Give and you shall receive is the moral of the day coming out of Washington, DC. Organized labor, principally the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) are poised to spend at least $100 million on an “incumbent protection program,” according to The Hill.
This $100 million figure does not account for the AFL-CIO, which didn’t release its budgeted amount for political spending, or the two teachers’ unions, the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers, so it’s likely that figure is grossly underestimated. Undoubtedly, progressive candidates are giddy for their piece of the Big Labor action.
The unions have a lot to defend. Their agenda, pushed at break-neck speed by the Obama administration and the Democratic Congress, has upset a significant number of American voters and it’s going to cost a lot to defend. Consider what this Obama water carrier said:
“We have got to protect the incumbency in the House. We have got to protect the incumbency in the Senate,” [AFSCME president Gerry] McEntee said. “It is going to be hard. Those tea-baggers are out there. There is an anti-incumbency mood out there.”
After the top tier, there will be a second tier of House candidates AFSCME will be monitoring and will step in to help defend if they become endangered by GOP challengers.
“We are not out there looking for new seats. We have our hands full the way it is,” said McEntee, who has been a key voice in pushing labor to play an active role in Democratic primaries across the nation.
You better order extra ink for your check printer, Ger. America’s pretty mad at your shills in Congress.
Bailouts, a government takeover of health care, deficits, “jobs” bills, and uncapped oil gushers have left Americans with a pretty bad taste in their mouths regarding the current leadership.
Will Big Labor be able to deliver for those that have delivered for them? We’ll see, but in the mean time, the tax eaters in the union halls across the country aren’t giving up without a fight.
They have a bigger reason to worry: the work ethic of the Chris Christies and the situation in Greece have given union bosses reason to believe that their gravy train is coming off the tracks. So, look for Big Labor to defend their sugar daddies at any cost.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.