Labor Unions Now Reaching Out to Republicans

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Who are they giving to? I WANT NAMES!!!!!

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

I wonder how many GOP defeats in 1948 were directly caused by Taft-Hartley being passed.

Republicans have done well amongst union voters at points. Ike, Nixon and Reagan to cite obvious examples. But such was a temporary occurance. The Democrats have been the default option since 1932.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

But such was a temporary occurance.

Oh, I doubt that. Reagan actually strengthened the power of the establishment unions when he invited them into the discussion on reciprocal tariffs against Japan, and it's little surprise he did. The GOP base has always been far more heavily unionized than they ever will be willing to admit. And what better way to appeal to the AFL-CIO rank-and-file than through Reagan, one of their own?

So are you claiming that the GOP has been consistently winning 50%, or comming close to it, of the union vote in 50-50 elections ever since Reagan? If not, I don't see how he permenently changed the overall dynamic.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Which doesn't contradict a thing I said. Of course the Republicans win a good chunk of union votes, but they don't "win" them the way Reagan did, on a consistent basis. Which is why I called it a temporary occurance, a statement which you objected to. The only way to object would be to argue otherwise, which is simply not the case. 

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Which doesn't contradict a thing I said. Of course the Republicans win a good chunk of union votes, but they don't "win" them the way Reagan did, on a consistent basis. Which is why I called it a temporary occurance, a statement which you objected to. The only way to object would be to argue otherwise, which is simply not the case. 

Your statement that it was a 'temporary occurance' implies that American politics follows the traditional model, which is not the case. Most of America's unions, and certainly the Teamsters and AFL-CIO, are right-wing, and they vote Republican all out of proportion to the way they 'ought' to according to the traditional understanding of the political axis. It's not 'temporary', except in the sense that it was a temporary spike in an already-strong trend.

I didn't imply anything of the sort. I stated that Ike, Nixon and Reagan did better amongst unions then Republicans typically do and such "improved performances" didn't last beyond their Presidencies. Everything was setup as relative to traditional GOP performance amongst unions for the past 80 years, not to some Global concept of conservatism, unions, and the relationship thereof. By switching or misreading the comparison you are basically taking my post out of context.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Probably because they contribute to the overall pension problem that cities and states are facing. Though there is worse legislation for sure. Fugitive slave law anyone? Indian Removal Act?

"Pro-labor Republican" is an oxymoron.

Actually, the New Jersey Republican party served the beck and call of the NJEA for almost 20 years. Some of the worst pieces of legislation in US History were passed and signed by Republicans.

Like Taft-Hartley, for example? (Well, not 'signed' by anybody...)

In New Jersey Governor Tom Kean signed legislation artificially boosting the salaries of NJEA members. Governor Don Difrancesco signed legislation artificially boosting the pensions of state unions by 9%.

It's quite amusing how these people believe that legislation can increase their compensation but not decrease it. And then they go around claiming that compensation should be collectively bargained and not legislated.

Public sector unions will naturally side with whatever party that lets then feed at the trough.

And Ohio disproved your delusion that most people have nothing but a burning extreme hatred for all public sector unions and want to slaughter all their members.

The truth as to the objective lies somewhere between restoring solvency and execution squads. Probably somewhere closer to solvency.

Though I should give you credit, you shown just like Trunca with the inflamatory rhetoric.