Thousands of protesters surround Wisconsin Capitol
MADISON, Wis. — A state Capitol thrown into chaos swelled for a fifth day with thousands of protesters, as supporters of Republican efforts to scrap the union rights of state workers added their voices to the debate for the first time and GOP leaders insisted again Saturday there was no room for compromise.
Supporters of Gov. Scott Walker and his effort to ease Wisconsin's budget woes gathered on the east side of the Capitol, surrounded by a much larger group of pro-labor demonstrators who since Tuesday have filled the Capitol with chanting, drum-beats and anti-Walker slogans. Walker has proposed requiring government workers to contribute more to their health care and pension costs and largely eliminating their collective bargaining rights.
Saturday's line-up included a rally organized by Tea Party Patriots, the movement's largest umbrella group, and Americans for Prosperity. Their supporters carried signs with a fresh set of messages: "Your Gravy Train Is Over . . . Welcome to the Recession" and "Sorry, we're late Scott. We work for a living."
"We did have an election and Scott Walker won," said Deborah Arndt, 53, of Sheboygan Falls. "I think our governor will stand strong. I have faith in him."
Arndt and the other conservative backers of Walker had their faith rewarded shortly before the start of the noon rally, when Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald reaffirmed that Republicans — who took control of both the state Senate and Assembly in November — have the votes needed pass the measure.
"The bill is not negotiable," Fitzgerald said inside a heavily guarded Senate parlor at the Capitol. "The bill will pass as is."
Fitzgerald said the Senate is ready to act on the so-called "budget repair" bill just as up as soon as 14 Senate Democrats who fled the state on Thursday and remain in hiding return to the Statehouse. The missing Democrats have threatened to stay away for weeks unless Walker agrees to negotiate.
Sen. Tim Cullen, a Democrat from Janesville, refused to say where he was Saturday but said he didn't expect the Senate to meet again until Tuesday. Cullen said he was watching Saturday's rallies on television with some friends.
"I'm hoping to see no violence, that's what I'm hoping most to see," Cullen said. "This has been a very peaceful, respectful thing all week given the size of the crowds."
The governor was spending time with his family Saturday and wasn't expected to make an appearance at the tea party-organized rally. His spokesman said the governor's office has been receiving 1,000 e-mails an hour, most of them in support of his position.
Democrats offered again Saturday to agree to the parts of Walker's proposal that would double workers' health insurance contributions and require them to contribute 5.8 percent of their salary to their pensions, so long as workers retained their rights to negotiate with the state as a union.
Fitzgerald said he was unimpressed given that the offer was something the GOP has rejected for months. The restrictions on collective bargaining rights are needed so that local governments and the state will have the flexibility needed to balance budgets after cuts Walker plans to announce next month, he said.
Walker insists the concessions he is seeking from public workers are needed to deal with the state's projected $3.6 billion budget shortfall and to avoid layoffs.
Steve Boss, 26, a refrigerator technician from Oostburg, carried a sign that read "The Protesters Are All 'Sick' -- Wash your Hands," a reference to the teacher sick-outs that swelled crowds at the Capitol to a peak of 40,000 people Friday and raised the noise in its rotunda to earsplitting levels. Boss said the cuts Walker has proposed were painful but needed to fix the state's financial problems.
"It's time to address the issue. They (public workers) got to take the same cuts as everyone else," he said. "It's a fairness thing. "
Madison is no stranger to political unrest, having seen activists take to the streets to protest the Vietnam war, support civil rights and oppose cuts in social services. Riots ensued 15 years ago when police clamped down on an annual block party that began as an anti-war protest in 1969.
Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney predicted crowds could swell to as many as 70,000 people Saturday and said his department planned to add 60 deputies to the 100 who patrolled during the week.
Pro-labor activists worried about a confrontation with tea party members trained overnight Saturday at the Capitol in non-violent protest techniques, said Madison resident and protester Chris Terrell said. Groups were taught to remain calm during confrontations and to pay attention to their posture and expression so their intent couldn't be misconstrued as violent, he said. Protesters dressed in orange vests were designated as "marshals" and told to step in to keep the peace, if needed.
Sue Anderson, 44, of Prairie Du Sac said she had been at the Capitol for three of the four days of protests and was prepared to insert herself between people if a fight started. "They know better," she said. "I don't know much about the tea party, but I know this group is pretty mellow."
John Black, 46, of Madison, said Saturday he came out to the rallies in order to help bridge the gap between the pro-labor protester and tea party members. He carried signs that asked for a compromise on the budget bill while a friend's son handed out purple flowers.
"We liked Scott Walker as a change agent, but he moved too quickly and because of that there's always room for compromise," Black said.