Massive Protests Expected in ... Madison

Here we go again: With Republicans trying once more to pass Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s controversial collective bargaining limits, the state Capitol in Madison is steeling itself for more protests. Walker’s budget will be debated at the Capitol today, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports, and thousands of protesters are expected. There will be a few differences this time around: Signs on sticks, bullhorns, tape, tents, sleeping bags, and whistles or noisemakers are no longer allowed inside.

But dozens of tents have been set up for days across the street in an area dubbed “Walkerville.” Inside the Capitol, there is an increased presence of Wisconsin State Troopers, Capitol Police, and Department of Natural Resources officers. The Wisconsin Supreme Court could rule today on the decision by a judge to strike down Walker’s controversial law, but if that doesn’t happen, Republican leaders say they will write Walker’s collective bargaining limits directly into the state budget they are working to pass. (More Wisconsin stories.)