UPDATE By Erick: The Wisconsin Republicans have been prevented from passing their financial reform package because they must have a super-majority quorum in the state legislature to pass financial matters. Part of the financial reform package was an end to collective bargaining on salary for public employees. Consequently, the Wisconsin legislature got tired of the Democrats hiding in Illinois. By an 18-1 vote, the Wisconsin Senate stripped collective bargaining from the financial package and passed it as a stand alone item. The portion of the financial package that the unions most objected to is now going to be the law without them present. They are, to say the least, upset.

Oh well. At least the Republicans didn’t just “deem” it passed.

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They will be (at 7 PM Eastern time) voting to strip out the collective bargaining reform part of the state budget bill and passing it separately (which they can do with a quorum of a simple majority).  The Left is, of course, now going collectively insane over this.

More as we get it.

[UPDATE 6:48 PM] Tactical surprise over the unions was apparently achieved.

[UPDATE 6:51 PM] Useful links: @kevinbinversie, WisPolitics.

[UPDATE 6:53 PM] Personal note: if you are on the Left and you were surprised by any of this, please remember that this is entirely due to the fact that your regular media sources are pretty much incompetent at telling you the things that you need to know, and almost as bad at telling you the things that they want you to want to hear.

[UPDATE 6:58 PM] Multiple reports of Wisconsin Democrats throwing everybody that they can find at the Capitol building, complete with helpful self-incrimination in the case of mob violence.  One hopes that they put crowd-control people there ahead of time.

[UPDATE 7:10 PM] Actual live-blogging – well, live-tweeting via @news3jessica.  Matters are proceeding apace.

[UPDATE 7:15 PM] This is a thing that is going to happen, folks.  I suggest that the Democrats start talking their more excitable types down NOW.

[UPDATE 7:20 PM] Allahpundit makes a point that just occurred to me: “Don’t you hate it when irregular procedures are used to destroy a de facto filibuster of an unpopular bill?”  Karma.  It’s what’s for dinner, and the Democrats have earned every bite.

[UPDATE 7:22 PM] Annnnd voting has started.  No discussion: what, the Democrats wanted to?  Guess they should have showed up for work at the appropriate time like adults, then.  So sad. Annnd voting has ended, too; 18-1, Dale Shultz voting no (no surprise).

[UPDATE 7:30 PM] …Well, that was a waste of my valuable time for something that was pretty much inevitable from the start.  The next time, can the Democrats simply accept the concept of elections having consequences and act like adults?  …Well, they can: but they won’t.  Oh, well, I always did prefer incompetent opponents.  Fair fights are for suckers.

And with that, I sign off.

Moe Lane