hey wisconsin republicans: you lost!

Here’s a reminder for Wisconsin’s sore loser Republicans: You can’t just change the rules because your side didn’t win.

After their election loss in November, Republicans in Wisconsin are scrambling to curb the power of the newly elected democratic leadership and it’s racist AF.

In a closed door early morning session, the Republican legislature voted to severely limit the power of the the incoming Democratic administration of Gov. Tony Evers and Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes who defeated Republican Scott Walker last month.

According to the New York Times, under the new legislation, “there would be a new limit on early voting, which tends to benefit Democratic candidates, after an election that saw record-breaking turnout. Lawmakers, not the governor, would control the majority of appointments on an economic development board. The legislation would also prevent Mr. Evers from banning guns in the Wisconsin Capitol without permission from legislators.”

The new bill also strips Evers’ control of public services like welfare policy and prevents him from pulling out of a lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act, which helped young people and Black folks have access to health care.

In much of the state, when someone references “Milwaukee” or “Madison,” what they’re really saying is “people who aren’t white.” Robin Vos, the Republican speaker of the Assembly, made this explicitly clear when he referenced trying to clamp down the governor’s power right after he happened to lose.

“If you took Madison and Milwaukee out of the state election formula, we would have a clear majority,” he said. “We would have all five constitutional officers and we would probably have many more seats in the Legislature.” He’s basically saying that the only votes that matter in Wisconsin are white rural voters and that the will of the citizens of the state doesn’t really count if it’s driven by citizens are not white.

He didn’t stop there. It’s curious that once folks of color decide they’re sick of union busting antics of outgoing Republican governor Scott Walker, that overreach suddenly becomes an issue. “Maybe we made some mistakes giving too much power to Gov. (Scott) Walker and I’d be open to looking at that to see if there are areas we should change that,” Vos told the Journal Sentinel.

This power grab should scare you.

Wisconsin isn’t even alone. Republicans in Michigan and North Carolina also rushed in bills meant to limit the power of Democratic administrations after losing elections. And because they often target policies like early voting that help communities of color make it to polls, these power grabs will make it easier for Republicans to win in future elections.

Health care, immigration, education, reproductive justice. When you think of this in the context of what’s at stake for 2020, this unfair Republican power grab becomes even more terrifying.

Pissed off and want to fight back?

Check out One Wisconsin Now to learn how you can get involved both in Wisconsin and beyond