Thousands of unions' rights supporters gathered at the King Street entrance to Capitol Saturday to listen to director Michael Moore speak, who accused corporate interests of manipulating the public.I wonder if the teachers and other Wisconsin union members who got the protest started 3 weeks ago appreciate having Michael Moore absorb their issue — maintaining the quality of professional public employment in Wisconsin — into his larger anti-capitalist agenda for America.
"[The Republicans] have expertly convinced many Americans to buy their version of the American dream," Moore said. "They have created a poison pill [of] mutually assured destruction."
This is a problem with extending the protests. The crowd changes, new infusions of energy come from outsiders who see a ready-made platform to climb up on. These old-school, left-wing attacks on corporations have little to do with the distinct problems of jobs in the public sector — where, management is the government of the state and its citzens.
Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and other local political figures spoke at the rally to usher in the fourth week of protests.Baldwin's done the protests before, promenading around the Capitol with Jesse Jackson a couple weeks ago. She represents the Madison part of the state. But the protests are about Wisconsin politics. And they need to influence people around the entire state. Why are we getting Baldwin again — and not any of the other Wisconsin politicians? Can't we even get Feingold?
And that phrase "rally to usher in the fourth week" feels like an affront to the protesters who have kept up the energy continuously for 3 weeks. You've got something grassroots — or seemingly grassroots — happening, and then politico-celebs drop in to act as though they are the leadership.
As the protesters filled the Capitol Square through the weekend, Tea Party supporters had their own rally Sunday at the Alliant Energy Center. Several hundred Walker supporters attended while many anti-Walker critics demonstrated outside.
The rally, which was one of many organized by Americans for Prosperity, a Tea Party group largely funded by the Koch brothers, hosted Joe the Plumber and other popular conservative figures.I didn't even know about that event. And I'm paying way more attention than the average person. I guess we're paying attention in a different way — going to the Capitol and seeing what the people who go there are doing, rather than checking for celebrity appearances and events. If we'd have noticed, we'd have felt some pressure to show up. Fortunately, it escaped us and we didn't get sucked into the dreary convention hall.
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Can I suggest getting out of town, to someplace where the goings-on of the Capitol aren't everywhere?
Not much of Madison machinations is being discussed in Brown Deer, for example, and I found that very relaxing. It was nice to be out of the brouhaha for a couple days. Highly recommended. The only "problem" was that we couldn't stop at Kopps on the way home -- it was too late!
The rally, which was one of many organized by Americans for Prosperity, a Tea Party group largely funded by the Koch brothers . . .
It's gotten so that the moment I see the words "Koch brothers," I assume the writer is an unserious person, easily given over to conspiracy theories.
There's gotta be a new sort of "Godwin's Law" governing the mention of the Koch brothers.
This stuff is getting old. Getting old is good. It will get boring. Then the issue or so called movement will fade. Things will return to normal. No one really cares anymore.
There are too many more important and attention grabbing issues than Wisconsin public employees in the news.
Thousands of unions' rights supporters gathered at the King Street entrance to Capitol Saturday to listen to director Michael Moore speak, who accused corporate interests of manipulating the public.
RECAST isn't a menu option at the Cardinal.
having Michael Moore absorb their issue
This mental imaged made me laugh for some reason.
Is it true that "Americans for Prosperity [is]... largely funded by the Koch brothers"? IIRC, the group's other sources of funding dwarf the amount received from the Koch brothers. If I were to have given Obama $3,000 during the last election, would it be fair to say his campaign was "largely funded" by me? I don't think so. Nor do I think it fair to say that Americans for Prosperity is largely funded by the Koch brothers unless a majority of the group's funding comes from the brothers.
Michael Moore needs an avatar.
This is a laugh "maintaining the quality of professional public employment in Wisconsin." The current tumult can be considered to be about a large number of issues but this is absolutely not one of them. It never is with unions.
If it were even somewhere far down the list of agenda items the teachers would not have abandoned their charges to protect their own self-interests in a doomed effort to perpetuate an unsustainable system. They would have confined their efforts to off hours and they would have eschewed illegal job actions and the committing of outright fraud to get what they want.
But hey, lets just repeat their propaganda for them in opposition to all known facts. It is the narrative that counts. Not what actually goes on in the classroom... which currently is either nothing or propagandizing.
It's interesting that Michael Moore, who has a history of hiring non-union workers for his productions, is speaking at a pro-union rally.
Agree with Commodore. All that flab has no elasticity; once it hits, it doesn't bounce off.
PS MadMan's idea about getting out of town is a good one. Isn't Spring Break next week?
Zip on down to Padre or Lauderdale, make your own Bloggers Gone Wild video, do a little marlin fishing...
Get some warmth, soak up the Vitamin D, sleep on the beach...
There are many ways to re-draw the general public's attention to the protests....most of them, such as having fatboy show up, either don't help their cause or cast it in a negative light. There are positive few ways left for the protestors to direct events.
The protestors lost the PR battle when they didn't get photos of them being dragged kicking and screaming from the capitol. Now any confrontation will be because the protestors instigated it.
Michelle obama needs to talk to Michael Moore about her healthy eating initiative.
"These old-school, left-wing attacks on corporations have little to do with the distinct problems of jobs in the public sector..."
And yet they were welcomed with open arms, and cheered by enthusiastic crowds as they call for "workers of the world revolt".
I think these protesters are a little more hardcore leftwing than you realize, Althouse. I thought you'd have a pretty finely attuned sense for this, having lived in the belly of the beast for so long. Maybe your nose has become numbed to the stench of patchouli.
Has Al Sharpton shown up yet?
Wv: resses - recess in NEA land.
Pastafarian nails it.
As the protests go on, outstate WI will simply see it as Madison folks being Madison folks.
Yea don't trust any of those 5-6 polls showing Walker hemorrhaging support. He's winning!
@garage:
Same thing happened to Mitch Daniels. Poll numbers dropped like a stone when he eviscerated the public unions in Indiana.
Now he's polling in the 70s.
You think Walker isn't aware of that?
So, yeah. He's winning, by standing on principle alone. And I'm still laughing at you.
Peter Bella hit the nail squarely on the head - this is yesterdays news.
Protest have life-cycles and the Wisconsin sit-com has run its course. Libya, American Idol and Snookie's latest escapades are front burner issues - public union whining, not so much.
People keep saying that the 'polls' indicate Walker is losing ground. Who's polls, for which news organizations and what slant are they hoping to achieve?
No one believes polls or politicians any longer - only results matter. And, Walker is getting results!
A drop of 8 points hardly constitutes a hemorrhage, especially since a good many of those polls seems to have sample problems.
If the fleebaggers return and the vote is cast, what happens to WI's finances will tell the tale.
Al: Michael Moore actively discouraged his "Awful Truth" production crew memebers from unionizing.
So, yeah. He's winning, by standing on principle alone. And I'm still laughing at you.
hehe. This is great news for John McCain.
CBS News - Well, if you don't know what the narrative is going to be about Libya, and you don't want to talk about Wisconsin any more ...
http://www.mediaite.com/online/funny-or-die-katie-couric-investigates-whether-you-can-shake-your-sillies-out/
A poison pill of mutually assured destruction means what exactly?
As the protesters filled the Capitol Square through the weekend, Tea Party supporters had their own rally Sunday at the Alliant Energy Center. Several hundred Walker supporters attended while many anti-Walker critics demonstrated outside.The rally, which was one of many organized by Americans for Prosperity, a Tea Party group largely funded by the Koch brothers, hosted Joe the Plumber and other popular conservative figures.
I wonder if the Walker voters appreciate having the Koch Brothers, absorb their issue — reducing government spending -- into their larger anti-worker, pro-cigarette smoking, anti-pollution control agenda for America. Do they really want people puffing cheap cigs next to them while they're trying to enjoy a meal?
Thank goodness we have former law students to help defend "the workin' man."
Where would "the workin' man" be without lawyers to help them litigate and regulate their employers out of existence, for any one of dozens of liberal causes?
Damn those evil corporations, for taking the workin' man's job away.
fls,
Perhaps you should have given credit to The Daily Cardinal for your quote above?
So why did one of the Democrat senators (I've forgotten his name) tell the Don Wade & Roma Show (WLS 890AM) that they are returning to Madison soon and hope to negotiate with Walker.
If the polls are so unfavorable why are they coming back without Walker bending to their demands?
For an outside of Madison take on the AFP tour, check out this article in the La Crosse Tribune. The comments section is moderately humorous.
Tribune Article
As for the anti-corporate take on things, I think middle class folks who all pay their taxes and, generally speaking, work hard, are tired of being criticized for demanding a modicum of financial security in their lives. Particularly when most agree the financial problems we are facing were caused by a housing/Wall Street problem and not by teachers, nurses, prison guards, etc. I also think Joe the Plumber/Sam Wurlzerbacher or whatever his real name is has really, really worn out his welcome among almost everyone.
"[The Republicans] have expertly convinced many Americans to buy their version of the American dream," Moore said. "They have created a poison pill [of] mutually assured destruction."
Can I buy that pill over the counter or do I need a prescription?
Funny, but mutually assured destruction worked. Two superpowers with immense capability to destroy the world refrained from using the powers and still do today.
I can easily apply that same success to economics. The power of the union to blow up the economy is the general strike. The power of business to blow up the economy is self-imposed restraint of trade.
And yet, knowing that a collusion in a general strike could destroy the businesses that employee them, workers modulate their demands. Knowing that collusion in breaking the union could trigger crippling strikes and boycotts, business modulates its demands.
Thank god for mutually assured destruction.
Perhaps you should have given credit to The Daily Cardinal for your quote above?
I thought I was responding to the professor's writing.
Ah, the quote indent disappears when "Show Original Post" is invoked on the posting page.
"A poison pill of mutually assured destruction" ???
What a horribly inapt mixed metaphor. Does Moore even know what these terms mean?
A poison pill is a device used to ward off hostile acquisitions through corporate bylaws, charters, etc. under which something really bad for the company will be triggered in the event of a hostile takeover.
It is essentially a tool to prevent a hostile takeover fight. (And presumably Moore would oppose most such takeovers (when not made by the government)).
Mutually assured destruction was, again, a tool for preventing conflict by making the prosepct of it look too costly for potential aggressors.
Unless Moore is just philopsphically opposed to game theory (and good luck trying to get that out of everybody's strategies) he has no idea what he just said.
Everybody hates a tourist.
You know what you leftards in Madison needed? A good dose of Charlie Sheen. Instead, you guys let that inbred, fat, bloated, obese communist pig, Moore to ham it up for you all.
I really liked this point:
"This is a problem with extending the protests. The crowd changes, new infusions of energy come from outsiders who see a ready-made platform to climb up on. "
When the teachers went back to work, the protest seemed to continue unabated. Clearly, the crowd changed. it couldn't be those bused in protesters, could it?
"Baldwin's done the protests before, promenading around the Capitol with Jesse Jackson a couple weeks ago. She represents the Madison part of the state. But the protests are about Wisconsin politics. And they need to influence people around the entire state. Why are we getting Baldwin again....?"
I'm so glad to see Wisconsin has its own version of Texas' national embarassment Sheila Jackson Lee. Didn't want you Badger staters to feel left out.
I reached the conclusion long ago that sometimes unions are needed, but their utility runs out quickly once they succeed. Then they become just another oppressor of workers, out for power rather than just fair treatment of their members.
Then they become just another oppressor of workers, out for power rather than just fair treatment of their members.
Those foolish teachers! Too dopey to realize their union is screwing them. Instead they think it's kindly Scott Walker who's oppressing them.
ok - I have noted the name of the spa - was not planning on returning to Barbados anytime soon (too many places I need to travel to).
audi-parts
pro-cigarette smoking
So you favor a black market in cigarettes? Or punishing schizophrenics for smoking?
Schizophrenia and Tobacco
WV: pityead - I pity your poor 'ead.
I think middle class folks who all pay their taxes and, generally speaking, work hard, are tired of being criticized for demanding a modicum of financial security in their lives.
That is the problem. Demanding. They should start taking. And the stupid taxpayers should just shut up. Disgusting proles any way. We are talking about TEACHERS!
So you favor a black market in cigarettes?
I favor a world where corporations could not addict children, like my sister, to substances that would kill them in their early 40s.
The country isn't broke and Michael Moore is not fat.
WV: cusness - my usual form of speech.
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