State politics differs from national politics in many respects, but there are areas of consistency with their national brethren and that is the lock step mentality and hypocrisy of Republicans.
Of late the Republican governors in Wisconsin and Ohio, Scott Walker and John Kasich respectively, have recently discovered the idea of "compromise with the opposition", particularly with their states public unions over collective bargaining. Early on each of their administrations' they took on the unions with a vengeance with the clear intent of ending collective bargaining with those unions.
Walker now seeing his Republican Senate majority shrinking to one vote after the recent nine recall elections that had two Senate Republicans defeated and the distinct possibility of his own recall next January, realized his extreme attitude needed to be "softened" and he's recently invited the opposition Democrats to sit down with him. Reportedly they've accepted the invitation with deep skepticism.
In Ohio, Kasich sent a letter inviting union leaders to "discuss a compromise". The organizers summarily rejected his offer. Kasich and his Republican majorities in both chambers of the legislature earlier in the year enacted a law that limits the rights of public employees from bargaining collectively. A subsequent campaign by union leaders and Democrats secured some 900,000 signatures that puts the law to a vote in a statewide referendum this November. Thus the basis for Kasich's new found discovery of and desire for compromise, which the opposition legitimately sees as a ruse, is a desperate attempt by the governor to be seen by the public as working with the opposition.
But in both states, the governor's got carried away with their newly elected power, believing the public's swing to them and the Republicans in their states and nationally in 2010 was somehow a mandate for them to use as a scythe against public unions and overturning the collective bargaining rights these unions secured over the years.
They both came from a position of no compromise with the opposition essentially saying, "We're in charge and you (the opposition) have no say in the matter". They were throwing down the gauntlet consumed with a self delusional omnipotence that didn't reflect reality.
And now as the political landscape has been altered against them they "discover" the need to compromise and work with the opposition.
This is hypocrisy of the first order, a smokescreen that belies their true nature which was shown unmistakably in their early days of self deluded glory.
But Republicans are discovering in the states as well as nationally their ascension to power was a result of incompetence by Democrats and their rejection by the voters. It was not because Republicans had anything better to offer. They never did and never will; they were just the party out of power so the public turned to them out of disgust with the Democrats.
Sooner or later, hopefully sooner, the public will realize neither the Democrats nor Republicans have the people's interests at heart and that a third party alternative is necessary. An independent party, not beholden to corporate money, but a people funded and publicly funded party. That's when real representative democracy will take place in this country.
