Wisconsin Sees Biggest Rally Since Vietnam War

More than 70,000 people waved flags, sang the National Anthem, and protested Republican efforts in Wisconsin to take away workers’ rights. This was one of the biggest rallies in decades, in spite of frigid weather and light snow.

Unlike previous protests, the rally on Saturday brought out thousands of union workers not directly affected by the bill, including the state’s firefighters, exempted along with police from the Republican proposal. Dozens of private sector unions were represented as well at the event.

No “Tea Party” supporters of the proposal championed by Republican Gov. Scott Walker were spotted on Saturday. They staged a smaller rally of their own in Madison a week ago…

Scott Sumer, a teacher from Rockford, Illinois, just south of the Wisconsin state line, said he hoped the sustained and broad-based opposition to the Wisconsin bill would discourage lawmakers in other states from considering similar measures.

“Other governors are going to see this and think, ‘I don’t want to go there.'” Sumer said. “The tenacity of this movement and civility here are impressive.”

That apparently doesn’t include former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, a potential presidential hopeful who is out testing his anti-worker message.

Pawlenty… drew applause from “Tea Party” activists when he blasted President Barack Obama for supporting the Wisconsin unions.

“It says in the Constitution: ‘In order to form a more perfect Union.’ … Mr. President, that does not mean coddling out of control public employee unions,” he told some 2,000 partisans gathered for a conference.

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.