Wearing out their welcome: Protesters still at Capitol, irking lawmakers
Government And Politics
Wisconsin State Journal
CLAY BARBOUR Tuesday, September 20, 2011 8:50 pm
When news broke that a protester had poured beer over the head of a prominent Republican legislator last week, staffers and lawmakers immediately began playing a game of "guess who."
Was it "Segway Jeremy" or "Pink Slip Miles"? Maybe C.J. or Arthur or Bridgette? Certainly, most agreed, it was one of the usual suspects.
Thousands of people descended on the state Capitol in February and March, crowding the streets and filling the rotunda in opposition to Gov. Scott Walker's collective bargaining bill. But in the past six months those crowds have given way to a small but dedicated band of 20-something protesters who routinely disrupt meetings, harangue individual Republican lawmakers, stage publicity stunts and take video of nearly everything they do.
The group -- led unofficially by about a half-dozen "regulars" -- has exasperated Capitol law enforcement and Republican lawmakers. But they also have frustrated Democratic lawmakers, interrupting their speeches and getting into shouting matches with them during committee meetings.
Many Democrats feel the group is actually hurting their efforts to fight Republican legislation.
http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_04cb7480-e3f2-11e0-a412-001cc4c03286.html