I wonder what type of vaporware Snarlin’ Arlen’s promised that he might maybe sometime down the road aways consider maybe voting for if he gets a lot of money.

Yep, but that is what Union leadership does. It goes along to get along and screws its membership along the way. I have been a union steward for over 18 years and I think all states should be right to work states. As long as workers are forced into unions the unions will continue fcking over the rank n file. Mark my words, as soon as Specter gets reelected he is going to fck over the dems and unions with glee.

Let’s hope that rank-and-filers in the AFL-CIO and the SEIU sabotage Arlen’s campaign and support Sestak.

How are we supposed to help unions when they act like this? How are we supposed to count on them as partners in the movement when they are so willing to throw over their rank and file this way?

The union leadership is just as corrupt as that of the DNC, or the media, or the lefty advocacy groups.

“Responding to #2″

That’s like saying “Because some Doctors are lazy or drunk, no one should be guaranteed healthcare. Patients should be thrown out onto the street to find what care they can.

I live in a “right-to-work” state. It’s not pretty. You can be fired by your boss at any time for anything, with no recourse to appeal, or sue. “Right to work” is language right out of Orwell, and what it does to worker’s rights is right out of Orwell too. We don’t need to make unions weaker, we need to make them more responsive to their members, and less responsive to corrupt leadership.

Sort of like the VFW in Illinois supporting Tammy Duckworth’s chickenhawk opponent for Congress.

Let’s see, on one hand a female US Army helicopter pilot who lost both her legs flying in combat in Iraq but a Democrat or some chickenhawk republican whose closest association with the military was probably sticking his draft card into his wallet and walking by the ROTC building on campus.

-sigh- the circular firing squads never seem to change much, do they?

May I conclude that union officers are corrupt?

No, just a lot of them. :)

Jo, Maybe they remember her parachuting in to defeat Chris Cegalis! Thanks, Rahm…

OT

Hutaree Michigan Militia leader was a Ron Paul fanatic who believed the Antichrist was on the way
By John Amato Tuesday Mar 30, 2010 2:45pm

http://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/hutaree-michigan-militia-leader-was-ron

I thought Joe Lieberman was the 60th vote. You know, back before they discovered reconciliation works.

Most union leadership in the U.S. is interested in representing the interests of the leadership and if that coincides with the interests of rank and file members it’s likely coincidental. The leadership has gotten used to the “good life” in D.C., soirees with the Villagers. Hard to think about people that are actually working for a living when you’re stuffing you face with cocktail weenies and jawboning with the defenders of the status quo and the corporations.

I am apparently easily confused. It seems to me that at some point some time these leaders might do something that furthers their members intersts. I cannot for the life of me figure out wha they think that they are accomplishing. Specter turned on a dime, he will continue to support the goals of the unions right up until the day after the primary. If I can see it so can they.

I’ll say it again as I’ve said it a thousand times already.

The unions are NOT our friends.

the unions aren’t even our allies.

these are not the same unions from the early 1900′s..these are corporate entities owned by the Democratic party.

Sleestack and Arlen are both bad. It would be far worse if the Unions supported Magic Bullet over a decent candidate, but Sleestack sucks. They both suck.

Now I’m glad I didn’t renew my The Nation subscription and doubly glad I didn’t become a card-carrying member of the AFL-CIO. Fucking sell-outs.

Sad to say, I have to agree with you. One of my shop stewards keeps trying to get me to become one, and knowing how compromised the leadership was, I had to decline. The fact that the AFL-CIO endorsed Hillary, who’s husband was perhaps the most anti-union president with a D after his name ever elected, had more than a little to do with my decision as well.

Dem party leadership and union leadership are not going to save us.

Douche and turd sandwich come to mind.

The zig-zagging “magic bullet” strikes again.

I disagree. The unions are made up of the middle and working class and union members ARE our friends. The problem is within the Union leadership which obviously has lost contact with members. All union members should look for better representation at the leadership level.

This is not necessarily a bad thing, is it?

The last several months have been quite instructive for me. Behavior of this sort from union leaders (on the state and federal level), the actions of our so-called progressive legislators, as well as that of a progressive-sounding but fundamentally conservative-minded president, demonstrate to me that they simply cannot be expected to advocate on our behalf. We now know, without an inkling of doubt, that these folks will screw us when given the opportunity, to enrich themselves. Our experiences during the past several months are an overwhelming response to arguments about working within the system, perfect being the enemy of the good, the president’s political calculus — or chess, as the case might be — and so on. We have sufficiently proven, to ourselves at least, that these arguments are no longer acceptable excuses for failure.

And to paraphrase Sun Tzu, we will benefit from knowing who our enemies are. Or, in the words of the 43rd President of the United States:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A

I have zero respect for Arlen Specter because he endorsed the blatant, foolish lie of the Warren Commission that a single bullet killed President Kennedy and wounded Gov. Connally.

I agree as well. Unions are a constantly evolving entity, and it is incumbent on the members and the leadership to keep each in check per the constitution and by-laws.
Disclaimer – 3rd generation union member. I’ve been a union member all my adult working life and work for a union.
While individual unions or their locals may be overlooking or failing to prioritize efforts that benefit their members, corporate america gives nary a shit about workers.
Better unions
Better democrats – same ongoing issue.

It’s absurd but expectable. Trumka set the stage when he backed Obama’s insurance company bailout, I mean healthcare plan. The SEIU ended up protesting the protesters against Obamacare. It is perfectly predictable that the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO would make a deal that wasn’t in its members’ interests. HCAN, Moveon, NARAL, OFA, there are a million of these organizations that were set up to promote liberal causes, only to end up validating the status quo.

This is also absurd because Arlen is 80 years old. You have to ask yourself which is more decrepit Arlen or those groups backing him?

That is so stupid on so many levels… if that is really true, then unions deserve to die. Arlen Specter is an opportunist and a DINO. There is no redeeming value to the man beyond fertilizer. If I ever considered joining a union, I wouldn’t now.

Is there any evidence that union backing has gotten anyone elected for a very long time? I’m all for unions, but they seem to be a spent political force, if not actually harmful to those they support (you listening, Bill Halter?)

Would the Democrats let any Republican Senator (or Congressman) switch to their party? I mean, if Mitch McConnell and Eric Cantor wanted to switch parties tomorrow, would the Democrats let them? Why the fuck would they take this shit? What kinda deal was that?

A middle class union leadership — lost on the class struggle battlefield with no political compass — produces this sort of decision. As a 31 year union member I sadly predict our dilemma will worsen, at least for the short term. And if those friends outside of the unions think this is bad, it’s even worse when you consider the totally failed bargaining and workplace contract enforcement policies and practices of many unions. The lack of practical and accessible democratic avenues of reform in most unions prevents a membership resistance to these failed policies from forming. Just as the ossified and failed Democratic Party structures are in need of a rehab, labor needs its own reinvigoration as well.

There is no such thing as a “right to work” state. What they are is “right to work for less and without representation” states. Another way to put it would be to say that they are “You are on your own and alone” states.

I find it unfathomable that any union member or steward anywhere would say that they think all states should be like that. Union representation in states with this anti-union laws is all but impossible. Why on earth are you in a union, working a union job and drawing union scale wages and benefits? If you believe what you posted, you really oughta resign your position and head to Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia or any other of a host of “right to work for less and without representation” states and throw yourself into their glorious world of work.

Get ready for Club for Growth PA Senator Pat Toomey….

Well, Michael, the action of the Pennsylvania labor leaders makes more sense when you realize that they don’t buy the premise of your piece –that Specter is personally responsible for the failure of EFCA. And I think any good analyst could make the case that the hedging (or reversals) by people like Lincoln and Feinstein was more critical to killing the bill.

Indeed, the fact that labor is supporting Lincoln’s opponent in the Arkansas primary race indicates that they blame her for EFCA’s troubles far more than they blame Specter.

Aside from that, I agree entirely with you that Specter is a vicious old fuck who deserve nothing but contempt from the voters of Pennsylvania.

I’d say that given the pace of the bill, if it wasn’t for Specter opening the door to Lincoln and Feinstein they all could’ve been kept in line until a final bill was worked out. Unfortunately, he did open that door and the others came out after him.

Of course I respect your opinion, Mike, but the point is that the Pennsylvania labor leaders don’t see it that way. Some of it may be willful blindness on their part — after all, it’s a lot easier to blame someone far away than to look too closely in your own back yard — or they may have been gulled by the ever-slippery Specter.

Also relevant, I think, is the lack of a good alternative to Specter. Personally I would prefer Sestak, but he is not entirely reliable on EFCA either, and he has no history as labor’s friend. And there certainly isn’t anybody in the Pennsylvania Republican Party they can turn to.

Jane accused me of being ignorant or obtuse (or both) last week because I scoffed at assertions that labor would retaliate against Democrats who voted against the health insurance bill. There couldn’t be a better example than this is that labor will always prefer the devil they know to striking out into uncharted territory.

Perhaps the PA union leadership had too endorse ‘magic bullet’ because of the deal on health care excise tax and potus, and remembering that the dem leadership and potus decided for us PAians ( I am one)we were supposed just vote for the dino-saur(pun intended) they chose for us. Um Harry, Mr pres. thanks but no freakin way in hell I’m voting for that spectre !

Specter is nothing more than a peice of dog excrement and Sestak is a replica of an Arlen Specter blowup doll. Get rid of both the bums. There is a way. Vote Joe Vodvarka in May.