Like any politician, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) has a few go-to parables he’s been repeating for years. The moral of Sherrod’s favorite story? Big Labor and Progressive activists are responsible for everything good about America, and conservatives want to drag us back to the days of horrifying individualism.
From his 2006 Senate campaign to his many tirades against public union reform and Planned Parenthood cuts in 2011, Sherrod’s telling of the “canary in a mineshaft” classic has remained much the same. Throw in a demand for single-payer socialized medicine, praise for stimulus spending, and a few Occupy-style references to corporate billionaires, and you’ve heard every Sherrod Brown speech from the past decade.
What do you think is the most sickening part of this story? Sherrod’s insistence that labor unions and abortion activists are the reason for improved life expectancy? His suggestion that today’s government employees are the same as miners from a century ago? His warning that conservatives want to send America back 100 years by cutting spending and reining in public unions?
Politicians occasionally slip and admit something they would prefer to cloak in well-practiced talking points. With Sherrod Brown, that’s not really the case: Sherrod openly adores Big Labor and federal bureaucracy, and he publicly berates anyone who would stand in their way.
If you’re a masochist, you can watch the full teachers’ union event from the Columbus Education Association on YouTube; Senate floor C-SPAN footage from TheBilliam39; Planned Parenthood speech from choweysstillme; Ohio State rally from yellowdogsammy.
Follow Jason on Twitter: @jasonahart
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