Open Thread: WTF Wisconsin

There's a lot going on. Here's what I've been reading this morning; as always, feel free to drop your own links into comments.

CNN—Wisconsin governor tells absent senators: Return or 1,500 get laid off:

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker on Thursday warned 14 absent lawmakers trying to stall his controversial budget bill to return to the state Capitol immediately to vote on the measure, or layoff notices will be sent to 1,500 public employees before the weekend.

"Unfortunately, if we don't have action by tomorrow we have a legal and moral obligation to start forewarning people," Walker said a Thursday night press conference.

...Meanwhile, a Dane County judge on Thursday issued an order barring demonstrators from the state Capitol after business hours. During protests, some demonstrators have been sleeping inside the building. The order from Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge John Albert gave the state Department of Administration the authority to forcibly remove anyone who refuses.

Also see the Journal-Sentinel for more on this story.

Greg Sargent in the WaPo—Police union chief says Wisconsin GOP's proposal to detain missing Dems may be unconstitutional: "The chief of a major Wisconsin police union tells me this proposal may itself be unconstitutional under state law. 'It's unclear to me on what constitutional authority Senate Republicans think law enforcement officers can take state lawmakers who have not committed a crime into custody,' James Palmer, the head of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association, told me by phone moments ago."

ABC: Wisconsin Protesters Ordered Out of Capitol After Gov. Scott Walker Threatens Layoffs. [Please note a video automatically begins to play at this link.]

TPM—Rasmussen Poll: Majority of Wisconsinites Side With Unions on Collective Bargaining: "A majority of those polled said they sided with the public employee unions rather than Gov. Walker in the showdown that has deadlocked the state government for more than two weeks. And while a plurality favor a plan to make state employees pay more toward their benefit plans—something the unions have already agreed to do—a majority oppose the most contentious proposal put forward by Walker: the elimination of most collective bargaining rights for state employee unions."

Also at TPM: AWOL Wisconsin Dem Beats the System; Gets His Paycheck Mailed to Him.

David Dayen at FDL—Wisconsin Recall Efforts Off to Strong Start: "The Wisconsin recall effort is only a day old, but it's going strong. The state Democratic Party has launched a website called Recall the Republican 8 to coordinate events. They have volunteer and contribution pages. There's also a separate ActBlue page set up for the recall. A separate effort to air a powerful TV ad from the PCCC and DFA, filmed on the day of the 100,000-plus protests last Saturday, has already raised over $225,000."