 |
|||||
 |
|||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Commentary By Bill McCarthy, President, Do you think U.S. voters are ready to elect a black President? What about your co-worker? What about you? If you’ve been following the news, you know there’s some debate about this question. On the other hand, few disagree: Eight years of the failed economic policies of President George W. Bush have made a train wreck of the U.S. economy. U.S. voters — and union members in particular — should be flocking to Barack Obama’s campaign for change. And yet, here in Minnesota, our phone calls and house visits to the homes of union members are finding a surprisingly high percentage of union members who report that they’re undecided in the race for U.S. President. Why so many undecided union voters? The choice for President couldn’t be more clear: As a U.S. Senator, Barack Obama has earned a 98 percent voting record from the AFL-CIO on issues important to working families. Obama has consistently voted with working families on issues like jobs, health care and support for the Employee Free Choice Act, legislation that would make it easier for workers to form unions. Senator John McCain, by contrast, has earned an AFL-CIO voting record of only 16 percent. And, according to Congressional Quarterly, McCain voted with President Bush 100 percent so far in 2008 and 95 percent of the time in 2007. McCain’s voting record belies the hype about his image as a maverick or independent. “Barack Obama has always, always been on our side,” emphasized Richard Trumka, secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO, addressing the national convention of the Steelworkers union earlier this summer. “Brothers and sisters, there’s not a single good reason for any worker — especially any union member — to vote against Barack Obama,” Trumka continued. “There’s only a bad reason: because he’s not white.” “We can’t tap dance around the fact that there are a lot of white folks out there… [who] just can’t get past this idea that there’s something wrong with voting for a black man,” Trumka said. And, he noted, “a lot of them are good union people.” Trumka continued: “I don’t think we should be out there pointing fingers in peoples’ faces and calling them racist; instead we need to educate them that if they care about holding on to their jobs, their health care, their pensions, and their homes — if they care about creating good jobs with clean energy, child care, pay equity for women workers — there’s only going to be one candidate on the ballot this fall who’s on their side… only one candidate who’s going to stand up for their families… only one candidate who’s earned their votes… and his name is Barack Obama!” For a link to Trumka’s speech, click here (text and video). For more on McCain’s record, visit www.mccainrevealed.org. For more on Obama’s record, visit www.meetobama08.com.
|
||||||||||||||||||||