Big anti-Walker rally in IL after tiny pro-Walker rally in WI

From Saturday's rally in Madison.

A little over a month after a massive rally in Madison, Wisc., that drew a crowd estimated at 65,000, a demonstration staged by Americans for Prosperity attracted maybe 1,000 people.

AFP is the astroturf Tea Party funded by the Benedict Arnold Koch brothers. As Reform Dem notes,

Despite the beautiful spring weather, and free bus rides to the event from every major city in Wisconsin, turnout for today's American for Prosperity Tea Party rally was under a thousand, way down from previous years... 

The crowd was so small and thin that I was easily able walk right up the middle to within about fifty feet of the stage several times during the event.

We couldn't find any evidence that Dairyland Dictator Gov. Scott Walker was there.  He was probably flying around the country picking up more checks from his rich, out-of-state friends. He'll be in Central Illinois tomorrow, siphoning cash from the 1% for his recall campaign. But there may be more people  outside protesting his speech than inside listening to it. Reports the Teutopolis Press.

Labor unions, incensed that Walker – best known for his efforts to curtail most public employee collective bargaining rights in Wisconsin -- was invited to speak to Illinois business leaders, plan a rally outside the hotel during Walker’s appearance. 

Logistics of the rally are being handled by the Springfield and Central Illinois Trades and Labor Council. Council president Terry Reed said he’s hoping up to 2,000 people attend the rally. 

“To us, the importance here is the Illinois Chamber sponsoring him,” Reed said. “Scott Walker will be here one day and gone. We don’t have to live with him, thank God. We do have to live and work with the chamber. Our concern is bringing Walker down here doesn’t help that relationship if it drives a wedge." 

Anders Lindall, spokesman for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said the rally goes beyond labor unions. 

“This isn’t just a labor event,” Lindall said. “It’s a show of support for the working people of Wisconsin and a united front emphasizing that we don’t want Scott Walker’s extreme agenda and his failed record here in Illinois.”

  Let's hope it's as successful as the rally staged by Oklahoma Teamsters last week.