I spent a good part of yesterday in Madison at the rallies, and have been talking with friends who were there today.
I wanted to prepare a more thoughtful, more careful, more analytic report, but have had a rough stretch of life lately, and it's exhausted me. But perhaps it is worth sharing a few observations and impressions from my own experience on the Isthmus.
(That's point #1 for non-Wisconsinites. Madison sits on a narrow isthmus between Lakes Mendota and Monona. It makes for a very pretty city. And the capitol building sits right in the middle of the isthmus.)
Okay. Bratwursts. So, as the sun was setting last night, and we were joining the action in the capitol, volunteers were coming into the building carrying boxes full of free bratwursts, giving them away to the crowd. Want to make a Badger happy? Give them free bratwursts. They were provided courtesy the AFL-CIO. I asked one of the young guy volunteers where they had the grills going. His reply: "An undisclosed location!" Point being: Do not underestimate the Power of Brat. Fox News, the Club for Gowth, the Koch Brothers.... they DO NOT GET IT. This is from the bottom up. This is all about Wisconsin citizens waking up, and waking up their neighbors, to the forces that are undermining the middle class and fairness and open process and healthy communities.
The best moment: When the off-duty but uniformed police and firefighters marched through around the square, and then INTO AND THROUGH the capitol building, led by bagpipers and flags. They were accompanied by deafening cheers and screams and whistles. People had tears in their eyes (me included). Everyone said, over and over, "Thank you! Thank you!" These amazing public servants tried hard to be stoic and hold their ranks, but their pride and joy just came through. They were thanked more in one night, I imagine, that they have been in their entire careers. There is no underestimating the importance of this. Walker tried to peel them off from their brothers and sisters in organized labor -- and FAILED. Be sure to thank your neighborhood cop or firefighter for standing with their compatriots in Wisconsin through their unions.
Visit to my legislator's office: We stopped in the office of my assembly rep. He's a Democrat. They are still in Madison as the senators left for Illinois. (The Dem minority is such that the Republicans don't need them for a quorum.) So the Dem assembly members were in caucus discussing strategy and amendments. But the aide in the office filled us all in. The most important point: there are 3 or 4 Republican senators with enough of a smidgen of integroity and independence that they could conceivably not vote for the budget bill. In particular, Senators Luther Olsen and Dale Schultz (my senators, at home and work, as it turns out). I encourage all Wisconsin residents here to contact their offices. They are sweating hard. Be nice. They are not bad guys, but their slavish loyalty to the party line has put them in a hard position. Walker and Co. will primary their butts with hard-line primary opponents next time if they don't toe the line.
The spirit and energy at the capitol is amazing. Tomorrow will be a wild ride, it being a Saturday, and the weather looking reasonable for February. The appearance of the tea partiers will bring out people from all over Wisconsin who haven't been able to come during the week. Who knows how it will play out. The most important thing is to keep doing what we've been doing: keeping our cool and our cheerful spirits; not letting the tea party provocateurs get under our skin; wearing our Packer green and gold and our Badger red!; talking with respect and clarity and conviction to the media; bringing friends and neighbors along; and keep the free brats coming.