New Congress: A Mandate for Economic Change

[Earth Bound Misfit]

Last Tuesday, it wasn’t just President-elect Barack Obama who won a historic victory. The 111th Congress that will take office in January will have a stronger pro-worker majority and a mandate to make the economy work again for everyone.

Working families added U.S. House and Senate seats in every region of the nation, from Florida to Oregon and from New Hampshire to New Mexico. As of the latest totals, it looks like working families have added more than 20 new House members and six new senators. A party hasn’t picked up so many new seats in the House and Senate for two consecutive election cycles since the 1950s, so Tuesday’s results, together with the change of power in Congress in 2006, are a striking sign that voters are looking for new policies and new ideas.

Voters around the country strongly rejected anti-working family incumbents. Some of Bush’s key allies in the House and Senate lost their races after a career of voting against workers on trade, health care and the freedom to form unions and bargain for a better life. Here are just a few of the incumbents whose anti-worker records were repudiated. Each of the incumbent House members listed below supported the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), opposed the Employee Free Choice Act and voted to uphold Bush’s veto of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Betsy Markey defeated Rep. Marilyn Musgrave of Colorado, with a 7 percent lifetime rating from the AFL-CIO.

Suzanne Kosmas beat Rep. Tom Feeney of Florida, with a 10 percent AFL-CIO rating.

Gary Peters and Mark Schauer defeated Reps. Joe Knollenberg and Tim Walberg of Michigan, with 8 percent and 13 percent lifetime ratings, respectively.

Steve Driehaus defeated Rep. Steve Chabot of Ohio, with a 10 percent AFL-CIO voting record.


In Senate races, working families won crucial victories, defeating anti-worker incumbents and challengers alike.

Rep. Tom Udall, with a 97 percent lifetime rating, and Rep. Steve Pearce of New Mexico, with a 13 percent lifetime rating, squared off in a race for an open U.S. Senate seat. Udall won by 22 points.

In Colorado, Rep. Mark Udall, with a lifetime 93 percent AFL-CIO score, won the race for an open U.S. Senate seat against former Rep. Bob Schaffer, whose career AFL-CIO voting record was 11 percent.

Jeanne Shaheen won a strong victory over Sen. John Sununu, who had a 10 percent lifetime rating from the AFL-CIO.

AFL-CIO-endorsed candidate Jeff Merkley defeated Sen. Gordon Smith of Oregon, who had a 24 percent lifetime rating.

Kay Hagan defeated Sen. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina, with a 21 percent lifetime AFL-CIO voting record.
These were some of the most consistent votes against workers in Congress. And working family voters sent them packing.

--snip--

David Bonior, chairman of American Rights at Work, says that the election results—especially in light of the multi-million-dollar smear campaign by corporate front groups—demonstrate that voters are serious about demanding real change that puts workers first.

Americans know we can’t continue the status quo of stagnant wages, rampant outsourcing, reduced healthcare coverage, and high unemployment. Unions make a difference in improving not only working conditions, but wages, access to medical care and job security. Through an aggressive public education and grassroots campaign, workers’ rights advocates and unions were able to remind and convince the public that policies to help more workers join unions ultimately will help save our failing economy.

Working family voters sent a clear message by electing so many new faces to Congress. We need to keep up the pressure and make sure the new Congress listens and fights for the Employee Free Choice Act and the new economic agenda we need

More at: http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/11/10/new-congress-a-mandate-for-economic-change