Fox News has adopted the Karl Rove playbook laid out for them earlier this week with regard to the Wisconsin protests. Watch as the Very Serious Conservatives talk about President Obama's statements with regard to the ongoing labor protests and pontificate. For them, it's all about consolidating labor union support for 2012 without any real issues.
That was just on. Earlier today, Megyn Kelly was shocked -- SHOCKED -- that Wisconsin Democrats would dare to leave the state in order to delay the vote on Governor Walker's union-buster bill. Here she is, wringing her hands with wide-eyed fury over such a terrible thing. I guess she forgot that it's been done before.
All day long, Fox has gone out of their way to frame these labor protests as political with no principle underneath them, despite pretty obvious ones like workers' rights. In between cynical speculation about 2012, they manage to throw in some misguided outrage about comparisons being made between Walker and Mubarak. In my opinion, allowing Walker to get away with this without a protest would just give him license to threaten force whenever he didn't get whatever piece of workers' futures he was hoping for. Hardly outrageous, just recognizing a despot for what he is.
Wisconsin Senate Democrats just released this statement:
The following is a statement from Senator Mark Miller regarding today’s action in the State Senate:
“Senate Democrats took action today to allow time for the involved parties to work together to balance the budget.
We did not undertake our actions lightly.
But we believe, out of respect for our public institutions, the people of Wisconsin and our long tradition of working together, our fiscal challenges can be met without taking away worker’s rights.
Our job, and the role of the legislature, is to expand rights, not deny them.
And for your viewing pleasure, another clip of the divine, sneering Megyn Kelly talking to Michael Reagan, who compares Scott Walker to Ronald Reagan, reminding us all that it was Reagan who broke the air traffic controllers, amplifying the right-wing effort to dismantle labor unions in order to fulfill a long-cherished goal.
