Former Ties: Organizations backing workers say Democrats take up corporations’ interests over theirs

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/928119.html

BRAD SHANNON; The Olympian | • Published August 02, 2009

A few of Washington’s major labor groups say they are mad as heck and don’t want to take it any longer – and this time, they’re talking about their friends in the Democratic Party.

Wounded by what they see as a Democratic majority co-opted by The Boeing Co. and other powerful business groups at the Legislature, Washington State Labor Council officials say they won’t give money as freely to Democratic groups in the future.


The council has formed a new political action committee dubbed DIME – Don’t Invest in More Excuses – that is designed to give the council and allies more control over who gets help. The council also is looking at its grassroots and endorsement policies, which likely will mean less manpower aid to candidates, less money for the state Democratic Party and less money for House and Senate caucus campaign committees run by Democrats.


“We want a little bit more control over where our dollars go,” said Rick Bender, president of the Washington State Labor Council, which provided money for independent ads helping Gov. Chris Gregoire’s re-election and an estimated 250,000 telephone calls to voters to help her. He said it is no more business as usual for labor.


The council holds its convention Friday and Aug. 8 in Wenatchee, and instead of celebrating victories in 2009 after helping to re-elect a governor and maintain huge Democratic majorities in the Legislature, labor is nursing its wounds, feeling burned by friends.


“Our relationship is not like it was before going into the 2008 election,” Bender said recently. “No question we’ve decided we are going to change the way we’re going to finance these campaigns.’’

FULL story at link.

[Autumn]

1. Good for them

politicians need to know that you go to a dance, you dance with the one who brung you.

[Hannah Bell]

2. only took them 30 years to figure it out. barn door = wide open, horse gone.

[pscot]

3. True

But the horse shows up every two years looking for someone to fill its nosebag. There'll be plenty of chances to show it who holds the reins.

[bvar22]

4. Well DUH!

The "Centrist" Democrats abandoned organized LABOR and the American Working Class in 1992.

There ARE still some Democrats who represent LABOR.
They can be found in the Progressive Caucus, but they have NO representation in the Obama administration.
http://www.pdamerica.org/

Election 2008 was a complete defeat for Organized LABOR, the Working Class, and the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party.


"There are forces within the Democratic Party who want us to sound like kinder, gentler Republicans. I want us to compete for that great mass of voters that want a party that will stand up for working Americans, family farmers, and people who haven't felt the benefits of the economic upturn."---Paul Wellstone

[diane in sf]

5. Let's hope they figure it out and back the progressive caucus

[DCKit]

6. If they were giving to the corporate approved candidates before...

they've go no one to blame but themselves.

I would like to think that the progressives they choose to give to from now on stand a chance of winning - especially in the more progressive districts in WA. Here's hoping the concept spreads.

It's been nice having the majority, but thus far, it's been in name only. Fortunately our anger seems to be registering with even the (D-corp.) coalition.