Protesters for and against Gov. Scott Walker's controversial budget repair bill numbered at an estimated 60,000 Saturday for the largest rally yet at the Capitol. Although there were tensions between the two groups as the marches often overlapped, the demonstrations stayed peaceful.
Between Friday and Saturday, protesters against the bill heard from the likes of former U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold and civil rights activist Jesse Jackson, urging them onward in their fight.
""When we act, we make good presidents great,"" Jackson told the crowd. ""This is a Ghandi moment, this is a King moment.""
Walker supporters, who saw a significantly smaller turnout than their pro-union counterparts Saturday, gathered on the east lawn of the capitol to hear from Tea Party leaders and celebrities.
Although it was rumored that Sarah Palin would make an appearance, she sent a Facebook message instead as her address to both the Tea Party crowd and the union supporters. Former U.S. Senate candidate Dave Westlake read Palin's letter to the audience.
""Union brothers and sisters: This is the wrong fight at the wrong time,"" Palin's letter read. ""Solidarity doesn't mean making Wisconsin taxpayers pay for benefits that are not sustainable and affordable at a time when many of these taxpayers struggle to hold on to their own jobs and homes.""
Palin's letter also advised workers not to trust union bosses she said did not have their best interests in mind.
""At the end of the day, they're not fighting for your pension or health care plan or even for the sustainability of Wisconsin's education budget,"" she said. ""They're fighting to protect their own powerful privileges and their own political clout.""
Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, the Tea Party celebrity who came to fame in the 2008 presidential campaign under the name Joe the Plumber, also spoke at the rally.
""One of the things we need to … get out of our vocabulary is the word ‘deserve,'"" Wurzelbacher said, noting military veterans as the exception. ""Unions don't deserve anything, you don't deserve anything, you work for it yourself. That's what America's about.""
Tens of thousands of teachers, UW-Madison students and union supporters from around the state continued to voice their concerns about the bill during the Tea Party rally.
Mary Bell, president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council, said the movement against the bill could not be stopped.
""A fire has started—and we need to remain active in these efforts to have the voices of the people heard throughout Wisconsin,"" Bell said. ""We will not be silenced, and though we move to the corners of our state, our intensity grows.""
Although there were concerns preceding the rally that violence could break out between the two groups, the day remained relatively peaceful and Madison Police Department spokesman Joel DeSpain said there were no arrests Saturday.
Members of the UW-Whitewater College Republicans came to the Capitol for the rally to show their support for Walker. The group's secretary, Stephanie Abbott, said she had no fear coming to Madison.
""I think there's this conception that we're afraid to be here because we're surrounded by liberals, but I'm not scared,"" Abbott said. ""Both sides of this issue have been very peaceful.""
