A few weeks ago, I noticed that even MSNBC (!) was doing “special reports” on the growing union backlash against ObamaCare, and suggested that the labor movement is a natural Republican constituency.
The latest unions vs. ObamaCare story comes from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s home state of Nevada, where the AFL-CIO is joining several other unions to complain that President Obama’s infamous “if you like your plan, you can keep your plan” promise has been broken. They also mention “the destruction of the 40 hour work week, higher taxes,” and higher insurance premiums.
The AFL-CIO claims it’s not asking for “special treatment,” but of course they are – they want Obama to use his new unconstitutional legislative powers to rewrite the law to give them a break, the same way he gave Congress a special break, and moved the start date for the employer mandate. It’s not clear how they think even the Obama dictatorship could rewrite his health-care disaster to protect the 40-hour work week. The transition to Part-Time America is pretty much baked into the ObamaCare fruitcake, guys.
I wasn’t being sarcastic when I said the unions are natural Republican allies. Union bosses have big cash-money investments in Democrat politicians to think about, but rank-and-file union members want ObamaCare gone, and they need the kind of economic growth and job creation that end-stage Democrat economic policies obviously cannot provide. Republicans really should be making big overtures to them, but of the 2012 GOP presidential candidates, I’d say Rick Santorum is the only one who made a big effort.
Politically sharp Republicans would be marketing the ObamaCare defunding drive to union members, reminding them that only one party is working to give them the ObamaCare relief they demand, and it sure as hell isn’t the Democrats. This should be a “wedge issue” between the Dems and organized labor, and Republicans should be hammering it home with rhetorical mallet swings, every chance they get. Don’t be afraid to point to Obama’s endless years of malaise, and the disturbing signs that even Obama Administration officials seem to think another downturn is already on the way. Remind them of Obama’s insulting crap about “pivots to job creation” – number 19’s already over, and it didn’t amount to more than a couple of speeches.
Of course Democrats will go mad with rage, and some of the union bigwigs will pop a blood vessel. Good. You shouldn’t fear that, Republicans – you should ardently desire it. Tear the Democrat coalition apart, by exploiting its stress points and vulnerabilities. The Democrats do it to you, every damn day. Fight back, and take the gloves off. I think you’ll find that not everyone in the union hierarchy rebuffs your advances, and quite a few rank-and-file union members are already on your team.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.