Thanks to the hardy band of private sector workers/people-NOT-paid-to-show-up who fought their way (literally) to Beacon Hill yesterday to see the big government-union show. Gov. Patrick was there, Rep. Capuano and other Massachusetts liberals, delivering the message from the political class to the unions:
“We don’t work for the taxpayers. We work for you.” (I’m paraphrasing VERY slightly).
I met some (ahem) interesting people, all with extremely colorful vocabularies and an odd interest in my reproductive activities. Many suggested I engage in physical activities that are not biologically feasible. I was shoved a few times, threatened a few times, bumped around a bit—but nothing of note. One lady kept screaming “Seig Heil!” over and over, but I couldn’t tell if she meant it in a bad way.
Other pro-taxpayer supporters who showed up had it worse. As the State House News Service reports, “a pro-union supporter spit in the face of a Tea Party backer, prompting pushing, shoving and a police intervention.”
Yes, if we had even 10 percent of this activity at a Tea Party, the media would be denouncing the entire movement as the return of the Brown Shirts, but that’s the Boston media bias we face every day.
What I found most significant was how little effort was spent on argument and persuasion. I don’t mean arguing with people like me. I mean there were virtually no signs making the case for public-sector unionization, or refuting the arguments that people like Gov. Walker are making.
The same with the speakers, like Gov. Patrick and Congressman Capuano. At a Tea Party rally, you hear speakers saying “ObamaCare stinks, and here’s why.” At this rally, all I heard was “Unions rule, and here’s what we’re going to do to anyone who doesn’t like it.”
Pure, brute political force. And in Massachusetts, that’s all that matters. Government union members showed up at Beacon Hill yesterday, not to make their case, but to make a threat.
“Politicians—do what you’re told. Or else.”
UPDATE! DaTechGuy has a good round up of the Boston rally here.
"The truth is something [Warren] probably prefers not to confront. Harvard doesn’t come calling just because you’re a smart lawyer and a terrific teacher — not with Warren’s modest, Oklahoma upbringing and non-Ivy League education. She is not your typical Harvard professor. At a certain point, when the law school was under pressure to promote diversity, she represented a three-fer: a great lawyer with a national profile, a woman, and a minority, at least by virtue of family lore. "
-- Joan Vennochi
