The Democratic National Committee's Organizing for America arm -- the remnant of the 2008 Obama campaign -- is playing an active role in organizing protests against Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's attempt to strip most public employees of collective bargaining rights.
OfA, as the campaign group is known, has been criticized at times for staying out of local issues like same-sex marriage, but it's riding to the aide of the public sector unions who hoping to persuade some Republican legislators to oppose Walker's plan. And while Obama may have his difference with teachers unions, OfA's engagement with the fight -- and Obama's own clear stance against Walker -- mean that he's remaining loyal to key Democratic Party allies at what is, for them, a very dangerous moment.
OfA Wisconsin's field efforts include filling buses and building turnout for the rallies this week in Madison, organizing 15 rapid response phone banks urging supporters to call their state legislators, and working on planning and producing rallies, a Democratic Party official in Washington said.
The @OFA_WI twitter account has published 54 tweets promoting the rallies, which the group has also plugged on its blog.
"At a time when most folks are still struggling to get back on their feet, Gov. Walker has asked the state legislature to strip public employees of their collective bargaining rights. Under his plan, park rangers, teachers, and prison guards would no longer be able to fight back if the new Republican majority tries to slash their health benefits or pensions," OfA Wisconsin State Director Dan Grandone wrote supporters in an email. "But that's not even the most shocking part: The governor has also put the state National Guard on alert in case of 'labor unrest.' We can't -- and won't -- let Scott Walker's heavy-handed tactics scare us. This Tuesday and Wednesday, February 15th and 16th, volunteers will be attending rallies at the state
He continued:
Gov. Walker won't even talk to state workers about his proposal to strip them of their rights. He is ignoring Wisconsin voices today and asking for the power to drown them out permanently tomorrow.
We're ready to do all we can to make sure that doesn't happen. OFA volunteers are going to fight for our friends with state jobs, our allies in organized labor, and the freedom of all Wisconsinites to organize their communities.
UPDATE: House Speaker John Boehner called on Obama to pull OfA out of the effort:
“I’m disappointed that instead of providing similar leadership from the White House, the president has chosen to attack leaders such as Gov. Walker, who are listening to the people and confronting problems that have been neglected for years at the expense of jobs and economic growth,” Boehner said in a statement. “I urge the president to order the DNC to suspend these tactics.”
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10:38 AM
avengador1 Member
Posts: 35467 From: Orlando, Florida Registered: Oct 2001
The Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) has stepped up their protest efforts in Madison, WI in an attempt to stop Governor Scott Walker’s efforts to close his state’s projected $3.6 Billion budget shortfall over the next two years.
Gov Walker has proposed that public employee unions pay a larger portion of their health benefits & pension plans as well as limiting their collective bargaining rights to matters of basic wages.
Protests have been taking place all week with “sick out” strikes affecting major schools in Wisconsin. The opposition to Walker’s plans have been categorized as volatile with violent underpinnings such as protestors walking the halls of the state capitol saying, “Come out, come out, wherever you are!” With more protests planned over the coming days, WEAC has provided a list on their website of the home addresses for all legislators set to vote on the Governors plan. The link which takes a user to this list only states that it has “Phone Numbers & Email Addresses” however a quick glance at the list proves otherwise.
This style of protest is not unprecedented, as in May of 2010 similar protests were held at the home of a Bank of America executive by SEIU protestors.
The recent shooting in Arizona had prompted much of the political spectrum to look towards a more reasonable tone when discussing issues of policy. The Obama administration even went so far as to hand out t-shirts at the memorial service with the slogan “Together we thrive” printed on the front.
However, it has come to light that the Obama administration, the DNC, and their activist arm Organizing for America have had a guiding hand in the protests this week causing some to question the President’s commitment to a “new tone.”
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10:46 AM
avengador1 Member
Posts: 35467 From: Orlando, Florida Registered: Oct 2001
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee says President Barack Obama is engaged in "class warfare" amid the protests by public sector workers in Wisconsin, Politico reports.
Obama has sent political operatives from his Organizing for America group to Wisconsin, and Huckabee told Fox News that Obama is being swayed by public sector unions.
"This is a president who would not be sitting in that office were it not for public sector unions who rallied for him in a significant way," Huckabee said. "He didn't have to go this far."
Well maybe Obama does think he has to go that far and that is why he has OFA in Wisconsin. I'm guessing it's the Chicago politics mindset. If things aren't going your way, bring in some outside muscle to help.
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11:22 AM
avengador1 Member
Posts: 35467 From: Orlando, Florida Registered: Oct 2001
Rookie U.S. Rep. Allen West delivered a stinging indictment of his colleagues in a letter to constituents in which he rails about House members’ “ignorance, belligerence, and dishonest rhetoric.” Without naming names, but clearly implying that he was including President Barack Obama, the Florida Republican also decried Washington’s interference with Wisconsin’s budget turmoil. The text of the letter to residents of Florida's 22nd District:
U.S. Rep Allen West “Over this past week I have watched and listened to members of the House of Representatives from across the aisle.
“I am appalled at their ignorance, belligerence, and dishonest rhetoric filled with empty emotional platitudes. Have they no shame in realizing that their inept, incompetent failures are the reason why we are debating this continuing resolution. They failed to pass a budget during the 111th Congress.
“Have they no honor in realizing that their fiscal irresponsibility over the past four years has resulted in our standing on the precipice of a fiscal canyon from which we may not recover.
“Also troubling are the events in the state of Wisconsin which mirror those that happened in Greece several months ago. We are witnessing the abject hostility of a unionized entitlement class that is being lauded by the liberal left, seemingly to include our President.
“It is such a critical time for our Republic, yet there seems no visionary leadership — it is as if America stopped producing adults. I have never seen a greater assembly of petulance and sophomoric behavior as what I have witnessed this week on the floor of the House of Representatives.
“To those across the aisle, please explain to the American people how your economic policies have created a better environment for long-term sustainable growth.
“This debate is about jobs and the economy.
“It begins with remedying the spending problem on Capitol Hill. It includes tackling the burdensome taxation and regulation policies strangling our country. It is the understanding that Keynesian tax and spend policies did not grow America’s economy, but the indomitable, entrepreneurial spirit of the American people.
“Government sets the conditions for job and economic growth, it does not create jobs.
“I am pleased that we are having open debate in the peoples’ house. However, there is clearly something lacking in this discourse — the recognition of the failure of the bureaucratic nanny-state liberal policies.
“Rest assured that I will do everything in my ability to stand firm and lead on the principles that make America exceptional.”
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11:30 AM
Gall757 Member
Posts: 10938 From: Holland, MI Registered: Jun 2010
Living in Michigan, The results of this kind of struggle are all around me. The re-adjustment of the car industry was extremely difficult and would not have happened without the influence of Washington DC, and there are many parallels to that process and what is going on in Wisconsin. The big difference that I see is that the Car Industry negotiations utilized the union structure, and the unions struck a deal that they hated, but "lived to fight another day" as they put it. In this case the Wisconsin Guv has removed that possibility, which puts the lie to the kind of job all these public employees thought they had. Maybe they were kidding themselves for all these years, but now the process (or lack of it) tells them they are second-class citizens, and it hurts.
True, they will have to get over it, and will, with some time, but I think the tactics employed by the new governor made things a lot worse. Why didn't this issue come up in Michigan first? We have a new Republican Governor too....but his methods, while unprecedented, are more sensitive to established orginizations in the state.
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12:07 PM
86GT3.4DOHC Member
Posts: 10007 From: Marion Ohio Registered: Apr 2004
Im so embarrassed... And to date I have only actually met ONE couple who voted for him, swear to god lol, and yes they are exactly the type of people you would expect, I started to ask them how that was working out for them, but decided to remain civil lol.
At least from 2010 it looks like we learned our lesson... actually it looks like the whole damn country did...
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12:07 PM
D B Cooper Member
Posts: 3141 From: East Detroit, MI Registered: Jul 2005
Im so embarrassed... And to date I have only actually met ONE couple who voted for him, swear to god lol, and yes they are exactly the type of people you would expect, I started to ask them how that was working out for them, but decided to remain civil lol.
At least from 2010 it looks like we learned our lesson... actually it looks like the whole damn country did...
All but the ghettos. lol
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01:10 PM
Gall757 Member
Posts: 10938 From: Holland, MI Registered: Jun 2010
That's like the most ridiculous study I think I've ever seen. Nearly every damned person and their dog has a Bachelor's degree, and they're suggesting that the average person with a Bachelor's degree makes $82,000... that's simply ridiculous.
I know three people in my office who have masters degrees, and none of them are making 75,000... let alone 100,000 average.
I just looked at the author's other articles, and one of them says that we've created 1,000,000 green jobs because of the Recovery Act.
So the union hasn't even kept their wages comparable to non-union private sector jobs? And they're continuing to escalate the threat level to protect their union that gave fights for their substandard pay?
If your information is correct, why the hell aren't the public sector employees leaving public work in droves for better paying jobs in the private sector?
Something doesn't add up. If they're qualified for those better paying jobs, why aren't they going after them? If they're not, then the comparison is meaningless and the union is protecting jobs for unqualified people.
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02:16 PM
Gall757 Member
Posts: 10938 From: Holland, MI Registered: Jun 2010
Just looking a that report, something does not add up, everything looks a little rich. I'd like to find a better one.
who was it that said, "there are lies, damn lies, and statistics". We are looking at the third category I suspect. But you need to work with somebody's numbers or you are wasting your time.
[This message has been edited by Gall757 (edited 02-20-2011).]
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02:52 PM
Feb 21st, 2011
avengador1 Member
Posts: 35467 From: Orlando, Florida Registered: Oct 2001
A sizable number of voters are following new Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s showdown with unionized public employees in his state, and nearly half side with the governor.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 48% of Likely U.S. Voters agree more with the Republican governor in his dispute with union workers. Thirty-eight percent (38%) agree more with the unionized public employees, while 14% are undecided.
In an effort to close the state’s sizable budget deficit, Walker is proposing to eliminate collective bargaining for public employees including teachers on everything but wage issues. He is excluding public safety workers such as policemen and firemen from his plan.
Thirty-eight percent (38%) of voters think teachers, firemen and policemen should be allowed to go on strike, but 49% disagree and believe they should not have that right. Thirteen percent (13%) are not sure.
There’s strong partisan disagreement on both questions and a wide gap between the Political Class and Mainstream voters.
Thirty-six percent (36%) of all voters say that in their state the average public employee earns more than the average private sector worker. Twenty-one percent (21%) say the government employee earns less, while 20% think their pay is about the same. Twenty-three percent (23%) are not sure.
With states across the country finding that benefits for public workers are becoming difficult to fund in the current economic climate, support for public employee unions has fallen. Forty-five percent (45%) of Americans favor them, and 45% don’t. These findings include 21% who Strongly Favor such unions and 30% who are Strongly Opposed to them.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on February 18-19, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Fifty percent (50%) of voters favor reducing their home state’s government payroll by one percent a year for 10 years either by reducing the number of state employees or by cutting the pay of state workers. Twenty-eight percent (28%) oppose a cut of this nature, while another 23% aren’t sure about it. In a survey last month, voters were evenly divided over the idea of a 10% across-the-board pay cut for all state employees to help reduce overall spending.
Public employee unions have long been strong supporters, financially and otherwise, of Democratic Party candidates, so it’s no surprise that 68% of Democrats support the union workers in the Wisconsin dispute. Sixty-eight percent (68%) of Republicans and 56% of voters not affiliated with either of the major political parties side with the governor.
Most Democrats (54%) say teachers, firemen and policemen should be allowed to go on strike. The majority of GOP voters (62%) and unaffiliateds (58%) disagree.
While 61% of Republicans and 56% of unaffiliated voters like the idea of a one percent reduction in their state’s government payroll for the next 10 years, a plurality (41%) of Democrats are opposed.
The Political Class’ opposition is more emphatic. Sixty-four percent (64%) of Political Class voters oppose a payroll cut of this kind, while 56% of those in the Mainstream think it’s a good idea.
But then 56% of Mainstream voters agree more with the governor in the Wisconsin dispute, while 56% of the Political Class side with the union workers.
Sixty-seven percent (67%) of all voters say they are following at least somewhat closely news reports about the Wisconsin governor’s effort to limit collective bargaining rights for most state employees, with 37% who are following Very Closely.
With new Republican majorities in both chambers of Wisconsin’s legislature, the governor’s plan is likely to pass, prompting thousands of protesting public workers and their allies to descend on the state capital. President Obama and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, among others, have publicly sided with the protestors, while national Republicans have backed the governor.
A sizable majority of Americans say their states are now having major budget problems, and they think spending cuts, not higher taxes, are the solution. Most voters continue to oppose federal bailouts for financially troubled states. Voters aren’t thrilled with the idea of letting states declare bankruptcy, but they're more supportive if told government employees might have their pensions reduced in the process.
Seventy-eight percent (78%) of Americans say politicians’ unwillingness to reduce government spending is to blame for the budget crises in many states. When it comes to the nation’s historic-level federal budget deficit, 70% of all voters think voters are more willing to make the hard choices needed to reduce government spending than elected politicians are.
Sixty-six percent (66%) of all voters nationwide favor a proposal to cut the federal payroll by 10% over the coming decade.
Sixty-eight percent (68%) of Americans think workers in the private sector work harder than government workers.
The very last statistic explains a lot.
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10:21 PM
Formula88 Member
Posts: 53788 From: Raleigh NC Registered: Jan 2001
That's not a majority. But the important question is if over half of Wisconsin voters support Walker. They put the GOP majority in place in the last election.
Maybe the WI Democrats need to take a cue from Obama. They can come along for the ride, but they have to sit in the back of the bus.
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11:02 PM
Feb 22nd, 2011
Rodney Member
Posts: 4715 From: Caledonia, WI USA Registered: Feb 2000
So guess what i heard today? If every adult citizen in Wisconsin sends 23 dollars to Madison, the budget will not only be nullified, it would wind up coming out ahead for the next year with a small surplus. Hell i would send 38 right now if it was asked by the Dems and Republicans.
Oh and FYI, this isnt about union laborers not wanting to pay the extra buck for the benefits, the union heads have already been quoted as saying they can live with that, The dickhead gov we have in office however seems to think that that is ALL what this is about. Union members dont want to lose their rights to bargaining, So just make the damned compromise and pull that bit out of the bill already and let the state get back to doing what we all do best. Drink beer, shoot deer, and play football
[This message has been edited by Ramsespride (edited 02-22-2011).]
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06:08 AM
D B Cooper Member
Posts: 3141 From: East Detroit, MI Registered: Jul 2005
You have what ? 5 million residents in the state ? so $23 a piece would almost cover the $130M that the state has come up short between now and June 30th. Then you have the $3.6B shortfall in the budget to get from July 2011 to 2013. That's another $720 per head. And considering half the people don't pay anything in the first place, you can double that. So if you've got an extra $720 a year in your pocket to fork over so they can continue to pay teachers $50k a year in benefits alone, then bully for you. And don't think that raising taxes to cover the shortfall now doesn't mean they won't overspend and leave another shortfall to come back and raise taxes to cover again next time.
The majority of the voters in your state do not have another 720 a year laying around. Many would rather put that away for their own retirement, rather than to hold up a system that hands union retirees a pension worth an average of $800k upon retirement (and give them advice on good low-tax states to retire in and take that money to) and pay for a $30k a year health insurance plan, bought from a company owned by the union, when they could buy the same plan for $18k a year from another insurance company.
The majority of voters have woken up and realized that the state isn't a money machine and that all the taxation to keep the gravy train rolling have harmed the average Joe Lunchpail's job opportunities on one end and his (already damaged) paycheck on the other end in the state; and that all that adds up to a reduced standard of living for the working people in the real world.
[This message has been edited by D B Cooper (edited 02-22-2011).]
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08:04 AM
82-T/A [At Work] Member
Posts: 22729 From: Florida USA Registered: Aug 2002
So guess what i heard today? If every adult citizen in Wisconsin sends 23 dollars to Madison, the budget will not only be nullified, it would wind up coming out ahead for the next year with a small surplus. Hell i would send 38 right now if it was asked by the Dems and Republicans.
Oh and FYI, this isnt about union laborers not wanting to pay the extra buck for the benefits, the union heads have already been quoted as saying they can live with that, The dickhead gov we have in office however seems to think that that is ALL what this is about. Union members dont want to lose their rights to bargaining, So just make the damned compromise and pull that bit out of the bill already and let the state get back to doing what we all do best. Drink beer, shoot deer, and play football
So all the union workers would pay that $23 too, or they would pay it only to get it right back, while the rest of the state has to fork it over, right?
The senate should start debate on something that they wouldn't be able to pass if the dems were present; like the ethanol ban. They might get that to pass if they don't have to worry about keeping the R's all on the same page. Life gives you lemons, you make lemonade !
BTW did I just see you (twice) advocating a flat tax rate where everyone pays the same dollar amount ? Why not go further and have all the state's expenses divided up that way ?
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11:34 AM
WhiteDevil88 Member
Posts: 8518 From: Coastal California Registered: Mar 2007
I'm waiting for the libs to come in here and tell those runaway Wis. Senators "Hey, your side lost--Deal with it!"
I don't consider myself a "lib", maybe you do. But I think that obstructionist policies from any member of government represents some of the worst behavior in society. I see it ass a parallel evil to child molestation. I have zero admiration or support for their activities.
Don, this kind of rock throwing is beneath you. You are better and smarter then that.
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12:35 PM
82-T/A [At Work] Member
Posts: 22729 From: Florida USA Registered: Aug 2002
I don't consider myself a "lib", maybe you do. But I think that obstructionist policies from any member of government represents some of the worst behavior in society. I see it ass a parallel evil to child molestation. I have zero admiration or support for their activities.
Don, this kind of rock throwing is beneath you. You are better and smarter then that.
On a side note, many of these politicians are people who have always had things go their way through most of their careers. They don't take well to suddenly not having things work out. When that happens, they often do strange things...
Oh and FYI, this isnt about union laborers not wanting to pay the extra buck for the benefits, the union heads have already been quoted as saying they can live with that, The dickhead gov we have in office however seems to think that that is ALL what this is about. Union members dont want to lose their rights to bargaining, So just make the damned compromise and pull that bit out of the bill already and let the state get back to doing what we all do best.
So SUDDENLY when they are threatened with losing their COLLECTIVE BARGAINING RIGHTS, they can live with having to pay a few bucks for their benefits.
Where were the union heads FOR THE PAST 3 YEARS when the economy was brutal? Why didn't they say they could live with it THEN? Oh, yeah. They told everyone to stuff it.
There will STILL be a state union when this is done, and they will have the ability to bargain just like other unions have. They just won't have the POWER of the collective bargaining agreement rights that gives them a completely unfair advantage today. This is what the union is doing. OK, we are going to lose collective bargaining. So we will say we are ok with paying a few bucks NOW. But as soon as this blows over, or whenever we get liberals back in power, we are going to get those few bucks back AND MORE.
State employee unions having the scales tipped WAY in their favor is OVER. They still will have unions, and they still have the liberal politicians on their side. That is PLENTY of protection for them and their concerns.
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02:10 PM
avengador1 Member
Posts: 35467 From: Orlando, Florida Registered: Oct 2001
The dickhead gov we have in office however seems to think that that is ALL what this is about. Union members dont want to lose their rights to bargaining
Who says they are going to lose the rights to collective bargaining? That is a lie.The measure they are voting on is to limit the collective bargaining power of public employee unions and ask workers to contribute more to their health insurance and pensions.
Here is an email I received from Jim DeMint so you can see the conservative's side of this issue.
quote
Dear Fellow Conservative:
What's happening this week in Wisconsin demonstrates how dangerously beholden the Democrats have become to their out-of-control union bosses.
Rather than vote on a measure to limit the collective bargaining power of public employee unions and ask workers to contribute more to their health insurance and pensions, Democrats fled the state bringing their government to a standstill. They completely deserted the democratic process, at the unions' bidding.
As the Democrats left town, unions deployed their workers to the state Capitol to demonize Wisconsin's Republican Governor Scott Walker. More than 600 teachers employed by Milwaukee Public Schools, the state's largest school district, even staged a "sickout" on Friday, forcing classes to be canceled.
President Obama is taking the side of the striking unions and has called Gov. Walker's reasonable proposals an "assault." His political machine, Organizing for America, is on the ground ginning up opposition to Wisconsin Republicans who are trying desperately to balance their budget.
Obama isn't the only one cheering them on. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi told reporters, "I stand in solidarity with Wisconsin workers fighting for their rights." The Senate's second most powerful Democrat, Sen. Dick Durbin, has said he is "rooting" for the unions.
Make no mistake, the Democrat Party is bought and paid for by the unions.
In pursuit of cushy contracts and pensions, courtesy of the taxpayer, unions spent hundreds of millions the last election cycle to defeat anyone who stood between them and federal coffers. Public employee unions alone spent more than $200 million to defeat Republican candidates. The top state employees union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, spent more than $87 million in the 2010 cycle.
The unions will be even more active in the next election. They are certain to go after Republicans more aggressively then they ever have before. The unions are viewing Wisconsin as a community organizing "warm-up" for 2012.
It is critical that we recruit and elect more strong conservatives who are unafraid to stand up to the unions. Public sector employee unions have a stranglehold on our national and state budgets that must be severed. We need more people in government who will fight on the side of the American people, not the unions.
The Senate Conservatives Fund only supports Senate candidates who pledge support for a National Right to Work law. No American should ever be forced to join a union as a condition of their employment. If a National Right to Work law is passed, it will significantly weaken the unions ability to shutdown the government and schools like they are in Wisconsin now.
I'll be watching the events in Wisconsin very closely. I hope you do, too. It's an eye-opening preview of what's to come in 2012 and a reminder of why we must stay together in this fight to save our country.
Respectfully,
Jim DeMint United States Senator Chairman, Senate Conservatives Fund
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02:55 PM
partfiero Member
Posts: 6923 From: Tucson, Arizona Registered: Jan 2002
Heard he wants to take away their bargaining power on their pensions and benefits, not salary. So they will be able through bargaining make up for at least some of what they are losing. But I have always had a problem with public employees bargaining with politicians that they pay off with votes and campaign contributions. Only to leave the taxpayers to pay for this corrupt behavior.
[This message has been edited by partfiero (edited 02-22-2011).]
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04:00 PM
partfiero Member
Posts: 6923 From: Tucson, Arizona Registered: Jan 2002
At least from 2010 it looks like we learned our lesson... actually it looks like the whole damn country did...
One of the Bell, CA Councilmen who is on trial has only one charge against him. They rotate them to be the mayor. While mayor he signed a buch of illegal items. But his defense is that he was raised in Mexico and got less than a sixth grade education, and was never taught to read or write. So he never new what he was signing. So considering that Bell, CA voted someone to be mayor who can't even read or write, Ohio voting for Obama seams small.
