CNN State of the Union Interview With Teamster President Jim Hoffa (Easy Decision To Support Obama)

[TomCADem]

Source: CNN

CROWLEY: Are you happy enough with President Obama, who has done a lot of things, including allowing Mexican trucks in what appears to be a pilot program across the border, which you oppose, he is pushing for at least three free trade agreements, which you oppose, are you happy enough with him to fully invest in his re-election?

HOFFA: We are going to have to. President Obama, we don't agree with all of his policies. There are a number of things that we don't agree with. But overall he has done a good job.

Don't forget, he took over the worst economy in 80 years when he took over in '09. We had the crash of '08. We lost 8 million jobs since then. It's -- you know, he's going to have a very difficult time turning this around.

When the alternatives are Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry, it makes it real easy to make this decision.


Read more: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1109/04/sotu.01.html

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The corporate media has been working over time to try to depress Democratic turnout with the false narrative that unions are abandoning the Democratic Party or do not support President Obama. If you search news paper articles, every story is done through the prism that unions do not support President Obama or that he has not been supportive of them. Look at Candy Crowley's question above, and you see that she is trying to plant the answer that she wants in order to provoke an attack on President Obama. Yet, look at Jim Hoffa's answer.

HOWEVER, look at CNN's own description or The Hill's description of the interview, and you would think that Hoffa was attacking President Obama.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/09/04/union-head-labels-american-companies-%E2%80%98unpatriotic%E2%80%99/

Likewise, when you look at actual complete transcripts of interviews of AFL-CIO President Richard Trumpka, you see that he has been very supportive of President Obama. Likewise, despite wild eyed suggestions on this Board that President Obama was implicitly supportive of Scott Walker's efforts to take away the collective bargaining rights of public employees, Trumpka called President Obama's statements and support very, very helpful.

Unfortunately, the corporate media is pushing an agenda. That narrative is evidence in Candy Crowley's question above. The corporate media will do its best to try to create fractures in the left, and to silence any efforts to hold Republicans accountable.

So, kudos to Jim Hoffa for not letting the corporate media put words in his mouth, and immediately calling out Republicans. Sadly, every news stories that has covered Hoffa's comments focus on his comments regarding Apple computer.

[tularetom]

1. Is that pig Crowley still on TV?

CNN has turned into a giant caldron of shit and she is a huge symptom of it.

I think the "pundits" on CNN are actually physically afraid of right wing republicans. Like if they don't get all sarcastic and snotty with the Dems some wing nut is gonna come on the set and kick their ass.

[gateley]

4. Self Delete. nt

[CakeGrrl]

2. "Dulce" Crowley happily carrying water for the GOP

She's probably still all tingly from GWB giving her her pet nickname.

So all the MSM/PL screeching about Obama "losing" Labor is more attempting to induce the result they want. No surprises there.

[demgrrrll]

3. Wait a minute what were all those threads about The President

losing all labor support?

[TomCADem]

7. Look at Tea Party types crticizing all the Republican candidates with...

...many polls showing Republicans less than enthusiatic about their choice. Yet, you do not see headlines about Romney losing the Tea Party vote going into the 2012 elections based on such criticism. For goodness sakes, some Tea Partiers are protesting some of the Republican candidates, yet this is largely ignored.

[No Elephants]

9. I actually have seen stories about Romney's lack of appeal to the Teabaggers.

[No Elephants]

8. Labor support, like most things in life, has degrees.

Trumka's speeches would have been unthinkable years ago.

Besides, there is a difference between union support and labor support--and only labor votes.

Granted, union leadership can influence the vote of labor, but strong union members, like cops and firefighters, started voting Republican in large numbers years ago.

Pro labor policies are the way to get the vote of labor. As telling the difference between the two major Parties become more difficult, voters just may vote for the Party that promises to take less from them in the form of taxes.

Fortunately, this Republican field is pathetic.

[lonestarnot]

5. K & R!

[gateley]

6. K&R - thank you. You're right - the flap has been that

the unions are pulling support from Obama, and that doesn't appear to be the case. Criticism doesn't mean you're taking your votes elsewhere, as evidenced here where people criticize Obama all the time but many say they will still vote for him.

[JDPriestly]

12. Please note that the Teamsters supported Reagan in 1984.

Historically, the Teamsters as a union don't always support or represent Democratic values.

They have been much more conservative than other unions.

I do not want to offend any Teamsters. I'm not painting them all with one brush.

I am just pointing out that the Teamsters are not necessarily typical of unions.

[gateley]

17. Thanks -- I didn't know that. In fact the only thing I really

knew about them is that we lived next door to Dave Beck (pres before Hoffa) and he went to prison! After that, I've kind of gotten the impression that they're uber strong and powerful, and not necessarily always fighting for the little guy, but most organizations have some of that.

I don't KNOW a lot about the unions, except that I know that they're good for us all, and contrary to popular (Republican) belief, these workers aren't just skating along doing nothing.

[No Elephants]

10. Unrec'd for insults to fellow DUers in the Op.

I believe I may have unrec'd three or four threads deliberately in all my time at DU and I rec almost all threads I think are important.

[JDPriestly]

11. The Teamsters supported Reagan.

I hope I don't offend any Teamsters, but read the article. I remember this.

The teamsters' union will support President Reagan in 1984 if he is running against Walter F. Mondale, the union's president, Jackie Presser, said in an interview today. Mr. Presser's comments put the nation's largest trade union, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, at odds with almost all other American unions. The leaders of the 96 unions in the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations will meet in Hollywood, Fla., beginning Oct. 1 and are expected to endorse Mr. Mondale for the Presidency. The teamsters' union, which does not belong to the A.F.L.-C.I.O., was one of the few labor groups to support Mr. Reagan in 1980, and Mr. Presser said the union, which claims a membership of 1.8 million, remains committed to the President. Mr. Presser said he and other teamster leaders believe the President deserves praise for lowering interest rates and for other economic improvements, and he said the President's next responsibility must be to reduce unemployment.

http://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/26/us/teamster-says-union-prefers-reagan-to-mondale.html

[Kahuna]

13. But..but...but...Just two weeks ago..some PL blog reported that

labor WOULD NOT support the president. I know because it was widely reported and gleefully recommended on the Du. Curses! Foiled again! :evilgrin:

ETA, that report was immediately debunked at the time. I don't recall seeing to many threads about that though. :evilgrin:

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Scurrilous]

15. K & R

:thumbsup:

[ThomWV]

16. Yeah, but what if the alternative isn't Palin, Bachman, or Perry? What if its Romney or Huntsman

What happens if the right picks someone other that a complete wack case?

[TomCADem]

19. You Mean Romney Who Was Among The First To Support Gov. Walker's Union Crack Down In Wisconsin?

Romney is pure corporate. He may even be more anti-union than Palin, Bachman, or Perry, because he is a pure Wall Street type. Sure, he may not hear voices in his head, but he does hear the siren call of corporate contributions. Look it up, and you will see Romney trying to hitch his wagon to Governor Walker's efforts to strip public employees of their collective bargaining rights in a very visible manner.

I think Romney's anti-union animus is one of his more sincere beliefs, because no one was forcing him to cheerlead for Governor Walker back then.

[Broderick]

18. To read the MSM's take lately

one would think Unions were on the decline and they were opposed to Obama! I say raise the union dues on all labor unions and flood the airwaves with a positive union message and flood the coffers of Democrats with money to fill the war chests plum full! Raise them now! Let's take back our country. Public sector unions would gladly vote for more dues I believe considering what they have been through.

[spanone]

20. funny how candy knows all the right-wing buttons to push...as if she were a teabagger herself???