Unions & Allies Need A Plan

A number of months ago, a union member friend of mine and I were talking about the decision to try to recall the Governor of Wisconsin, Republican Scott Walker. We both agreed that while we certainly didn't like Walker, the recall idea was not a good one. It was overreach and it was made in haste and in anger. I certainly understand the anger, but these kinds of decisions need to be thought through. The whole thing was terribly misguided, as it used valuable resources of money and effort that will be sorely needed in this year's election in the fall. Walker's success has now put unions on the spot, although I'm not so sure as much as some people believe. At least let's hope not, but that remains to be seen.

Why did the effort fail? It wasn't because Walker's opponents didn't try. Many gave their all, but the recall gave conservative donors and groups a single target on which to concentrate their efforts. In most cases, and maybe all cases, unions and Democrats cannot financially compete with the kinds of financial resources available to the political right.* While Walker's opponents blame these huge sums of money poured into Wisconsin to save the Governor as being the reason, that's not the only reason Walker held on. You must remember, many, and probably most, Americans have only a casual interest in politics. You can say Americans need to pay more attention, stomp your feet, throw a tantrum, or whatever, but that's not going to change that fact at the moment. There are times Americans pay somewhat more attention to political issues, and perhaps this time Wisconsinites did so, but overall, recalls have a difficult time, as people do not want perpetual elections. If Walker had been defeated, the situation in Wisconsin would not have improved, as Republicans would have then targeted Tom Barrett, who was Walker's Democratic opponent on the ballot. The political battle would have then raged against him. People want some sort of peace and quiet for a while. My God, here in Ohio, a key battleground state, you can't put on the television for fifteen minutes without seeing several ads for both sides, and it's only June! It gets on your damned nerves, and I'm interested in politics. How do you think Ohioans far less interested in politics feel? And I can only imagine how relieved Wisconsinites must feel now that the recall is over.

The thing is, now unions and their allies need a plan to thwart the plan of destruction that has already been plotted by the corporate bigwigs and their allies, unfortunately some of whom are terribly misguided, as they are people of average means. Make no mistake about it, the corporate leaders and wealthy interests are moving in for the kill. The 2008 elections, the costly struggle over health care, the 2010 elections, the Wisconsin debacle, the fight in Ohio over collective bargaining rights, the coming elections, and other issues I've undoubtedly forgotten have all put a strain on the finances and organizations of America's labor movement, and of progressives in general. This is just what our opponents want, a battle on many fronts where progressive resources are dissipated. The sums of money being raised by the other side only goes to show that they DO NOT need more tax cuts. More tax cuts for the super wealthy lead to more donations to conservative candidates and groups, helping to elect more "tax cutters" and supporters of the right wing agenda, which, if left unchecked, will continue toward an out and out fascist-like system.

Progressive leaders of varying viewpoints, from unions to Democratic Party leaders to leaders of the "Occupy" movements nationwide, need to sit down together and work out a plan to combat those who will totally dominate the country if the labor movement goes down. Then no one will be secure in their income or benefits, including non-union workers, some of whom erroneously seem to think they'll somehow be exempt from cuts. Workers at all levels must be shown what can happen to THEM if the already rich and powerful become even more rich and powerful. Efforts must be thought through, with financial and organizational resources strategically committed to where they can do the most good. Running third party candidates will only serve to help the opposition. THINK! Let's NOT learn the lesson of disunity the hard way! Would you prefer a whole bunch of Scott Walkers in office across the country, including in the presidency? Progressives can't be "purists," but certainly a fairer society must be at the core of principles. Not everyone will always agree on every single issue, but if "fairness" remains at the center of issues, the disagreements hopefully can be limited to details, rather than to overall substance.

* Remember folks, the wealthiest 400 families in America have as much wealth as the bottom 150,000,000 (that's 150 million!). If you think wealth isn't concentrated in America, think again!

WORD HISTORY:
Plan-This word, a close relative of "plain" and "plane," goes back to Indo European "pleh," which had the notion of "flat, spread out." This gave its Latin offspring "planus," which meant "flat surface." French, a Latin-based language, had "plant," which initially meant "layout of a building." The whole concept of "plan" goes back to "laying out a drawing/design on a 'flat' surface." English borrowed the word from French around 1700, and gradually "plan" broadened in meaning to just about any "design," whether by drawing or in the mind. The verb came from the noun in the 1700s. It was also borrowed by German as "Plan" (German nouns are capitalized).