If the AFL-CIO does not endorse Obama, but other unions do, how do you vote to support labor?

[LoZoccolo]

[MannyGoldstein]

1. Plenty of time - the rest will come 'round. nt

[tridim]

2. I would ignore the AFL-CIO and vote for Obama, who has always supported unions.

[Arctic Dave]

3. What do you have as proof to that statement? nt

[tridim]

11. History.

[Arctic Dave]

12. Uhhh, yeah....

Are you going to be in the swimsuit contest next?

[ThomWV]

5. I'd go with the AFL-CIO and not vote for Obama, who has rarely supported Unions.

Obama went out of his way to avoid setting foot in Wisconsin. Less enthusiastic union support has rarely been seen.

[tridim]

9. Who are you going to vote for?

[ThomWV]

17. One Senator, one Congressman, and a whole bunch of down-ticket candidates.

[gateley]

13. Sadly, I think that was a political call. He SAID he supported

the workers/unions in WI, but I think he didn't go for fear of "interfering in States' rights". I think I read that somewhere, I KNOW I heard him say he supported them.

[sudopod]

15. "...States' rights..."

:3

[LoZoccolo]

20. I thought it was a bad idea for him to go simply because he was less popular than the protests.

[Xicano]

26. Talk is cheap.

Oil companies claim they're for the environment. Republicans say they support the working class too. They also say they support freedom and equality.

[Bluebear]

27. He sure is interfering with states investigating the banks though

[tblue]

8. Yeah. Like when?

I know he SAYS unions should be protected but, heck, talk is easy.

[tridim]

10. Like, his entire life.

[Joe Fields]

32. Bullshit alert!!!

[tridim]

33. He has supported unions his entire public life.

Pretending he doesn't is bullshit.

[Joe Fields]

31. Looks to me like you've ignored Obama these last two years.

[Travis_0004]

4. How about you think about the issues yourself, instead of voting for who somebody else tells you to.

[ThomWV]

7. How about we take the advice of someone who has stood face to face with Obama, rather than the media

Who should I believe, the White House Press Secretary or Fox news or the guy who stood face to face with Obama trying to get a deal for the unions even half as good as Corporations get every day?

[Davis_X_Machina]

6. The AFL-CIO will endorse...

...Obama enthusiastically.

I'll take any odds, any wagers.

[Omaha Steve]

19. The Hill: AFL-CIO: Labor will stand by Obama Aug 18, 2011

You win.

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/177271-afl-cio-labor-will-stand-by-obama-

By Michael O'Brien and Kevin Bogardus - 08/18/11 05:15 AM ET

Organized labor won't sit out President Obama's reelection campaign and let a Republican win the presidency, the AFL-CIO's political director said Wednesday.

Despite the frustration labor activists have expressed toward the administration for the deals it has cut with congressional Republicans, Obama is still a better alternative to a potential Republican president, said Michael Podhorzer, the labor federation's top politics officer.

"I don't think that the labor movement will be on the sidelines with President Obama," he said in a sit-down interview with The Hill Wednesday.

Podhorzer said that the union is likely to announce this fall that it's creating a so-called "super-PAC" that can spend and receive unlimited amounts of campaign donations. Podhorzer said the labor federation has been limited by election laws to contacting just its own members but that with a super-PAC, the AFL-CIO can expand its outreach to non-union voters as well.


FULL story at link.

[Rabblevox]

14. I will vote Obama, but I will no longer donate or campaign like I did last time...

Although I started off last time as a Clinton supporter, when it became clear that Obama would be the Dem. nominee, I gave dollars and many hours of my time to his campaign. His victory speech in Chicago gave me chills, and will go down in history as one of the most eloquent political speeches ever.

No Fucking More!

He has proven to be a corpratist, Wall-Street tool, who does not give one rat-shit about ordinary Americans, has no interest in ending the wars, and will bend over to be the bankers bitch any time they whistle.

I'm pretty sure that in 100 years he will be rated one of the weakest, worst, US presidents ever. (Yup, worse than Cleveland, Hoover, Grant, and Jackson)

And yet I have to fucking vote for him. There are no other options. I wish I could vote for Nixon (who's record is startlingly liberal)

I wish we had a viable 3rd party. I wish we had IRV. I wish the electoral college had been abolished decades ago. I wish that corporations weren't people, and that money did not equal speech.

But "wish in one hand, shit in the other".

I fucking hate to say this, but he is the lesser of evils.

I'll vote for him again, dear god forgive me.

[upi402]

16. battered wives for Obama!

fer chist sakes.......................

[TBF]

18. You don't VOTE to support labor, as far as I'm concerned, you protest

in other ways. Voting is a very small part of the process. I will likely vote for Obama, because as much as I'd like to get Good Hair out of Texas it's really not fair to foist him on others. But that is a few hours out of one day at best. The rest of the time I work for labor.

[Itchinjim]

21. As former Teamster who was utterly appalled by their endorsement of Reagan...

And voted for Mondale instead, I am prepared to be utterly appalled by a non endorsement of Obama yet vote for him anyway. Wouldn't be the first time I told my union to kiss my ass.

[Bluenorthwest]

22. AFL- CIO is not 'a union' it is 55 Unions. A national federation

with well over 12 million members. So your silly question might come into play if 56 Unions take a different position.
Plus, your basic lack of understanding of labor organization is preventing you from even comprehending what he is talking about, which is not an endorsement, but money, hundreds of millions which usually goes toward Democratic events and organization which will now go to Union events and organization.

[saras]

23. It depends on what union you belong to - if your union supports you, support your union

[LiberalFighter]

24. The labor unions are not bound by what the AFL-CIO decides.

What will likely happen is that individual labor union organizations will endorse when the time is right and then the AFL-CIO will follow.

[Telly Savalas]

25. Since Obama is Hitler v2.0, I will cherry pick the things that reinforce this hatred.

So clearly under such circumstances, the AFL-CIO would be standing up for truth and reason and other labor organizations are tools of the Corporatists.

[mitchtv]

28. If my union doesn't endorse

I probably will vote for him anyway. CWA will end up endorsing, but no money

[Rex]

29. Well if you have to chose between A and B

and B has no interest in helping labor, it only leaves you with A. The Democratic party has history with unions and I have a feeling most will still vote for Obama. Maybe a compromise is in order? Leave the GOP out of the loop.

[mmonk]

30. Labor is running for office?

[ChiciB1]

34. Even I, From A Union Family Will HAVE To Vote For Obama! However, I DO

support Trumka and his stand. My faith in Obama is lower than I EVER thought it could get, but I suppose THE ADMINISTRATION knows they have us by the short hairs.

I don't like it, but I know when my back is against the wall. It IS a shame that a Democrat and many of my Democratic friends feel like I do. I so wish there was ANOTHER Democrat who is at least moderate isn't running.

Just writing this makes my stomach churn. A very sad state of affairs and one I never thought I would speak of. So, we will vote, but holding our noses.

Trumka is at least willing to draw a line in the sand, and for that I can have some respect for what he's doing. Just wish he was able to do much more.

[LWolf]

35. My union, NEA, has endorsed Obama. Twice now.

Since Obama is not good for labor, that endorsement carries no weight with me, or with many of my fellow members. I don't think there are any teachers out there who are not aware of how Obama policies are affecting our profession.

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