Celebrities and rallies that we ignored here in Madison over the weekend.

The Daily Cardinal reports on weekend protest events that Meade The Press missed:

Thousands of unions' rights supporters gathered at the King Street entrance to Capitol Saturday to listen to director Michael Moore speak, who accused corporate interests of manipulating the public.

"[The Republicans] have expertly convinced many Americans to buy their version of the American dream," Moore said. "They have created a poison pill [of] mutually assured destruction."

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.

Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and other local political figures spoke at the rally to usher in the fourth week of protests.

Baldwin's done the protests before, promenading around the Capitol with Jesse Jackson a couple weeks ago. She represents the Madison part of the state. But the protests are about Wisconsin politics. And they need to influence people around the entire state. Why are we getting Baldwin again — and not any of the other Wisconsin politicians? Can't we even get Feingold?

And that phrase "rally to usher in the fourth week" feels like an affront to the protesters who have kept up the energy continuously for 3 weeks. You've got something grassroots — or seemingly grassroots — happening, and then politico-celebs drop in to act as though they are the leadership. 

As the protesters filled the Capitol Square through the weekend, Tea Party supporters had their own rally Sunday at the Alliant Energy Center. Several hundred Walker supporters attended while many anti-Walker critics demonstrated outside.

The rally, which was one of many organized by Americans for Prosperity, a Tea Party group largely funded by the Koch brothers, hosted Joe the Plumber and other popular conservative figures.

I didn't even know about that event. And I'm paying way more attention than the average person.  I guess we're paying attention in a different way — going to the Capitol and seeing what the people who go there are doing, rather than checking for celebrity appearances and events. If we'd have noticed, we'd have felt some pressure to show up. Fortunately, it escaped us and we didn't get sucked into the dreary convention hall.