Since the demonstrations began last week, one of the favorite cheers of the Madison pro- union protesters is the refrain: “Show me what democracy looks like? This is what democracy looks like!”

In order to set the record straight, democracy looks like this:

Candidate                                            Percentage     Total Votes

Scott Walker/Rebecca Kleefisch         52.25%             1,128,941

Tom Barrett/Tom Nelson                     46.48%             1,004,303

Democrats oppose voter ID reform.  Now the question is just how important of an issue is this to them?  Republicans are taking the Voter ID bill to the senate floor on Thursday.  Without the missing 14 Democratic senators, the bill is sure to pass.  How far is the Badger 14 willing to take this?  As elected officials it is their job to represent the people.  How many issues are these senators willing to disregard as they make what will prove to be a futile stand against the budget repair bill?  Let us know what you think of your elected officials shirking their responsibilities.  What do you think it will take to get the senators to return to Madison and do their job?

On Wednesday, the busses that brought in waves of union demonstrators for the past week halted. The  Starbucks across the street from the capital no longer has lines out the door. Ian’s Pizza will probably have to start charging by the slice again.

After nearly eight straight days of protests in Madison, the demonstrations are running out of steam. This is likely the result of a weekend blizzard, a drop in public opinion, and the ensuing stalemate between a stalwart Governor Walker and the fourteen missing Democrat Senators hiding out in Illinois. But world events have put the protests in Madison on the back burner. Attention has shifted to turmoil in Libya, earthquakes in New Zealand, and Somali pirates. The round-the-clock media coverage has diminished and that might be the final dagger in the heart of the pro-union demonstration.

Yes, the college students remain camped out in the Capital rotunda. The campus communists, socialists, and anarchists strive to remain relevant, but the movement that galvanized public employees to flock to Madison all last week is faltering. The teachers balked on Monday when WEAC president Mary Bell ordered teachers back to work this week.

AFSCME claims they halted the busses because  ”action is spreading out across the state.” Sure sounds like they just can’t fill busses anymore.

Events could change very quickly and the crowds could be back in the street, but on this brisk Wednesday morning, Madison is pretty quiet.

Members of the Illinois Tea Party found the Badger 14 at the Heritage Inn & Suites in Harvard, IL.

Sen. Chris Larson outside Heritage Inn & Suites

Standing by one of the Senators cars

Outside the Heritage Inn

One of the Badger 14 picked up the phone in his hotel room at the Heritage Inn in Harvard, IL, thereby confirming rumors that the AWOL senators were holed up in this two-star (hotels.com) motel.

One wonders how the senators ended up here.  Trip Advisor reports on the property don’t paint a pretty picture.  Comments include “There was even still feces in the toilet” and “there was a urine stain on the comforter.”  How appropriate that Wisconsin’s filth ended up in such a fitting place!

After days of granting interviews from an “undisclosed location” Wausau’s WAOW reported that the Badger 14 are holed up in Harvard, Illinois.

Harvard is on the border of Illinois and Wisconsin which makes sense since AWOL Senator Tim Carpenter commented that he could see Wisconsin from his window.  In an interview with Milwaukee’s WTMJ the senator quipped that he could see “Wisconsin, but not the Soviet Union.”  His attempted dig at Sarah Palin fell short considering the Soviet Union dissolved a decade ago.  At least Palin knew enough to call it Russia.

If you don’t like your representatives fleeing from their duty to represent you in Madison, sign the petition to Recall the AWOL.

I took a quick tour of the capital on Monday night. As if there was any doubt, the radical Left has assembled in the state capital. Socialists, Communists, and Anarchists are peddling their radical agenda. Walker is still portrayed as Hitler, the GOP are called “home grown terrorists,” and “tax the rich” remains a theme on the eighth day of the protest against the Budget Repair Bill.

Sources have confirmed that Governor Scott Walker is considering suspending direct deposit for the “Wisconsin Fourteen.” In order for the missing Democratic senators hiding out in Illinois to receive payment, they might have to return to the office and pick up the checks on their desks.

Fourteen Wisconsin Democrat senators skipped town last week in order to prevent the State Senate from voting on Governor Scott Walker’s Budget Repair Bill. In order to call a quorum to pass fiscal bills, twenty senators must be present to vote. With nineteen Republicans ready to vote in favor of the Budget Repair Bill, only one Democrat is needed to pass the bill.

As the showdown continues, might Governor Walker’s tactic lure at least one Democratic senator back in need of a paycheck? With salaries around $50,000 per year for state senators, it will be awfully tempting.

Stay tuned.

Photo Credit: Gateway Pundit

A recent Milwaukee Journal Sentinel poll found overwhelming public support for Gov. Walker’s Budget Repair Bill.  Eighty percent of the 183,226 readers who participated in the survey supported cutting benefits for union workers and removing collective bargaining over anything other than wages.  Only 18 percent of people felt the bill was wrong, and three percent believed something needed to be done, but the current bill was too strong.  click here to see the poll results.

photo by media trackers