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26dems Editorial Note: MSNBC's Ed Schultz is broadcasting live from Madison, the only national network who has a reporter on the ground. He reported that Sen. Dick Durbin has decried the assault on labor and the middle class, the only Democrat outside of Wisconsin to squarely support the protesters right to bargain collectively. Yesterday 14 Democratic Senators fled Wisconsin to prevent a quorum in the Republican dominated legislature that was set to vote on the bill that would prohibit collective bargaining. As the Ed show points, going into 2011, Wisconsin had a SURPLUS. The new tea party governor, along with all Republican governors are pushing this agenda across the country. Although President Obama has sympathized with the workers, he has not yet pushed back against the false narrative that Wisconsin needs to do this, not because the state is broke, but because the Reublicans want to use money to give it to their corporate donors. Since January 1, the Wisconsin
Republican legislature has enacted into law special tax breaks for corporations. The protests have already spread to Ohio and other states.
Republican legislature has enacted into law special tax breaks for corporations. The protests have already spread to Ohio and other states.
More than 30,000 protesters were in the streets and in the Capitol building yesterday. The puppet governor, like Brewer, is doing the bidding of the billionaires who are instituting a coordinated attack on public employees and middle class workers. As Rachel Maddow pointed out this is a political struggle. The Republicans are boldly suggesting that we cannot afford a middle class in this country. She pointed out very starkly that the Republicans are attacking unions because three public employee unions, AFSCME, SEIU and the NEA are the primary funders of the Democratic party. If you bust the unions, and their ability to mobilize voters and contribute to the Democratic party, it will mean the end of the ability of Democrats to compete and win elections. Organized people need their own organized money in order to win. This is all about Republicans trying to win a permanent super majority and thus permanent control over our lives. As Rachel put it, it's the billionaires vs the bake sales. Without unions, the Democrats can't make it on bake sales.
Watch this REAL NEWS video that features the AFL-CIO Director of Policy Special Counsel Damon Silvers:
