Largest protest yet fails to sway lawmakers

[boomerbust]

Source: ap

MADISON, Wis. — Sometimes they cursed each other, sometimes they shook hands, sometimes they walked away from each other in disgust.

None of it _ not the ear-splitting chants, the pounding drums or the back-and-forth debate between 70,000 protesters _ changed the minds of Wisconsin lawmakers dug into a stalemate over Republican efforts to scrap union rights for almost all public workers.

"The people who are not around the Capitol square are with us," said Rep. Robin Vos, a Republican from Rochester and co-chair of the Legislature's budget committee. "They may have a bunch around the square, but we've got the rest on our side."

After nearly a week of political chaos in Madison, during which tens of thousands of pro-labor protesters turned the Capitol into a campsite that had started to smell like a locker room, supporters of Gov. Scott Walker came out in force Saturday.



Read more: http://www.rr.com/news/topic/article/rr/9001/35012281/Largest_protest_yet_fails_to_sway_Wis_lawmakers

[xchrom]

1. well that's the point robin vos -- we're gonna see who is on what side. nt

[Turbineguy]

2. If Walker pulls this one off

The Koch's will make him President and he can deal with the Unions once and for all.

[furgee]

3. Maybe it is time to use other protest ways

I am not saying leave the capital steps. But as you are on your way to the capital get a post card and mail it in to those asshole legislators. Flood the capital mail room. It is easy to send off an email but it is just as easy for them to delete it also. It would be a lot harder for them to hide thousands of postcards.

[jwirr]

14. How about shutting down the email system and telephone system

by flooding them with calls? A few of the callers may get through so be prepared to state you case. They did it in Maine with robo calls.

[lonestarnot]

4. Did we really think it would? How much is it costing them? That's all they care about. They

definitely have more money than we do so prollee not much relatively speaking.

[8 track mind]

5. They ignore us at their own political peril

This is only the beginning you repukes. We've had enough. You have motivated the younger generations.

[fasttense]

6. The AP is spinning for the RepubliCONS

Notice how the AP calls the protest of 70,000 pro-union people chaos and continually refers to how the place smells bad.

In the lead there is no mention that the RepubliCONS are seriously outnumbered by progressives by a factor of 70 to 1. That's a big difference they don't even mention.

They get in all the RepubliCON talking points with only a few pro-union talking points. The AP is just another propagandist for the Corporate media spinning their heads off.

[LeFleur1]

7. So Much For...

...we the people.

[jwirr]

15. The last sentence said it all - the Walker supporters showed up on

Saturday. They mentioned nothing about the numbers.

[florida08]

8. It ain't over till the fat lady sings

More to come Monday

[plumbob]

11. Stay in! In a fight, when the guy says "is that all you got?, he's about

finished and is trying to bluff you off."

Moral support from Texas here to Wisconsin.

Is there a donation site yet to help out monetarily?

[defendandprotect]

9. Obviously, their elected officials feel disconnected to the people ... and connected to

something else --

could it be corporate $$$?

Should be a way to deal with these elected officials to prevent them from picking

up whatever they think their "rewards" are goling to be!!

[plumbob]

10. Good gawd! The old "Silent Majority"!!

Nixon and Agnew were fond of it; both resigned in disgrace before the end of their terms.

Here's hopin' for history!









Time to explore recall, looks like.

[DiverDave]

12. stinking free press my ass

the discriptions tell what the ap wants to say.

Protesters=bad, smelly

Tea party repukes=good, undaunted...


The real story is getting out, so fuck the ap

[Chan790]

13. Ignoring this kind of protest action is a risky act.

When people come together, people organize. When lots of people come together, they remember the power of anger and solidarity; they also talk about other things to pass the time. That is how broader movements begin. Yes, it's about unions but how fucked is the GOP agenda if all those people start to understand how GOP tax policy and corporate-stimulus factor into it? How it behooves the GOP to make them poor, under-insured and nervous? Why abortion, foreigners and homosexuals are canards to keep them voting against their interests and prosperity?

Is this Scott Walker's Hosni Mubarak moment? Is this the middle-classes' Tunisia? This isn't just about Labor, it is about the future prosperity of average Americans. If Walker doesn't capitulate and these people are still out there a week from now, they will find other areas of common cause and they will grow angrier. What they do not achieve today they will remember in the polls 9 months, 1 year & 9 months, 2 years and 9 months from now. If he caves, the masses will become emboldened, this scene will repeat itself.


Gov. Walker's near-future? I certainly hope so.