WISCONSIN MOVES SYMBOLICALLY ON ABSENTEE DEM SENATORS – AT 7:37 P.M. ET:  The Wisconsin state senate is trying to pressure Democratic senators to return.  Some 14 of them fled to Illinois and other foreign countries to prevent the Wisconsin senate from voting on Governor Scott Parker's bill reining in the power of public-employee unions:

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- The Republican leader of the Wisconsin Senate has signed orders finding 14 AWOL Democrats in contempt. The orders signed Thursday allow the sergeant at arms to detain the missing senators and use police force if necessary.

The Democrats say they are all in Illinois and won't return.

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald says the orders are only binding in Wisconsin.

The Senate passed a resolution calling for the action earlier Thursday but gave Democrats until 4 p.m. to return. None of them did, which led Fitzgerald to sign 14 orders of detainment in dramatic fashion in the center of the Senate chamber. 

COMMENT:  It may be only symbolic, but it does put pressure on the escapees.  They can't sneak back into Wisconsin safely to visit their homes or their girl friends. 

The public-employee unions are apparently counting on public sympathy to force the governor to back down.  And there is sympathy, measured in the polls, for unions to retain the right of collective bargaining.  But polls also show that the public wants real concessions and budget cutting.

There is speculation that Walker will be forced to back down.  I doubt that.  He was very firm when he was Milwaukee county executive.  He tends to be a fighter.  Now he's fighting not only Wisconsin unions, but their allies from all over the country.

March 3, 2011