Trumka: Voters said they were “desperate” for new economic life
http://peoplesworld.org/trumka-voters-said-they-were-desperate-for-new-economic-life/WASHINGTON - "The defining narrative of this election was confirmation, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Americans are desperate for a new economic life," said AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka on Wednesday. After a disappointing election night, Trumka held a press conference to discuss the election and release the results of a poll conducted by Hart Research Associates that looked into the story behind the headlines. He said voters made it clear they want an economy that works for everyone.
"But the fact of the matter is that people are disillusioned by endless political bickering and eyed these elections with great dispirit," he said. "In way too many elections, they got a false choice. In these very difficult times, they did not get a genuine economic alternative to their unhappiness and very real fear of the future.
"But when voters did have a chance to choose their future directly-through ballot measures-their decisions are unmistakable," Trumka declared, pointing to the Hart Research poll.
The poll found that voters heavily support working family issues. Voters overwhelmingly support most of the issues that the labor federation has championed in recent years: 75 percent support increased funding for public schools, 73 percent favor taxing American corporations on profits they make overseas, 62 percent support raising the federal minimum wage and 61 percent support increasing Social Security benefits. Meanwhile, only 27 percent support raising the Social Security retirement age and only 18 percent support raising the Medicare eligibility age.
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Thoughts? I'm torn. I still don't see how this translates into voting across the board for politicians against these issues.
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who were not in poverty b4 2008 are now, along with about 30 million others who are near there. Since this administration started 4 million families were thrown out in foreclosure with the 3 million before that, tens of millions of jobs which used to support whole families are gone and never ever coming back, and a portion of them have been replaced with shit jobs.
It matters not that the cause was prior to this. What they voted for was not a group to make excuses and point fingers - nobody hires for that, and these hard working people hired a group that offered "hope". They needed relief from a criminal enterprise in which this country was the victim. What they got was a slap in the face as they watched banksters and the wealthy inflate their own purses and walk away from things that would have sent non-donors to the Democratic Party to prison, and maybe the death chamber. And now we know that was the plan all along.
The economy is fine if you are Mi$$ RobMe (assets reported at $250 million) or Barack Obama, (assets reported at $12 million), but if you are one of those folks who used to make up the middle class, you used to be a likely voter, and your personal economy is very likely in the shitter.
During this Presidency you went from there to poverty. it is now an odds on favorite that you will die in poverty, and your children too. During that same time the banks reported greater profits than they had in their history, primarily because this administration helped the banks.
Jon Stewart interviewed Tmothy McVe, I mean Geither (I get my killers mixed up), Obama's ex-Treasury Sect, about his new book "Stress Test", wherein Geithner describes how they made sure the banks were ok on the backs of the people. Stewart said during the interview
"The perception is that you went to hell and back for the banks, not so much for the people".
The audience applauded.
Geithner came back with a bunch of BS spin - the audience laughed at his face.
Those were the same voters for which this election was held.
A story about a poll from Pew - " target="_blank">Here.
"Despite recovery, fewer Americans identify as middle class"
These are people, getting more frightened and less secure by the year. They don't have $250 million or $12 million. Many can't even make it through the month without running out of money.
I have heard all sorts of excuses, but I haven't heard anyone acknowledge that tens of millions of people - who have been used to voting, who are seriously hurting,(and for many it is getting worse). And after 6 years they KNOW there is no hope.
And they didn't turn out for this. How could it have been expected to go any other way?
I think a fair number of those people would have been just fine with a black guy in the White House if a nearly a third of the population hadn't been ignored and used, if someone had given a rat's ass about them in any way, shape, or form comparable to what we have done and are doing for the banksters. But since they are hurting they grab onto the old divisions that sit below the surface. Heck, maybe this will be the one productive thing that happens if it brings race relations to the surface, but probably not.
I think the working people of this country, and those who used to be the workforce just gave back ALL the interest that has been shown them for the past decade.
They didn't vote for them. They voted for help from anyplace but where they have learned not to look.
Or maybe not. 
we'll see when they pass TPP. 
