Trey Smith
It’s all part of sad, abusive relationship, with labor playing the victim, making all the excuses a battered wife makes when her friends try to get her to leave her violent husband. “Obama will be better in the second term” (“He can change”), “Obama’s decision was strategic” (“He didn’t mean it”), “The Democrats still side with labor on core issues” (“There’s still some good in him”) and “We can’t fight these battles without allies in the government” (“I can’t survive on my own”).It's a really apt metaphor, isn't it? Year after year, organized labor turns out big time for Democratic Party candidates and, year after year, the Democrats abuse them!
~ from Labor as the Democrats’ ATM by Ari Paul ~
During the campaign season, Democratic candidates (like one Barack Obama) talk about how they will stand up for working people if only labor muscle will help get them elected or reelected. Once ensconced in office, the campaign rhetoric is tossed aside. This happens over and over and over again, but organized labor never seems to learn the lesson.
It's like the abused spouse who refuses to leave her mate. "He promised he won't hit me again," she says. In a matter of minutes, hours, days or weeks, the abuse begins anew. Each time aid or protection is offered, she turns it down because she "knows" that this time he really, really means it. And each time she is wrong.
Organized labor sings this same refrain every two years and each time they turn out to be wrong too!
I think both parties do this. The "Christian" Right is always making the same complaint about Republicans -- they get them all fired up over the sanctity of unborn children and the dreaded Homosexual Agenda, and then when they've gotten elected they ignore them until the next election.
ReplyDeleteThis is the trouble with the 2-party system and voting for the lesser of two evils. I do it too, since I can't think of an alternative. I'll vote for Obama no matter how weak or two-faced he is, just because the Republicans will be even worse. And rightwing Republicans will vote for Romney no matter how many flipflops he's done, because they think Obama is even worse.
This is the dilemma. I don't know what the solution is.
Most voters have some core issues and, because of my core issues, there's no way in the world I can cast a vote for Obama. Maybe the solution is for the majority of Americans to choose NOT to vote in the presidential race. That would send a powerful message -- both domestically and abroad -- that neither candidate represents the vast majority of the people.
DeleteThey're fools. Only a Socialist President would stand up for rights of the worker.
ReplyDeleteA socialist president? Not in my lifetime and probably not in yours either.
Deletethe problem with that is Socialists only stand up for government workers. What about the rights of the private sector workers. Shouldn't everyone be playing by the same rules? I don't know what the solution is either but to have some people benefiting more than others at other's expense doesn't seem all that fair to me.
ReplyDeleteAnd you can't have the entire country or even more that half become government workers because their would be no revenue to fund it all.
I say shrink the size of government starting with the politicians and make them kick in their so called"fair share" and stop taking advantage of the tax payers
No, socialists stand up for ALL workers.
Deleteso they want everyone to make 20.00 per hour with lifetime benefits and pensions? Gotta love the Broken European model. I hear the 18 week wait time for a doctor has come down. What is i 16 weeks now?
ReplyDeleteI guess they need workers to make alot so they can take alot to cover all of it including non workers