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In reply to the discussion: Obama Levels Cheap Shot At Unions - Again [View all]bvar22
(39,909 posts)40. President Obama has no love for Organized LABOR.
Remember back during Campaign 2008 when Obama played a Union Friend?
*
*Promised to "immediately Renegotiate NAFTA to protect our American jobs
*Promised to "put on comfortable shoes" and walk the line with strikers
There have been other insults to LABOR during this Administration,
but the one that hurt me the most happened in 2010 in Arkansas.
The Arkansas Democratic Primary of 2010 was a heart breaking eye opener for the Grass Roots and Organized LABOR. We were given a Look Behind the Curtain,
and it wasn't very pretty.
[font size=3]We did EVERYTHING right in Arkansas in 2010.
We did EXACTLY what the White House asked us to do to "give the President Progressives in Congress that would work with him."[/font]
We organized and supported Democratic Lt Governor Bill Halter, the Pro-LABOR/ Pro-Health Care challenger to DINO Obstructionist Blanche Lincoln's Senate seat.
Halter was:
* Polling BETTER against the Republicans in the General,
*was popular in Arkansas in his OWN right,
*had an Up & Running Political machine,
* had a track record of winning elections (Lt. Governor)
*Had the full backing of Organized LABOR and The Grass Roots activists
*was handing Blanche her Anti-LABOR ass
...and we were WINNING!
Guess what happened.
The White House stepped in at the last minute to save Blanche's failing primary campaign with an Oval Office Endorsement of The Wicked Witch that Wrecked the Obama Agenda who was actually campaigning at that time as the one who had killed the Public Option!!!
Adding insult to injury, the White House sent Bill Clinton back to Arkansas on a state-wide Campaign/Fund Raising Tour for Blanche,
focusing on the areas with high Black Populations, and bashing Organized LABOR and "Liberals" at every opportunity.
For those of us who had worked hard to give President Obama Progressive Democrats who would work with him, it was especially difficult to watch his smiling Oval Office Endorsement for DINO Blanche Lincoln which played 24/7 on Arkansas TV the week before the runoff Primary election.
White House steps in to rescue Lincolns Primary Campaign in Arkansas
"So what did the Democratic Party establishment do when a Senator who allegedly impedes their agenda faced a primary challenger who would be more supportive of that agenda? They engaged in full-scale efforts to support Blanche Lincoln.
* Bill Clinton traveled to Arkansas to urge loyal Democrats to vote for her, bashing liberal groups for good measure.
*Obama recorded an ad for Lincoln which, among other things, were used to tell African-American primary voters that they should vote for her because she works for their interests.
*The entire Party infrastructure lent its support and resources to Lincoln a Senator who supposedly prevents Democrats from doing all sorts of Wonderful, Progressive Things which they so wish they could do but just dont have the votes for.
<snip>
What happened in this race also gives the lie to the insufferable excuse weve been hearing for the last 18 months from countless Obama defenders: namely, if the Senate doesnt have 60 votes to pass good legislation, its not Obamas fault because he has no leverage over these conservative Senators. It was always obvious what an absurd joke that claim was; the very idea of The Impotent, Helpless President, presiding over a vast government and party apparatus, was laughable. But now, in light of Arkansas, nobody should ever be willing to utter that again with a straight face.
Back when Lincoln was threatening to filibuster health care if it included a public option, the White House could obviously have said to her: if you dont support a public option, not only will we not support your re-election bid, but well support a primary challenger against you. Obamas support for Lincoln did not merely help; it was arguably decisive, as The Washington Post documented today:"
<much more>
http://www.salon.com/2010/06/10/lincoln_6/
* Bill Clinton traveled to Arkansas to urge loyal Democrats to vote for her, bashing liberal groups for good measure.
*Obama recorded an ad for Lincoln which, among other things, were used to tell African-American primary voters that they should vote for her because she works for their interests.
*The entire Party infrastructure lent its support and resources to Lincoln a Senator who supposedly prevents Democrats from doing all sorts of Wonderful, Progressive Things which they so wish they could do but just dont have the votes for.
<snip>
What happened in this race also gives the lie to the insufferable excuse weve been hearing for the last 18 months from countless Obama defenders: namely, if the Senate doesnt have 60 votes to pass good legislation, its not Obamas fault because he has no leverage over these conservative Senators. It was always obvious what an absurd joke that claim was; the very idea of The Impotent, Helpless President, presiding over a vast government and party apparatus, was laughable. But now, in light of Arkansas, nobody should ever be willing to utter that again with a straight face.
Back when Lincoln was threatening to filibuster health care if it included a public option, the White House could obviously have said to her: if you dont support a public option, not only will we not support your re-election bid, but well support a primary challenger against you. Obamas support for Lincoln did not merely help; it was arguably decisive, as The Washington Post documented today:"
<much more>
http://www.salon.com/2010/06/10/lincoln_6/
After the White House and Party Leadership had spent a truck full of money torpedoing the Primary challenge of a Pro-LABOR Democrat for Lincoln's Senate seat, the Party support for Lincoln evaporated for the General Election, and as EVERYBODY had predicted, Lincoln lost badly giving that Senate seat to a Republican virtually uncontested in the General Election.
Don't you find it "interesting" that the Party Establishment and conservative Power Brokers would spend all that money in a Democratic Primary to make sure that their candidate won, and then leave Their Winner dangling without support in the General Election?
Many Grass Roots Activists working for a better government concluded that the current Democratic Party Leadership preferred to GIVE this Senate Seat to a Big Business Republican rather than taking the risk that a Pro-LABOR Democrat might win it, and it was difficult to argue with them.
This was greatly reinforced by the Insults & Ridicule to LABOR & The Grass Roots from the White House after their Primary "victory" over Organized LABOR & the Grass Roots in the Arkansas Democratic Primary.
When the supporters of Pro-LABOR Lt Gov Bill Halter asked the White House WHY they had chosen to throw their full support behind Lincoln at the last minute, rescuing her failing campaign, the only answer was ridicule and insults.
Ed Schultz sums up my feeling perfectly in the following clip.
http://crooksandliars.com/heather/ed-schultz-if-it-wasnt-labor-barack-obama-
(Please view the video before accusing me of stretching the truth)
So what did the White House gain by Beating Down Labor and the Grass Roots in the Arkansas Democratic Primary?
We don't know.
The White House has never responded to our questions with an explanation, only insults.
To date, the White House has refused to answer our questions,
or issue an apology for their taunts and ridicule of Organized LABOR and the Grass Roots in the Arkansas Democratic Primary.
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Apparently someone who fooled everyone who voted for his promise of Hope and Change. :( nt
daredtowork
Apr 2015
#204
Agreed..and they've been able to get away with the "social issues alone" agenda
whathehell
Apr 2015
#342
My thought on these Gen 80s loving, Gen Reagan loving and Ayn Rand & Milton Friedman
appalachiablue
Apr 2015
#389
Just returned from a TPP rally. Not a millennial or gen-xer to be found, average age probably 60.
WillTwain
Apr 2015
#392
Precisely. I was very disappointed in him for that, and it said a LOT, in my view..
whathehell
Apr 2015
#36
Glad to see you mention "comfortable shoes" -- that was the first thing I thought of.
Jim Lane
Apr 2015
#172
yes, the republic doors & windows occupation was december 2008; obama assumed the
ND-Dem
Apr 2015
#301
Yes, it WAS a cheap shot..I wonder how much $$ he took from the unions when campaigning?
whathehell
Apr 2015
#3
Well, most union workers, excepting those in Sports & Entertainment, aren't rich
whathehell
Apr 2015
#9
Of course...The unions really "made" the middle class from the forties until the eighties
whathehell
Apr 2015
#33
Obama hired Summers, knowing what havoc repeal of Glass Steagall had caused this country and others,
merrily
Apr 2015
#254
Imagine the closed door meetings between Obama, Emannuel and Summers - laughing at us.
WillTwain
Apr 2015
#264
I've often thought of that, and don't know the explanation, but I agree with with whatthehell.
merrily
Apr 2015
#255
Lots of dollars, now he betrays them. That is why we can never listen to what they SAY
sabrina 1
Apr 2015
#19
I'm more concerned about all the Republicans he placed back in power in his cabinet. Democrats
sabrina 1
Apr 2015
#134
You know his commission picks but not that he said he was like a 1980s moderate Republican?
merrily
Apr 2015
#272
Many members of team Hillary were in his campaign, as was pointed out during a 2008 debate.
merrily
Apr 2015
#259
An intelligent person would find out Hillary's position on TPP before causing her or any Democrat
still_one
Apr 2015
#168
It is sympathy for the fact she will pay for Obama's words. He made her bed, seems a bit shitty.
WillTwain
Apr 2015
#293
Looking at only this one thread, I see inconsistencies in the opinions you express.
merrily
Apr 2015
#425
No, but he got all he really needed. Remember, we only see the hard money numbers--and even they
merrily
Apr 2015
#243
Pitiful and gross. Good old Raygun minus the Southern Strategy strikes again.
TheKentuckian
Apr 2015
#6
I have been trying to let DUers know about the perilous position democrats are in.
WillTwain
Apr 2015
#51
That was a very big and specific statement you made in reply 82, to retract this quickly.
merrily
Apr 2015
#288
BooHoo.. you have no idea what you're saying. Just a lazy cheap pot shot that shows you haven't
Cha
Apr 2015
#193
The unions have threatened to walk away from the Dem party right before the last presidential
sabrina 1
Apr 2015
#28
Unions built America,the party and Obama, yet he talks down to them like this.
WillTwain
Apr 2015
#34
So the fact that he taught at U Chicago LAW SCHOOL suggests he followed Milton Friedman's economics?
elleng
Apr 2015
#156
Not necessarily, but they don't suggest he's a progressive democrat either..
whathehell
Apr 2015
#341
The hostility is FUD ... notice the off hour recs on these half truth threads are..
uponit7771
Apr 2015
#235
Pure Bunk: He will create good jobs all right in China. What does he know that Trumks doesn't?
WillTwain
Apr 2015
#69
Of course you realize the Instant Outrage Based On One Sentence Out of Context has already begun?
Fred Sanders
Apr 2015
#124
Ever heard of "context" and "ad hominem" logical fallacies, because some have?
Fred Sanders
Apr 2015
#306
I get your viewpoint, I get you completely....and you are completely wrong. Trust Obama? Or not?
Fred Sanders
Apr 2015
#310
Thank you for conceding. Pal. I actually thought you were too proud to admit Obama is rude.
WillTwain
Apr 2015
#315
Anyone stupid or naive enough to buy these bullshit, well worn, and nonsense lies
TheKentuckian
Apr 2015
#194
the stupid facts CONSTANTLY get in the way of me being needlessly pissed at Obama!!!!
uponit7771
Apr 2015
#234
You must have expected very little good from BHO's administration, kinda like how I felt about Bush.
Scuba
Apr 2015
#102
Ooh, I spoke to soon. Can't get much more absurd than Obama=Bush nonsense.
geek tragedy
Apr 2015
#116
Dead enders is right. They refuse to acknowledge all the Progress our Dem Prez has made but
Cha
Apr 2015
#415
I don't know if that is absurd hyperbole. It is not disappointing when R's screw over labor
kelly1mm
Apr 2015
#122
Obama was talking a different talk during the 2007 AFL CIO Democratic debate
nationalize the fed
Apr 2015
#62
So, let's all enjoy the German countryside in the lovely trains on the way to Auschwitz.
WillTwain
Apr 2015
#332
Forgiven.. So what did they have to change in Article 123? Please try to focus in your response.
Hoyt
Apr 2015
#343
Do you ever listen to the other side? Listen to Trumka and Gerard. They dwarf Oabama's knowledge.
WillTwain
Apr 2015
#354
They are protecting their turf, I get that.. But it's a relatively small turf nowadays.
Hoyt
Apr 2015
#357
What does that even mean? Or prove? This is a much deeper discussion than trite comments.
WillTwain
Apr 2015
#358
Because the politician definition of 'trade' is very different from the dictionary definition
Scootaloo
Apr 2015
#75
http://www.msnbc.com/the-ed-show/watch/hillary-clinton-breaks-silence-on-tpp-429927491836
WillTwain
Apr 2015
#107
Hey buddy, the link is posted and it is even worse than reported. Settle down.
WillTwain
Apr 2015
#111
I'm certainly not defending those remarks, simply providing them for those who claim they are
Bluenorthwest
Apr 2015
#334
regardless of what the provisions are, are opposed to trade. Unbelievable language
WillTwain
Apr 2015
#370
Blatantly false and merely an opportunity for a cheap shot at adversaries. That is all it is.
WillTwain
Apr 2015
#378
Obama did not save your pension - unions saved your pension. They forced his hand.
WillTwain
Apr 2015
#281
He has Tourette Syndrome for unions: Fuck you unions, Fuck you unions, Fuck you unions.
WillTwain
Apr 2015
#138
Campaigned for Rahm in Chicago, avoided Wisconsin and Walker. In a nutshell, it says it all.
WillTwain
Apr 2015
#287
After years of this kind of outsourcing it can even becomes a serious national security issue.
Enthusiast
Apr 2015
#240
So much for the community organizer. He is a DC insider. He has forgotten where he came from.
liberal_at_heart
Apr 2015
#136
He doesn't need their money or support anymore, and his post-presidential earnings
hughee99
Apr 2015
#141
Ask the workers at US based BMW, VW, TOYOTO, SIEMENS, etc., plants what they think of trade.
Hoyt
Apr 2015
#151
There is, it is called progressive taxes. Except, it must be a global movement.
WillTwain
Apr 2015
#321
Obama pals around with Christian dominionists/Christian reconstructionists; democracy is anathema to
blkmusclmachine
Apr 2015
#158
"He is not dissing unions -- he is explaining their opposition, and how he understands their
Cha
Apr 2015
#192
You call wanting a president that puts American workers first a sanctimonious purity test.
WillTwain
Apr 2015
#390
Yeah, I know, JohnnyRingo.. only it's not really news to me. The same ol shit sandwich.. but,
Cha
Apr 2015
#385
Obama is a rude man. When he is cornered he loses his cool and turns into Cheney.
WillTwain
Apr 2015
#391
You don't get it and that's alright.. it's actually a badge of honor for President Obama
Cha
Apr 2015
#412
He's just acting out for his "100 of Recs".. to show them just how insidpid he can be for those recs
Cha
Apr 2015
#445
Too bad your suspicions are wrong. You may find listening to the people that got his quote right
WillTwain
Apr 2015
#327
Where I live the perception is that you get a union job by being related to or knowing someone
Fumesucker
Apr 2015
#296
People often get jobs of ALL kinds from knowing someone -- That's not unique to unions.
whathehell
Apr 2015
#345
Before you started in on the insults against 90% of the population I had already posted positively
Fumesucker
Apr 2015
#437
That's precisely why I got frustrated with the lack of strike support here
daredtowork
Apr 2015
#438
You really do not want to read it. It is awful. A democratic president trashing unions like that.
WillTwain
Apr 2015
#210
Yet, you seem worried that this will reflect badly on Hillary. I find that odd.
merrily
Apr 2015
#267
His ignorance is staggering. They gave us exactly what they wanted. He was complicit with them.
WillTwain
Apr 2015
#318
The President said, "It would be too expensive." We cannot afford not to do single-payer. More B.S.
WillTwain
Apr 2015
#320
Unions are not against trade. They are against the globalist free trade that has
Zorra
Apr 2015
#346
Well said, Darb. The admins will have some Monday morning reading, I suspect. n/t
FSogol
Apr 2015
#403
It is interesting the difference between the thoughtful replies from the brilliant DUers that have
WillTwain
Apr 2015
#416
Related to the "Third Way Democrats" -- if you are "Third Way" -- then just say it...
PrefersaPension
Apr 2015
#434