In Iowa, if I recall correctly, there was alot of rhetoric about Maytag plant shutdowns. But, according to the Illinois IAMAW alot of that talk was just rhetoric
Despite the perceived (by some) outrage over the Walmart tapes the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers of Illinois endorsed Hillary Clinton yesterday, citing inaction from Barack Obama on the Galesburg Maytag plant closing as one reason.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/...
What rankles some is what Obama did not do even as he expressed solidarity four years ago with workers mounting a desperate fight to save their jobs.
Obama had a special connection to Maytag: Lester Crown, one of the company's directors and biggest investors whose family, records show, has raised tens of thousands of dollars for Obama's campaigns since 2003. But Crown says Obama never raised the fate of the Galesburg plant with him, and the billionaire industrialist insists any jawboning would have been futile.
I am not familiar with this Union or the merits of their argument. It may be, Axelrod said, Obama did not know that Crown was on the board and so did not know he could attempt to use his influence to help the Maytag workers. Or he did realize it was futile and he could use his political capital for other equally important causes. But it does highlight the fact that, in politics, circumstances will not always be right for one to do the right thing. So I'm willing to give Obama the benefit of the doubt here, knowing the rest of his record and the way he presented himself on the trail.
On the flipside, I hope some of you would give Clinton a break on the Walmart tapes. To get things done, like Obama and any other politician you have to pick your battles based on the circumstances you find yourself in.