It's hardly surprising that the crew at MoveOn.org is joining other liberal groups in throwing in with the government worker unions in Wisconsin.
The protests in Wisconsin are sparking something we haven't seen in years. Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Madison to stop a radical, right-wing attack on workers. Protesters have occupied the Capitol building for the last eight days and nights.
Now, they need the rest of us to pitch in.
So we're putting videographers on a plane to Madison to get the protesters' stories out to a wider audience. We're buying air mattresses for the folks who are sleeping at the Capitol. And we're organizing emergency solidarity rallies in every state capital this weekend.
Because so far the media has pretty much ignored the protesters.
The MoveOn folks also recognize that the fight in Madison has broader political implications.
The situation in Wisconsin has captured the attention of the nation. And winning in Wisconsin doesn't just matter to Wisconsinites.
With Republicans using the wrecked economy as an excuse to slash vital programs and hurt workers, what happens in Wisconsin has huge implications for every one of us. If we can stop Governor Walker in Wisconsin, it'll send a message to every other governor who's thinking about trying the same thing.
And it'll help turn the tide in Washington, D.C., where Republicans are threatening to shut down the government next week in order to force Democrats to agree to devastating cuts. NPR, the EPA, food aid to hungry kids, clean energy research, AmeriCorps—all are threatened.
It's interesting to note what heads the list of what MoveOn.org considers "devastating cuts." National Public Radio. In fact, the "starving" poster children whom the left have prominently employed for years whenever a Republican even mentions limiting government spending rank a mere third in MoveOn's hierarchy of endangerment.
UPDATE-- More from MoveOn with fresh plans for the weekend:
We're putting everything we've got into one massive display of solidarity nationwide. We'll all show up wearing Wisconsin Badger colors: red and white. And if we can get huge crowds across the nation, it'll send a clear message that progressives are fired up and ready to go.
A bunch of angry lefties dressed up like Badger fans? Yeah, that's going to win people over to your side.
