A judge has granted a temporary restraining order giving the public access to the state Capitol during business hours and while hearings and other state business are being heard.
__
The order appears to ease more restrictive policies outlined in a Monday night memo from Assembly Sergeant-at-Arms Anne Tonnon Byers but nothing had changed in terms of access as of 10:45 a.m.
There’s more. Whoddathunk it’d require a restraining order to follow the explicit language in the WI constitution.
It’s not much, but on Monday afternoon one of the local public access stations in Harrisburg broadcast the entire rally from Saturday. And it was the lead story on the local news stations that Saturday evening.
Thanks Walker for uniting Dems in a way not seen since 2008!
Everyone take a moment to thank Walker and his overreach.
7.
trollhattan
Isn’t it interesting that the “spontaneous” teabag rallies last a few hours, then they follow some shiny object elsewhere, while these state rallies continue for days and even weeks? I blame it on poor battery life in their Hoverounds(tm).
8.
David Koch
Sigh…
This is not good.
9.
Nicole
@David Koch: I sincerely hope you do not take out your frustration on Maria.
10.
Violet
@kay:
I just saw that headline on TPM. I hope the protesters retake the capitol. It is the people’s house, after all. Good for that judge.
11.
Punchy
Here’s what I dont get: what’s the union’s end game? In normal politics, this much negative pub would get the gov to rescind this bill. Normal pols value their popularity. But these new breed of wingtards seem happy with their one-term fate, as long as they can wreak as much destruction as possible in that term. They’re seemingly immune to negative press cuz they just dont give a shit about anything other than Koch’s directives.
IOW, what if this Walker clown just never, ever withdrawls the bill?
12.
PopeRatzy
Last year it was all about the “will of the people” and “American people have spoken” now that the will of the people and the polls that show it are running against the Right those are no longer valid arguments.
Hypocrites, the lot of them.
13.
Legalize
@Punchy:
Recall, or very credibly threaten to recall, his flunky enablers in the legislature.
IOW, what if this Walker clown just never, ever withdrawls the bill?
It may be necessary to take a short-term loss to engender a gain in the future. Use this situation to expose folks like Walker for who they are and set them up for defeat in the next round if you can’t reverse what they’re doing right now.
I mentioned this in an earlier thread. These people do not care about governing, they do not care about doing good or doing well. They only care about serving their corporate masters. It will not hurt Walker if he brings the whole state down. 27% of the population will blame the Dems & Walker will get a fat gig in some think tank or lobby firm.
This is a fight to the death and one side wants to sit down and talk about it reasonably while the other side lights the fuse. Which side is more likely to “win”?
You are familiar with the history of union organizing in America? How many ‘mining camps’ will have to be shot up, how many scabs will have to be buried to regain collective bargaining once it is lost?
Last year it was all about the “will of the people” and “American people have spoken” now that the will of the people and the polls that show it are running against the Right those are no longer valid arguments
Kind of like how we are all for democracy and elections in the ME until they democratically elect a government that doesn’t like us.
@David Koch: Hey, you still have Johnny Boehner, although I bet he’s nicking you for a pretty good sized bar tab. See if you can get Ann Althouse to talk him into drinking the cheap crap she drinks.
23.
SiubhanDuinne
Way O/T (sorry), but did y’all see that Frank Rich is leaving the NYTimes after 31 years? Going to New York Magazine.
New York Times opinion columnist Frank Rich is leaving the newspaper after 31 years to join New York Magazine. Rich will join New York as an essayist beginning in June, where he will write monthly on politics and culture and serve as an editor-at-large. Rich will edit a monthly section anchored by his essay as well as deliver weekly commentary on NYMag.com, according to an announcement. His final Times column will run on March 13.
Even more than my apology for going off topic, I apologize for the link. It’s to ::spit:: HuffPo.
@Ivan Ivanovich Renko: They will touch it, if only to complain that the mob of hateful angry freeloading state worker bureaucrats hate them (Faux news).
26.
Mattminus
If it’s the biggest rally yet, I’d bet a bunch of teabaggers are getting choked by union thugs and NO THE VIDEO DIDN’T CAPTURE THAT PART!
You are familiar with the history of union organizing in America? How many ‘mining camps’ will have to be shot up, how many scabs will have to be buried to regain collective bargaining once it is lost?
I’m very, very familiar with such things, so I don’t make such statements lightly. I’m not saying that Scott Walker “winning” this round is desirable or that steps shouldn’t be taken to prevent that.
What I am saying is that there is a distinct non-zero chance that Walker will get what he wants, and that liberals/progressives as a whole need to be prepared for that possibility and work to turn a setback into an advantage. Sometimes the bad guys do win, and you have to pick yourself up and try again next time. It won’t be easy and it won’t be fun, but what else can you do? Unless you’re like Michael Lind and you think we ultimately won’t have unions anymore anyway.
Let’s just say “there’s more than there were at the Tea Party Convention with Sarah Palin in 2010.”
29.
The Thin Black Duke
Call me a pessimist, but don’t be surprised if the GOP’s Pretty Hate Machine begins constructing a narrative that goes like this: Governor Walker isn’t a “real” Republican, he’s an aberration. Vote for us again, and we’ll get it right next time. Promise.
I’m so sick of the crazy crap going on in this country. Seriously sick of it. I’ve never wanted to live somewhere else so much in my entire life. I’ve sorta just washed my hands of this country.
I’m so sick of the crazy crap going on in this country. Seriously sick of it. I’ve never wanted to live somewhere else so much in my entire life. I’ve sorta just washed my hands of this country.
I feel similarly; haven’t yet washed my hands, so to speak, but I’m sick of all of the bullshit. I’m just thankful that, for now, I live in a relatively less-crazy place.
@jk:
It really is not off topic. It is the basis for the topic.
Everyone should read the piece.
It explains very well the cancer that is the wealthy in this country. It’s all bullshit but he has the power to make his wish come true. He will get wealthier and we all will get much poorer.
How many ‘mining camps’ will have to be shot up, how many scabs will have to be buried to regain collective bargaining once it is lost?
None. It will take some recall campaigns and the 2012 election cycle.
It is possible that the Republicans in Wisconsin are willing to be suicide bombers. They might be able to ram through a law. Laws can be overturned, as long as the political fight is won.
41.
Ash Can
@Southern Beale:
Just read Ohio is having a fetus testify before the state legislature.
Just shoot me.
As for the Fox “reporter,” hopefully that story, complete with debunking video, goes viral. The true believers will always truly believe, but if the rest of the populace can be convinced once and for all that Fox is a travesty through incidents like these, it’s all good in the long run.
@geg6: They are gonna show a webcast of an ultrasound being done on a 3 week old fetus and possibly gonna try and magnify the heartbeat so the legislators can hear it. Surprisingly, it will not be answering questions.
I can’t figure out the whole heartbeat bill. I can’t find it on the legislative reporter I use. It was due to be introduced on Valentine’s day.
If they don’t put it up soon, I’m thinking it’s just entirely a PR stunt?
@mikefromArlington: just as soon as I get done denouncing Stalin and performing an act of civil disobedience regarding the broccoli mandate
47.
Another Commenter at Balloon Juice (fka Bella Q)
@geg6: Projected sonogram of course. Sigh. My head is about to asplode. In other OH news, SW OH tea partiers are not happy with the AOS# because he may allow the national debt limit to be raised. Cincinnati Enquirer
#Actual Orange Satan(TM) as I call Boehner
48.
Another Commenter at Balloon Juice (fka Bella Q)
@MattR: Surely, if a fetus is sentient and has rights, it can be subjected to direct and cross examination. Jesus H. Christ on a cracker. These people are insane.
Yeah, gotta say that the lack of any knowledge of the history of the union movement makes that post simply laughable if it wasn’t so sad.
If you’re referring to my post at #16, please read my clarification at #27. I do know quite a bit about the history of labor movements in this country.
I know that what’s going on in Wisconsin in other states is a big deal. Hell, I work for a labor union, and I’d love to see Walker be forced to back off on this one and then pay for it dearly in the next election cycle. But despite one’s best efforts, the Walkers of the world sometimes win the battle. Then you move to the next one, and see if you can win then. And sometimes you do. That’s how it’s always been, particularly in the history of labor.
I sort of agree with you, in that I don’t see how it ends. I don’t see a way.
Walker is a wild-eyed ideologue lunatic, and you can’t negotiate with crazy people.
I was so struck by how the Wisconsin protesters were negotiating with the police agencies, while Walker made the round of cable news shows. One step forward, two back, for hours. Because keeping the peace is hard work. Any idiot can start a war.
He should sit in on that, keep his mouth shut, and try to learn something from the grown-ups.
51.
debbie
@ SiubhanDuinne:
At least Rich won’t get caught behind the NYT paywall.
52.
debbie
I don’t have the time to check out the Columbus Dispatch link, but the fetus comes courtesy of an out-of-state organization called Faith to Action.
Given the sonograms I’ve seen of even three month old fetuses, I think the line of questioning is going to be, “Wait, where is it? What are we supposed to be looking at? Are you sure that’s it? It doesn’t look like it. I think it’s in the upper right … no, lower left … no, no, wait … No, I don’t think that’s the heartbeat, I think it’s a dead pixel in the monitor … It’s got to be in there somewhere …”
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Violet
Wow! That’s some crowd. I’m so glad these protests are continuing. Keep the pressure up!
kay
@Violet:
They got an ex parte order to re-open the Wisconsin statehouse :)
Ivan Ivanovich Renko
Wonder if this crowd will make it onto a cable news network (yeah, I know, NFW Fox touches it)
Poopyman
Only slightly off–topic, in that it’s about Wisconsin:
There’s more. Whoddathunk it’d require a restraining order to follow the explicit language in the WI constitution.
ETA:
@kay: Scooped again!
Nicole
Hooray!
It’s not much, but on Monday afternoon one of the local public access stations in Harrisburg broadcast the entire rally from Saturday. And it was the lead story on the local news stations that Saturday evening.
mikefromArlington
Thanks Walker for uniting Dems in a way not seen since 2008!
Everyone take a moment to thank Walker and his overreach.
trollhattan
Isn’t it interesting that the “spontaneous” teabag rallies last a few hours, then they follow some shiny object elsewhere, while these state rallies continue for days and even weeks? I blame it on poor battery life in their Hoverounds(tm).
David Koch
Sigh…
This is not good.
Nicole
@David Koch: I sincerely hope you do not take out your frustration on Maria.
Violet
@kay:
I just saw that headline on TPM. I hope the protesters retake the capitol. It is the people’s house, after all. Good for that judge.
Punchy
Here’s what I dont get: what’s the union’s end game? In normal politics, this much negative pub would get the gov to rescind this bill. Normal pols value their popularity. But these new breed of wingtards seem happy with their one-term fate, as long as they can wreak as much destruction as possible in that term. They’re seemingly immune to negative press cuz they just dont give a shit about anything other than Koch’s directives.
IOW, what if this Walker clown just never, ever withdrawls the bill?
PopeRatzy
Last year it was all about the “will of the people” and “American people have spoken” now that the will of the people and the polls that show it are running against the Right those are no longer valid arguments.
Hypocrites, the lot of them.
Legalize
@Punchy:
Recall, or very credibly threaten to recall, his flunky enablers in the legislature.
Geoduck
@Punchy:
Also, it sounds like the GOPers in the state senate, who have to actually vote on the bill, are less willing to jump off the cliff with him.
dmsilev
@Punchy: Pressure enough GOP State Senators to vote the bill down. There are enough targets, and you only need something like two or three to cave.
dms
Linnaeus
@Punchy:
It may be necessary to take a short-term loss to engender a gain in the future. Use this situation to expose folks like Walker for who they are and set them up for defeat in the next round if you can’t reverse what they’re doing right now.
Alwhite
@Punchy:
I mentioned this in an earlier thread. These people do not care about governing, they do not care about doing good or doing well. They only care about serving their corporate masters. It will not hurt Walker if he brings the whole state down. 27% of the population will blame the Dems & Walker will get a fat gig in some think tank or lobby firm.
This is a fight to the death and one side wants to sit down and talk about it reasonably while the other side lights the fuse. Which side is more likely to “win”?
jk
OT
The Real Charles Koch speaks out in WSJ
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704288304576170974226083178.html
Alwhite
@Linnaeus:
“short term loss”?
You are familiar with the history of union organizing in America? How many ‘mining camps’ will have to be shot up, how many scabs will have to be buried to regain collective bargaining once it is lost?
SiubhanDuinne
@PopeRatzy:
Kind of like how we are all for democracy and elections in the ME until they democratically elect a government that doesn’t like us.
freelancer
OT – Again,
Thank you, cleek.
Ash Can
@David Koch: Hey, you still have Johnny Boehner, although I bet he’s nicking you for a pretty good sized bar tab. See if you can get Ann Althouse to talk him into drinking the cheap crap she drinks.
SiubhanDuinne
Way O/T (sorry), but did y’all see that Frank Rich is leaving the NYTimes after 31 years? Going to New York Magazine.
Even more than my apology for going off topic, I apologize for the link. It’s to ::spit:: HuffPo.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/01/frank-rich-to-new-york-ma_n_829588.html
Poopyman
There are no short term losses. Only a continuing assault on many fronts. Here’s another, this time on child labor laws.
Bulworth
@Ivan Ivanovich Renko: They will touch it, if only to complain that the mob of hateful angry freeloading state worker bureaucrats hate them (Faux news).
Mattminus
If it’s the biggest rally yet, I’d bet a bunch of teabaggers are getting choked by union thugs and NO THE VIDEO DIDN’T CAPTURE THAT PART!
Linnaeus
@Alwhite:
I’m very, very familiar with such things, so I don’t make such statements lightly. I’m not saying that Scott Walker “winning” this round is desirable or that steps shouldn’t be taken to prevent that.
What I am saying is that there is a distinct non-zero chance that Walker will get what he wants, and that liberals/progressives as a whole need to be prepared for that possibility and work to turn a setback into an advantage. Sometimes the bad guys do win, and you have to pick yourself up and try again next time. It won’t be easy and it won’t be fun, but what else can you do? Unless you’re like Michael Lind and you think we ultimately won’t have unions anymore anyway.
benintn
Let’s just say “there’s more than there were at the Tea Party Convention with Sarah Palin in 2010.”
The Thin Black Duke
Call me a pessimist, but don’t be surprised if the GOP’s Pretty Hate Machine begins constructing a narrative that goes like this: Governor Walker isn’t a “real” Republican, he’s an aberration. Vote for us again, and we’ll get it right next time. Promise.
Southern Beale
Just read Ohio is having a fetus testify before the state legislature.
I’m so sick of the crazy crap going on in this country. Seriously sick of it. I’ve never wanted to live somewhere else so much in my entire life. I’ve sorta just washed my hands of this country.
Southern Beale
Also just read that Chris Dodd has been named head of the Motion Picture Assn. of America.
I find that odd. Then again, maybe not. It’s a lobbyist’s job after all.
Linnaeus
@Southern Beale:
I feel similarly; haven’t yet washed my hands, so to speak, but I’m sick of all of the bullshit. I’m just thankful that, for now, I live in a relatively less-crazy place.
Ruckus
@jk:
It really is not off topic. It is the basis for the topic.
Everyone should read the piece.
It explains very well the cancer that is the wealthy in this country. It’s all bullshit but he has the power to make his wish come true. He will get wealthier and we all will get much poorer.
Southern Beale
Fox reporter Mike Tobin lied about being punched by Wisconsin protestor.
And now there’s video proving it.
Assholes.
R-Jud
@Southern Beale:
Hmmm. Are you any good at home repairs? I could give you a place to crash for six months if you’re capable of helping me renovate my kitchen.
Southern Beale
@R-Jud:
Well, we just renovated our kitchen and it’s beautiful! But the only finger I lifted on that project was to write checks to my contractor.
:-(
WoodyNYC
@SiubhanDuinne:
Yes, and todays (print) NYT has a big story on Bloomberg Incs new op-ed push:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/01/nyregion/01bloomberg.html?tntemail1=y&_r=1&emc=tnt&pagewanted=all
Mayor Mike has hired away a bunch of NYT op-ed pagers for this.
geg6
@Alwhite:
Yeah, gotta say that the lack of any knowledge of the history of the union movement makes that post simply laughable if it wasn’t so sad.
geg6
@Southern Beale:
What? WHAT? WHAT THE FUCK!
A goddam fetus is testifying? By what method, pray tell? (Can’t click the link for fear my head really will explode.)
joe from Lowell
@Alwhite:
None. It will take some recall campaigns and the 2012 election cycle.
It is possible that the Republicans in Wisconsin are willing to be suicide bombers. They might be able to ram through a law. Laws can be overturned, as long as the political fight is won.
Ash Can
@Southern Beale:
Just shoot me.
As for the Fox “reporter,” hopefully that story, complete with debunking video, goes viral. The true believers will always truly believe, but if the rest of the populace can be convinced once and for all that Fox is a travesty through incidents like these, it’s all good in the long run.
Barb Hartwell
@trollhattan:
Good one
MattR
@geg6: They are gonna show a webcast of an ultrasound being done on a 3 week old fetus and possibly gonna try and magnify the heartbeat so the legislators can hear it. Surprisingly, it will not be answering questions.
PaulW
we are trying for statewide protests in Florida on March 8th.
http://awakethestate.com/
Spread the word.
kay
@Southern Beale:
I can’t figure out the whole heartbeat bill. I can’t find it on the legislative reporter I use. It was due to be introduced on Valentine’s day.
If they don’t put it up soon, I’m thinking it’s just entirely a PR stunt?
piratedan
@mikefromArlington: just as soon as I get done denouncing Stalin and performing an act of civil disobedience regarding the broccoli mandate
Another Commenter at Balloon Juice (fka Bella Q)
@geg6: Projected sonogram of course. Sigh. My head is about to asplode. In other OH news, SW OH tea partiers are not happy with the AOS# because he may allow the national debt limit to be raised. Cincinnati Enquirer
#Actual Orange Satan(TM) as I call Boehner
Another Commenter at Balloon Juice (fka Bella Q)
@MattR: Surely, if a fetus is sentient and has rights, it can be subjected to direct and cross examination. Jesus H. Christ on a cracker. These people are insane.
Linnaeus
@geg6:
If you’re referring to my post at #16, please read my clarification at #27. I do know quite a bit about the history of labor movements in this country.
I know that what’s going on in Wisconsin in other states is a big deal. Hell, I work for a labor union, and I’d love to see Walker be forced to back off on this one and then pay for it dearly in the next election cycle. But despite one’s best efforts, the Walkers of the world sometimes win the battle. Then you move to the next one, and see if you can win then. And sometimes you do. That’s how it’s always been, particularly in the history of labor.
kay
@Linnaeus:
I sort of agree with you, in that I don’t see how it ends. I don’t see a way.
Walker is a wild-eyed ideologue lunatic, and you can’t negotiate with crazy people.
I was so struck by how the Wisconsin protesters were negotiating with the police agencies, while Walker made the round of cable news shows. One step forward, two back, for hours. Because keeping the peace is hard work. Any idiot can start a war.
He should sit in on that, keep his mouth shut, and try to learn something from the grown-ups.
debbie
@ SiubhanDuinne:
At least Rich won’t get caught behind the NYT paywall.
debbie
I don’t have the time to check out the Columbus Dispatch link, but the fetus comes courtesy of an out-of-state organization called Faith to Action.
Mnemosyne
@MattR:
Given the sonograms I’ve seen of even three month old fetuses, I think the line of questioning is going to be, “Wait, where is it? What are we supposed to be looking at? Are you sure that’s it? It doesn’t look like it. I think it’s in the upper right … no, lower left … no, no, wait … No, I don’t think that’s the heartbeat, I think it’s a dead pixel in the monitor … It’s got to be in there somewhere …”