Meet Michael Grimm, Labor’s Favorite Tea Party Republican

[Omaha Steve]

http://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/13129/labors_favorite_tea_party_republican/%C2%A0

Monday Apr 30, 2012 5:05 pm

By Bruce Vail


At the AFL-CIO's Maritime Trades Department conference in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., on March 9, 2012, Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) told maritime union leaders that he is influenced by the experience of his father, a member of the Roofers union. (Photo by Jordan Biscardo of Seafarers International Union)
Most of the media attention at the big gathering of construction unions this week in Washington, D.C., will be on President Obama's keynote speech, which he gave today. But also newsworthy will be the unlikely appearance there of a Tea Party Republican involved in a blooming romance with organized labor.

Invited to speak to the gathering of bricklayers, electricians, ironworkers, and other building trades unions is the little-known Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY). Elected to public office for the first time just 18 months ago, Grimm appeared at first blush to exemplify the small government, anti-labor ethos of the Tea Party—and an unlikely candidate to be welcomed along with Obama to this week’s conference of the AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Department (BCTD).

But Grimm’s short and little-noticed tenure in Washington has revealed an unexpected feature of the Marine Corps veteran and former FBI agent—he is a committed supporter of organized labor with no fear at all of the anti-union zealots in his own party.

“We all thought that these new guys (in Congress) would be cut from the same Tea Party cloth. But they weren’t, and Grimm has shown real independence and real guts,” commented Brian Schoeneman, director of political and legislative affairs for the Seafarers International Union.
Grimm will get a warm welcome from the union delegates at the BCTD conference, Schoeneman predicted. The reason? The Congressman is the only freshman Republican to vote consistently in favor of organized labor, and he gives a “hell of a good speech to a union audience,” he said.


FULL story at link.

[butterfly77]

1. One of Hannity's favorites..

fakes bipartanship

[HughBeaumont]

2. Fuck this supah douche.

http://election.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x5063532