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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsA wake-up call for Dems, labor, and the left
A wake-up call for Dems, labor, and the leftBy Greg Sargent
Scott Walker’s victory in tonight’s recall battle is a major wake-up call for the left, Democrats, and unions about the true nature of the new, post-Citizens United political landscape, and it should force a major reckoning among liberals and Democrats about what this means for the future.
There’s no sugarcoating what this loss means for organized labor. Unions invested heavily in this battle in order to make an example of Walker. The goal was to show that Republican governors who attempt to roll back organizing rights will pay the ultimate political price. That effort failed, and the failure will have major repercussions for labor groups as they gear up for future fights over bargaining rights in states.
But Walker’s win also has major implications for Democratic elected officials across the country. It shows with crystal clarity that Republicans may very well be able to successfully use the new, post-Citizens United landscape to weaken the opposition in a structural way, and to eliminate major sources of support for that opposition. “This has enormous implications for Democratic elected officials everywhere,” Andy Stern, the former president of SEIU and now a senior fellow at Columbia University, tells me. “Under the guise of acting to restore balance, (the right) is dramatically decreasing the amount of resources public unions have to participate in the political process.”
Indeed, one way of thinking about tonight’s results is that they say at least as much about Citizens United, and the ways it has empowered opponents of organized labor, as they do about the very real decline of union power. An analysis by the Center for Public Integrity found that Walker outraised his vanquished opponent Tom Barrett by nearly eight to one, and that outside groups supporting Walker vastly outspent unions, thanks to Citizens United.
The rest: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/a-wake-up-call-for-dems-labor-and-the-left/2012/06/05/gJQAfKBQHV_blog.html?hpid=z3
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Pab Sungenis
(9,612 posts)I'll say. The wakeup call is that the conservatives running the Democratic Party (DNC) will not have our backs when we finally stand up and fight.
The fact that next to no Party money and next to no Party resources went into this race was one of the major problems. The second was that there was no real effort within the Party apparatus to recruit a winning candidate, so we wound up with the worst possible candidate.
woo me with science
(32,139 posts)Time to wake up and face reality. It is time to occupy.
donheld
(21,311 posts)GarroHorus
(1,055 posts)The stupidest move in the entire recall was putting up the guy who lost by such a wide margin in 2010.
Funny how he lost by more the second go. It's sort of like how the Democratic Party put Adlai Stevenson up in 1956 after he lost in 1952.
ArcticFox
(1,249 posts)Hadn't he already demonstrated his inability to win against Walker?
Pab Sungenis
(9,612 posts)Always run the next election, don't re-run the last. New issues, new discussions, new policies.
Blue_In_AK
(46,436 posts)I have NO faith in the Democratic Party, none whatsoever.
polichick
(37,152 posts)HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)
Gold Metal Flake
(13,805 posts)Man, talk about overused phrases.
Labor is a willing and enthusiastic part of the destruction of labor. 36% of union members voted for Walker in the recall election. When you have that many people firmly and enthusiastically dedicated to lowering their own wages and limiting their own rights, I see no way of turning the tide.
American workers by the millions do not like high wages, job safety, job security, or a secure retirement. Face it. Give it a name, a diagnosis, make jokes about it, it does not matter. American workers, by the millions, want less economic advantages. So many that those that disagree are completely ineffective to counter them. The militant Want Less Now political block of the working class are extremely powerful and very effective.
Get ready for austerity, because millions of American workers want it, and they want it real bad.
Just fact.
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)it always is....
jp11
(2,104 posts)that is due to the BS they've been fed for so many years about how unions ARE the problem. Can't find a job, blame the unions, your kid isn't an A+ student the Teacher's Union is to blame, a cop commits some crime/violates someone's rights blame the union. Your taxes are too high blame the government workers and their union.
The vast majority don't have a union job, probably were never even in one and they don't have the same benefits, not even close. But instead of thinking 'if I was in a union it would be better' they take the bitter view and think 'if I don't get that no one should'. It's been business that sends these messages to the country, through the media and so on. People just bought into the BS that helps corporations pay everyone less, cut back pensions, benefits, etc while paying their CEO's more, making more money for shareholders.
If unions are to survive they may need to stop looking to politicians to 'save' them and focus more on getting more Americans *IN* unions. The only thing unions can maybe hope for from politicians is to not totally screw them at every turn. Now how exactly unions grow their membership or expand the fields they are involved in I don't know. Maybe this country needs to lose many of the things unions got us for people to wakeup and realize unions AREN'T the problem big greedy business is.
pa28
(6,145 posts)It's a little difficult to hold off on the spite here.
Who will they blame when their pension funds have been stolen and Medicare has been turned into a coupon discount program? I'm guessing they'll blame everybody but themselves.
I don't know how to fix the problem but Wisconsin has given us a picture of the future. Think for yourself and be informed or get used to the idea of shaking a tin cup in your retirement after McDonald's decides you are too old to work.
boppers
(16,588 posts)Once they weren't required to join, and pay, a Union, half stopped.
Yes, labor is responsible for it's own destruction, or at least, not providing enough of a reason to force people to pay for them.
BeyondGeography
(39,374 posts)This was not a typical election. It was a recall, and 60% of the people who voted yesterday said recalls are only appropriate in cases of official misconduct. That should be the starting point for any analysis. Instead, we have these immediate concessions to Citizens United and the imminent death of the Left in this country (exaggerating for effect). It's silly. The recall was a fundamentally unpopular idea. It didn't work with the Senate seats and it failed again yesterday. Move on.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)cjs118
(3 posts)Last edited Wed Jun 6, 2012, 04:26 PM - Edit history (1)
I agree with the perspective that this was not a typical election and that we can't extrapolate everything from it, but I also agree with what is apparently the opposing view that Citizen's United played a significant role, and that this could be an indicator of more problems to come. I don't see these ideas as mutually exclusive.
I supported the recall, so this isn't about finger pointing, but in hindsight I think it was a mistake. Since the voters were so opposed to the idea of the recall itself under these circumstances, I think the end result could be that it will discredit its supporters (especially unions) and continue to energize conservatives. Yet from what I remember, a year ago the landscape looked far more favorable for a recall - and I really doubt they would have pushed for one if that wasn't the case. So what changed?
The massive amount of money spent seemed to have a significant impact. And if I take an honest look at the people I meet and at my own reactions to things, it is easy to see why. If you watch MSNBC for more than an hour you will probably see a commercial from an oil company which is clearly trying to convince liberals that oil companies aren't so evil. And I can easily recognize what it is and how deceptive it is, but the commercials are so well done that they still have an impact. For me this results in some uncomfortable cognitive conflicts which make me end up using my DVR more often, but I can definitely see how people who are less informed and/or opinionated could be swayed by that. The commercials are a type of psychological assault - the marketing folks have specialized in understanding emotions well enough to manipulate them. They are very good at what they do.
And the commercials also do something else significant - they further convince conservatives that they are right and that they should be afraid, and that ends up being a huge motivation. From what I've heard, Republican turnout was immense, and for the most part dwarfed Democratic turnout, which was also high. Given that this recall was started by Democrats, that seems rather odd and disturbing. If you a listen for a moment to the recall supporters, you see how energized and supportive they are, and also how vitriolic they are - all of that anger and hatred and fear directed toward unions and Democrats. We might console ourselves by acknowledging that they are acting against their own interests, but does it really matter? I see how far off the deep end as the conservatives have gone, as often as they have lied and twisted the truth, and there are still hordes of people behind them spouting their nonsense. And that's largely a result of having a huge microphone. And it is pretty much impossible to have a serious discussion when corporate assholes are screaming into the mic.
So yes, we shouldn't try to extrapolate out everything from Wisconsin. I don't think that it tells us much about the Presidential election. I still think it is likely that Obama will win, and I don't think Wisconsin is a referendum on him (although I now understand why he stayed away). But if Obama wins, it'll be because he was still able to play the big money game, and because Romney is such a terrible opponent. The large amounts of money keeps Republicans competitive regardless of how crazy they get, and it helps to normalize that insanity within the public discourse and promotes the "both sides do it" mentality. This could very well mean that, at the very best, if nothing changes we are looking at a future of divided and dysfunctional government.
I know I'm personally in a rather depressed mood generally, so I might be taking a rather negative perspective. At other times I might be more optimistic, but honestly I think there is plenty of justifiable gloominess that can be seen in the WI recall, and we run a great risk of ignoring the problems if we just see the recall as special circumstances and nothing more. And I'm concerned that we would disregard concerns about CU and money in politics as "nonsense" and "exaggerated". I honestly hope that they are, I honestly hope that I am wrong, but I fear that I am not. I'm sorry for the lengthy rant. And yes, I agree we should move on, but I also think there are lessons to learn here.
panader0
(25,816 posts)
laundry_queen
(8,646 posts)Good first post (although it was hard to read without paragraphs). I've been making posts about the power of right wing marketing for some time now but I never get any replies. I think the Democratic party actually prefers to stick their head in the sand over this one issue. It's discouraging.
Auntie Bush
(17,528 posts)However, next time try to put in some paragraphs as it makes reading much easier. It doesn't even have to be correct paragraphing...we're not fussy here. Just some spaces between lines would be a big help.
Thanks for your thoughtful first post. Congratulations and good luck.
cjs118
(3 posts)And thanks also to laundry_queen and panader0. I'll work on that in the future. Oh wait I can edit here.... how's that?
Leopolds Ghost
(12,875 posts)
Tarheel_Dem
(31,235 posts)
HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)if the walker/Barrett spending disparity can/will be replicated across the nation?
This contest was much touted and therefore outside resources flowed in. But here are a couple of observations/speculations:
1) looking at other contests across the nation, there was no similar funding/spending disparity between the candidates;
2) I suspect Barrett's funding/spending will be closer to the norm, i.e., increased, but not to insane levels;
3) I doubt, even in this post-CU world, the wealthy have, and would be willing to spend, at the same rate as they did in Wisconsin;
4) and finally, because of the above observations/speculations, tradition grassroots people power, if organized and engaged, will on the grand scale defeat even large injections of money. It worked in Wisconsin because the rules favored walker, e.g., he was able to accept unlimited contributions-whereas, Barrett was limited to 10K a pop; walker was the named candidate by Xmas-whereas, Barrett wasn't named until a few weeks ago; walker benefitted from a significant population that was voting AGAINST the idea of recalling a duly elected legislator for no other reason than you don't like his political agenda ... their vote (and with some merit) was signaling the importance of consistent electoral policy, i.e., absent some crime or gross neglect/incompetence, if you don't like what the successful candidate does once elected, unelect him/her when his/her term is up.
I remain hopeful for Democrats on, both, the local and national levels in the coming election cycles - even in Wisconsin and even for Wisconsin's next gubernatorial contest, as none of these anomalies will be present.
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)The megacorps and shady RW billionaires don't need to pump in bottomless funding in every race, just hotly contested places where they need to unseat a popular Dem and/or prop up a faltering Repub facing a serious threat...
Be prepared to see more unheralded no-name candidates who were once pushing papers in podunk fly into office because they look the part, don't ask too many questions, and are willing to follow orders like obedient puppets in exchange for that blank campaign check...
For those who think WI was a one-time thing because the Kochs needed to protect their "investment"? Watch them come out full-throttle for Pelosi and Reid's seats...
kentuck
(111,103 posts)Republicans are using it to beat them to death.
Pab Sungenis
(9,612 posts)You cannot cut your way out of debt, you have to grow your way out.
kentuck
(111,103 posts)let the Bush taxcuts expire, to begin with.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)Or those above $250K, as President Obama advocates.
If the former, you haven't seen beaten to death. When the sub-$2494K earner sees their taxes actually go up, they're gonna hit the roof, gop AND Democrat.
kentuck
(111,103 posts)and the Presidential election will not be for four more years.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)kentuck
(111,103 posts)the debt and deficit will be in much better shape than the Republicans left it and the economy will be getting better and the bleeding of spending cuts will be stopped.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)You are assuming that the republicans (or the electorate in general) care about the facts about the shape of the debt/deficit. I think that facts just don't matter for any of the former and large segments of the latter.
Secondly, how will increasing taxes for middle/working class earners help the economy?
bullwinkle428
(20,629 posts)elected to replace said Democrats, where they then run up the debt to never-before-seen levels. Lather, rinse, repeat.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)you mean dispell the myth that the debt is the most pressing problem facing the U.S., and/or its economy, I completely agree.
But if you are talking about the debt in terms of anything other than a long-term fix, we are in complete disagreement.
kentuck
(111,103 posts)to dismantle our government, even if deceitfully, then we are doomed to lose. We are not going to grow ourselves into a balanced budget or get out of debt under the present tax rates. Obama needs to let the Bush taxcuts expire in their entirety and show progress in decreasing the huge Republican debt. Otherwise, the Republicans, like Scott Walker, will continue to justify the spending cuts and pension cuts because of the debt we can no longer afford. That is why Scott Walker won his election last night. It was not just the money. We are missing the big picture.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)problem and the massive failure it has been. It's all about messaging, with FACTS. But they don't do that, they appease and agree.
First ask the public if they want to see the US turn into Europe, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and show them the numbers, the huge unemployment rates etc.
Then they should point to the cuts that THEY are proposing, which the public SUPPORTS already, as you said, end the Bush tax cuts, end the Wars, (show also what is being spent on both those issues) AND end Oil subsidies.
To strengthen SS, just raise the cap and EXPLAIN it in simple language, most people I have talked do not know what that means. In fact, most people thought that EVERYONE paid into SS.
They need to stop talking in Political speak and talk to ordinary people in the language they understand.
Iow, Dems will protect the working class and the poor from European Austerity programs supported by Republicans.
Dems make the Wealthy PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE and explain it in simple language, showing them eg, what the Bush tax cuts cost in revenue (over 2 trillion dollars) and how few jobs were created, as promised. The wealthy create jobs, IN OTHER COUNTRIES.
If they can get these facts across in short, simply statements and repeat and repeat them, they will win in November.
But the question is, do Dems support those policies. Because if they do they need to start now hammering home that Republicans want to turn this country into the current disaster in Europe.
Bill Clinton btw, has started to talk about Europe being the Republicans' goal for the US. Now all of them need to do it.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)IMHO, Wraith's prescription merely gives strength to the gop claims ... where inviting the rage of both the sub-$250K Democratic voter ("You promised not to raise my taxes) AND the gop voter ("see I told you he would raise our taxes).
No thank you.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)go on the defensive. They should take the offensive.
They have so many advantages regarding issues. SS is a hugely popular program even with average Republicans. So is Medicare, and ending the wars, and taxing the rich.
cjs118
(3 posts)Democrats have made attempts at resolving the deficit, and even balanced the budget during the Clinton years, while Republicans have consistently supported policies that increase the deficit. The mark of a truly great propagandist is the ability to successfully attack their enemies for their own flaws and failures - projection. And the people who do that are simply not arguing in good faith. And my frustration with Democrats is that it is completely pointless to try to argue in good faith with people who are not doing the same.
So I think that when we try to simply respond to Republican attacks about the deficit without dealing with the deception behind them, we are wasting our breath. We should absolutely deal with the deficit in a responsible manner (which in part means when the economy is back on track), but the Republicans have no interest in dealing with the deficit in a responsible manner. In fact, Republican strategies have contributed greatly to the deficit.
In particular I am talking about the long standing strategy called "starve the beast" - cutting revenues from government to eventually force cuts to government programs. It is rather obvious that this will lead to large deficits - what would you expect when you cut someone's allowance but leave them with a huge credit limit? And that was what it was intended to do - create large deficits which could then be used to force cuts to programs like Medicare and Social Security. And it is an underhanded way to do this - if you want to cut spending, then you should cut spending. But the Republicans were too chicken-shit to go to the voters and touch the third rail. So instead they tried sabotage.
So, I think Democrats should deal with questions of the deficit by addressing the deception behind these Republican's attacks as well as their ulterior motives. Then we can discuss the real causes of the deficit - loss of revenue as well as increased health care and military spending. And then we can point out how Democrats have worked to address those issues in spite of Republican obstruction. Because in the end, Republicans have no credibility on the deficit.
pa28
(6,145 posts)Do nothing.
"According to the recently updated budget projections from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, if Congress does not pass any new fiscal policies between now and January 2013, the federal budget deficit will dwindle to just 1.6 percent of gross domestic product—the largest measure of our economy—by 2014, and continue dropping. Similarly, debt as a share of GDP will peak at 73 percent in 2013 and then decline down to 61 percent by 2021."
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2011/08/do_nothing_congress.html
Edit: I want to point out that this includes letting all the Bush tax cuts expire. Republicans will hold middle class taxes hostage to ensure protection of a low top rate. I'll pay extra for one little victory in the area of progressive taxation and take one for the team.
deutsey
(20,166 posts)We need more than a wake-up call...
polichick
(37,152 posts)eowyn_of_rohan
(5,858 posts)This was stolen fair and square.
WilliamPitt
(58,179 posts)eowyn_of_rohan
(5,858 posts)those machines that have proprietary source code we are forbidden to inspect
In the paper ballots, scanned by machines, that we are forbidden to see unless there is a recount or impoundment
WilliamPitt
(58,179 posts)No proof.
eowyn_of_rohan
(5,858 posts)that benefit the corporations and TPTB rather than the people, rather than promote transparency integrity or accuracy in our elections
WilliamPitt
(58,179 posts)No proof.
eowyn_of_rohan
(5,858 posts)I will not waste my time
WilliamPitt
(58,179 posts)no proof.
greytdemocrat
(3,299 posts)That'll show ya!!!!
Romulox
(25,960 posts)Democracy has never been about "altruism". It's about "enlightened self-interest".
Bake
(21,977 posts)I suggest that Organized Labor stop writing checks to the Party, until the Party decides to dance with the one that brought them.
Union members, the Democrats in power don't give two fat shits about you.
That's the message of Wisconsin (one of them).
Bake
polichick
(37,152 posts)Bake
(21,977 posts)The "Party" doesn't stand for anything. And that's why we LOSE, time after time.
Bake
polichick
(37,152 posts)...whore for corporations like Republican wannabes.
After decades of working as a Dem activist I have left the party - or, rather, the party left the left so I left. lol
(Still voting for Dems as the lesser of evils until we have something more meaningful to vote for.)
former9thward
(32,025 posts)If CU had gone the other way or never existed it would not have mattered. CU applied to federal elections -- not state elections. Wisconsin state law allowed Walker to raise as much as he wanted.
ibegurpard
(16,685 posts)Our current Democratic candidate for governor Steve Bullock (stepping down as Attorney General) has been waging a fight to keep Montana's campaign finance laws intact.
Here is an editorial by our outgoing governor Brian Schweitzer:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/04/opinion/an-invitation-to-keep-money-out-of-politics.html
"These laws have nurtured a rare, pure form of democracy. There’s very little money in Montana politics. Legislators are basically volunteers: they are ranchers, teachers, carpenters and all else, who put their professions on hold to serve a 90-day session, every odd year, for $80 a day.
And since money can’t be used to gain access, public contact with politicians is expected and rarely denied. A person who wants to visit with a public official, even the governor, can pretty much just walk into the Capitol and say hello. All meetings with officials are open to the public. So are all documents — even my own handwritten notes and e-mails.
All this is in jeopardy, though, thanks to the Supreme Court and its infamous Citizens United ruling. In February the court notified the office of Montana’s commissioner of political practices, which oversees state campaigns, that until further notice, we may no longer enforce our anti-corruption statute, specifically our restriction on corporate money.
The court, which will make a formal ruling on the law soon, cited in the 2010 Citizens United case that corporations are people, too, and told us that our 110-year effort to prevent corruption in Montana had likely been unconstitutional. Who knew?
The effects of the court’s stay are already being felt here. The ink wasn’t even dry when corporate front groups started funneling lots of corporate cash into our legislative races. Many of the backers have remained anonymous by taking advantage of other loopholes in federal law. "
former9thward
(32,025 posts)Whether states apply it to state election law will occur on a state by state basis. My point in the post was that it did not matter what the decision was in CU, Walker under Wisconsin state law could raise as much as he wanted. CU did not affect him.
Dokkie
(1,688 posts)if what we get of out WI is about citizen united and money. Walker could have spent $1b more and still get the same result. WE have to work on our message and policies that would actually favor the people class, people are hurting very badly and because of this are very reluctant to make investment in policies/issues that do not show a clear return. Yes they love the advances made by unions but they dont believe that those advances will disappear tomorrow if Unions disappear, this can also explain the low support for policies like net neutrality, cap and trade etc.
Now am sure nobody here believe that there isn't enough money in this world to make the wall street bailout or war on drugs or wars in the middle east or ban on prescription import(if not single payer) or all the other civil liberty stripping bills popular/unpopular and this is true because they people(majority on both sides) genuinely support/oppose them, they do not need to be sold on it.
These are policy changes you can enact tomorrow and I promise you, politicians supporting these policies wouldn't need a penny of corporate donation to win election. Do the right thing for the people and stop chasing campaign money and in case of WI, the people choose lower property taxes and tax cuts along with the benefits provided over the years by the union at a cheaper rate as opposed to higher property taxes, tax increase and the same union benefits to society.
Learn the wrong lessons and you will continue to get burned election after elections
99Forever
(14,524 posts)... got caught flatfooted by something so entirely predictable, AGAIN.. It's certainly no surprise however, they seem to do that the best of anything they do. I don't want to consider that the other option may well be true.
fascisthunter
(29,381 posts)because this recall effort didn't seem THAT important to them... and sending the "Big Dog" in at the last moment isn't the support I am talking about.... money.
HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)fascisthunter
(29,381 posts)... and I do not include the OP, but the usuals who seem to live here and jump in to "straighten" us out when we get off message. Are they democratic insiders? If so, this party's actions confirm what I believe... we've been gamed.
WillyT
(72,631 posts)
Have a nice day!
