“The Obama campaign has always been here for us in Wisconsin.”
So said Democratic Party of Wisconsin (DPW) Chairman Mike Tate last week.
While Tate may be right in saying President Obama’s reelection campaign has “always been here for us in Wisconsin,” the candidate himself most certainly has not “always been here” for us in Wisconsin, if the us in question is Wisconsin’s public employees. In fact, when public employees in Wisconsin found themselves fighting against Republicans hell-bent on taking away their rights to collectively bargain in 2011, President Obama was nowhere to be found.
Despite his campaign promises in 2007 that he’d “put on a comfortable pair of shoes” and walk a picket line with union members, President Obama made no efforts to stand with Wisconsin’s public employees as they fought to preserve their collective bargaining rights, and that’s one decision I’ll never forget.
If it weren’t for OFA, it’s doubtful the recall initiative would have ever gotten so organized here in Eau Claire. That’s all I know on that matter, other than OFA members always reassured us that Obama was fully behind our efforts. I can’t know the whole story on the no personal appearance aspect you so often allude to Zach. But we never got the idea that Obama was anti union or even anti recall. Let’s get the man re-elected and then give him a chance to better labor’s tainted reputation in this country. A still declining position they allowed to happen long before Barack Obama came onto the scene.
Cat, I can’t disagree that unions have done themselves a disservice by not being more proactive about laying out the case for all the good they’ve done – and continue to do – in our nation, but I’m having a hard time with the whole “Obama is pro-union” thing.
Sure, deep down he may support the goals of organized labor, but it seems to me he put political considerations ahead of doing the right thing. President Obama made a promise as a presidential candidate, and when the time came to act on that promise, he failed to lead. Hell, the man flew over Wisconsin to get from a campaign event in Minnesota to a campaign event in Chicago…and he couldn’t bother to touch down in Wisconsin to show his support.
Oh, and don’t even get me started on Employee Free Choice or the minimum wage…