Wisconsin Governor says, "You want a meeting, come home. "

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Wis. gov. rebuffs Democrats' request for meeting

Walker tried to place blame for the stalemate on Miller, the Democratic leader in the Senate, saying he blocked progress on talks with Jauch and Sen. Tim Cullen.

"It leads you to question who's in charge," Walker said at a news conference also attended by the Republican leaders of the Senate and Assembly.

Miller issued a statement saying if Walker didn't want to talk with him, the governor could meet with any of the 14 Senate Democrats. And Democratic Sen. Jon Erpenbach said it was Walker who was standing in the way.

"We continually reach out with suggestions, ideas, offers," Erpenbach said. "We're not the ones getting in the way."

Before Walker refused the meeting request, Democrats were talking more openly about the need to return sooner rather than later. And even if they lose in a Senate vote, the lawmakers said, they had accomplished their broader goal of striking a nationwide political blow against the GOP's plans to cut back union rights.

"I don't think anyone expects us to stay here forever," Jauch said in a telephone interview from Illinois.

"We want to come back to the state of Wisconsin and stand with these hundreds of thousands of citizens who are now engaged," Jauch said. "Every day I feel like I'm closer to getting back because there has to be a transition from us to the rest of us. This isn't our fight. This is the citizens' fight."

Since last week, Miller has been talking about the importance of returning to oppose Walker's larger budget bill, which cuts about $1 billion from public schools and local governments to deal with a projected $3.6 billion shortfall.

"I don't think a lot of us have the stomach to stay away and watch our state plummet off a cliff," Democratic Sen. Chris Larson said.

Miller sent a letter Monday to Walker and the Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald asking for an in-person meeting "as soon as possible to resume negotiations" on how to resolve the impasse over the union bill.

Fitzgerald replied to Miller's request saying he forfeited his right to make changes to the bill when he skipped town rather than propose changes on the floor of the Senate.

"While we wait for you and your colleagues to finally show up, Senate Republicans continue to stand ready to do the job we were elected to do, here in Wisconsin," Fitzgerald said in the letter. "I hope you are enjoying your vacation, and your vacation from reality."

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