Largest Madison Rally Ever Tops 100,000

Wisconsin Farmer sits atop tractor circling capital square

Gov. Scott Walker can pit people against people, communities against workers, public against private, schools against communities, turning his back on our farmers, while assuming near-dictatorial Scott Walker control of local concerns and budgets that make Walker and his regime the mayor and manager of all villages, towns, and cities. Walker can spread lies and fear; but for only so long before there comes a time when the people react.

That time is now.

Excerpted below, analysis from John Nichols at the Capital Times

When Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and his aides hailed the series of back-door moves -- violations of open meeting laws, restricted debates, snap votes -- that gave him a momentary victory in his fight to strip public employee unions of their collective bargaining rights, they claimed they were doing the bidding of the people of Wisconsin.

Referencing last November’s election, which gave him the governorship and control of the Legislature, Walker has repeatedly said through the monthlong fight in Wisconsin that “the people have spoken” and “the voters have spoken.”

If we elected monarchs (or “kings for four years,” as Thomas Jefferson feared), then Walker’s pronouncements from on high might be worthy of note.

But, of course, the United States went with a representative democracy, where elected officials are supposed to at least respect and ideally respond to the clear will of the people.

The clear will of the people has been shown in contacts with the offices of Republican legislators, which ran in some cases 10-1 against the governor’s proposal; in polls that show less than one-third of Wisconsinites support the governor’s approach (and that a clear majority would replace him as governor if they could); and in mass demonstrations that are drawing hundreds of thousands into the streets.