Defiant Wisconsin Democrats Say Running Away Is Democracy, Too

Feb. 20, 2011— -- The Democratic Wisconsin state senators camped out across the border in Illinois fired back at Gov. Scott Walker today, saying their action to block a vote on his budget proposal is an effort to protect democracy.

Walker, whose budget bill sparked six straight days of protests at the capitol in Madison, today criticized the 14 Democrats, whose absence has prevented the state Senate from achieving the quorum necessary for a vote on the proposal.

"If you want to participate in democracy, you've got to be in the arena, and the arena is right here in Madison, Wisconsin," Walker said on "Fox News Sunday."

"Democracy is not about hiding out in another state," he said. "It's about showing up here in the capital and making the case there."

State Sen. Julie Lassa, who is six months pregnant, said the governor is wrong about her and the others holed up in an Illinois hotel.

"For all of us who left the state, we believe we're standing up for democracy," Nissa told ABC News' Barbara Pinto.

Meanwhile, the tens of thousands of demonstrators protesting Walker's proposal, which would cut benefits for public employees and drastically reduce unions' collective bargaining powers, have paralyzed the state capitol and the protesters said they aren't going anywhere.

"I know that the people here are not going home people are going to be here until he is gone," protester Miles Kristan said.

Walker, though, was just as firm today in his resolve.

"We're willing to take this as long as it takes, because, in the end, we're doing the right thing," he said. "We're doing the right thing for Wisconsin."

He said the Democratic state senators who fled the state have "failed to do their jobs," and he expects them to concede this week.

"My hope is that cooler minds will prevail and by some time earlier this coming week they'll show up for their job," Walker said.

Instead, some 70,000 demonstrators showed up at the Capitol Saturday and a similar number today. Though most of them opposed Walker's budget proposal, which critics say is an effort at union busting, there were many backers of the bill as well this weekend.