One thing I’ve noticed in covering protests is that you get a lot of hangers-on.
For example at almost every Boston protest you will get one guy who carries his US flag with corporate symbols replacing stripes, you will get a guy with a Palestinian flag. And if the tea party is anywhere nearby I guarantee you that the LaRouche democrats will be around, usually with their Obama Hitler posters, and of course there are the truthers.
Generally these guys are the crazy uncles of any movement they find themselves a parade and try to get noticed within it.
Which brings us to Michael Moore getting in FRONT of the crowd:
Liberal filmmaker Michael Moore urged Wisconsin residents Saturday to fight against Republican efforts to strip most public workers of their collective bargaining rights, telling thousands of protesters that “Madison is only the beginning.”
There has been story after story about Moore’s appearance, I submit it shows that the left is losing this fight.
Moore’s biggest fans are on the far left, not in the mainstream. If Moore is the story, if he is the man in front. That tells you the message isn’t working or playing, polls or no.
As I was writing this I noticed this at Althouse who apparently agrees:
I wonder if the teachers and other Wisconsin union members who got the protest started 3 weeks ago appreciate having Michael Moore absorb their issue — maintaining the quality of professional public employment in Wisconsin — into his larger anti-capitalist agenda for America.
This is a problem with extending the protests. The crowd changes, new infusions of energy come from outsiders who see a ready-made platform to climb up on. These old-school, left-wing attacks on corporations have little to do with the distinct problems of jobs in the public sector — where, management is the government of the state and its citzens.
If their big draw is Michael Moore that tells you something about what is going on.
Ride right through them, they’re demoralized as hell.
Da Techguy's (no longer backup) Blog 
[…] PETER INGEMI ON WISCONSIN: “If their big draw is Michael Moore that tells you something about what is going on.” […]
[…] The sign that the battle in Wisconsin is practically won By Heidi Leave a Comment Categories: "Transparency", Culture, Democrats, Economics, Education, Government, Liberals, Politics, Socialism, Unions and Wisconsin daTechGuy.com […]
It makes me laugh watching a fat-cat multi-millionaire “filmmaker” telling well-paid government employees with huge pensions that “the rich have finally overplayed their hand”. Kinda ironic, actually.
They’ve been playing the “little guy vs. corporations” line for weeks, it’s not new.
Michael Moore usually comes in when the base isn’t angry enough. It is the left’s belief that they always have the moral high ground and there isn’t enough anger to convince the proles that this is a crisis. If only there was enough anger, enough angst to create the understanding that this too must be fought down to the last man.
Obviously the proles need a figure to rally around. Someone of Michael Moore’s stature is someone to rally around. Its too early to call it a win for Wisconsin. Unless the bill has ink on it, its still anybody’s game.
You don’t want to stand too close to Mr. Moore; you might be eaten.
Michael Moore is his own self-caricature, railing about the “fat cats”. Michael, you’re a bloated leftist – fat would be an understatement.
Moore appeals to and influences not only hard-left anti-capitalists but also mainstream Democrats who are by nature Republican-haters but are generally but unwittingly uninformed; those sorts who seek ready-made easily-digested explanations, however untrue, for otherwise difficult and disturbing and complex things, e.g. the decline of the U.S. auto industry, the history of racism in the U.S., violence in society, income inequality, war, etc. The end for them that justifies every mean for Moore is to blame conservatives for everything bad, and credit liberals and socialists for everything good.
What is hilarious to me is this is all about government workers. Moore is a commie anti-capitalist- he loves government more than he does taxpayers.
I found an awesome video from a blog called Say Anything. I havn’t seen it around much but I assume you will like it. A wisconsin protester getting into people’s faces asks “Why do you have a right to your money?” Seriously.
Here is the URL, feel free to edit it into a link if you want, I don’t know how to do that.
http://sayanythingblog.com/entry/union-protester-asks-tea-partier-why-do-you-have-a-right-to-your-money/
[…] The sign that the battle in Wisconsin is practically won If their big draw is Michael Moore that tells you something about what is going on. […]
I think that Governor Walker has handled this crisis perfectly. He did not drag the protestors out for all the MSM cameras to play on every evening newscast – thereby making him and the Republicans look like thugs. Governor Walker is one class act. I like the guy a lot. I wish he were my governor, but alas I am stuck with Moonbeam Brown, one of the absolute worst of the worst. Good thing I’m moving to Arizona next month. Then I will have Governor Brewer – another outstanding governor.
[…] The sign that the battle in Wisconsin is practically won One thing I’ve noticed in covering protests is that you get a lot of hangers-on. […]
And the bandwagon collapsed under all the weight from the Original Fat Bastard.
[…] should mention that Da Techguy read the tea . . . loaves correctly regarding Moore’s MadTown appearance. Here’s his read on […]
THANK YOU for posting this! We’ve been all over this issue on Common Cents as well…
http://www.commoncts.blogspot.com