Ex-Alaska Governor Sarah Palin spoke at a Tea Party rally in Madison, Wis., supported by Americans for Prosperity, Saturday, April 16, 2011. After weeks of comparitive calm following the boisterous battle over a union-busting collective bargaining bill, the Wisconsin statehouse was again the site of protests and counter-protests.
Thousands of conservative Tea Party members attended the civil, yet peppy rally featuring the former vice-presidential nominee. Speaking in the face of wintry wind and cold temps, Palin called the crowd brave for having stood up to the "death threats and thug tactics" of those who vigorously opposed Gov. Scott Walker's collective bargaining plan. "You held your ground, your governor did the right thing, and you won," she said.
Describing herself as a former union member and the wife of a unionist, Palin said, "He (Walker) is not trying to hurt union members. Hey, folks, he's trying to save your jobs and your pensions!" She said union leaders don't care if their members have their jobs dispensed with, and are most concerned with the protection of their own power and political clout.
Palin Criticizes Obama
Palin also lambasted President Obama for what she portrayed as his misconceived troop deployment in Libya, counterintuitive economic policies, and unsound budget plans, including proposals to invest in "really fast trains and solar shingles," and depicted Obama as flippant about controlling government spending. "Our president isn’t leading, he’s punting on this debt crisis," Palin said. "Win the future? The only future he wants to win is his reelection.”
Palin took umbrage at the GOP command for assuring $100 billion in cuts from the current budget, cutting that pledge to $60 billion and eventually compromising on $38 billion in the recent budget battle. "Then after some politics as usual and accounting gimmicks we found out…we’re actually borrowing that $38 billion," Palin said. "That is not courage, that is capitulation."
Her 15-minute speech came toward the end of a nearly-two hour tea party rally steered to tax day. Prior to Palin’s appearance, labor supporters still upset from the passage of Walker's divisive bill terminating most public employees' collective bargaining rights attempted to drown out Palin's supporters, shouting, "Hey, hey, ho, ho, Scott Walker's got to go."
Scores of protesters enveloped Capitol Square with bells, bullhorns and puppets. People on the edges of the rally demonstratively debated with one other over the scope and role of government and corporate abuses. As to the crowd’s size, approximately 7,000 to 10,000 participants and onlookers were on the Capitol grounds and vicinity by about 1:30 p.m. Saturday. There were no reports or arrests, according to Madison police.
Tea Party: "We Love This Country"
James T. Harris, the Tea Party rally's master of ceremonies, said that the affair was meant to send home a strongly patriotic political and social message. "We are Americans, we love this country and we do not want to see it spent into oblivion," he said. The rally was organized by Americans for Prosperity, a fiscally conservative advocacy group.
Brian D'Ambrosio - Brian D'Ambrosio is the author of more than 500 published articles and seven books, including From Haikus to Hatmaking: A Year in the Life ...
