AWOL Dems: We're Not Coming Home

Fleeing Wisconsin senators deny recent reports that they will return
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 7, 2011 8:47 AM CST
AWOL Wisconsin Democrats: We're Not Coming Home
Wisconsin Democratic state Sen. Jon Erpenbach texts on his cell phone at a downtown Chicago hotel on Friday, Feb. 18, 2011.   (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

Some Wisconsin Democrats recently seemed to imply they will return to the state even though talks with Gov. Scott Walker have broken down—but now they're now backtracking on those reports. Minority Leader Mark Miller told the Wall Street Journal the senators were considering a return as soon as certain issues (like the Republicans recently ordering their arrest) were dealt with, but his spokesperson has now released a statement saying that the senate Democrats are still negotiating, Talking Points Memo reports.

Other state senators had also discussed heading back to Wisconsin in both the Journal and the New York Times. Sen. Chris Larson has since released his own statement, declaring that "Sen. Miller's comments are taken out of context in the Wall Street Journal article just released. Dems will return when collective bargaining is off the table. ... Unfortunately, the WSJ fished for the quote they wanted, skipping this key step in logic: we won't come back until worker's rights are preserved." (More Wisconsin stories.)

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