Economic concerns behind political shift in Indiana

[IndianaGreen]

Economic concerns behind political shift in Indiana

Author: John Wojcik
People's Weekly World Newspaper, 10/27/08 16:57

Barack Obama’s surge in Indiana’s Oct. 23 Big10 Battleground Poll to a 10 point lead over John McCain (51 to 41 percent) is not surprising, considering the sharp concerns raised by workers at a union-sponsored forum in Indianapolis Oct. 22.

“It’s not like you can just find another job. There aren’t any around here,” said Kathleen South of IUE-CWA Local 919 at the workers’ roundtable sponsored by AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and Indiana State AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Joe Breedlove.

A report on the forum, which appeared on the federation’s website Oct. 23, sheds light on the underlying causes of the big change underway on the political landscape in Indiana.

South, who recently lost her job after the Visteon plant she worked at for 22 years closed down in March, was one of eight recently displaced workers who shared their stories with the labor leaders.

South told them: “I’ll be OK for a few more months but I know that eventually, I’m going to lose the house.”

Stories of home foreclosure and the fear it causes and stories about loss of health care benefits took center stage during the round table.

The official unemployment rate in Indiana has jumped two percent in the last year.

http://www.pww.org/article/articleview/13915/

[MikeNearMcChord]

1. Remember the saga of Barney Smith at the DNC convention.

Also let us not forget the debate where John McCain hailed the free trade agreement with Colombia, I would play this 24/7 in Indiana.