A great summation of what happened to the Labor Movement in the US

[WCGreen]

because of the Republicans and what they need to do now....


http://www.clevelandfreepress.com/content/3612

But enough of that. The only relevant question is what can be done now. Working people and union advocates need to take heed of the lesson taught by the so-called pro-life movement following the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion. Instead of signaling the death of its movement, this Supreme Court ruling actually became the starting point for the Religious Right's massive impact on American politics.

Within a few years of the Roe decision, the misnamed Moral Majority took up arms and, over the past four decades and under various monickers, has used this lighting-rod issue to help elect literally thousands of local, state and federal politicians who have not only chipped away at Roe but have fueled the “Republican Revolution” that has reached into almost every aspect of American domestic and foreign policy.

If the public unions decide, for example, to stop paying their dues (both monetary and via shoe leather) and choose to shrivel up and die because Republican governors and legislatures pass laws banning collective bargaining, they will have missed the single greatest opportunity in recent memory to truly revitalize working people’s role in American politics. If they bail before spending the next months and years pounding the streets and ballot boxes and rallying their brothers and sisters in the workforce to snap out of their culture-wars coma and start fighting for their economic rights, they will have sealed their own grim fate.

I use t write for Larry when he cobbled together a true alternative bi-weekly mag here in Cleveland called the Downtown Tab...

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. He has really got it right.

We need to get mad, instead of taking what's left of our toys and going home, defeated. After all, the Republicans have been seizing these moments and turning them to their advantage for many years.

We need to do that too.

He has written this superbly. It must have been a blast working for him.

Recommended.

:patriot:

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

3. Excellent article.

The American people do need to get angry over this. I don't know what it is going to take, maybe when gasoline prices get to $5.00 a gallon, they'll finally wake up and see the bullshit the Pukes have been feeding them for the past 30 years. :patriot: :dem:

[RandomThoughts]

2. What is really bad about that.

Is the Republicans never intended to overturn Abortion, they never really cared about that issue, and if they did overturn it, they would not have that as an issue to Machiavellian some of the churches with.

If you wonder why I don't respect them much, think about it, not only did they not really do anything to correct that, but they used that issue to redefine a religion to be about supporting Machiavelli.

That is why I think they are in really bad trouble, not to mention the wars and torture, and removal of rights, and deception as policy.

On a side note, many on democratic side are the same way, so not just about a political group, but there are some real losers in some of those groups.

Its sad.


On the other side, I do agree there is an opportunity for issues of social justice and rights for all people to resurface as people wake up to what has been going on.

[hfojvt]

4. I am not seeing the same possibility

for one thing, the abortion issue had thousands of churches to keep pushing it. For another, life and children and motherhood are fairly basic issues that hit close to the heart of every voter, making it easier to rally around "pro life" banners. It's harder to rally around "collective bargaining" since even people like me, who support it, have never once experienced it in practice. It's kinda hard to rally around a "pro union" banner when most people only know about unions from the history books.

Maybe if we had the slogan of "solidarity", but how is solidarity experienced? Because we are united to preserve good jobs for the people lucky enough to have them?

[WCGreen]

7. Hundreds if not thousands of locals....

[malaise]

5. MUST READ

K & R

[Leopolds Ghost]

6. Google "Overton Window theory". Many liberals seem to have FORGOTTEN how to play the game.

They'll have to re-learn -- or better yet, true populist "progressives" will need to take over and show how it's done.

Remember the discussions here on DU back in 2004 about "keeping our powder dry"?

[CaliforniaPeggy]

8. Kick!

:kick: