Flap’s Links and Comments for March 4th from 12:06 to 12:25

These are my links for March 4th from 12:06 to 12:25:

• A New Strategy for Wisconsin – On February 17, the 14 Democratic members of the Wisconsin senate fled across the state line to the Best Western Clock Tower Resort in Rockford, Ill., the city in which I grew up. They were denying Republicans a three-fifths quorum on a bill that would restrict public unions in Wisconsin. They are believed to be still wandering about the Midwest, on an odyssey that poses problems for democratic government.

  One potential solution that has not received enough attention is dividing Wisconsin Senate Bill 11 into several separate bills, and passing the parts that do not require a three-fifths quorum. The most controversial provisions — the restrictions on collective bargaining — are subject to a quorum of only a majority of elected senators, and Republicans hold 19 of the Wisconsin senate’s 33 seats.

  ++++++

  Just may be a solution…..

• President 2012: Mitch Daniels’s Obamacare Problem – Mitt Romney isn’t the only Republican presidential hopeful with an Obamacare problem: Indiana governor Mitch Daniels, were he to become the GOP’s nominee, could also undermine the repeal campaign that has united the party’s base and independent voters.

  To be sure, Daniels’s Obamacare problem is less obvious than Romney’s; the law that Romney signed as governor of Massachusetts in 2006 is essentially identical to Obamacare. It sent insurance premiums higher and left Massachusetts struggling with runaway Medicaid spending. Romney’s stubborn “no apology” stance on his own law could sink the repeal effort by making it appear unprincipled and political. President Obama is already laying the groundwork, most recently by reminding the National Governors Association that Romney remains “proud” of Romneycare.

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  Read it all

• Huckabee: Natalie Portman a “distorted image” of single motherhood; Update: “I did not slam or attack Natalie Portman” – As a conservative cultural commentator, Huckabee hit the right notes.  If Huckabee wants to run for President, however, generating a debate over Natalie Portman’s pregnancy specifically doesn’t seem like a good choice, especially with the echoes of the Murphy Brown debate as context.  Regardless of how single motherhood relates to others, Portman certainly has the resources to ensure that her child won’t fall into poverty.  Also, given the description of Millepied, it sounds as if they will be rectifying the main complaint in a short while anyway.  Perhaps Portman will end up setting a good example by marrying the father of her child, something that happens far too infrequently in Hollywood and everywhere else.

  Besides, when was the last time Hollywood provided a good example of family life, especially in real life?  Charlie Sheen may be an extreme example, but the entertainment industry is hardly known for its commitment to stable families.  Portman’s example, considered in contrast to many of her colleagues, looks pretty good, and she seems committed to giving her child a two-parent environment.  At least she didn’t terminate the pregnancy. That may sound like damnation through faint praise, but given the “role models” Hollywood produces, Portman is at the very least an odd target for a presidential contender.

  ++++++++

  Being judgmental in this regard will do Huckabee NO good if he plans to run for the Presidency.

  But, Huck is not running anyway.

• Jennifer Rubin’s Right Turn – Ohio and Gov John Kasich – Ohio Gov. John Kasich is rolling over the public employee unions in his state. "Public workers are setting up tent cities in Columbus, as in Madison. Yet despite some defections, most Republicans hung together in a crucial vote Wednesday in the state senate, narrowly passing 17-16 a bill that will limit collective bargaining for government unions and move to merit from step pay, among other reforms. It now goes to the house, which Republicans control 59 to 40. . . . The bill gives Ohio and its cities and counties new tools to manage the costs of some 360,000 state and local workers. They will earn pay increases on the basis of performance, rather than the automatic seniority and length-of-service increases that now apply beyond the annual increases negotiated by unions. It also allows collective bargaining for wages up to inflation, but not for benefits or pensions. Far from a 'right' divinely etched into stone, Ohio only allowed government collective bargaining in 1983."