The Senate handed Republicans a complete victory this afternoon, in a crisis they manufactured, then exploited, to wring $2.1 trillion in cuts from the federal budget over the next decade.

Tired of being scapegoats for all the ills of the public schools, 200 teachers from 15 states, Puerto Rico, Canada, and Mexico were in Chicago July 6 for the National Conference to Fight Back for Public Education.

With state and local governments staring at deep budget gaps, politicians across the spectrum are blaming public sector workers for the river of red ink. “We can no longer live in a society where the public employees are the haves and taxpayers who foot the bills are the have-nots,” crowed Scott Walker, Wisconsin’s newly elected governor, in a recent speech. Forget about the fact that it was out-of-control bankers and greedy CEOs—the real haves in this country—who derailed the economy three years ago.

Saturday’s One Nation rally on the Mall in Washington, D.C. proved one important point: unions can still turn out. The big question is whether it will be the launching pad for a more challenging relationship with labor's “friends in Washington.”