Election About Jobs, Not Republican Mandate

[Omaha Steve]

http://blog.aflcio.org/2010/11/03/election-about-jobs-not-republican-mandate/

by Mike Hall, Nov 3, 2010



ast night’s election, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka told reporters today in a conference call, “was about jobs, plain and simple. It was a mandate to fix the economy and create jobs. But here’s what it wasn’t”:

It wasn’t a mandate for the policies most Republicans campaigned on.

An election night survey of voters in 100 swing congressional district bears that out. That survey, Trumka says:

shows clearly that the election wasn’t an endorsement of tax cuts for the wealthy—or for undermining Social Security or the minimum wage. It wasn’t a rejection of building a middle class economy. And it wasn’t an ideological purge—as many Blue Dogs lost as progressives.

Overall, union members voted for the union-endorsed candidate by 64 percent. The union movement’s mobilization included 200,000 union volunteers who distributed 19.4 million fliers while talking with workers one on one at the workplace. They knocked on 8.5 million doors and made millions of phone calls.

Members of Working America, the AFL-CIO community affiliate for people without a union, was in 13 cities, nine states and more than 80 electoral races around the country and knocked on nearly 800,000 doors and made half a million phone calls to voters around the country.

While Republicans today are claiming a mandate for their “Pledge to America” agenda—more or less a return to Bush-era economic policies—the survey numbers show a different story. When asked about specific Pledge to America agenda items, just 34 percent of all voters and 49 percent of Republicans support extending the tax cuts for the wealthy. By almost the same small numbers, they support rolling back Wall Street reform.

Among other proposals from Republican candidates this fall, only 29 percent of all voters and 35 percent of Republicans back raising the Social Security retirement age, while only 28 percent of all voters and 45 percent of Republicans back privatizing Social Security.

Reducing or eliminating the minimum wage draws the support of just 18 percent of all voters and 25 percent of Republicans.

FULL story at link.

[emulatorloo]

1. Thanks - really interesting that chart. n/t

[FiveGoodMen]

2. We always hear about how the public actually supports left-leaning policies.

That makes no difference.

None.

If they vote in neo-cons, we get right-wing rule.

Doesn't matter that it's not a mandate, the pukes will use it that way anyhow.

We have to stop trying to comfort ourselves by saying that -- deep down -- the people are really with us.

The people are only with us when they vote with us.

And even then, it only works out well if the politicians they voted for actually do their jobs.

[SocialistLez]

3. They won't listen to the public, just like the Dems didn't either. NT

[glinda]

4. K & R n/t