Postcard from a New American Progressive Movement: The Wisconsin Strategy

[Poboy]

By: David Dayen Tuesday March 1, 2011 7:10 am

Thomas M. Bird was a mild-mannered graduate student from Oshkosh, voting Democratic but paying only slight attention to politics, before Scott Walker announced his budget repair bill. He didn’t make it over to the Capitol in Madison until February 17, four days into the protests. Within a couple weeks, he was a ranking member of the Capitol City Leadership Committee, an umbrella organization made up of the different groups performing tasks in the building – the megaphone people, the Teaching Assistants’ Association, the volunteer marshalls, the information station coalition, the medical station volunteers, and the Wisconsin Workers Solidarity Sit-In. Bird participated in meetings coordinated under their own democratic rules. “The group meets regularly and we ensure that each meeting has an even number of people. Any business is put to a democratic vote. If there is a tie, there are 3 rounds of debate and then the motion is tabled. The Wisconsin Republicans could probably learn a
thing or two from us.” This is a protest, Wisconsin-style.

As Gov. Scott Walker cracks down on the activists inside the Capitol Rotunda on the day he releases his 2011-2013 budget, he will be unable to quash the spirit of people like Thomas M. Bird, whose life will never be the same. “I believe that the progressive movement and the labor unions are the only political force left in this country capable of standing up for the brave, hard working Americans who have seen their voice drowned out by the influence of corporate campaign donations… The Democratic representatives of the state of Wisconsin have converted me from being a cynic into being an activist. It is the greatest honor of my life that I have been a part of this fight, and I will do everything that I possibly can do continue it.”

What may not be clear from outside of Wisconsin is the level to which the grassroots protesters and the Democratic members of the Wisconsin legislature have become one throughout this struggle. Not just the “Fab 14″ group of Senators who still reside in Illinois, denying the Republicans a quorum and stalling the budget repair bill that would strip most collective bargaining rights from public employees. But the Democrats in the State Assembly have become activists themselves. They are readily identifiable in the orange “Assembly Democrats: Fighting for Working Families” shirts they’ve been wearing for two weeks. They help negotiate access to the building and use their resources to get in people and supplies. They hold public hearings through the night to force the Capitol to stay open. They spent 63 hours on the Assembly floor stretching out debate on the bill, forcing the local media to report on what it contained. One Assembly Democrat had reconstructive surgery for skin cancer last Tuesday, and was back on the floor Wednesday for debate. She was in the Capitol Sunday night, with a bandage on her face, as the protesters readied themselves to be arrested. “This is civil disobedience at its finest,” she told me.

“Our Democrats, often disappointing, have delinked from the compromises of the Democratic party, and linked in to the opinions of the progressive grassroots,” said John Nichols, writer for the Madison Capital Times and The Nation and unofficial mayor of Madison. He was speaking to “The People’s Legislature,” at a Crowne Plaza conference room on the east side of the city. A group called Fighting Bob, named after the legendary progressive leader Bob LaFollette and organized by the popular reformer and former US Senate candidate Ed Garvey, was meeting to discuss their next move to respond to the assault on public workers taken up by Walker. Nichols said proudly, “We have in a sense retaken the Democratic Party in this state,” and the People’s Legislature wanted to make good on that. Over the course of a day-long meeting, they plotted out a multi-pronged strategy that also has echoes of the kind of medium-term and long-term fights that the grassroots in the Capitol Rotunda will wage.


FULL-
http://news.firedoglake.com/2011/03/01/postcard-from-a-new-american-progressive-movement-the-wisconsin-strategy/

[northoftheborder]

1. I can't tell you how encouraging this kind of information is for us down here in the reddest red....

...red state. I love it. John Nichols has done such ongoing, consistent, analysis and reporting this whole time. He deserves a Pulitzer prize for this effort. And to see people like Thomas Byrd join in with such great leadership skills is heart-warming. It's time for a new generation to take over for the Progressive Movement and the Democratic Party. My generation has failed, sadly.

[Poboy]

2. I as well. Deep south, next to the most backwards,'conservative', state.

[Poboy]

3. Well, I'm going to kick this as I thought it worthy of an OP, but maybe not.

[Octafish]

4. Wisconsin!

Thank you for the heads-up, poboy! Maybe the real Democrats really do have a chance.

[Poboy]

5. Thank you Mr. Fish.