From what my card-carrying union friends have been saying, democrats are losing support from that sector more from the shortcomings of union leadership than from a real change in the voter base.
Speaking as a (quite happily so) card-carrying union member myself, it can definitely come down to that. There was a LOT of frustration bubbling up in recent years given that our bunch was caught in endless negotiations that went nowhere combined with rather poorly handled PR mailouts and announcements that just ticked a lot of people off. Affiliating with the Teamsters smoothed a lot of that out and we recently approved a handy five-year contract.
Another issue, though, can be boiled down to the question of turf wars. This hopefully has also changed with the Teamsters affiliation but we'll see. Basically, anybody who found themselves in a position to be promoted out of the union to a different status via a new work assignment or a work reclassification often found that the union was essentially working against their interests because that means they would lose a member -- a couple of friends dealt with that for the longest time, to their increasing frustration. So if things like that are more commonplace than expected, I couldn't blame people's annoyance at all.
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 5 January 2012 17:11 (twelve years ago) link
Affiliating with the Teamsters smoothed a lot of that out
haha I'll bet
― iatee, Thursday, 5 January 2012 17:13 (twelve years ago) link
We have some odd affiliations on campus here. When the grad students union came into being almost fifteen years back it was as an affiliate of the UAW.
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 5 January 2012 17:14 (twelve years ago) link
oh look Bono likes Santorum
lol catholics
― The Silent Extreme (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 5 January 2012 17:43 (twelve years ago) link
kinda wanna poll the awkward moments in this story
― The Silent Extreme (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 5 January 2012 17:50 (twelve years ago) link
Santorum "has a kind of Tourette's disease," Bono told New York Times columnist David Brooks in 2006.
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 5 January 2012 17:50 (twelve years ago) link
These three are winners from that Mitt story:
“The line? The DMZ? Is that it? No, I know what it is: It’s the emergency exit! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. Yeah. Ahh.”“Ha, ha. Uh. I think landslides are terrific....I just didn’t, uh, see that in last night’s figures. I’m not sure about you. Ha, ha, ha, ha.”“What a, uh, big night we had last night, or what a big morning we had, uh, last morning, this morning, in, uh, Iowa,”
“Ha, ha. Uh. I think landslides are terrific....I just didn’t, uh, see that in last night’s figures. I’m not sure about you. Ha, ha, ha, ha.”
“What a, uh, big night we had last night, or what a big morning we had, uh, last morning, this morning, in, uh, Iowa,”
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 5 January 2012 17:51 (twelve years ago) link
I think that's about as much about Bono dropping names and at least as much about Bono's committment to Catholic 'caritas' as it is about liking Santorum.
― Do you know what the secret of comity is? (Michael White), Thursday, 5 January 2012 17:52 (twelve years ago) link
"Hair Force One"
― Do you know what the secret of comity is? (Michael White), Thursday, 5 January 2012 17:55 (twelve years ago) link
tbf it must kinda suck for mitt to continually be reminded that nobody likes him
― The Silent Extreme (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 5 January 2012 17:56 (twelve years ago) link
well he still has a decent shot at becoming president of america, so
― iatee, Thursday, 5 January 2012 17:56 (twelve years ago) link
he doesn't have a prayer imho
― The Silent Extreme (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 5 January 2012 17:57 (twelve years ago) link
let's hope fundies agree with that statement
― iatee, Thursday, 5 January 2012 17:58 (twelve years ago) link
Shakey just loves to crucify the Catholics.
not even clemenza will dispute this? it's the Dobbsey twin election, folx.
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/the_big_idea/2012/01/mitt_romney_s_the_nominee_the_republican_primary_race_is_over_.html
― Dr Morbois de Bologne (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 5 January 2012 17:59 (twelve years ago) link
Santorum has about $73 in his bank account iirc
― your pain is probably equal (Z S), Thursday, 5 January 2012 18:00 (twelve years ago) link
wait didn't he raise a million dollars the other day
― iatee, Thursday, 5 January 2012 18:02 (twelve years ago) link
yes but he then spent it all on wet wipes
― Bam! Orgasm explosion in your facehole. (DJP), Thursday, 5 January 2012 18:02 (twelve years ago) link
well at least he didn't waste it
Bono gave him money and now he can write it off as a charitable contribution.
― lumber up, limbaugh down (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 5 January 2012 18:07 (twelve years ago) link
http://www.rall.com/rallblog/comics/2012-01-04.jpg
― i couldn't adjust the food knobs (Phil D.), Thursday, 5 January 2012 18:10 (twelve years ago) link
lol not only is romney an objectively bad presidential candidate, hes a horrible candidate for right now
― lag∞n, Thursday, 5 January 2012 18:24 (twelve years ago) link
i mean just this http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/01/reverse-engineering-romneys-low-effective-tax-rate.php
― lag∞n, Thursday, 5 January 2012 18:25 (twelve years ago) link
yep Obama is gonna kill him on this out-of-touch rich robot shit
― The Silent Extreme (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 5 January 2012 18:41 (twelve years ago) link
my friend is under attack for a Santorum tweet yesterday... of course he is now identified only as an "NPR and NY Times contributor."
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/ken-shepherd/2012/01/04/npr-ny-times-contributor-compares-santorum-harvey-milks-assassin
― Dr Morbois de Bologne (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 5 January 2012 19:02 (twelve years ago) link
weird he wasn't identified as "Dr Morbius' friend"
― congratulations (n/a), Thursday, 5 January 2012 19:15 (twelve years ago) link
OBAMASPIRACY
oh that is not "obama's piracy" btw
― congratulations (n/a), Thursday, 5 January 2012 19:16 (twelve years ago) link
OBAMA SPI RACY?
― Do you know what the secret of comity is? (Michael White), Thursday, 5 January 2012 19:19 (twelve years ago) link
Obama does have a racy private investigator, though.
― Bon Ivoj (jaymc), Thursday, 5 January 2012 19:21 (twelve years ago) link
Bob Wright c/o Sully:
I think viewing an anti-Romney holy war as the capstone of Gingrich's career gives short shrift to Newt's skills as a hatemonger. After all, Mitt Romney is only one person, and Gingrich has reason to be mad at him. The hallmark of truly vintage Gingrichian toxicity is the fomenting of hatred toward whole groups of people whom Gingrich has no personal reason to dislike. It isn't that he wishes these people ill; it's just that he would profit politically if they were hated more deeply by more people.
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/01/newt-gingrich-a-hater-not-a-quitter/250879/
― lumber up, limbaugh down (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 5 January 2012 19:49 (twelve years ago) link
"I don't believe a Massachusetts moderate is in a very good position to debate Barack Obama"--that's it? That's the best you can do? You've got $10 million to burn in the next few weeks. Go find the people who did Hillary's 3:00-in-the-morning ad. I want dark, ominous clouds rolling across the screen...scary morphing...the Castaways' "Liar, Liar" blaring in the background...some truly vintage Gingrichian toxicity. Something. Anything.
http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/01/newt-tries-out-his-new-romney-bashing-stump-speech.php?ref=fpb
― clemenza, Thursday, 5 January 2012 21:28 (twelve years ago) link
Sorry--the opening's there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8rCy173y7Y
― clemenza, Thursday, 5 January 2012 21:30 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaK5pebdlXY
― lumber up, limbaugh down (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 5 January 2012 21:31 (twelve years ago) link
So really, why don't libs argue for Obama to use the bully pulpit? (My answer wd be that he's not an advocate for lib positions.)
― Dr Morbois de Bologne (Dr Morbius), Thursday, January 5, 2012 3:06 PM (6 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
Kev, IIRC, argues for this all the time, among others ITT. It's always when I know the situation is hopeless.
Obama gave a million speeches on issues like healthcare and didn't budge public opinion at all; it still barely passed and most people hate it for the wrong reasons. In fact, most people barely know what's in the bill.
I guess there's an ok track record for Presidents using speeches to scaremonger the country into war. But for major political and social movements and changes it's mostly a fantasy.
― Matt Armstrong, Thursday, 5 January 2012 21:31 (twelve years ago) link
most of the ppl itt who argue for Obama to use the bully pulpit do not describe themselves as liberals iirc
― Bam! Orgasm explosion in your facehole. (DJP), Thursday, 5 January 2012 21:33 (twelve years ago) link
― The Silent Extreme (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, January 5, 2012 5:43 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
I doubt this is a Catholic thing. Remember when Bono bro'd out with Strom Thurmond? If you're willing to work with Bono on anything he'll praise you for it. I also think he disarms these ultra-rightwingers by being so open to their support. I respect him for it.
― Matt Armstrong, Thursday, 5 January 2012 21:34 (twelve years ago) link
― Bam! Orgasm explosion in your facehole. (DJP), Thursday, January 5, 2012 9:33 PM (55 seconds ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
I didn't realize there was anyone itt who wouldn't describe themselves as liberal tbh.
― Matt Armstrong, Thursday, 5 January 2012 21:35 (twelve years ago) link
progressive != liberal
― Bam! Orgasm explosion in your facehole. (DJP), Thursday, 5 January 2012 21:35 (twelve years ago) link
I describe myself as smitten by Ginger. That's as much as I'll commit to.
― clemenza, Thursday, 5 January 2012 21:36 (twelve years ago) link
square!=rhombus
― Matt Armstrong, Thursday, 5 January 2012 21:37 (twelve years ago) link
well no, actually a square IS a rhombus
― Bam! Orgasm explosion in your facehole. (DJP), Thursday, 5 January 2012 21:39 (twelve years ago) link
but is a square is a rhombus!
― lumber up, limbaugh down (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 5 January 2012 21:39 (twelve years ago) link
haha crosspost
most progressives vacillate between begrudging affection for liberals & outright hatred of them
― unlistenable in philly (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Thursday, 5 January 2012 21:40 (twelve years ago) link
bono has never been a catholic, raised in the church of ireland(anglican) iirc
― Best-Penis (buzza), Thursday, 5 January 2012 21:40 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u52Oz-54VYw
― Bam! Orgasm explosion in your facehole. (DJP), Thursday, January 5, 2012 9:39 PM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
it's a KIND of rhombus
― Matt Armstrong, Thursday, 5 January 2012 21:44 (twelve years ago) link
someone getting upset about being called a liberal when really they're a progressive... I dunno bros
― Matt Armstrong, Thursday, 5 January 2012 21:46 (twelve years ago) link
these are not real stable categories
― goole, Thursday, 5 January 2012 21:46 (twelve years ago) link
I mean I say this as a liberaltarian liberal progressive socialist interventionist.