Right-wing unsettled by tomorrow's #NJUnion Rally

by: Rosi Efthim

Thu Feb 24, 2011 at 10:21:31 PM EST

Dude, what's up with the sneering? the name-calling?

Tomorrow's rally is going to be big. That's going to be bad for the conservatives, whose argument depends on pitting New Jerseyans against each other, and getting non-union workers to resent union workers. Wisconsin was evidence of a pendulum swing of ordinary people in defense of fair bargaining. That swing could happen here in Trenton tomorrow noon, even though our governor's spent a year making himself famous for propagandizing public workers. We'll see.

Don't let Shaftan plant the idea that tomorrow's rally will be anything but big, successful and peaceful. Madison was. The city-to-city rallies have been (counter-rallies, small). That's got to be a challenge for the right. They'd like nothing more than trouble to discredit us. That's why we now know from the recording made when Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker thought he was talking to his benefactor David Koch, that Walker considered infiltrating the peaceful rally with troublemakers, but ditched it because it might not work (not because it was wrong). The call, a prank, showed Walker up as an irresponsible, dangerous fool. In fact, Madison Police Chief Noble Wray had some serious questions for Governor Walker today. Wray:

I find it very unsettling and troubling that anyone would consider creating safety risks for our citizens and law enforcement officers. Our department works hard dialoging with those who are exercising their First Amendment right, those from both sides of the issue, to make sure we are doing everything we can to ensure they can demonstrate safely.

This is insidious, and in-bred. Koch brothers' money got Walker elected (why he jumped at the call). Chris Christie (out of the state again) backs Walker. The Kochs bankroll Americans for Prosperity (AFP); Steve Lonegan runs it in New Jersey. Shaftan was the strategist for Lonegan's GOP primary campaign against Christie. This is all in the family. It's a family that has a lot to lose if tomorrow's rally is big, successful and peaceful. Let's make it just that.

#NJUnion #NJSolidarity See you there.