlins past midnight.” 2h30m)

One more excerpt, this time best with video, from someone who repeatedly demands the Republicans look her in the eye (3h51m):

“I’m speaking mainly to the Republicans here, because I believe there is something you don’t understand. And that is that you lost! You lost! You lost! And democrats were more votes, but less representation. So, the problem is you can’t let go of power. And you’re stealing! You think you’re stealing from Governor Evers, but you’re not, you’re stealing from the people, and Miss Vukmir over there, I’ve looked at this panel for six hours, you can look at us!” -Jan G—-

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