Free-trade spat between McCaskill, labor suggests changing relationship between Democrats, unions

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.kansascity.com/news/government-politics/article31145840.html

BY DAVE HELLING [e-mail]

Bill Caldwell, a machinist and labor union official in Kansas City, is finished with Sen. Claire McCaskill.

“I’m not knocking on any doors, I’m not phone-banking for her. Period,” he said. “I think she’s forgotten where she came from.”

Caldwell’s deep disappointment — prompted by McCaskill’s support for a new U.S. trade agreement with Japan and 10 other Pacific Rim nations — may reflect the ordinary tension between a legislator and a constituent. No lawmaker can make everyone happy all the time.

But McCaskill is a Democrat. Her party traditionally supports organized labor, relying on it for money and votes.

FULL story at link.

[HereSince1628]

1. KC paper has it backwards...her party has traditionally been supported -by- organized labor

Since the dawn of the DLC there has been less and less and less and less support by that party for organized labor.

The strategy of the DLC re labor was to purposefully move away from labor and towards -other- sources of $upport. That strategy was fully implemented.

[Oilwellian]

2. It's not just labor the Third Way has problems with

They have problems with Democrats, period. That's why they call themselves Third Way, not Democratic Way. Yet they expect us to vote for them? Pfffftttt. Never again.

[merrily]

5. To be fair, they also call themselves New Democrats.

I like New Deal/Great Society Democrats much better, though.

[Robbins]

3. well

if you are angered by dems like McCaskill you can't support hillary over bernie In primary.she is more of same of those who sold out labor for free trade deals like TPP.

As Mo duer i am done with McCaskill.I donated money to her in 2012.I won't do that again.

[George II]

6. I knew this was going to get around to bashing Hillary Clinton.

[pocoloco]

7. As well it should!!

"the laborer is worthy of his wage"

[dsc]

13. but of course, when she endorsed Obama in 08 she was the second coming of Christ.

[I hate liars]

4. McCaskill has always been a corrupt, third-way shill

The KC Star isn't a bad newspaper, compared to the worst. But by attributing to McCaskill and most other modern Democrats the characteristics of Democrats 50 years ago, it is (perhaps unwittingly) perpetuating a huge lie.

[YodaJedi215]

8. The Hillary Campaign does not need friends like McCaskill

McCaskill is a Hillary supporter? Yes
McCaskill support for the TPP probably implies that Hillary loves the TPP
Bill Caldwell and union members like him are very important.
Hillary is basically running a campaign, that has no energy at all, Hillary needs people like Bill Caldwell.
the danger Hillary faces? is getting Union Executive endorsements and Union membership staying home.
People laugh at Donald Trump? but Donald Trump does not support TPP.
which is bizarre, we have Democrats attacking Unions, and Republican like Donald Trump helping Unions?

[bottomofthehill]

9. That's right, we would have been much better off with Senator Akin

And working families will be much better off with whoever the republican that runs against her in the next election. It will be easy to find another Democrat to replace her in the hope to take back the senate, maybe a Democrat will win in Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arkansas, maybe her voting record is not as awful as we think. Maybe work on her to change this one vote.....help her see the light....

[bottomofthehill]

10. And yes, the TPP is an awful vote for her. She should know better

[hatrack]

12. Nice straw man - or, rather, regiment of straw men . . .

Yes, Akin would be worse. So why is McCaskill casting a shitty vote for a shitty policy, just as Akin would have?

Because it hurts less when she does it? Or is it that it doesn't matter if the policy sucks, because Brand Loyalty?

[Lee-Lee]

11. I've said it before and wil again- as a whole the party takes organized labor for granted

It's a age voting block they just need some lip service to secure, with very little actual work done for them.

Because as bad as the alternative is, they don't have to do much to be better to be the only choice.

On the other hand all that corporate money- that isn't loyal, and they have to actually earn that.

I don't know what the answer is. Blind support only gets us the bare minimum to pretend they care. But not supporting them gets even worse ones in office...