Labor pushes for the swing vote

[IndianaGreen]

Labor pushes for the swing vote

by: John Wojcik
August 9 2010

WASHINGTON - When millions of independents went out to vote for President Obama and the Democrats in 2008, eight years of Republican rule came to an end.

According to numerous polls, widespread anger about the economy has put a serious dent in this support with pollsters reporting that the "swing voters," most of them working-class moderates and even some conservatives, are now ready to vote against all incumbents, even if it means putting the GOP back in power.

The labor movement made it clear at its Battleground States Conference here last week that it is not giving up on the "swing voters," and it has a not-so-secret weapon with which it is trying and to win them over. That weapon is Working America, a labor organization formed by the AFL-CIO that is signing up non-union members in droves. The group is knocking on doors and talking to tens of thousands of these swing voters every month and, in a report from the field, told labor leaders here that two out of three people it engages at their doors are joining up.

The third who don't join, says Working America, are the most ideologically conservative. The two thirds who do become members represent the 40 percent of voters in the middle of the political spectrum who are the swing voters at election time.

http://www.peoplesworld.org/labor-pushes-for-the-swing-vote/

[FrenchieCat]

1. Well, I'm so glad what some have worked for so hard is coming to fruition!

swing voters," most of them working-class moderates and even some conservatives, are now ready to vote against all incumbents, even if it means putting the GOP back in power.

[IndianaGreen]

2. Had you taken the time to read the article, you would have found the following

The field report quoted "Robert" of Las Vegas, who said, "I moved from California to Nevada for work, then two months later the economy became horrible. I am a carpenter, and am not afraid of work. I want to work. I have been putting up handyman signs around town. I will do anything to feed my kid."

"This emotional stew holds the seeds of scapegoating, bigotry and a search for easy answers," the report said. "But because we are confronting confusion rather than widely held Tea Party ideology, we also have a real opportunity to educate for progressive change."

Working America and union leaders say they are not discouraged. When workers go door to door, talking to fellow workers, they say, the people who open the doors get a lot more than the sound bytes and message points available in the 24 hour media cycle. Swing voters and all workers, they say, are eager to engage in dialogue, and receptive to the message of good jobs, investment in communities and fair taxes. The challenge, they say, is how to make this connection big enough and strong enough tp impact the 2010 elections in November. It's a challenge, they agree, that must eventually me met, regardless of the election results.

http://www.peoplesworld.org/labor-pushes-for-the-swing-vote/

[FrenchieCat]

3. Good to know that

in spite of the 24/7 attacks on Democrats from every direction; the GOP, the media and the
"burning feet ain't enough----must burn the entire house down" armchair activists, there is still some who understand that politics is the art of the possible; and that means fighting against the demanding naysayers. Those progressives who are willing to fight the good fight obviously understand what is at stake. Guess gloating is not their primary objective. Good to note.