President Barack Obama delivers remarks at Milwaukee's Laborfest 2014.
On Monday, prominent Democrats like President Obama and Vice President Biden made their traditional visits to Labor Day events, because of course they did. What politician
wouldn't go speak to large audiences of potential Democratic voters on the day the election season swings into full gear? Republicans, meanwhile, are
trying to spin this as evidence of fear:
“The fact that Democrats feel the need to rally labor voters shows they’re facing an uphill battle this election,” Kirsten Kukowski, spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, wrote in an e-mail. “The Democrat base is not enthusiastic to vote and labor unions and labor voters have become increasingly frustrated with President Obama. President Obama’s problems with unions should cause Democrats everywhere to worry.”
That's precious. "OMG, the president attended a Labor Day event like he does every single year. He's clearly terrified!" Reality is that in 2011—not an election year—Obama spoke at a Labor Day event in
Detroit. In 2009—another off off year—he spoke at an event in
Cincinnati. Additionally, the concern Democrats have about union voters is not that these voters are voting Republican but that, in large part due to the Republican assault on unions, there are not enough of them:
In a slew of key states, the percentage of voters from union households has shrunk dramatically over the past several elections, according to national exit polls. In Wisconsin, the proportion fell from 32 percent in 2000 to 21 percent in 2012. Similar declines have taken place in Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Democrats have expanded their advantage among union voters, according to those same exit polls. In 2000, the labor vote split 55 percent for Democrats and 39 percent for Republicans, compared with 66 percent and 33 percent in 2012.
There. Does that put that little bit of Republican spin in context? Declines in union membership and the proportion of voters who are union members notwithstanding, we're still talking about a substantial and heavily Democratic group of voters. So Democrats are going to talk to them. And, Republicans being Republicans, they are going to make outlandish claims about what this all means, because, Republicans being Republicans, they certainly can't do much to win these votes. That would mean pissing off their real base of millionaires and billionaires.