New Washburn and Green Bay Protesters turn out in Large Numbers to Greet Walker Fundraising Tour.

It's not just the crowds showing up at the state Capitol anymore. We're now seeing huge crowds waiting to greet Gov. Scott Walker, as he celebrates his union killing bill, with one fundraiser after another throughout Wisconsin's "safer" districts?

CT: In Wisconsin, it's pretty hard to get farther from the angry masses of protesters in Madison than the community of Washburn in Bayfield County in the far northwestern part of the state. Gov. Scott Walker likely figured his gambit to effectively eliminate collective bargaining for public employees would play much better there. He'd be mistaken. 

The Duluth News Tribune reported that at least 2,000 protesters greeted the governor Saturday as he spoke at an invitation-only event. He arrived in a convoy of unmarked police cars at the local Steak Pit for a Republican Lincoln Day fundraiser. "The large, boisterous crowd, which had been lining the streets leading to the restaurant" for an hour "quickly recognized him and erupted in boos and shouts of 'Recall Walker,' " the newspaper reported.

And that's not all:

Speaking to the Green Bay Press-Gazette after the event at the Rock Garden Banquet and Conference Center (which) was open to card-carrying party members only and closed to the media, Walker said he wasn’t fazed by ongoing protests of his fiscal policies. 

Police officials estimated the number of protesters at between 3,000 and 4,000 but about 1,000 were still standing along the Bond Street entrance to the Rock Garden parking lot when Walker arrived at 7:15 p.m. 

They chanted, “This is what democracy looks like,” as the vehicles passed but there were no other incidents. The protesters — some of whom waited up to four hours for Walker to arrive — chanted “shame, shame” to every dinner attendee who drove to the parking lot that was off limits to anyone who wasn’t attending the dinner. 

“The nation is watching us right now,” said Steffany Soletski of Green Bay, working for an organization called Advancing Wisconsin that is involved if efforts to have Walker recalled. “The protests have given people hope” … the protesters spent the time waving their signs and repeating several chants, including “Scott Walker has to go, hey, hey, ho, ho,” “Union busting,” and “Recall Walker.”

Remember when tea party loudmouths interrupted our own town hall meetings, demanding Democratic officials listen and take orders from them?  The larger number of protesters turning out all over the state who oppose Walker’s dictatorial austerity plan for Wisconsin is different, and nothing more than a loud nuisance to our Governor:  

“It’s America. They have every right to be heard,” said Walker, whose three-vehicle caravan ran the gauntlet of protesters on Bond Street who object to his overhaul of public employee and union negotiation practices. “But I’m not going to allow those voices to drown out the millions of taxpayers who understand the need to balance the budget and protect middle class jobs.”

The imagined millions of worshipers Walker hears in his head whenever he sees his reflection.