John Nichols: The Power of Symbolism

John Nichols: The Power of Symbolism

Governor Scott Walker attempted to pit Wisconsin workers against each other. But the effect was the opposite of what he had intended.

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A defining moment came early on in Wisconsin’s struggle against Governor Scott Walker’s decision to eliminate the organizing rights of public sector workers. Walker decided to exempt some workers, but not others, from the loss of pensions and collective bargaining rights, hoping to divide them. Instead, the opposite happened. Listen to John Nichols describe a stunning event where those whose rights remained intact stood up for those whose rights had not.

—Elizabeth Whitman

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Between the reemergence of right-wing red-baiting and Donald Trump’s use of the chilling National Security Presidential Memorandum–7 to criminalize left political organizing, we’re seeing McCarthyism reborn before our eyes.

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Onward,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editor and Publisher, The Nation

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