Wisconsin will see a smooth bipartisan government despite the apparent conflict between Democratic Governor-elect Jim Doyle and the now-Republican- controlled state Legislature, according to party officials from both sides of the aisle.
Doyle, the current state attorney general, said he hoped to move Wisconsin past the type of partisan politics that have dominated the state in the past.
\I do think we have spent a number of years now for whatever reason, and I'm not here to point fingers, with excessive partisanship and excessive political game playing,"" Doyle said. ""We now have to honestly balance the budget. We really have to restore a sense to the people of Wisconsin that state government can do its job and do it right.""
Though, Doyle refused to name names, UW-Madison Professor of political science Dennis Dresang said both parties realize that the caucus scandal and subsequent indictments of state Senate Majority Leader Chuck Chvala, D-Madison, and state Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen, R-Waukesha, who both often blocked legislation on partisan grounds, has stretched Wisconsin residents patience thin.
However, the political process within the legislature should go much smoother than previous years due to the single party nature and a change in leadership in both the Assembly and the Senate, according to state Rep. Steve Freese, R-Dodgeville.
""There will be new leaders and obviously [Assembly] Republicans will be able to work a whole lot better with Senate Republicans,"" he said. ""I anticipate we're going to have a great working relationship and things will move very smoothly. We won't see near the delays and obviously we'll not see budget items being held hostage by the Senate Democratic leader.""
Freese said the looming budget deficit will be the key item on the legislature's platter in the upcoming session, but added that he foresees little problem with Doyle on that issue. He also said he did not know how things would fare on other legislative proposals.
""Obviously we have to deal with the budget shortfall. The good thing is the governor-elect, Doyle, ran on a campaign of not raising taxes just like republicans did,"" he said. ""There were not a lot of issues talked about in the campaign ... I don't know if there's major items we're in major disagreement on at this point in time. Only time will tell.""
Dresang said he did not see other issues receiving the same kind of bipartisan support.
""I think there are some bill that they might pass that [Doyle] would veto, such as the council carry bill,"" he said. ""The thing is they're going to be so wrapped up with the budget that they won't have much time or energy for anything else.""
