Wisconsin State Senate Democrats on Thursday decided they no longer approved of the democratic process, and fled the state in an effort to deny the legislature a quorum. The stunt was an effort to derail a measure that would prohibit public employee unions from collective bargianing and force those employees to pay into their own pension and benefit plans.
Lawmakers initially fled to a resort in Illinois (if they had remained in the state, politice could have compelled them to return to the capitol) and then split up when they got wind Tea Party protesters were on their way. One activist did manage to confront a pair of the would-be lawmakers. See video of that exchange below the break.
Meanwhile, union members and supporters rallied in and around the state capitol. Here's a nice montage of some of the more colorful statements and signs from those demonstrators.
Republicans who remained in Madison, meanwhile, refused to divulge where they would be sleeping that night out of a concern for their own safety. "We're working with law enforcement" on that, one told National Review's Jay Nordlinger. Don't expect to see much media harping on the many threats made against him and other lawmakers.
So what do you make of all this?
