Union leader strives to ease Obama's "white guy problem"

[Omaha Steve]

http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/08/02/us-usa-campaign-trumka-idINBRE8701JT20120802

By Patricia Zengerle

LAS VEGAS | Thu Aug 2, 2012 6:42am IST

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama made history in his 2008 election victory as the first black U.S. president, but he risks achieving another, less welcome, first if he wins again in November.

Obama is on course to become the candidate with the lowest support from white male working class voters to win a U.S. election if he triumphs over Republican Mitt Romney on November 6.

Polls show support for Obama from white males without college degrees at under 30 percent, well below the 39 percent he had when he defeated Republican John McCain four years ago. While he has overwhelming support from Hispanics and blacks and does well among women, the Democratic president needs to shore up his backing among those men.

Richard Trumka, the most powerful U.S. union leader and an important bridge between the White House and blue-collar America, sees two solutions to Obama's problems: mount labor's largest voter outreach effort ever, and keep up the attacks on Romney's business record.

"We're absolutely going to do good work on the ground, mobilizing workers. We will have 400,000 volunteers this cycle," Trumka, a former coal miner who is president of the 12-million-member AFL-CIO, the largest U.S. labor federation, told Reuters.

FULL story at link.

[hay rick]

1. Sorry, but Obama is a tough sell to union members.

Sure, he's better than Romney, but he has been a disappointment on labor issues- especially EFCA and TPP. Trumka can say 400,000 but I doubt that he can produce either the volunteers or the votes. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice...

[ProgressiveProfessor]

2. A lot of educators are questioning him as well

Their purses may not be open, but given the alternative, whom they will vote for is clear.

[Omaha Steve]

3. Have you been following his NLRB?

Senate wouldn't confirm his picks. He finally used recess appointments. They have kicked out win after win for labor.

TWO Senators cost us EFCA. Lincoln and Ben Nelson. They would not budge.

He didn't send in troops to the window sit down.

And he didn't end jobs and benefits like Romney did for years.

Get my point? I will be Obama all the way.

[jwirr]

4. My family is Union and I have been reading their letters and they have been pro-Obama. I think it is

a matter of recognizing we have a clear choice between Ayn Rand/trickledown economy and FDR people programs. Do we want to keep on doing what brought us down or are we going to look for things that have a proven record of success?

[hay rick]

5. I am union.

Two truths:
1. Obama is clearly better for working people than Romney/Ryan/Rand.
2. Obama is the least labor/worker-friendly Democratic president in our lifetime.

The choice is clear and the choice is also clearly a dilemma. Look at Obama's support for TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership). Look at his appointment of Erskine Bowles as the "Democrat" co-chair of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (the catfood commission). Link to video on Obama's "Democratic" appointee here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021146540

Another link- on the Simpson-Bowles plan: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-08-13/ryan-opposed-debt-reduction-plan-romney-used-as-a-model#p1

From the article: In an Aug. 2 Fox News interview, Romney, who has criticized Obama for not embracing the debt reduction package, said "my plan is very similar to the Simpson-Bowles plan.”