welcome back to the ed show. breaking news out of wisconsin tonight. first, i want to turn the clock back. it was a year ago in madison the streets were crawling with protesters. they were upset, big time, that governor walker was trying to take their money and bust their unions in the name of solving what was a phony budget crisis. scott walker s budget repair bill was nothing but a surprise attack. he didn t campaign on it, tens of thousands showed up in the capital to try to stop it. walker could get away with it because republicans had majorities in both and senate. the only thing, the only thing that could stop this radical movemen and radical bill from becoming a law was 14 sensenato. in order to pass walker s bill,
senator carpenter, it seems to me unions are willing to give on the co-pay as long as they continue to bargain collectively. is that your understanding? senator carpenter? that is absolutely correct. that is absolutely correct. i could leave this interview right now, drive to wisconsin and vote on a bill. the governor says we need this fiscal bill to balance the budget to june 30th. this is nonfiscal policy that attacks working people in working conditions so i don t know what world governor or senator gruffman is living in but the only compromises they have made is with themselves. governor walker will not talk to us. they have basically threatened us. everything imaginable. lean forward with chris matthews each night playing hardball with some of the most prominent politicians, news makers and leaders. watch 5:00 and 7:00 eastern only on msnbc, the place for politics.
and demonstrations in madison enter a second week, state democrats are still in hiding. nbc s jay gray has our report. reporter: for more than a week now, it s been demonstrations not legislation inside the wisconsin state capitol. thousands of public employee union workers continue to protest republican governor scott walker s plan to balance the budget by calling on unions to pay more toward their pensions, their health care and give up their collective bargaining power for everything but wages. 14 state senate democrats fled the state to deny a quorum for republicans to pass walker s bill but it only takes one to cross party lines for the vote to be held. i will not be the 20th vote, i can assure you that. reporter: walker wants them back right now. the time is up. it is time for them to come back