I awoke to see the Pro-Casey Diary still on the recommended list. And its a real shame because its a diary that starts out talking about Casey's union credentials only to ignore any real talk about what they might be to double back and rehash the abortion issue.
I commented in the diary and challenged the Casey supporters to show me how he is "pro-union". I've yet to see the proof, so I felt compelled to write this.
As a former Steelworker and son of Steelworker I for one am sick of unions endorsing candidates who proclaim their support for union men and women long enough to get the cash they need to trounce their opponent in a primary race only to forget the unions by the time the general election rolls around because union issues are too contentious.
I did find this quote from a previous diary of another Casey supporter: "Casey is a huge labor guy, probably up there with Gephardt and Wellstone on labor issues. In the 2002 Gubanatorial Primary, he won the endorsement of the AFL-CIO and most of the other major unions. They'll have his back, and in the Senate, he'll have theirs."
I grow tired of this circular logic which is employed over and over in primaries--"union leaders supported us thus we are pro-union so union workers should support us". In other words, don't just say someone is pro-union, show me how they are.
The poster boy of the Party's attitude towards unions was President Bill Clinton. There are many positive things that can be said about Clinton. But one of his biggest negatives was the way he tossed unions aside once he goth there money and endorsement and was actually in office. Take a look at Clinton's record on NAFTA, the American Airlines strike of '97, and in weakening OSHA. In return for all of these sacrifices by organized labor, Clinton did help raise the minimum wage...but not until their was a Republican majority in Congress and he could use it as a weapon against them.
Unions supported John Kerry in the 2004 primaries. Why, I'll never know since Kerry was unashamed to admit he voted for NAFTA and wouldn't consider revoking it. The best he could muster was a "review" of trade treaties. Other candidates including Edwards and Kucinich offered a better alternative, but the unions figured Kerry was the guy to beat and so they gave him their fealty.
Organized labor displays something akin to battered wife syndrome, consistently supporting candidates who offer little support to labor when the day is done. And when the next election comes around and they need labor's money, they get comfy with us pro-union folks long enough to get an endorsement and some money and then its back to the same old same old.
I know very little about Bob Casey, Jr. I have read very good things about what he's done as Auditor. But before his supporters start touting him as the cure-all for the union man, I want to know what he's going to really do for unions or, better yet, what has he done in previous offices he's held.