The Playground Legends began up in Thiensville, an all-white exurb just north of Milwaukee. Our group was forged during the signature collection phase of the Alberta Darling recall in the cold and bitter winds of March, standing along the roadside with protest signs. When we heard that the Tea Party Express had their "Milwaukee" whistle-stop there, we figured we had to, for nostalgia's sake, go bear witness. Their all-white version of "Milwaukee" is a twenty minute drive from downtown, nestled in a charming village-like atmosphere along a lovely river. We had planned no counter-rally because we were canvassing for GOTV all day. We were tired. We merely wanted to see what the Baggers were up to. Here is our photo diary.
Printed up some stickers and gussied up the van. Dig those Packer colors!
Leaving Milwaukee.
On the highway to "Milwaukee."
I think we found the right rally!
They fixed Setpember. Those clever craftsmen!
We look for parking and find rightwing meme goldmine. NASA? Really??
A better turnout than the tens in La Crosse yesterday (link)
The Tea Party Singers are creepier live than on YouTube. They stomp and yell and tell cheese jokes. If you want your mind turned to jelly, listen here.
Our silent protest brings immediate confrontation.
The media smells controversy.
Channel 58 asks "why are you here?" Dave says, "We were hoping to see Alberta Darling."
Joe on walkabout. It is very tense. He says nothing, but people with snake flags surround him and poke him in the face with their dowels.
Here's the money shot.
The emcee introduces this young woman with the empty bucket and suggested that the Unions force people to cough up money to fund their political activities. The Tea Party can't do that, so they rely on voluntary donations. Come on, ya'll: you know what to do. There is no mention of corporate backing.
The money walks into the sunset.
We go home. It was much more tense and discomforting than anticipated. We heard falsehoods and demonizing narratives and other rightwing cliches, but it is very strange to go to something like this and realize they are talking about you. One woman pointed at Joe and exclaimed, "this is the new face of terrorism!"
The people in this Thiensville version of "Milwaukee" have fantastic roads, and a beautiful public highway between "Milwaukee" and Milwaukee. They all look healthy and well fed. They were meeting in a lovely public park, down from a terrific town library. Their public schools are fantastic. Yet to hear them, their world is coming apart, being attacked at the edges by the Barbarians of the Left.
Update
Video and news story from Milwaukee Channel 58. h/t quiet is the new loud.
Update 2
David Cantanese article on Politico today. h/t to quiet is the new loud (again) - scanning the media sites. This has quotes from the speeches and spokespeople, as well as giving a sense of what the two candidates were doing yesterday.
The race in Senate District 8 between Darling and Pasch is expected to be one of the closest of the night. Pasch spent the day knocking on doors in the Glendale area and told POLITICO in an interview that Darling's vulnerability is a result of Republicans' "steady assault on middle-class values."
[snip]
A campaign worker at Darling's headquarters could not say where the senator was and said her spokesman was at a wedding and unavailable for comment.