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According to Reuters and The Washington Post:
Two of the Democratic Party’s biggest wins last month occurred in Wisconsin and Michigan, where their candidates won gubernatorial elections, unseating a well-known incumbent in the former and flipping the seat in the latter. In anticipation of having to work with a Democratic governor, state lawmakers are aiming to hurriedly pass legislation that would dilute the executives' powers.
The moves in both states have drawn comparisons to Republican efforts in NC in 2016, when lawmakers pushed through legislation limiting the authority of the state’s Democratic governor, after he defeated the incumbent Republican.
The proposals include preventing the incoming governor from withdrawing Wisconsin from a legal challenge to the federal Affordable Care Act, sidestepping the attorney general’s power to represent the state in litigation and rescheduling a 2020 election to boost the chances of a Republican state Supreme Court Justice, among others.
U.S. Republicans and Democrats have a history of using lame-duck sessions to advance priorities ahead of power shifts. Wisconsin Democrats in 2010 unsuccessfully tried to push through public union contracts after Walker won election while promising to get tough with organized labor.
Meanwhile, in Utah, lawmakers are getting ready to meet in a special lame-duck session on Monday (Dec 3rd) to rewrite a medical marijuana law that voters passed this November. Patient advocates are saying the move is an end run around voters.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Tuesday December 04 2018, @04:27PM (7 children)
They keep on reelecting people that will take it away. They could have voted for a matching set of democrats to go with their new governor, but they didn't. The system works!
However, the lame duck period should be no longer than a couple of weeks. Less money and furniture is stolen that way, but people have to vote for that also.
The voters have all the power they collectively want.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 5, Insightful) by pipedwho on Tuesday December 04 2018, @09:26PM (5 children)
Lame duck sessions should not exist at all. You fire an employee, he leaves the building and his login credentials are revoked then and there. Maybe you let him clean his desk, but if he looks sideways, security is called and escort him out with a box full of the shit left on his desk. You don't let him mill about on the network to 'tidy a few things up' before he goes.
WTF is this bullshit that an outgoing politician can enact laws and make far reaching administerial changes after they've been 'axed'. That's like firing a network admin, and then giving him a week with full administrator access to all systems with no repercussions for anything he does. This Utah 'lame duck' session is equivalent of an outgoing admin changing all the network passwords, installing a bunch of rootkits and backdoors, and transferring the ownership and access of the corporate domain and dns records to his own name - with legal impunity.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday December 04 2018, @10:21PM (4 children)
So, you're wanting everyone who runs for President to have an entire staff and cabinet who already know intimately how things around the Whitehouse work hired before they even know if they've won the election?
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 04 2018, @10:58PM
We could cripple the lame duck. Surely they could be "in office" in case we need one (if something catastrophic happens) but remove most of their power - no new legislation, etc.
(Score: 2) by Mykl on Wednesday December 05 2018, @01:25AM
You are implying that it's necessary for legislation to be passed 24/7/365. In most democracies, there is a transition period to allow the new team to get up to speed. Much of the public service is also independent of party politics - the machinery of government continues and changes course only when directed. Key legislation can be passed surprisingly quickly - particularly if it has been discussed at length during the election campaign (rather than purely playing identity politics during this period).
(Score: 2) by dry on Wednesday December 05 2018, @05:40AM
You dissolve the legislature before the election and recall it after the election. No laws are passed and the executive just does caretaking duties to keep things running and in between the election and the new government getting sworn in, the old consults with the new on anything out of the ordinary.
Once the will of the people is obvious, the government should follow that will and even when it isn't obvious, the government shouldn't do anything controversial until the counting is over.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by realDonaldTrump on Wednesday December 05 2018, @07:39PM
Why not, right? I did. I just pick the best person for the job. I only hire all the best people. apply.whitehouse.gov [whitehouse.gov]
(Score: 4, Insightful) by dry on Wednesday December 05 2018, @05:30AM
The legislature should be dissolved at the start of the election period and recalled after the election is over.