NO LETTING UP IN MADISON…. As the dispute with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) continues, those hoping workers, their families, and their allies would slowly go away wouldn’t have liked the scene in Madison yesterday at all.
While yesterday’s rally at the state capitol wasn’t quite as big as last weekend’s, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the crowds “remained large, enthusiastic and confident that Walker’s bill could be stopped.” They were joined yesterday with some celebrity support, with filmmaker Michael Moore on hand to stand with the protestors.
There were two rallies Saturday, one that brought together labor unions under the AFL-CIO umbrella and another, sponsored by the organizing group The Wisconsin Wave, that brought together community activists, musicians and political leaders.
Hundreds of people also gathered inside the Capitol rotunda, which had been under occupation for weeks until a judge ordered the building cleared Thursday. […]
Moore told the Wave rally that he decided to fly to Madison early Saturday morning to deliver a speech titled “America is not Broke.” He excoriated the super-rich and claimed “Wall Street, the banks and the Fortune 500 now run this republic.”
He added that there have been three major lies over the last decade: “Wisconsin is broke. There are weapons of mass destruction (in Iraq). And the Packers need (Brett) Favre to win the Super Bowl.”
Moore said people in Wisconsin “have aroused a sleeping giant, known as the working people.”
Meanwhile, though Walker initially said he’d refuse to engage in talks with anyone with whom he disagrees, his administration has engaged in negotiations this week with state Senate Democrats. In keeping with the recent trend, those talks appeared to break down yesterday, and no further talks are scheduled.
If the dispute is going to be resolved, it appears likely the answer will come from nervous Republicans in the legislature, some of whom may be reluctant to go down with Walker’s ship, which appears to be taking on more and more water all the time.
