Behind the scenes, there was more to the Republican governor's fight with public employee unions than just Walker's speeches and the massive protests of union supporters. An in-depth review reveals a rich backstory: A conservative Milwaukee foundation headed by Walker's campaign chairman helped prepare the way for labor legislation that advanced in states such as Wisconsin and Michigan in 2011 and 2012. The Bradley Foundation helped fund groups such as the MacIver Institute, a free-market Madison think tank that made an early call for a proposal similar to the one that Walker eventually put forward.
Some of the crowd estimates released by the Walker administration at the time were several times smaller than those actually done by top police in Madison during the biggest protests against Walker's bill. Susan Riseling, the chief of the University of Wisconsin-Madison police and the officer responsible for the Capitol's interior during the protests, estimated the crowd inside the building that midafternoon at nearly 25,000, or five times the Walker administration's count.
Republican lawmakers never notified Capitol police of a plan to take an unexpected conference committee vote on Walker's legislation that sent protesters storming into the Statehouse and past the unprepared officers. Then in a move that stunned officers from other agencies, the Madison Police Department declined a direct request from the Capitol police to help the overwhelmed state officers regain control of the building.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
The Inside Story Reveals: Walker's Unoriginal Act 10, Intentionally Small Crowd Counts during Protest, and GOP Surprise vote at Fault for Storming Capitol.
Jason Stein and Patrick Marley of
the Journal Sentinel, and authors of the book “More Than They Bargained For,” wrote this insightful analysis of what really happened at the Capitol
protests. This is just a sample. Read more here:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Sorry you feel that way. I too am skeptical of everything I read, but I have to disagree with you on what I posted.
ReplyDeleteI also don't subscribe to those who trash the js. You may not like their editorial pages, but their reporting is many times well done, at which point I'll refer you to the first paragraph above.
You bought into his lies here becuase they fit your world-view. You post many things that are just knee-jerk reactions to issues you don't understand in any way.
ReplyDeleteToday, stein (in your dream-world) is a hero of truth -- in fact -- he's a political hack and you know it.
But he lets you grab some quick pageviews today.
Very disappointing that you are propping up the propaganda shills for hits today -- jason stein is a political hack, he will always be a political hack, that is why he works for journal communications, and his book has no more integrity than the crap he writes every other day.
jason stein, more than anyone single writer in WI, is responsible for walker and the "success" of his extremist politics.
And today, you are mindlessly promoting him -- you'r4e jumpin' the shark.
This post doesn't undo Stein's past reporting that many of you are so pissed about. I think what I've posted here is something that adds to the story.
ReplyDeleteIf you don't like facts, I can't help you. I'm not promoting Stein, just a little history.