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Media largely ignores massive Wisconsin protests on Saturday (Photos)

Yesterday approximately 70,000 to 100,000 people attended a protest at Wisconsin's Capitol Square in opposition to Governor Scott Walker's (R) Budget Repair Bill despite.  The crowd woud be impressive on any day, but was even more so yesterday given the weather conditions which included snow and temperatures well below freezing.  Despite these facts, the national media largely ignored the protests yesterday.  The websites of Fox News, CNN, and even MSNBC decided to focus on other issues for the entire day.  The cable news networks barely mentioned the Wisconsin protests yesterday on television, choosing instead to run with recorded programs and other stories.

The Wisconsin protests have now been sustained for over two weeks, much longer than any single protests against "Obamacare' or "the bailouts" over the last two years.  The Wisconsin protests are also larger than anything the Tea Party has been able to produce.  The large crowds in Wisconsin are even more impressive considering the fact that the protests deal with only a state issue, whereas Tea Party rallies often dealt with national issues.  Tea Party rallies with just a few thousand attendees frequently received national coverage.  Political pundits spoke of the Tea Party as a movement sweeping over the nation.  Fox News went as far as to promote some of the Tea Party rallies.  Politicians, both Democratic and Republican, were constantly asked about the power of the Tea Party.  On February 19th a crowd of about 2,000 to 5,000 Tea Party protesters went to Madison, Wisconsin as a "counter protest" to the anti-Walker protests.  By all accounts the anti-Walker crowd at that rally greatly outnumbered the Tea Party crowd, yet again the national media chose to emphasize the smaller Tea Party protest.

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At this point it is fairly clear that the Wisconsin protesters are going to have to do more than just produce massive crowds to receive the extensive media attention.  As Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo suggested via Twitter, at this point the anti-Walker protesters may want to bus in a few thousand Tea Partiers just so that they can get some more media coverage.  Other ideas to gain more media coverage might include wearing Colonial era costumes, or demanding Governor Walker provide his long-form birth certificate.

, Political Buzz Examiner

Ryan Witt is a graduate of Washington University Law School in St. Louis and has extensive experience teaching government and politics. His articles have been cited by The Washington Post, NPR, Politics Daily, The Guardian, The Huffington Post, Media Matters, Daily Kos, and Think Progress among...

Comments

  • Truth in media 1 year ago

    CBS put the crowd size at 87,000

  • Cheeze Head 1 year ago

    Instead of the tri corner hat they could wear those cheese hat thingies...oh never mind they are already doing that. That must make Witt feel like a hypocrit (as if such a thing was ever possible.)

  • Anonymous 1 year ago

    "70,000-100,000" in libtard = 11,000-13,000 unemployed misfits paid for by chicken wings, beer, and pizza.

  • Anonymous 1 year ago

    you tea party losers are just sad that there's no a real grassroots movement ... not created for and by billionaires.

  • Jeannie Doyle 1 year ago

    I am not anonomys. Proud of what I stand for. Obviously you aren't. Who raised you?

  • sarah connor 1 year ago

    The corrupt politicians have insulated themselves from the electorate by creating the public sector unions and as their corruption becomes more transparent had to increase the quantity and tribute to this bourgeois social middle class that creates no wealth. The tribute has become so large that the states will go bankrupt.

  • @ sarah connor 1 year ago

    "The Wisconsin Lie Exposed – Taxpayers Actually Contribute Nothing To Public Employee Pensions"

    http://blogs.forbes.com/rickungar/2011/02/25/the-wisconsin-lie-exposed-t...

  • shorter @sarah conor 1 year ago

    The union lie exposed. Taxpayers are payingout through the nose. Go to: Http://PublicUnionsAddZeroWealth.com

  • @ shorter @sarah conor 1 year ago

    Can't even give a real link? Skeevy.

  • Profile picture of Paul Williamson
    Paul Williamson 1 year ago

    The protests have become boring. Boring your viewers is not a good idea.

  • Saul Alinsky 1 year ago

    Hey! That's a line from my book "Rules for Radicals".
    You must be watching Glenn Beck.

  • harry krishna 1 year ago

    i'm bored by the war in afghanistan, but i'm willing to help in any way to end it.

  • Jeannie Doyle 1 year ago

    We'll see in November! You're boring. bit comment!

  • Rachel Maddow 1 year ago

    Just look at the photo. Those people are all white. It's all about white power. Those union people are striaght up racists.

  • Eat The Rich 1 year ago

    Hey you tea bagging circus clowns, I am your father....

  • Profile picture of Paul Williamson
    Paul Williamson 1 year ago

    That's "I'm your daddy." Just ask Pedro Martinez about the Yanks. He'll tell you.

  • MickNY 1 year ago

    Hmm, wonder how those folks can go protest for weeks on end, what about their jobs, how do they pay their bills, where is that money coming from?

  • MickNy 1 year ago

    Weekend? Saturday is part of the weekend? Since when?

    The University of Wisconsin? 40,000 students? In Madison?

  • walrus's Daddy 1 year ago

    Hey MickNY they're professional activist aka community agitators. Hell that's the only JOB besides POTUS Obongo ever had.

  • Profile picture of Paul Williamson
    Paul Williamson 1 year ago

    Soros.

  • Jeannie Doyle 1 year ago

    We take turns MickNY. We know HOW to work together.

  • Howeird Dean 1 year ago

    No wonder Wisconsin is a liberal state they only have white people that live there just like New Hampshire, Vermont, etc. etc.

  • Camolin 1 year ago

    Best sign of the day: Don't drink the tea - it's loaded with KOCH.

  • DingoDangle 1 year ago

    LOL, media is like government, bought and paid for lol.

    www.complete-privacy.eu.tc

  • Unions Suck 1 year ago

    Union goons suck the big wazoo.

  • Butt Cheeks 1 year ago

    Just a bunch of white guys teling me what to do.

  • Butt Cheeks 1 year ago

    Just a bunch of white guys teling me what to do.

  • Butt Cheeks 1 year ago

    Just a bunch of white guys teling me what to do.

  • Lizz Brown 1 year ago

    They need a name---How about the REVOLUTIONARY PARTY....corporate media is simple minded and partisan....give these people a name to make it easy on them....Viva la Revolution!!!

  • * 1 year ago

    Shat up freak.

  • Bored Wit Wisconsin 1 year ago

    Some black dude just won the Tea Party's Straw Poll. Da brother's name is Herman Cain, owner of Godfather's Pizza or sumthin like that cuz. Bwah hahahahaha didn't these brain-dead idiots learn anything from Colon Bowel? Sheesh the TP is so skeered of being called raycisssssst they'll do anything.

  • simple math 1 year ago

    It's always about money. Union dues contribute millions to the democrats. When they win the election they give all they promised even if it's not there to give. The taxpayer is left holding the bag. The gravy boat is empty.

  • Jeannie Doyle 1 year ago

    @ Bored Wit Wisconsin. You are right it is about money, corporate money. they are the big contributors. But maybe without a good education you don't understand that. You also don't understand about standing up for others rights. Go to sleep, have some nightmares, but we will be there in November beginning the recall of little scotty a loser in school and cheater. In January we will have a new Govenor!!!!!

  • wrong name, wrong comment, wrong answer? 1 year ago

    Get back in the bottle Jeannie, you're making a fool of yourself.

  • Anonymous 1 year ago

    It's old parasite news now.

  • Jeannie Doyle 1 year ago

    Are you ashamed of your beliefs? Is that why you are anonymous??? I live in Wisconsin. I am proud of what I believe in and don't have to hide little chicken!

  • John Smith 1 year ago

    Wow there everybody it's Jeannie Doyle. Get a grip dude/dudette like how many Jeannie Doyle's are there in Wisconsin even if that is your real name.

  • MickNY 1 year ago

    You know it is not like Madison is the center of the universe, there are other things going on in the world and frankly it is an old story; "Lazy Ass Losers Hang Out and Chant" kind of loses its luster after two weeks.

  • Jaume Sala 1 year ago

    Thank you for let me know it. In Spain we didn't know about it.

  • Blen Geck 1 year ago

    eat the rich -- surfing for porn and watching glen beck IS activism keep it up tea baggers great job, now you can find pr0n an someone to tell you your going to get f*ked in the end. all on the same DELL PC .The short bus will be wait for you.

  • * 1 year ago

    Shat up freak.

  • Anonymous 1 year ago

    Media IGNORES the vile posters and the violence by the union goons too!

  • Anonymous 1 year ago

    Jeannie Doyle given her incoherent insipid comments is either drunk, just plain stupid, or both. I'm guessing a lot of the bused in professional community agitators were either bused in or paid off in chicken wings and beer, so maybe Jeannie had a little too much of the suds.

  • Anonymous 1 year ago

    Reporters like to take weekends off too. Protesters need to post home video clips from the capital on youtube so reporters can cover the story without actually having to work. Plus, you control the message, when you post your own video. Then you need for some of the videos to go viral. Have friends post them on their Facebook pages etc.

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