They will be met by hundreds – at least – of D.C.-area Teamsters, union supporters, concerned citizens and community activists who say enough is enough.
Expected to attend are a charming bunch: Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, who most recently denied the Fab 14 Democrats the right to vote; Sen. Glenn Grothmann and Sen. Alberta Darling, two senators we hope to recall; Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald, who rammed through Koch whore Gov. Scott Walker’s bill to strip government workers’ collective bargaining rights; and Rep. Robin Vos, who wants right-to-work (for LESS) legislation passed.
As Digital Journal points out,
When you're a good little corporately-owned Republican politician in Wisconsin who just illicitly passed legislation aimed at eviscerating union workers rights, what do you do next? You head to Washington DC to hold secret meetings with corporate lobbyists to receive your reward.That's exactly how Craig Holman of Public Citizen sees it. He told Talking Points Memo,
This fundraiser is far more a celebration and reward to the Wisconsin Republican delegation for its leadership in attacking labor unions and turning back union rights. It accurately reflects that the battle of Wisconsin is in fact a highly-funded campaign orchestrated by national political players. Its origins and support span from the Koch strategy conference held in Rancho Mirage to the lobbyist fundraising event held in DC.BGR, the lobbying firm sponsoring the fundraiser, is a lovely group as well. We again borrow from Digital News:
BGR represents a significant number of foreign interests and governments including The Republic of India which paid BGR $1.2 million to represent its interests in Washington, India's Reliance Industries which has paid BGR $1.52 million from 2009 and 2010, The American Chamber of Commerce in China and the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, which paid a combined total of $280,000 to launder money into the U.S. political process, The Kurdistan Regional Government which paid BGR $1.13 million from 2009 to 2010, and Russia-based Alfa Bank which paid BGR $510,000 in 2010 to help subvert U.S. politics.And that doesn't even include the nuclear energy industry. According to records from the Lobby Disclosure Act Database and OpenSecrets.org, BGR has been paid $250,000 to lobby for KazAtomProm, National Contractors Group on Nuclear Liability, and Uranium One.
Here’s the rally cry (from the flyer):
These politicians might be willing to subvert our democratic process to move Wall Street’s corporate agenda, but we’re fighting to bring balance to our economy and protect middle-class families. We will raise our voices and tell them we are one!
The rally is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. at BGR Group headquarters, 601 13th St., N.W., in the heart of the city. All labor activists, concerned citizens and community organizers are invited to attend.
