True Colors

The Republican state senators' actions tonight, their attempt to ram through legislation that removes the abolition of collective bargaining rights for public employee unions from the so-called budget repair bill and addresses it in a separate bill (therefore obviating the need for the larger quorum required for financial bills), is clearly a last-ditch act of desperation that shows--yet again--Walker's and the Fitzes' true colors.

Not only will they not listen to the people of Wisconsin, but they hold the people in utter contempt.

Jon Nichols just pointed out on the Ed Show that the decision may have been made because the increasingly strong calls for recall of Republican state senators are putting real pressure on the legislators to break from the governor.

And given that the move is questionable legally, it may also be that Walker intended to provoke a violent response to aid the extremist propaganda machine in painting the Wisconsin protesters as a bunch of inconsequential, unruly, thuggish slobs.

Because we are definitely winning the good-behavior-vs.-bad aspect of the fight. The people of Wisconsin have behaved with dignified, persistent, respectful fervor; we have been remarkably peaceful. So much so, that the Madison police issued a press release commending the protesters for conducting themselves "with great decorum and civility."

Tonight's action by the extremists in the Wisconsin state senate is a nasty, heavy-handed affront to the people of Wisconsin. Walker's been saying all along that the move to strip collective bargaining rights from public unions was a fiscal issue. The move tonight is one more indication of how very untrue that was. Apparently he doesn't care how obvious it is when he lies.

What the majority of Wisconsinites want from their democratically elected officials is clearly of no consequence to Walker and the Fitz boys whatsoever. They are unwilling to listen to anyone who's not a billionaire backer.

The people who voted for Walker and the Fitzes last November did not elect them to strip unions of their collective bargaining rights, nor did they elect them to decimate Wisconsin's education and health care systems. I have tremendous confidence in the good, fair-minded people of Wisconsin, who have already shown their true colors day after day, in snow, rain, and sunshine, that this betrayal will not be met with complacency.

We won't back down, and we won't allow you to provoke us to betray our cause. We're showing our true colors, day after day after day, just as you are showing yours.