Wisconsin

I suspect many NZers would be completely unaware of what’s going on in Wisconsin. I must confess that I’ve only picked up the second half of the story, so was interested to read this article this morning.

For in the end, the images and messages tell the story. The showdown in Madison pits pampered public employees against hard-pressed taxpayers. It portrays union workers as an angry mob against those seeking orderly legislative deliberation. It paints Democratic lawmakers as outlaws on the run, undermining the democratic process. It launched a national debate about the generous salaries and benefits for government workers during a time of economic shortages. And it showcased school teachers who abandoned their children in favor of narrow, partisan political gain.

A large part of the problem is that the left simply don’t understand the right. By not understanding the right, they then failed to understand the Tea Party.

And by not understanding the Tea Party you end up with the situation in Wisconsin, where unions are bussing people in from all over in an effort that takes days to organise, only to be met by a larger, better behaved, local conservative counter-protest that was organised overnight.

Update: See also this video.