Monthly Archives: January, 2022

(The Center Square) – Republicans at the Wisconsin Capitol are moving to allow people who’ve already had COVID-19 to get credit for overcoming the virus.

The Assembly Committee on Constitution and Ethics is discussing AB 675, which would require businesses in the state to accept proof of natural immunity instead of vaccination proof or regular coronavirus testing.

“We can’t force people to get vaccinated, and I certainly would be strongly against that,” said Rep. David Murphy, R-Greenvile, said at a hearing o the measure Wednesday. “So that leaves people in the situation of either being forced to do something they don’t want to do, or they leave their job.”

The push comes as companies across the state wait to see if President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for all businesses with 100 or more employees is upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, which is scheduled to hear arguments Friday on lawsuits challenging the mandate.

It also comes as Wisconsin is reporting new records in coronavirus cases, and as hospitals across the state are filling up.

Murphy said hospitals across the state have fired or pushed out hundreds of doctors and nurses for not getting their coronavirus vaccines.

He said that doesn’t help anyone who needs medical treatment for something other than the coronavirus.

“If I were a cancer patient, I would rather have a doctor or nurse who is unvaccinated than not have one at all,” Murphy said. “And I think we’re coming down to that point. Where we have to choose between a perfect world and one where we’re still getting health care.”

Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services reported more than 10,000 new coronavirus cases Wednesday, almost all of them omicron cases. While omicron is more contagious than previous variants, it is so far been found to be less severe.

The state’s Hospital Association reported just over 2,000 people in the hospital with the virus, including over 460 in the ICU.

(The Center Square) – President Joe Biden is kicking off his second year in office with his highest disapproval rating to date.

A new CNBC/Change Research poll found 56% of voters disapprove of Biden’s job as president, the worst disapproval numbers the president has seen since taking office.

The economy and COVID-19 are major factors in voters' sentiments, with 60% disapproving of Biden’s job on the economy and 55% disapproving of his work on COVID-19. Biden had previously seen poor economic numbers but better approval numbers on his handling of the pandemic.

The drop in COVID-related ratings comes amid a flurry of vaccine mandates and a surge in omicron cases around the nation. This week, the U.S. is reporting one million new cases of COVID-19 daily.

Polling from December showed voters do not approve of Biden's vaccine mandates.

Convention of States Action, in conjunction with Trafalgar group, released polling data last month reporting that the majority of Americans oppose new vaccine mandates to counter omicron.

The poll found 69.4% of Americans said “no new mandates or restrictions are required” in response to the COVID variant, while 30.6% said the opposite.

“Unlike government health officials in Washington, DC, Americans have already figured out that mandates and lockdowns are not the way we will beat the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Mark Meckler, president of Convention of States Action. “As we’ve seen in our polls repeatedly, the American people are tired of all this and are ready to get on with their lives. The U.S. Senate finally recognized this reality ... with the bipartisan passage of the bill to block President Biden’s illegal vaccine mandate, and we’re going to see more of this as we get closer to 2022 and elected officials fight to save their jobs.”

(The Center Square) – The new year is beginning just where 2021 ended, with a stalemate in the investigation into the 2020 election in Wisconsin.

Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway on Monday once again issued a defiant response to former Supreme Court Justice Mike Gableman’s latest subpoenas.

“Attorney Gableman and his team are yet again demonstrating that they have learned nothing about election administration in Wisconsin,” Rhodes-Conway said. “Their ‘investigation’ is a waste of time and taxpayer dollars. Here in Madison, we continue to focus on the real work of making sure that everyone eligible can cast a ballot safely and easily.”

Her opposition to Gableman’s questions is not new, she has been fighting with him since late last year.

His latest subpoenas, however, are new.

Gableman filed subpoenas just before New Year's, asking for information from both Rhodes-Conway and Wisconsin Elections Commission members that include emails, internet logs, and individual voter information. Gableman continues to press Madison’s mayor for official testimony as part of his investigation.

The subpoenas come as a judge in Dane County continues to weigh whether Gableman even has the power to issue subpoenas. Wisconsin’s attorney general says he does not, but lawyers for the state legislature say Gableman is carrying out his investigation under their power, and has all the authority he needs to compel cooperation.

A ruling in that case is expected by January 10th.