“This kind of corporate and special-interest spending is exactly what we could be up against this fall,” he said before asking supporters to donate $3 or more to the president’s reelection campaign. – Jim Messina [The Hill]
MARKOS MOULITSAS TURNED the Wisconsin recall disaster into wine for Pres. Obama. The guy who told people to man the barricades is now ensconced behind them. He’s like many of you still clinging to the notion that Barack Obama’s win in November matters to you. Romney can’t beat Obama in Wisconsin, so take heart! Anyone positing that it’s a positive the President can win in Wisconsin and be elected in the face of a huge union loss where he didn’t show up to make the case for workers, not even with cash, is so obviously in it for himself and his own he’s no longer in the line of work of telling you the truth. It’s hard to know what it will take for activist Democrats and progressives to get a clue, but since they’re choosing to remain blind after Tuesday’s loss, because it’s a lot cozier insider the Democratic bubble, I’m not sure it’s possible. Team Obama is relieved, I’m sure.
The fools’ parade on MSNBC acted like a tonic for dismayed Democratic viewers, because they once again were telling you what you wanted to hear. After a superlative night on the wings of hope, with “analysts” who had their heads firmly planted in the oxygen free clouds, Ed Schultz collapsed in a spasm of blather, while Rachel Maddow was left to deliver the bad news, which she at least did through a contagion of reality bursts that included her diet of chocolate for the long night ahead that never happened. It was left to Lawrence O’Donnell to crown the idiot brigade with the most astounding stupidity of all. The winner on Tuesday was Pres. Obama.
Of course it was, sweety. How could it be otherwise on planet MSNBC?
I know many of you took solace in that notion. The Democratic versus Republican pack mentality of the political sports fan soothed their team was still ahead for November. What that means for the average worker, let alone unions, the poor or anyone outside the wealthiest Americans is irrelevant. That unions don’t even fight for all workers, but just the privileged few who are union members, is why they’re seen as corrupt and continue losing support, but the Democratic teat is their oasis. Never fear, bragging rights for Obama will soothe the Democratic masses.
Without Pres. Obama what do Democrats have? After Wisconsin and the brutal failure of labor, he’s a one-man band of political noise holding up progressives and Democrats so you can believe a November win will matter. The collective political ego of the Democratic Party insiders, activists, union bosses, and voters are holding on to Barack Obama for dear life to convince themselves the cause is relevant.
What “cause” exists, exactly?
What is Pres. Obama fighting for besides himself, the only cause that makes him rise up to do anything?
The guy can’t even find a slogan, stuck with We’re Not Done Yet.
God help us all.
Barack Obama didn’t find the cause of unions important to fight for or the need to make the election results, even in a loss, an important reason for people to rise up and protect the place where the middle class was born. A living wage came about through unions, with Scott Walker continuing the gutting of them begun by Ronald Reagan, on behalf of corporations, the place behind which Barack Obama stands as well. If you’re not standing with the unions manning the barricades you’re no good to them, which Obama proved conclusively through Wisconsin.
The retiring congressman, known for his bluntness, is not the first Democrat to blast his own side for pushing for the recall: former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) told The Hill earlier on Wednesday that the race was a “dumb political fight” for labor to have picked. [The Hill]
So what good is a Democratic politician if he (or she) won’t fight for and make the case to protect a living wage?
The predictable answer passed on from one voting generation to another rings out. Democrats are better than Republicans, never mind that if they won’t protect a working wage or go down trying they’re useless to the middle class.
Now, with the victory over unions on Walker’s behalf behind them, the right will turn to other fertile ground. They’ve already taken root in Massachusetts, where Elizabeth Warren is the next coveted casualty. A working class hero from Harvard whose latest assault from the right is about her native American heritage, which they’re attempting to turn into scandal.
Elizabeth Warren is the progressive Scott Walker.
The woman who Pres. Obama wouldn’t appoint to the bureau she envisioned, because it made Goldman man Timothy Geithner uncomfortable, with there only one reason why that was so and it isn’t because she’s a friend of Wall Street over main street.
Will Warren go the way of the unions in Wisconsin? If Karl & Company have their way she will, with Democratic and progressive voters already walking the same path they took over unions, oblivious of Elizabeth and contented as long as Pres. Obama comes out on top.
I remain fascinated that anyone pretending to have Democratic, progressive, let alone liberal, political views cares whether Pres. Obama wins or loses. What it’s going to take for people to understand he’s not fighting any of your battles, but only waging his own for himself, is unknown at this point, but maybe when he shoots for legacy on the “grand bargain” fence of history people will tune in and, perhaps, wake up. Then it will be too late, though it already is and was a long time ago.
One of the most important battles worth waging in 2012 is one for the survival and preservation of Elizabeth Warren to make sure her power is institutionalized in the Senate (though I remain skeptical Warren will remain who she is today in that cave of men and party group think). Her brilliance percolating for the lone road of the presidency, a choice that could be dashed if she loses in November. The most powerful woman not in a position of authority today, whom the right has in their sights. Scott Brown is a good politician and people aren’t employed nearly enough on Ms. Warren’s behalf as her challenge mounts, which will intensify with union’s scalp on Rove’s belt.
Why anyone would think Pres. Obama is worth more than Elizabeth Warren stuns me, but then I’m not attached to the outcome and exaltation of the head of a political party to salve my own political ego. The only team to which I belong is that of my husband’s and his blue collar struggles in a year where people are foregoing raises so the bosses can get their share.
But wait, don’t forget Supreme Court appointments, which is why Pres. Obama matters. Forever afraid of the Roe battle, held hostage by the Supreme Court canard, lower wages and less equity remains the most lethal threat to the American democratic republic. If people believe Americans will stand for women in bondage it’s time to have that war and invigorate the dead left, who’s afraid of challenging politicians who’ve earned it, and become too comfortable at home.
Democratic voters remain tethered to a dying idea that their vote for Obama is a vote for “fairness,” unions and the middle class. This disease of delusion can be traced all the way back to Obama’s back room deals on health care, including the Stupak betrayal, but that’s been wiped away for many through Obama’s contraceptive mandate for women in the year of his reelection. After the shift of wealth to the banks people still didn’t get it about Obama, evidently missing the Goldman Sachs brigade inside 1600. When Obama ignored Elizabeth Warren for a recess appointment that just as easily could just have been hers, people barely blinked. After Wisconsin and Pres. Obama’s complete abdication of the institution that built the middle class, unions, the shrugs were almost unanimous. Obama can win Wisconsin in November!
That’s all that matters to many, which is why the Democratic Party is a hollow place where people scream and all it does is echo.
Nothing will ever change and the Democratic Party will continue its zombie march as long as people refuse to accept their patsy role in propping up a political party that doesn’t stand for anything except winning the next election and the power that can be amassed to keep the machine going. They refuse to tell you or admit that the bulk of their influence has already passed away to the right who’s insurgent army of Tea Party conservatives, backed by Karl and Company, has risen up to take the agenda, enabled by an ideologically vacuous President who prides himself on compromise instead of principles that work for the average man and woman, something Republicans aren’t interested in, because as long as you believe you can be one of the 1% even with the deck stacked against you from the start they’ve got you where they want you.
Mission accomplished, as they say.
The only power you have is from the outside, letting those on the inside fend for themselves. Picking heroes of the working man and woman like Elizabeth Warren and very few others, Sen. Sherrod Brown comes to mind, and leaving the cowards like Barack Obama to his own devices, another cog in a long line responsible for the Democratic brand’s destruction.
Men like Pres. Obama always make it through, then never turn back to see the carnage left in their wake, because they’re too busy polishing their legacy to be bothered.
Just @#$%6789 perfect, Taylor. Absolutely perfect.
For that, emphasis on the “@#$%6789,” I thank you.
That paragraph Taylor are the money words. How can President Obama be for “fairness, unions, and the middle class” when Wall Street “all up in his bizness”? How can Romney as well? These are fundamental and quite unsettling questions that many don’t want to answer. And it’s why I will remain a 3rd party protest voter. I don’t hate Wall Street. I hate Wall Street’s influence over the Executive and Legislative Branches. The force is strong with Wall Street and they don’t need Jedi mind tricks to get President Obama and “trying to become President” Romney then to bend to their will. Conservatives and Liberals should not stand for that amount of influence. But Wall Street is flipped, flopped, fried, baked, steamed, rolled, roasted, grilled, BBQ’d, and cut into irregular pieces and thrown at the masses by politicians with lots of nonsensical gravy. And it keeps us all fighting stupid.
That’s using *your* power, big guy.
More using your power to hand every election to Republicans! Michelle Bachmann, Allen West and Joe Walsh are all in the Congress because their Liberal opponents split their votes!
Big deal. I’m already working on my Power Ball eventual win so I can buy Michelle Bachmann, Allen West and Joe Walsh off. And I make great pecan pie too!
That was helpful and pointless!
Taylor, this is spot on!
An incisive analysis of the mess we are in. Obama not standing up for unions and the middle-class in Wisconsin,… Clinton, Booker, and Ford defending Bain Capital… we need more Elizabeth Warrens, not fewer.
And we need pundits that actually advocate for the poor. It is painful to watch the teevee versions of the news anymore, and msnbc is not helping.
We need a new alliance of progressives with some energy for people to rally around, if we are going to bring change to America.
Appreciate it very much, joeinoklahoma.
It begins with a new economic model that holds Wall Street & banks accountable for malfeasance instead of bailing the criminals out.
It would also require tearing the machine down from outside, something Democrats and progressives have been way too lazy to do, unlike the scrappy, right wing rabble on the right.
The Wisconsin election was not about removing collective bargaining rights of public sector unions no matter how much as the professional Progressive left try to blame labor unions,Conservative Super Pacs, President Obama and the National Democratic Party.
The exit polls show that President Obama would defeat Ronmey with the same margin of victory or greater than the Walker’s margin of victory. 19% of Walker voters interviewed said they had already made up their minds to vote for Obama in November. The most remarkeable exit poll finding was that a staggering 60% of all voters were against the recall. The believe that recall elections should only be held in the case of high crimes, misdemeanors or personal corruption or malfeasance by the office holder being recalled and recall elections should never be held because of political differences.
Rinse.
Repeat.
Regurgitate.
Ha!
ROTFLMAO!!! Taylor, your point was just made–it is all about Obama…who cares about Warren and Wisconsin as long as Obama is re-elected….
Rinse.
Repeat.
Regurgitate…
I have been listening to a progressive station and one caller ripped the citizens of Wisconsin and was blaming them for how they voted. HELLO!!! The final numbers were that Walker earned the 53.2 percent of the vote, while Barrett brought in 46.3 percent. Well gee, whiz, if “the people” of Wisconsin are so horrible, what about the 46.3% people who voted AGAINST Scott Walker? I guess they just don’t matter, as long as Obama wins Wisconsin in November…rinse, repeat, regurgitate…
Then there are those who defend Obama’s turning his back on the state and agree that it wasn’t his battle to fight. Does anyone wonder why he has been a lame-duck President for the lion’s share of his tenure? He can’t get squat done because he only cares about himself and didn’t help to get out the vote for other candidates in 2010 and allowed himself to be handcuffed and blames the Republicans. When you are the general of the war, you have to rally the troops and fight smart and save enough of their lives so they can help fight. When you let them lose their political lives, guess what? You have no troops to fight with you to save your own hide….DOH!!!
So far, the Army of Karl Rove is out maneuvering Team Obama.
Thank you, Taylor, for helping me to find my conscience on this issue. I cannot and will not vote for Obama OR Romney. I have no issue with my local Democratic representatives and will vote for them. But Obama has not earned my vote and therefore, he will not get it.
Thanks to this post, I have decided to vote 3rd Party for President.
The exit polls show that President Obama would defeat Ronmey with the same…
bored now, doodling
Kos: pro Bush, pro Iraq War(until inconvenient), pro-Obama. Seems pretty consistently…wrong.
Silly us. We figured that an election that was prompted by organized labor after a newly-elected governor tried to limit their collective bargaining rights was about collective bargaining rights. But you have brilliantly rebutted, via proof by affirmation, that silly notion.
I’m standing beside myself in awe.
Wow! Just…WOW What Ramsgate said! I was trying to pick my favorite quote, but then I found myself wanting to copy and paste the entire post! Now I realize that all that booms that woke me up this morning were the exploding heads of Obama fans who have read this.Every word is spot on.
I do believe I have come up with the perfect campaign slogan for his re-election: “Vote for Obama…Just because.”
Means a lot, really.
heh-heh… too funny.
TM NOTE: Please continue to use the share tools, everyone. The last one is new; it’s Stumble Upon. Thanks very much.
I have this inexplicable desire to have a cigarette after reading that!
Ha!
At least make it a cigar or a joint!
Minimal computer access at the moment, but for someone who has been saying “Obama being Obama” and “Two Party Front for the Oligarchy” for quite some time, you know I love this post, Taylor
Amen! Preach it, sister!
Perfect Post
thank you, madame mayor.
Guess what just entered my In Box? An panicked email from Move-on with the subject “New polls: Obama’s losing” asking me to donate $5 to beat the Super Pacs…
Thanks but no thanks. I am going to take that $5 and donate it Elizabeth Warren.
GENIUS. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every time OFA or any other institutional group of whatever sort emailed people they gave to a champion of working men & women, whether it’s Ms. Warren or someone on Blue America!? Yes it would.
For anyone else here’s the donate page for Elizabeth Warren.
Oddly enough, I find this article today, that asserts that The One himself was a third party member before he sold out to the Big D machine.
I have no dog in this fight, so believe it or don’t believe it as you so desire.
On the evening of January 11, 1996, while Mitt Romney was in the final years of his run as the head of Bain Capital, Barack Obama formally joined the New Party, which was deeply hostile to the mainstream of the Democratic party and even to American capitalism. In 2008, candidate Obama deceived the American public about his potentially damaging tie to this third party. The issue remains as fresh as today’s headlines, as Romney argues that Obama is trying to move the United States toward European-style social democracy, which was precisely the New Party’s goal.
In late October 2008, when I wrote here at National Review Online that Obama had been a member of the New Party, his campaign sharply denied it, calling my claim a “crackpot smear.” Fight the Smears, an official Obama-campaign website, staunchly maintained that “Barack has been a member of only one political party, the Democratic Party.” I rebutted this, but the debate was never taken up by the mainstream press.
Recently obtained evidence from the updated records of Illinois ACORN at the Wisconsin Historical Society now definitively establishes that Obama was a member of the New Party. He also signed a “contract” promising to publicly support and associate himself with the New Party while in office.
Republicans hate poor people. Democrats are spineless. 95% of everything is just variations on that.
Wow! Fantastic post, Taylor. I see why we waited s bit for your latest. Now…..take a deep breath….
You know, you are all right….VOTE GUS HALL!!!!!! That’ll show em!!
Actually, I was thinking of voting for Pokeman….
I’m sure Ralph Nader will run again, so maybe you can throw your vote that way.
I understand he’s gonna campaign in a Corvair.
Funny, If Republicans were sane, (big if) Obama would make an outstanding Republican president. He’s just 50 years too late, that being when sane Republicans died off. Of course 50 years ago he’d be 100% too black. The cosmic cogs did not align for our near-miss Jedi master.
Ramsgate-I was thinking along the same lines, only more of the entire Democratic Party. As far as the economy goes, taxes, Medicare, Social Security, all the major players seem to be on the same page, albeit it slightly different degrees. I think the 2 should just make it official and “merge” to make way for a Party of the People, By the People and For the People. A party where corporations are NOT people.
Bravo Taylor! Excellent post. This Wisconsin thing angers me so much and Obama’s little tweet in the last hour to elect the Dem candidate… What a disgrace. Thanks for your post.
Also — Can I please be taken off moderation?
No.
Classic Obama derangement. If a whale went missing you would find some absurd way of twisting into being all President Obama’s fault. Taylor I think your real problem is that you are just angry that most people in this country simply don’t share your political point of view. The Dems lost in Wisconsin because most of the people that state didn’t agree with the recall in the first place. The Dems didn’t lose because the President didn’t fight for Unions and working people they lost because nobody likes a sore loser. The Dems had their chance in 2010 decided not the show up to vote, lost and when Gov. Walker started doing things they didn’t like decided they wanted another bite at the apple. Of course you and your followers would just rather scapegoat President Obama and attack his character.
Deal with it Taylor most people in this country are either center-left or center right, that is why most politicians are centrist and that is also why most elections are won and lost somewhere in the middle! That is also why despite Walker’s win in Wisconsin President Obama is on track to beat Romney in that state.
As for Elizabeth Warren? The fact that a diehard lefty like Warren can’t do better than 50/50 in the polls a deep blue state against a conservative who just voted against equal pay for women tells you everything one needs to know about where most people stand politically in this country. In deep blue state Massachusetts Warren can only manage to breakeven, meanwhile according to the polls those same voters are planning to give President Obama a huge double digit victory come this November!
Taylor you should never use the world “bubble” to describe others! Your site save a very few is the very definition of a bubble. Most people in this country, even most Dems are not diehard liberal, deal with it!
Classic Obama derangement. If a whale went missing you would find some absurd way of twisting into being all President Obama’s fault.
But a whale is missing, the one called Shamu Democracy.
That was helpful.
You’re welcome!
In-kind gift equal in value to your comments,
OMG! Here we go again…
Rinse.
Repeat.
Regurgitate.
President Obama is responsible for every election Dems lose!
Rinse
Repeat
Regurgitate
HELLO!!! The final numbers were that Walker earned the 53.2 percent of the vote, while Barrett brought in 46.3 percent.
Glad you brought that up. Let us take a moment to honor the concept of poster’s accountability. For all those here that said polls showed “dead even”, I will suggest you find a more reliable source for your information in the future or go to Walgreen’s and buy a pair of reading glasses. Secondly, let us stipulate for the record that PPP has shown itself to be an unreliable polling outfit as has WeAskAmerica. Thirdly, let’s stipulate the lefty guy who writes for the JournalSentinel that Taylor Marsh likes to quote all the time is a total crackpot who claimed Marquette University Law School always “leans right”…….since they win the prize for the most consistent and accurate pollster of all in the Wisconsin recall election.
Final Results – – 53.2 46.3 Walker +6.9
RCP Average 5/17 – 6/3 – 51.5 44.8 Walker +6.7
WeAskAmerica
6/3 – 6/3 1570 LV 54 42 Walker +12
PPP (D)
6/2 – 6/3 1226 LV 50 47 Walker +3
Marquette University
5/23 – 5/26 600 LV 52 45 Walker +7
WeAskAmerica
5/23 – 5/23 1409 LV 54 42 Walker +12
WPR/St. Norbert
5/17 – 5/22 406 LV 50 45 Walker +5
Daily Kos/PPP (D)
5/11 – 5/13 LV 50 45 Walker +5
WeAskAmerica
5/13 – 5/13 1219 LV 52 43 Walker +9
Marquette University
5/9 – 5/12 600 LV 50 44 Walker +6
Rasmussen Reports
5/9 – 5/9 500 LV 50 45 Walker +5
Like the arrogant pompous poster that you are CO, you missed the point of my post by dwelling on the details. In your arrogant opinion, only geniuses are allowed to speak and all others should be silenced. But like any other idiot with access to the internet, I will not let you try to shut me up by insulting me.
My point is, in all of these reports (even the ones you cited) over 40% (+ 2 to +7) – your numbers not mine- of those who voted did so against Walker. In my humble opinion (although I doubt you comprehend the word “humble”) 40% is nothing to sneeze at. And those individuals who are fiercely defending Obama, are trashing the people of Wisconsin, which again in my humble opinion, is flat out wrong.
My post had no reflection back to the point you were making. I simply used your sentence to bring up another point. I was thanking you for your sentence as it served as a reminder……….sheesh.
I hadn’t heard of WeAskAmerica before, but I’m none too fond of PPP. They’re generally less accurate. Oh, and any pollster Kos picks is almost automatically suspect now.
I feel as though my work is done.
Good rant, Taylor, and a very true one. Progressives must get over the idea that voting for the guy with the ‘D’ next to his name is going to help us. We’re not going to see any change in the direction this country is going until that happens.
Ms. Marsh: I think you should stop beating around the bush and just speak your mind.
With presidents like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, the logical conclusion is that there will no longer be a “Democratic” party. In this Orwellian scenario, there will be a president and a Republi-Congress. And a “democratic” president will spend his/her time explaining why they can’t get anything done; why they’ve had to repeatedly sell out the little people in order to reach comity with the ‘serious” people in Congress.
Barack Obama has turned out to be as useless as henshit on a pump handle. The Republicans might be crazy, but give them their due; they fight for something. There is not fight in this president, and without that there is no leadership. I want no one to misconstrue what I say here, but history always provides lessons and parallels. To mention Hitler in this context is to compare Obama to him, and that is not what I’m saying. I AM comparing egos, and for the following reason.
In the final weeks of World War II, Hitler finally admitted to an aide that the war was lost. The reason, he said, was because the German people had “failed him.” And in THAT particular regard I read Obama’s ego to come up with the same conclusion. He’s perfect; he’s a genius…it’s just the American people are not worthy of him.
I figure he’ll clear $50 million a year with speaking fees. That is all that matters. A two-term president gets higher fees than a one-term president.
Forward!
Yeah, I gotta work on that.
Excellent Post Taylor !! I think Labor and Unions are in major trouble in the Globel world economy. Its sad that President Obama won’t stand up for them as well as his party, I guess he cares too much about his own re-election and big bussiness, and so does Romney. Two Corp. owned candidates to vote for. I will vote third party.
Great Post as always, so here is my 2 cents. BO and the Dems will never put there butts on the line when it counts. As other posters have stated they are only concerned with winning the next election. The Dems have no core values therefore messaging is irrelevant. Medicare, Medicare, Medicare, is not a message that relates to people that are not on it. Regarding Unions the problem is this. Getting the Unions together both private and public sector is like herding cats (similar to the democratic party). Right now the target is the public sector unions, trust me the private sector Unions will be right behind. You see no one believes it can ever happen to them till it does. I’m from the midwest and saw first hand the damage that was done to the steel industry that also hit the auto industry. White collar workers basically did not care because hey whats the big deal, there will be other jobs. Go back to school, get more education. Sound familiar. Blue collar middle class workers were being killed and no one blinked an eye. Well now that this economic disaster has worked its way up to white collar worker everyone sitting around with their thumb up their a$$es wondering how it happened. Well just look back to the late 70′s as this is when it started at least in my lifetime. Instead of so many people complaining about the benefits that the Unions workers have they should be joining them to build stronger Unions. Now the Unions have some major issues they need to deal with. Messaging is one of them. Most people don’t even know the functions of Unions other than striking. As the average person on the street what is collective bargaining and you will get a blank stare. Last what is the easiest and most targeted Union? Teachers, what are teachers unions mainly comprised of? Women!! I’m not saying there’s a War on Women, but makes wonder just a little. Great conversation everyone.
I like your thoughts, nightrain37, especially on teacher unions full of women – I’ve often thought about that myself. Of course, like the blue-collar union members you mention, nobody gave a second thought, 30 years ago when teachers made half of what many private sector employees made. Now that the economy is in shambles and private sector jobs have gone overseas, public employees are cast as the new villains because they have some moderate security in pensions and health benefits. Instead of aspiring to that level, we now go to the lowest common denominator and the politics of fear. I agree with you on the messaging that unions need to do.
Here’s a nice summation of the recall:
The short version: Voters everywhere are finally starting to realize that municipalities, states, and (here’s hoping) the federal government are out of money. That’s the real message of the major contests last night.
It’s not particularly ideological, though both winners and losers will likely take it that way. Democrats, liberals, and pro-union forces will bitch and moan about “outside money,” the effect of Citizens United, the decimation of the working man and the middle class. Republicans, conservatives, and anti-union types will chest-bump each other about how they’re taking the country back from leftists who want to devote more school lessons to Lenin than George Washington and can now feel safe about pushing traditional values and whatnot.
None of this is the case. In Wisconsin, Gov. Scott Walker was targeted for a recall because he pushed to limit collective bargaining of teachers and public workers other than cops and firefighters. But the stripping of union power was incidental to what Badger State voters actually wanted, which was for public employees (including cops and firemen) to pay more for their health care and retirement benefits. Wisconsin faced a multi-billion budget deficit and getting public-sector workers to kick in more for their benefits, which are relatively plush compared to analogous private-sector workers, helped close the gap. The Reason-Rupe Poll of Wisconsin adults found that about 70 percent of residents thought that made sense, even though a plurality of them had favorable opinions toward public employee unions. By and large, voters care less about “unions” and more about whether they feel like they’re paying too much for services.
In San Diego and San Jose, the second- and third-largest cities in California, roughly 70 percent of voters favored putting new public-sector workers into 401(k)-style retirement plans. This is no small thing. The main upside of such defined-contribution plans is that it caps what taxpayers are on the hook for and it does away with bullshit annual returns for retirees that typically far outpace the market. San Diego and San Jose, like the state of which they are part, are tight on cash and pension costs are a major reason.
I agree and would contribute a further refinement. You can also read comments by posters above expressing wonderment at the union households that supported Walker.
But those private sector unionized workers are collectively bargaining with the dastardly corporate oligarchy for a piece of what otherwise becomes stockholder wealth accumulation. In the case of public sector unions, it is coming out of the taxpayer’s pocket……and since we all know taxes are nearly non-existent on the upper-income class, ergo, the burden of those pension plan enrichments and 3 month paid vacations falls exclusively on the poor and middle class.
Collective bargaining in the public sector is fundamentally different than in the private sector. Put most simply, the government is not simply another market actor, because the government lacks the same economic incentives as private industry. Perhaps more importantly, the government is uniquely entrusted with the political power of the people to act for the benefit of the entire public. To provide to a special interest group unique tools and procedures to use as leverage to wrest that power for itself is anti-democratic and tyrannical. Finally, the public sector collective bargaining, unlike in the private sector, permits a union political leverage over the employer, making negotiations less than arms’ length.
I, personally, have no axe to grind with most public sector unions. As far as I am concerned, they can strike the rest of their life away. Like Walker, I will concede more leverage to police and fire. Otherwise, I am more than happy to take my chances on surviving without the benefit of their services.
this is the problem, when they go after one Union eventually they will figure out a way to go after whats left (police/fire fighters). The ultimate prize is simply to get rid of Unions and collective bargaining. I am not and have never been in a Union but I grew up around many of fathers friends that worked in the steel mills. What do you think “Right to Work is all about”. Getting rid of Unions, period. My son just hired on at Wal-Mart and during orientation they spent 25 minutes telling them how bad Unions are. Bottom line, if corporations had their way ppl here would be paid slave wages no matter what the skills or education. Employees are a liability, despite the contributions they make to keep the company in the businesss of making money. I guess Gordon Gekko had it right “Greed is good”. It was the Unions that helped build whats left of the middle class. I will say it again, “No one ever gives a damn till is hits home”.
You’re right. I think it’s precious that people who obviously are in the upper few percent of the population mentally, and clearly have professional jobs where they can spend at least part of what would normally be their work days talking about how they’ll “take their chances”, as if they have any idea what that means for most people.
Really enjoy reading everyone’s take. Thanks for taking the time to expound.
Have you read Matt Stoller? You’ll LOVE the headline.
Hadn’t gotten over to NC yet today, but I loved this bit:
Nothing a lot of us haven’t said here and elsewhere, but it will remain news to a lot of so-called progressives until at least November.
About the only thing I disagree with is Stoller’s basic point – Obama isn’t the problem. His continued existence as the leader of the Democratic Party is just a sign of how ineffectual progressives have become.
It’s a good piece.
I think it’s both and it created a perfect storm.
If by that you mean that Obama’s actions have made things worse for progressives, I agree. Still, if they weren’t pretty close to out of it to begin with, Obama wouldn’t be where he is right now.
So, what’s the plan?
A feasible plan (one that factors in time constraints such as climate chaos and/or economic collapse).
“So, what’s the plan?”
Oh JEEBUS CRISPIES you don’t spect anyone to come up with anything other then I AIN’T VOTING DEM or I’M VOTING THIRD PARTY do ya?
Of course in the mean time that would involve turning the Presidency AND the Congress AND the Supreme Cort over to the repugnantklan/teabagger contingent of the wackosphere…….but that’s OK, you’ll be making a VERY strong point!
This isn’t a group effort, because every vote is individual. There are as many answers as there are people and it’s long past time that it was that way.
The economic “collapse” could happen regardless of who anyone votes for in November. I seriously hope I don’t actually have to educate anyone on that fact.
secularhumanizinevoluter 07 June 2012 at 8:48 pm
You are stuck, man. It’s not about finding a political party. No serious person who cares about policy and issues is in the least interested in the threats about Republicans. Let’s have the fights, turn things upside down and maybe the politicians will wake up.
Democrats bailed out the banks and are likely going to deal on entitlements, without cutting Pentagon first or going to the mat on taxes, while Pres. Obama plays roulette with his kill lists.
Up your frickin’ game, because when Democrats start saying unions shouldn’t make a stand on collective bargaining they’re not who they used to be and NO ONE who believes in the working man and woman should support them anymore.
Yes, yes yes and…yes.
Where’s your “feasible plan”? I know I can vote third party without spending a dime, as can everyone else. I know I can keep on doing it as long as I have to until enough progressives join me, and either the Democrats wise up or a third party pushes them aside.
We can do that forever. Plus, when the Democrats and their sycophantic “progressive” organizations aren’t in power, they’ll be telling folks like you how bad it is that the Republicans are doing all these things, and you’ll be happy to oppose them.
So, where is your plan? Where are the billions of dollars going to come from for primary challenges? How are you going to stop the full weight of the Democratic Party coming down on every upstart progressive who decides to enter a House or Senate primary? Tell me how all that is going to happen, because unless the Democratic Party sees that as being in its own interest, they will never do anything besides what the Republicans would do in their place. As long as enough progressives still give them their unconditional support, they’ll never see it as in their interest.
Taylor, you have expressed what I’ve had in my head for a long time. Thank you for this and the series of posts over the last week. You have hit a nerve here with lots of us with these continued posts. And, this one was a pearl of wisdom.
I wish I had more time today and this evening to post more but, for now, please accept this as a small token of my appreciation for your immensely perceptive and spot on commentary.
I’m also in awe of the number of interesting, intelligent, perceptive and witty commenters (and, except for a few, even those with whom I don’t always agree) on this blog. It’s cool and a privilege to be part of this community. I look forward to reading your and Joyce’s posts daily. After my emails, this blog is the first among other equal blogs (not many may I add) that I visit daily.
I sometimes get so down about what’s going on in our country but this place rejuvenates me. Thank you.
Hi, Taylor! You’re doing great here. I love this post. You are absolutely on the right track.
Interesting post, Taylor. You make some great points but until the obscene amounts of money are eliminated from our electoral system, I don’t see much changing. We really need public financing of elections to get to the real needs of Main Street. I’m not sure a third party will be the answer because, it, too will need huge sums of money to compete. By the way, I plan on making a donation to both Sherrod Brown and Elizabeth Warren – I admire them a lot. I also think Supreme Court nominations matter a lot. I don’t minimize their importance.
Are you human? Your comment kinda reads like a form letter.
What an ignorant comment.
This comment has been deleted because it was off topic.