Christopher Guess
Wisconsin State Journal takes sides, belittles state workers
I am deeply insulted by what I've seen in the Wisconsin State Journal's pages this week. Worst of all is Sunday's edition, which seems determined to obfuscate if not distort facts while going the extra mile to heap derision on the hundreds of thousands of teachers, nurses, social workers, prison guards, streets workers, police officers and firefighters who have taken to the streets in protest of Gov. Scott Walker's assault against public employee unions in Wisconsin.
- Bill Lueders
Many of the speakers and placards at Saturday's Tea Party rally insisted that public employees care only about protecting their paychecks, with no interest in making sacrifices for the good of Wisconsin. But that's a hard point to argue after union officials stated this week that they are willing to accept the governor's proposal for increases in their pension and health insurance payments. Clearly, tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets because of the governor's plan to undercut labor's collective bargaining rights, not because they're "spoiled," as one Tea Party marcher shouted at a union supporter.
- Dean Robbins
As the Tea Party marched out, pro-union protesters stood on either side, chanting "Kill the bill!"
One pro-union protester thanked Tea Party members for "adding their voices" and for remaining peaceful.
"It's everyone's house," he said. "Everyone should come and speak their voice."
- Alison Bauter
Report from the command centers
The Teaching Assistants' Association of UW-Madison has commandeered a conference room on the fourth floor of the Capitol since Feb. 15. Members have been there 'round the clock since then.
"We haven't been kicked out," says TAA member Magda Konieczna. "Nobody has told us we need to leave that room."
On Sunday afternoon, there were about 20 people inside the room, most of them sitting at laptops and talking on cell phones. Visitors like U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin dropped by to show support. Some of the volunteers monitor media and work to counter any false claims on blogs and social media. Others are working on self-policing the protest, making sure that no one gets out of hand.
"This is a beautiful building, and we're not out to tear things down," says Peter Rickman. "This is a peaceful occupation, a work of democracy."
- Joe Tarr
There's a splinter faction forming amid the protests on the Capitol Square, and you can recognize them by their rubber gloves. Saturday morning, as protests against Scott Walker's budget bill continued for the sixth day, a few people, apparently organized through a Facebook group called "Kill the Bill with Kindness," have decided to take a different approach.
"There were these claims that we were making a mess," said one member, Oriol Mirosa. "So we're just going to go around and pick stuff up."
- Lin Weeks
Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine galvanizes the protesters
On Monday night, Wisconsin's weeklong protest against Gov. Walker got a soundtrack.
Five thousand people squeezed into the Monona Terrace exhibition hall to hear Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Wayne Kramer of the MC5 curse Walker's plan to undercut public employee unions. Walker got called every name in the book - "motherfucker," "asshole" - but the acoustic show was still overwhelmingly peaceful and positive. Morello and friends focused on marshaling the protesters' energy for continued resistance to the budget bill.
"This has been the most inspiring 24 hours of my life!" Morello said, to deafening cheers. "You have your hand on the wheel of history!"
- Dean Robbins
Walker refuses to make peace in a disdainful, divisive 'fireside chat'
On Tuesday, Gov. Walker gave a "fireside chat" to address the pandemonium surrounding his controversial budget bill. Walker's use of President Franklin Roosevelt's phrase suggested that, like FDR, he would try bring an anxious citizenry together.
But, with civil war erupting around him, he declined to play the role of peacemaker. With the impassive expression of a corporate ax man, he refused to budge from his proposal and offer a compromise. Who promises a fireside chat and then tells hundreds of thousands of people that it's his way or the highway?
- Dean Robbins
A secretly recorded phone conversation between Gov. Scott Walker and an investigative reporter pretending to be David Koch, the New York City right-wing oil billionaire and Walker backer, captures Walker clearly outlining his strategy for making Wisconsin the lead player in a national conservative movement to undercut the power of public employee unions.
- Bill Lueders
Student-run crew keeps protesters organized and supplied
The Capitol Rotunda after dark looks much the same as it does during daylight hours these days. Keep the drums and chants, subtract about half the protesters, add in several tired-eyed toddlers and some sleeping bags, and you've got the picture.
"I just took all my stuff and moved in here," says UW-Madison junior Vali Nashat.
Thanks to several enterprising groups and a lot of cooperative individuals, the Rotunda now boasts garbage collection, recycling, a community food bank, water supplies, lost and found, and an information services station.
- Alison Bauter
AFL-CIO president supports the local uprising
Friday's appearance by the AFL-CIO's Richard Trumka was preceded by local labor representatives, who gave short, effective, rabblerousing speeches on the Capitol steps. My favorite line came from Duff Martin of the Eau Claire teachers union: "Gov. Walker, you can't scare me - I'm a teacher!" Compared to food fights in the school cafeteria, apparently, taking on state Republicans is a piece of cake.
- Dean Robbins
A look back at a week of pro-union protests
Friday. I'm already feeling nostalgia for Thursday, when the cops were handing out doughnuts at the corner of Mifflin and Pinckney, a gesture that now seems sweet and small-townish. Wednesday seems like a golden era and Tuesday - is it possible the whole rally was pretty much centered on the State Street steps?
Now the news helicopters are hovering overhead, drowning out the noontime speakers. Half a dozen satellite dishes that look like they could beam this revolution to Mars are lined up along Main and Pinckney streets, and while I'm interviewing a retired schoolteacher from Fond du Lac, Jesse Jackson walks behind me. A woman up from Chicago is handing out broadsheets for the Revolutionary Communist Party.
Day five, and the circus has come to town.
- Linda Falkenstein
MSNBC's Ed Schultz hypes himself
Ed Schultz's live broadcast was an effective bit of agitprop, and he didn't hesitate to present himself as a heroic figure on the battlements. He patted himself on the back for jumping on the story before other broadcasters did, and he shamelessly showed footage of the demonstrators chanting "Thank you Ed! Thank you Ed!" The camera also zoomed in on any placard with a positive reference to Schultz.
Hey, the Madison rally is not just an American revolution. It's also showbiz, played out on that stage set to end all stage sets, the Capitol.
- Dean Robbins
Will protests affect spring elections?
The protests could be an incredible political resource for Democrats in the spring elections. If progressives take advantage of the thousands of recently engaged activists, they might even make the race for Supreme Court competitive. Justice David Prosser, a conservative running for reelection, has been considered safe. But if the Democratic Party knows what it's doing, it should be sending out press releases referencing Prosser decisions that came down against labor.
- Jack Craver
Hundreds of UW-Madison professors, lecturers and teaching assistants marched in protest down Bascom Hill to State Street Tuesday afternoon.
Professor Martine Debaisieux of the French and Italian departments pointed out that losing TA benefits could harm the university. "We're very concerned about recruitment," she said. "The university worries it will not be able to attract grad students."
- Alison Bauter
Workers rights will be protected
A great misconception is that these collective bargaining agreements protect workers' rights. Wrong. Wisconsin adopted one of the most far-reaching civil service systems a good 54 years before granting collective bargaining to government employees. That would be in 1905.
Its protections, including merit system selection, dismissal only for cause and promotion policies, hark back to the state's administrative rules on employment relations. In fact, the Joint Finance Committee last week extended those rights to any municipality that does not have them now.
- David Blaska
An overlooked part of the debate is Walker's desire to impose sweeping changes on the state's Medicare system. That affects BadgerCare, Family Care and SeniorCare, among other things. This move deserves just as much of our indignation. We're talking about jeopardizing the most vulnerable populations in the state.
- Emily Mills
Imagine my shock when I walked into Myles Teddywedgers on the Capitol Square and found them sold out of pasties. It has also been impossible to get into any other restaurant downtown as protesters gorge themselves after a long day of demanding that Gov. Walker sit down at the negotiating table. (Actually, that's the only kind of table that's been empty all week).
The one upside: Union supporters from around the world have been calling Ian's Pizza and paying to have slices delivered to protesters at the Capitol. If the rallies succeed in ushering in an era of free Ian's Pizza, I will deem them a success.
- Dean Robbins
