February 28, 2011

Protesters at the Wisconsin Capitol — midday today — dealing with the fact that, at long last, they've been locked out.

Video by Meade, edited by me:



0:01 — an incomprehensible sign — "Ethics trumps 'values' — taped to the "Forward" statue.
0:40 — police food
0:49 — a 91-year-old woman in a wheelchair wants to kick Scott Walker's butt
1:13 — a woman asks to get in to talk to her representative
2:21 — a cop who was sent down from "north of Eau Claire" on his day off
3:25 — a "legal observer" who flew in from D.C. explains his function
5:02 — the protest has an "honor guard" — firefighters — and the crowd chants "let them in
6:17 — listen closely for "I lost a nut"
6:35 — Meade and I got a kick out of the reactions of that one firefighter
6:55 — one speaker edges toward incitement and back again
7:35 — "It's the chanting that shows how powerful we are in our voices."
8:23 — "Does anybody have a great idea?"
8:50 — I think he's told to tone it down
9:50 — a new chant

107 comments:

garage mahal said...

In Scott we trust! He's earned it!

Tyrone Slothrop said...

About effing time.

Anne said...

My favorite line: "We are very, very important to the rest of the world right now!"

David said...

I love the firefighter honor guard uniforms (costumes?) Very old school.

They can be in my protest.

MadisonMan said...

Loved the deep blue sky today.

Spring!

David said...

If Althouse every gets really, really boring, Meade will still be ok with her. If he can stand these speeches, he can stand anything.

Unknown said...

Should have happened a week ago.

Econophile said...

Yes, Mikel, you are "very important to the world right now!" We're all counting on self-indulgent dolts just like you to save us!

Anonymous said...

This development (the removal of the protestors from the capitol building) greatly improves my mood. I was really got depressed Sunday night when I read the the deadline for the removal came and went. I am quite sure that if this was a Tea Party group occupying a state capitol in a "blue" state, (say Mass.) that in that case on Sunday night the cops would clear the building with tear gas and swinging nightsticks, cracking heads left and right. The double standard applied to Tea Party protests vs these leftist 1960's wanna-be's is disgusting. So anyway, I feel much better and more optimistic now about the whole situation. The pinko's have shot their wad and now the state can get back to business.

Anonymous said...

OT:

"NY Teachers Union Calls for Members to 'Agitate'"

http://bit.ly/eHCzKg


New York takes the Wisconsin lateral, here we go I guess.

WV: propola

Never protest without a lot of propola.

Automatic_Wing said...

Ironic to see that lady rambling on about her mentally ill brother who depends on social services.

The demonstration she's at is all about protecting union pay and benefits at the expense of other items in the state's budget. Especially social services.

The more the unions get, the less is left over for social services. It's pretty much a zero-sum game at this point. The state is broke and someone's going to get less money. The only question is who.

AlanH said...

The stark reality for public employee unions:

http://tinyurl.com/4qdl5uh

Fen said...

link goes to spam

Peter V. Bella said...

You and Meade have done a great job documenting this all week.

David53 said...

That last guy is a classic, "I am a natural born leader."

Put him on the ticket for 2012, Lord knows we need a leader!

ch65804 said...

I noticed not one person of color in all 9+ minutes of Meade's video. And significantly more men than women. Yet, no mention of this lack of inclusiveness in the national press.

Holmes said...

Well, you know if they could do something real, they would not have been teachers ;)

Oh, I know, I know. Teachers are next to clergy and they are not the same as the unions and etc, etc.

Fen said...

I hope Walker cuts 1000 of their jobs anyway.

Carol_Herman said...

I bet ya can sell earplugs and make a profit.

Besides, this is costing a fortune to whomever is picking up the tab of getting protestors (and lawyers from DC) to come and spend some "quality time."

the 60's were better!

But sure, I'm impressed that these people came out. And, that the doors are locked. They're not warm, standing outside. And, like I said, earplugs would be nice to have.

Good for Meade able to hold a small camera up. Better than watching the news.

Dewave said...

I haven't seen a crowd so monolithically white since the last lefty blogger convention.

Tea parties are absolute cornucopia's of diversity, by comparison.

Fen said...

If the Dems don't come back in time, first thing the Senate should take up is a Right-to-Work Bill.

Workers shouldn't be forced to join a union. Nor should they be forced to donate to Democrat campaigns.

Fen said...

Interesting how all the sockpuppet trolls ceased posting today.

Its the anti-hyrda principle: kill one head and they all die.

Jeff Faria said...

Can these thugs now be locked out of this country? Please?

Anonymous said...

It cracks me up to hear teacher union speakers refer to the students. I taugt school in a non-union state for a while. The parents were AWOL, the Admin worked their asses off, the kids were tough but rewarding, the teachers were miserable. I left before I turned into one of them.

Anonymous said...

taught.. i can spell

LilyBart said...

All this makes me want to stop paying taxes. I'm tired of supporting people like this. Leeches.

Fen said...

We're casual here, Red. Don't sweat the errors or typos, we can tell what you meant.

Besides, if our resident Libtards can't flame the occasional spelling mistake, they start to feel worthless and suicidal.

garage mahal said...

Bolt the windows, let the lobbyists in, deny access to a hundred firefighters and hundreds of other taxpaying citizens. The New Wisconsin Way.

Don't trip over that leash though from the Capitol across the street to the new Koch Industies Inc office.

Moose said...

It's so awesome that people in the position of authority - cops and fireman - support the striker's and are "friendly" towards them. So I guess the "people" - those who pay the taxes and their salaries - are at risk if they cross them. Or disagree. Or stuff like that.

Fen said...

We eat puppies for breakfast too, Garage. You left that out.

But please continue your SoreLoserman rant. I'm loving it.

NotClauswitz said...

Bolt the...windows? The union leash is longer and it's a lash too - but don't forget the rum and the other stuff.

Fen said...

Garage: "Waaah! They took away our vuvuzelas! They hate music! Waaaah!"

Which gives me a great idea for next time the tables are turned.

Rob said...

"The chanting shows how powerful we are."

Really?

Are these teachers or high school cheerleaders?

Sophomoric comes to mind.

Fen said...

Yah, street protests are actually the weakest expression of political power. You'd think the polysci teachers would explain this to their union brats.

Paul Ciotti said...

Whenever food prices go up, people start to agitate. It happened in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya and it's beginning to happen here in America too.

bagoh20 said...

Why do Black people hate Madison so much? Do you crackers smell bad or what? It may be that these people seem to have no soul. That will scare off people of color. Everyone knows the zombies always kill the colored folk first.

David53 said...

"The chanting shows how powerful we are."

That only works in World of Warcraft.

Paco Wové said...

Oh noes! Now what will protect Madison from The Kochtopus!

Chef Mojo said...

@garage:

Have I mentioned lately that I'm still laughing at you?

The Koch bros suck up to whomever suits their interests at any given time. Sometimes it's my guys. Sometimes it's your guys. It's how the world goes 'round and 'round.

Shame, though. I was looking forward to some hippy smackin' action there in Madison. Guess the cops are too pussywhipped by their union bosses.

Oh, well...

1775OGG said...

Fantastic theater! Will the recipent of next year's Oscars please come forward and accept their award for best acting in a losing cause?

Cheers.

Known Unknown said...

"The chanting shows how powerful we are."

Release a hit album or GTFO.

Chas S. Clifton said...

I like his low-key questioning, but Meade needs a Steadicam. I quit watching because the image made me dizzy after the first three minutes.

I'm a Shaaaaark said...

Here we arrived, and down there in the ditch
I saw a people plunged in excrement
As if it had been dumped from men’s latrines.

And as I searched below there with my eyes
I saw one with his head so smeared with shit
You could not tell if he were man or woman.

He yelled up at me, "Why are you more greedy
To stare at me than at the other scum?"

And I: "Because, if I remember rightly, I have seen you before with your hair dry:
And so I eye you more than all the rest.

You are Garage Mahal"

And he, smacking his squash, replied to me,
"Down here I am sunk by the left-wing propaganda
That my tongue never tired of repeating."

M. Simon said...

"We are very, very important to the rest of the world right now!"

Nothing is as important as "The Tilted Kilt".

Unknown said...

---"Waaah! They took away our vuvuzelas! They hate music! Waaaah!"---

"Waaahh! They are going to clean our Capital - just when we garbaged and smelled it up!! Where's the free pizza?"

Revenant said...

I see garage is working his way through the Five Stages of Political Grief.

It started with Denial:

The state has turned on Walker no matter what happens. The polling this morning was just brutal, and that's why he's going on TV tonight. Epic failure.

In short order he moved on to Anger:

Keep defending this douchebag, I would expect nothing less.

Garage skipped over Bargaining, but fortunately our reliable local leftie "Former Law Student" was there to cover for him:

Walker could ask that the union busting bill be tabled or amended. He alone keeps the Democratic senators away.

And now it is time for Depression:

Bolt the windows, let the lobbyists in, deny access to a hundred firefighters and hundreds of other taxpaying citizens. The New Wisconsin Way. Don't trip over that leash though from the Capitol across the street to the new Koch Industies Inc office.

Hopefully garage -- and the other resident leftists as well -- will be able to fight their way through to Acceptance soon. It is sad to have to witness this public spectacle.

Unknown said...

The momentum has shifted. We are now laughing at the lefties.

Let us now drive them before us, eating their free pizza and giving their women unwanted showers!

kent said...

"This is what a particularly unattractivr case of the pouts looks like."

M. Simon said...

Don't trip over that leash though from the Capitol across the street to the new Koch Industies Inc office.

Tied up with Soros cash Garage?

Chennaul said...

Ok to whomever was going with this:

MadisonMan, PatHMV....

The legislature cannot prohibit an individual from entering the capitol or its
grounds. 59 Atty. Gen. 8


This is not part of the WI Constitution as was previously discussed in the other thread.

This is opinion it is not binding at all.

It is just an advisory. It would not be binding unless the Wisconsin Supreme Court adopted it word for word.

kent said...

Revenant @10;13 FTW.

Mian said...

Garage,
Shouldn't it be lock the windows and bolt to Illinois to avoid a quorum?

Chennaul said...

59 Atty. Gen. 8 Is supposedly from what I am being told-

is simply a reference to an attorney general opinion letter by whom ever was the AG of Wisconsin at the time.

The AG being an elected position.

traditionalguy said...

The key to understand Wisconsin politics is contained in the clue, "Ethics trump values". That may be a coded reference to the secret Three-Cheese Commission which has always run Wisconsin. When ethics trumps values, then values beat bribery, and then bribery destroys ethics. This is done with the hand motions of the rock/paper/scissors game, until the members understand how they are to vote. If that fails, then chant power slogans until the Capitol Dome falls down.

Mian said...

...And one more thing. Drums and Vuvuzuelas should be banned in public places, regardless of political mien. They're an assault on the senses.

Chef Mojo said...

I'm thinking this isn't probably a good time to bring up High Speed Rail Choo-choos to garage.

Start a Love Train, Love Train!

wv: scoterm. Make that 2 terms for Scott...

The Crack Emcee said...

"It's the chanting that shows how powerful we are in our voices."

Honestly: This Is The Past Life You're Paying For

Whippet said...

Mogulo,
You got quoted in the Instapundit link! Good one!

garage mahal said...

I see garage is working his way through the Five Stages of Political Grief.

Most GOP plans are always unpopular to the public. And this one isn't any different. The polls show very weak support for Walker is trying to do. Locking down the Capitol, bolting the windows for fucks sake, and cutting off wi-fi for no reason the day before a budget address isn't a sign of strength.

Americans oppose weakening the bargaining rights of public employee unions by a margin of nearly two to one: 60 percent to 33 percent.

We'll have our full poll on the Wisconsin conflict out tomorrow but here's the most interesting finding: if voters in the state could do it over today they'd support defeated Democratic nominee Tom Barrett over Scott Walker by a a 52-45 margin.

An estimated 1.1 million Wisconsin voters would sign a recall petition if asked [Only a little over 500k are needed]

But keep fighting that losing fight! I'm sure there are many Republican candidates available in in the next Presidential election that can win on an anti-union message in critical pick-up union states like WI IN, OH, PA, NJ, etc. This is all going according to plan!

Chef Mojo said...

Shorter garage:

THERE ARE NO WALKER TANKS IN MADISON!!!111!!1

garage mahal said...

This is great news for John McCai, I mean Scott Walker. Crush those pizza deliveries!

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

So, once you fascists find out that this shit is going to lose you the salty earth firefighters and cops, what next?

I understand that the idea of long-term thinking might be a new concept for you.

Tom Spaulding said...

$43k of Koch money buys an entire statehouse? Such a deal they got.

Anonymous said...

Meh. We've got the military and they have better toys.

Tom Spaulding said...

The question remains: If the Rapists and Arsonists started a union, would the cops and firemen "stand in solidarity" with them?

That seems to be all it takes to be considered "brothers".

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

Which toys are those, Stevie? Prosthetic limbs?

Yes, our volunteer military is sooooo enamored of the haphazard planning and inadequate medical care given them by the Greedy Old Prostitutes (GOP) party.

garage mahal said...

So, once you fascists find out that this shit is going to lose you the salty earth firefighters and cops, what next?

Never once thinking that they are also being denied access to the Capitol , and to their First Amendment rights as well. Shows you how much it means to them.

kent said...

If the Rapists [...] started a union, would the cops and firemen "stand in solidarity" with them?

(... and, somewhere: Peter Yarrow's ears pricked up at the sudden, unexpected mention of his oft-wished secret "dream" union.)

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

The question remains: If the Rapists and Arsonists started a union, would the cops and firemen "stand in solidarity" with them?

If murder were legal, wouldn't that improve the economic output of the hitman and bodyguard industries?

You pinheads don't want to appear anti-small business, now, do you?

You Greedy Old Prostitutes are just beginning to see the limits of your own shortsightedness. It's as if denying your lackadaisical oversight while running the nation's economy into the ground wasn't shameless enough.

Ritmo Re-Animated said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ritmo Re-Animated said...

You are now witnessing the "principles" of a party that can't understand any social or political relationship more complex or humane than prostitution.

wv: noblesti

Tom Spaulding said...

You can't answer that, can you?
No need, we all know the answer.

Ritmo Re-Animated said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ritmo Re-Animated said...

The best protest sign would just be to merge Scott Walker's head with the body of a street-whore.

Seriously, the fact is that the GOP doesn't stand for anything other than money and power: They have no. other. values. Period.

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

I coined a new word today: Douchehold.

The Koch ("Cock") brothers have a douchehold over Scott Walker.

Chennaul said...

garage

That's a "helpful" poll that you linked to-by Ken Strasma at Strategic Telemetry.

Here's some more info from their website which you linked to:

Press

San Francisco Chronicle
January 10, 2011: Overseen by Ken Strasma, the lauded national target director of Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, organizers sifted through 800 data points...The goal: Find people with comparable values. The results, California Labor Federation Secretary-Treasurer Art Pulaski said, "blew us away."

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

So when do hitmen and bodyguards get to join the SBA? I mean, how much of a banana republic do we have to wait for the Greedy Old Prostitutes (GOP) to turn us into until they are a politically significant component of the small business-owning contingent of the GOP?

garage mahal said...


That's a "helpful" poll that you linked to-by Ken Strasma at Strategic Telemetry.


And you're devastating takedown of one of the polls I cited is........*drumnroll*........!?

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

I listened to Charlie Sheen's cocaine-detoxifying rants today, and thought: "This must be what it's like to exist in the mind of Sarah Palin."

The experience for the sheep-like fans that admired him must be what it's like for her followers in the GOP.

Keep up that killer douchehold, guys. That King Douche Award will be yours any day.

garage mahal said...

Your*

Revenant said...

Most GOP plans are always unpopular to the public. And this one isn't any different.

You confuse me with someone who cares about the Republican Party's prospects. If you're looking for a mindless partisan, look in a mirror.

The Republican Party is a means to an end. The government spends too much -- more than could ever possibly be collected via taxation, even if taxation was the smart way to go. That means either (a) spending cuts or (b) eventual government collapse.

If picking (a) means the Republicans lose an election or two, hey -- nobody said being a grown-up was easy.

SDN said...

Only if you return it, garage.

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

Revenant believes that the Retro-Pubic-Cons would ever sacrifice an election over principle or the well-being of the country.

Hahahahahhahahahhahahahahhahahhahaaaaaaaaaaaa, etc.

Chennaul said...

garage

I'm sorry but it reads like a mission statement directly from the labor union-hell that last quote is from Labor "management" in Cali-...

Look it's pretty transparent what the objective of the "poll statement" is-to peel off supposedly wobbly Republican Senators.

Also weekend night polling is notoriously loaded in favor of Liberals.

I'd have to take a look at more of the internals of the methodology but Strasma's is too busy bloviating politically to include that.

He does some weird covering-it's a bit of a tell that he knows his methodology was less than stellar when he states something to the effect-

"Wisconsin does not have party registration".

That would not prevent a pollster from asking the respondent's party affiliation and it smells right away as if he slanted it-because he gives an excuse for not doing that.

Also there is no filtering for age, or past voting history which would go to likely voter status and to how motivated they would or would not be to follow up with taking action.

Revenant said...

So, once you fascists find out that this shit is going to lose you the salty earth firefighters and cops, what next?

With any luck, Republicans wise up to the libertarian argument that we've got way too many fuckin' cops on the government payroll. :)

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

That would be a lucky day indeed, for the Democrats.

You guys are like the Muammar Qaddafis of American politics. Just as crazy and just as willing to blame your biggest problems on the least of your citizens.

Revenant said...

Revenant believes that the Retro-Pubic-Cons would ever sacrifice an election over principle or the well-being of the country.

Garage is the one who believes Republicans are sacrificing an election over this. I just think the sacrifice would be worthwhile if it came to that.

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

Because you think the interests of corporate leadership are crowded out by the interests of the labor movement?

It takes a douchehold over one's mind of Qadaffi-esque proportions to think that.

Whippet said...

Ah the loons are back out in force.....
Garage,
What is it like living in your own twisted reality? Still can't grasp the level of your losses last November? I know it hurts but get used to it. Those polls you are quoting? CBS? AHAHA. Internals have Dems plus 10! Like you they forgot about the last election too! Plus very very high percentages of respondents who have union family members or public workers in their households. Believe the poll all you want....it's all you've got.
PPP- another democratic polling firm! The other? Based in Washington DC. LOL!
The protesters are looking like raging lunatics and the media will do all they can to spin it so that ignorant people like you will keep in line!

Whippet said...

Garage,
Chew on this......most of those critical union states you mentioned just turned red in the last election and all are weakening the unions. I'd say the next elections will look quite different that what's in your imagination...

Martin L. Shoemaker said...

garage mahal is to Governor Walker as Andrew Sullivan is to Sarah Palin.

Anonymous said...

Why do the leftists here suck so badly? I mean, this thing's even got Madison Man calling up nonexistent state constitution quotes (in another thread).

It's really simple, people. When workers organize in the private sector, it's people trying to get a bigger slice of revenue from owners. Where does that revenue come from? Sales of the stuff the workers make.

When public sector employees organize, it's people trying to get a bigger slice of revenue from government. Where does that revenue come from?

Revenant said...

Because you think the interests of corporate leadership are crowded out by the interests of the labor movement?

Heh, Ritmo thinks Wisconsin's a corporation.

Funny.

Anonymous said...

I love unions. I'm a big fan. My grandmother worked in the shoe factory and it was hard and dangerous and she was underpaid. However, unions are done. They won. They got everything they wanted and 10,000 percent more. That shoe factory went out of business a long time ago.

There is no fundamental right to strike against taxpayers, particularly when your cushy life and full health care and retirement benefits are so far superior to what most taxpayers have.

Gravy train is over. The host body did all it could but now the leeches will have to go.

iftheshoefits said...

Geez, what a bunch of drama queens. The whole damn left wing has checked out. I used to have a lot of common cause with you guys. Sadly, no more.

What is on display here from the left is the arguing logic of a four year old whose parents denied him an extra cookie or two for dessert. Or something.

Dudes. You guys are losing it. You're grownups. The only thing left is to mock you, there's nothing left to take seriously. C'mon.

Revenant said...

Ritmo, can I buy shares in Wisconsin?

Also, can I short-sell California? I could make some fuckin' BANK on that deal. I could take my ill-gotten gains and buy shares in Texas. Or India, if I wanted to do the whole multinational thing.

Revenant said...

Is Wisconsin a publicly traded corporation or are all the shares privately held? Oh shit -- are the shares privately held by the Koch Brothers? That would explain so much!

Steve Koch said...

The timing of getting rid of the lefties from the Capitol building is a bit suspicious. Could it be the awol Dem senators are returning tomorrow? The timing would be right because it would prevent big layoffs. By clearing the capitol building, it makes it less dangerous for the returning awol Dem senators.

BTW, here is an interesting link about Ken Strasma:
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/129/all-politics-is-micro.html

At the time the story was written, Ken "focused on microtargeting as research director of the National Committee for an Effective Congress, a progressive lobbying group. He now heads targeting efforts for Barack Obama's campaign.".

It seems likely that Ken is quite partisan and will do the tricks necessary to produce results that will support his lefty politics.

Great point by somebody that conservatives, libertarians, strict constitutionalists, etc don't vote Republican because we love the Republican party. Many (most?) of us don't have high regard for the Republican party but it is the only alternative to the profoundly corrupt, cynical, undemocratic "Democrats".

BTW, shouldn't Wisconsin Democrats change the name of their party to something other than Democrat since they refuse to allow democracy to happen (violating the Wisconsin constitution in the process)?

Revenant said...

OH MY GOD KOCH HAS FOUND US.

I must sell all my shares in Wisconsin IMMEDIATELY.

Toad Trend said...

@C4

"You are now witnessing the "principles" of a party that can't understand any social or political relationship more complex or humane than prostitution."

You have just named the democrat party for what they are.

Add to that extortion and money laundering aspects and you have your unholy trifecta.

Keep thrashing, C4, and while you're at it why don't you go on about how the poor union 'workers' need their precious collective bargaining, too.

You see, what's been identified here (the relationship between unions and politicians) IS the problem, not some imagined conspiracy between the GOP and business.

Without business, you and yours have no host body to rape and pillage. So come to grips with the fact that you absolutely need a vibrant business community with the model you so willingly promote.

Your whole house of cards comes crashing down without a private sector (i.e. 'productive').

Orinoco said...

I love it when lefties exhaust every other method of attracting attention then fall to the ground and begin biting themselves. Love it.

Fen said...

I must sell all my shares in Wisconsin IMMEDIATELY.

Will you accept barter? I'll trade you 3 Cali shares for each Wisconsin share.

Act NOW and I'll even throw in this Green windmill farm for $19.95

SGT Ted said...

Wow watching the leftards here lose their shit in these threads is great fun.

The proclamations of their superiority based on a popularity which doesn't exist and open calls to mob rule are striking in their unwitting honesty that the only principle important to them is the will to power.

Nevermind that they lost the last election. The will of the people means nothing to garage and the neo-communist fellow-travellers.

And we see also how they really "support the troops" by saying nasty things about crippled vets who may or may not disagree with their politics.

Classy! Oh that and the narcissism. Can't forget the rank narcissism.

Keep talking, sour-faced commies, you only reveal the ugly truth about the left being filled with hate and bile for freedom and democracy every time you post.

ken in tx said...

Garage and C4 can't be real. They have to be mobys, because they make their side look so nasty and stupid.

Strelnikov said...

Meade...is...like...a...god...to...me.

Unknown said...

Signs of the end times for leftism:

The police at the protest have catering.
The legal observer says "like" a lot and cannot answer a simple legal question such as whether occupying a building is a first amendment right.
The keynote speaker does not know any chants or have any idea on what to do next.

Great reporting, Meade!

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

Hey there, Ir-revenant. Read the dictionary or encyclopedia much?

Incorporation is the forming of a new corporation (a corporation being a legal entity that is effectively recognized as a person under the law). The corporation may be a business, a non-profit organization, sports club, or a government of a new city or town. This article focuses on the process of incorporation; see also corporation.

As for buying "shares" in said governments, currency and bonds are the equivalent.

Seriously, how hard do you have to be to prove yourselves this moronic?