Michigan Change to Win Says: Seat the Delegation 50-50

Great, now Obama is further dividing the union (4.00 / 2)

movement in Michigan and America.

Great "judgement" Barack.

West Michigan Rising: The Progressive Blog for Our (future) Left Coast

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by: philgoblue @ Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 13:23:18 PM UTC

Hasty Judgement (4.00 / 1)

The union movement doesn't need any help with that. They've all been doing a very good job on their own of being divided about tactics, issues, and candidates.

The Teamsters and SEIU split from the AFL-CIO two-and-a-half years ago.  

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by: rich @ Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 13:58:27 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

thanks for the history lesson!!! (4.00 / 3)

The hasty judgement is sticking with Obama when he obviously doesn't want Michigan Democrats to have a democratic election.  You'd think folks would establish that as an absolute minimum.  But, it's up to you.

West Michigan Rising: The Progressive Blog for Our (future) Left Coast

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by: philgoblue @ Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 22:33:30 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

You're welcome (4.00 / 1)

This just in from Mark Meadows' (D-East Lansing) weekly report to his district constituents:

I need to add (I am writing this paragraph on Friday) that in the Journal this morning, Tim Skubick commented on the split among Democrat legislators over this issue. There was no "split". By my count, 52 of the 56 House members were opposed to the proposed re-do. In the Senate, 14 of 17 Democrat Senators were opposed. We will attempt to be seated in Denver and there will be a floor fight.

The MDP chose the least workable out of all the solutions for a Do-Over. You can complain about Obama all you want. You can say the legal concerns regarding voter eligibility about the Do-Over weren't valid. You can accuse Obama of, gasp!, being a politician and "playing politics" with the terms on which a Do-Over would be done. Do I think he should've simply agreed to the Do-Over? Yes. But that's not enough for me to change my support from him to Hillary Clinton. I suspect this won't be the last time I disagree with some policy, proposal, or decision of his.

But what Meadows says is what has been the real roadblock all along: the votes in the legislature were never there to begin with.

What you can't say is that the source of this whole Michigan Democratic Primary Fiasco is the fault of any of the candidates. The fault still remains with the MDP for pushing for the early primary, thus causing all sorts of problems, the latest being another round of shouting, screaming, yelling, pissing, and moaning along candidate lines.

The MDP has talked a good game about "civil disobedience" against the "unfair" primary calendar. But when it comes to actually suffering the consequences for an act they term "civil disobedience," they're not willing to do so.

Had the MDP held a February Caucus, Michigan Democrats would have been relevant to the nominating process. They didn't, so we aren't. It sucks. But I can't be too mad at Clinton or Obama for trying to spin this for whatever political advantage they can. They're politicians; that's what they do. I'm more angry with the MDP for allowing the situation to get to this point.

I did finally renew my membership in the MDP, but only just before it was about to expire in February, after a lot of wavering, and at one of the lower levels. I kept asking myself, "Do I want to be a paid member of a party that has done such a piss-poor job with giving Michigan Democrats a voice in one of the most exciting and contested nominating processes in my lifetime?" Ultimately, I said yes. Because for me, despite this major f$%#-up, the Republican party has nothing to offer me and the Democratic party is still the party that, even if it doesn't push progressive issues as often as it should, is most likely to implement and push for progressive policies. I also can't think of a Republican I could vote for, while I have no problems rattling off Democrats I would vote for.

There you have it.

P.S. I will, of course, take many opportunities in the future to hold this Primary Mess over the heads of the Michigan Democratic Party leadership. I don't forgive easily.

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by: rich @ Fri Mar 21, 2008 at 19:27:17 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Oh come on (4.00 / 2)

and her you were chastising another poster as being to much in the thrall of a candidate to talk logically about the issue...

In case you didn't already know it...Change to Win exists because of an already existing break in unions over the future of union activity in America.

To suggest that Obama is causing a rift where one already exists leads right into crazy primary fever town.

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by: Nazgul35 @ Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 17:44:04 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

did you read it (4.00 / 3)

there's the split, then there's this acrimony.

I'm not in thrall of either candidate, you should know better.

West Michigan Rising: The Progressive Blog for Our (future) Left Coast

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by: philgoblue @ Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 22:35:20 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

It feels like (4.00 / 2)

you've never been around union folk if you think acrimony is something new.

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by: Nazgul35 @ Fri Mar 21, 2008 at 03:28:11 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Union Halls (0.00 / 0)

As rough as the primary discussion might sometimes get here, it will never ever match union hall debates.  It's rare to see a "discussion" at a union hall that doesn't involve a lot of profanity.

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by: Brady @ Fri Mar 21, 2008 at 16:16:00 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

well, let's see (4.00 / 1)

I was in what became the Steelworkers when I was doing summer work at Cooper Tire.  I was VP of GEO, the grad student teacher union at UM and we struck during my tenure.  And I go to the Friends of Labor meetings in Kent County once a month for the past year.  Does that count for you?

West Michigan Rising: The Progressive Blog for Our (future) Left Coast

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by: philgoblue @ Fri Mar 21, 2008 at 16:34:52 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Sure (4.00 / 1)

so what explains your inability to understand that union folks tear strips out of each other...

For that matter, so do party people...so does anyone in any organizational situation.

Pretending that it is Obama's fault is a bit silly.

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by: Nazgul35 @ Sun Mar 23, 2008 at 19:24:08 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Change to win (2.50 / 2)

might do themselves so good and learn about the uses of paragraphs and spaces.  

Proud member of the Whatley Posse
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

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by: Ann Tee @ Sun Mar 23, 2008 at 22:43:38 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Did you mean (0.00 / 0)

"some" good instead of "so" good?

Maybe Change to Win will learn about proper capitalization and typos as well...

Maybe even learning about glass houses and stones.

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by: Nazgul35 @ Mon Mar 24, 2008 at 15:35:59 PM UTC

[ Parent ]