Greta Van Susteren Embarrasses AWOL Wis. Dem Lena Taylor

This is a rush transcript from "On the Record," March 4, 2011. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, FOX NEWS HOST: Now, one of the "Wisconsin 14" is here. She has been on the run for two weeks. Wisconsin's Democratic State Senator Lena Taylor joins us live from somewhere in Illinois, where she is hiding out.

Good evening, Senator. Senator, Dick Morris thinks that there's a possibility of a compromise in the works and that maybe the Democrats are going home. Is Dick right or wrong on that?

STATE SEN. LENA TAYLOR, D-WIS.: Good evening, Greta, and thanks for having me. You know, what Dick is saying is basically what we've been tying to do since the beginning, and it's really sad that our governor has not been willing to lead and come to the table and do, frankly, what he asked to do in December when he asked to do those contracts.
VAN SUSTEREN: Is it -- but I -- is -- right now, at this moment, is there a negotiation going on and there's a possibility that you 14 are going home?
TAYLOR: You know, of course we're going to go home. The question is when.
VAN SUSTEREN: You know what I mean. You know what I mean.
TAYLOR: Well, come on. We're not going home today, Greta.
VAN SUSTEREN: All right...
TAYLOR: We're not going home today and we're not going home, you know, tomorrow that I'm aware of. But what I will tell you is this. We need to go home because the governor has gone from his budget repair bill to -- you know, from a war on workers to a war on the people. When you look at his budget, he takes nearly a billion dollars out of education. How can we compete, how can we be open for business if our citizens cannot even get an adequate education?
VAN SUSTEREN: Here are -- here's what I see is your problem. As I understand it, the Democrats left because they didn't have sufficient time to take a look at the budget repair bill to study it and to vote. Now you've had more than 14 days, so you've lost that argument.
TAYLOR: That's not quite...
VAN SUSTEREN: OK, well...
TAYLOR: That's not quite it.
VAN SUSTEREN: All right, why specifically did the 14 Democrats initially leave?
TAYLOR: Because the bill literally was going to be rammed through in three days, and the citizens of Wisconsin had not had a chance to not only know what was in the bill but a chance to be heard. And when the Republicans literally prevented them from exercising their 1st Amendment right, and you know, disregarding the Constitution by not letting them sign up, that was an issue.
But then also, when they refused to listen to the half million individuals who came to the capitol, that was a problem. So really, this was about slowing the bill down. And I'm glad that we were able to do that so that people could see what was in the bill, but also see Governor Walker's agenda and how the legislature is, frankly, rubber stamping what he does.
VAN SUSTEREN: OK, here's the problem, is that, OK, if I accept your argument that you had to leave because it was being rammed down your throat and the citizens', that has now passed. You've had plenty of time to look at it, and so have the citizens. In fact, we outside of the state of Wisconsin know an awful lot about the bill, more about this bill than any other bill I think that's pending in any state legislature. So you've lost that argument. Now you're got the argument that your job is to vote...
TAYLOR: Actually, not...
VAN SUSTEREN: Well, let me finish. You've lost the argument...
TAYLOR: Actually...
(CROSSTALK)
TAYLOR: I was just going to say not lost it.
VAN SUSTEREN: Well, I mean, it's over. The time has run. You've had a chance to look at it. Now the second thing is say learn about the governor's agenda. He won in November! There's just -- you know, there's no doubt about it! You lost that! And your job is to vote! So I don't -- I don't know how you justify being gone now, except for the fact you don't like the bill! And that's just a lousy argument at this point!
TAYLOR: I'd like to address that, if you'd let me.
VAN SUSTEREN: Go ahead.
TAYLOR: First of all, being gone -- as I said before, we needed to slow this down so Wisconsinites can know. And as you stated, we've been able to do that successfully, so much so that even the nation is aware.
But you also mentioned the issue of, Well, he was elected in November. That's the other thing. We were able to show his character and the fact that he's liar and the fact that on more than one occasion, The Journal Sentinel, Politifact, others have shown that he's not been honest about this bill. He wasn't honest about, in campaigning, he said he told people this. He didn't tell individuals he wanted to take their rights.
So it was important, I think, that citizens...
VAN SUSTEREN: I think...
TAYLOR: ... get to see that also.
VAN SUSTEREN: Senator, I...
TAYLOR: And in his budget bill that -- if I could? In the budget bill that he's done also, now people are able to see that it's not just a war on workers or unions as he wanted to suggest. But it literally is about rights and it literally now goes as a war on Wisconsin and the people of Wisconsin. So I think that that's an important piece. And ultimately - - Greta, I voted on finance for this bill. I voted against it, should I say, during finance. And we will vote for the bill.
VAN SUSTEREN: Senator, all right, let me respond...
TAYLOR: And we will have an opportunity to vote for the bill, but it just won't be at this moment because we needed to do what we did.
VAN SUSTEREN: I think you might be one of the few that's surprised by his agenda. When I was following the election -- I always follow these elections because I love Wisconsin. I followed this election. I'm not surprised by his agenda, so I find it a little bit hard that you're surprised when he's elected, what his agenda was. I think it was pretty plain right from the get-go. If you say...
TAYLOR: I don't...
VAN SUSTEREN: And in terms of campaign -- let me just tell you -- in terms of the campaign, I have yet to hear one candidate for office who doesn't say, I'm going to Washington and I'm going to handle waste and fraud. They get here to Washington, they do none of that! So I mean, it's, like, I'm a little bit perplexed, you know, as to why -- you know, why you're using that now as a reason not to go back because you were elected to do your job, which was to vote!

Read the full transcript of the interview on foxnews.com

Wis. Assembly Passes Controversial Budget, Union Bill

The vote ended three straight days of punishing debate in the Assembly. But the political standoff over the bill – and the monumental protests at the state Capitol against it – appear far from over.

Governor Walker and the Republicans in both chambers are willing to make the hard choices that the taxpayers deserve and the majority want. They are only doing what they were elected to do. If the Democrats knew what was in their best interest of having any reelection hopes they would find their way back to Wisconsin and vote.

We the People that pay taxes in this country are rejoicing that Wisconsin tax payers don't have to reach into their pockets to pay off the unions for voting for the Democratic Party. Republicans and conservatives need to get on the phone or email their governors TODAY. If we are to put our economic ship back on course we need to get all the states to rain in their spending and taxing. Tell them that you and the TEA Party will back the governors if they rain in the union monapoly.

The unions and left-wing are organizing. The Democratic Party better tell these unions and protesters to keep it peaceful. We don't need any more Democrats telling an inflammed group to get "bloody". We are watching you. Now get back to work and do the job we hired you to do. And you better do it well or we will fire them.

Have fun protesting and voicing your freedom to speak. But don't swear in front of children. Don't use the children to threaten the tax payers. You know how they tell us that they can't teach unless we give them raises? The unions and Democratic Party have treated the tax payers and businesses like crap. We pay your bills. And if the unions think that they can play power games then they will find out that their are 20 people out there that would gladely take their jobs. The unions are going to find out that we the tax payers are their bosses. Now it's high time they start treating us like their boss instead of their golden goose.

It still baffles me how the conversation remains dishonest, and the media allows it. This entire debacle is about GOVERNMENT WORKERS – not THE WORKING MAN. These two couldn’t be further from each other. The working man produces much more than it costs to allow him to produce; the government worker produces NOTHING, and costs his fellow citizens a fortune. And, for what reason, really? Anybody?

This government worker crap is one of the biggest shams ever perpetrated on, unfortunately, a very unwitting public. It’s long, long overdue that unions are slapped around a bit so they understand who pays the bills around these parts.


I'd love to see President Obama keep his promis to this one. It was 2007, and then-Sen. Barack Obama was on the campaign trail in South Carolina trying to drum up support for his presidential platform. During a stump speech he made an interesting promise: should union collective bargaining privileges be threatened (such as they are in Wisconsin), he would “walk on that picket line”:

“And understand this: If American workers are being denied their right to organize and collectively bargain when I’m in the White House, I’ll put on a comfortable pair of shoes myself, I’ll walk on that picket line with you as President of the United States of America. Because workers deserve toknow that somebody is standing in their corner.”

Here is how Scott (my hero) Walker got elected in progressiveville Wisconsin.

Plain speaking Scott was a hit and people noticed something different about this candidate.  But did a Republican REALLY give back hundreds of thousands of dollars in salary when he was a County Exec?  Yes he did.

Perhaps the ad that clinched it for Scott Walker was also the commercial that featured President Obama and earned kudos from CNN:

Tea Party Is On Flee Party Like White On Rice

"One of the other reasons we moved is there was talk of Tea Party buses trying to follow us," said Sen. Dave Hansen.
We are watching everything the anti-democracy Democratic Party is doing. We the Tea Party will not make it easy for the Democratic Party to hijack democracy and flee the states they were hired to serve. When state employees start getting their lay off notices because the state has shut down because of the infantile Democratic Party it will be the beginning of the end for the Democratic Party. Good luck my Democratic friends, you'll need it.