As Seneca Doane explained in her recommended diary, Senator DeMented could not have been more clear about why republicans oppose the bailout of the D3. In short, the survival of the republican party depends on the elimination of unions and their ability to mobilize members to vote for pro-worker candidates.
Lest we forget how important unions were to the Obama and Democratic victories on November 4th, here is the data from an internal AFL-CIO poll:
"More than 250,000 union volunteers took to the streets in the largest independent voter mobilization in history," AFSCME Presdient Gerald McEntee.
The union difference cannot be overstated, it was the difference:
> Sixty seven percent of union members voted for Obama.
> Obama won among white men who are union members by 18 points while losing that group to McCain by 16 points in the general public;
> Obama won among union gun owners by a 12-point margin while losing that group to McCain in the general public by 25 points;
> Union veterans voted for Obama by a 25-point margin. He lost among that group in the general public by nine points;
> Working America members voted for Obama by 67-30 percent. Working America gun owners voted for Obama over McCain by 23 point margin; general public gun owners voted 25 points in favor of McCain;
The republican motivation for eliminating unions could not be more clear. Without union members and their mobilzation, Obama loses the election.