AFL Had Veto Power on DNC Campaign Spending 1996

Nathan Newman nathan at newman.org
Fri Jul 20 09:58:44 PDT 2001


Max's list has problems by itself, since the majority of Dems, adding up spending votes and votes against tax cuts, have supported quite progressive tax and spending priorities. Max worries a lot about rhetoric but he still doesn't list specific votes.

In any case, if the Dems reflect the AFL-CIO policy strategies, then the argument that a different "labor-based" party would do anything different is specious. I won't defend every strategic decision of the AFL-CIO, but I don't think magically substituting the word "Green" or "Labor Party" on the ballot will make a difference in the practical strategic decisions made by them.

Nathan Newman nathan at newman.org http://www.nathannewman.org ----- Original Message ----- From: "Max Sawicky" <sawicky at bellatlantic.net> To: <lbo-talk at lists.panix.com> Sent: Friday, July 20, 2001 12:37 PM Subject: RE: AFL Had Veto Power on DNC Campaign Spending 1996

What the AFL-CIO supports is often not in the interests of the working class, or even the AFL-CIO. Often the AFL position is dictated by the Dem leadership position. So Nathan's framing premise is wrong.

Examples of where the Dem leadership fails to serve w.c. interests, w/little or no protest, or with the explicit acquiesence of the AFL? My usual litany.

Budget & tax policy. The AFL fails to contradict dogma about debt reduction. For that matter, neither does Nathan.

Shrinking government. The AFL failed to mount a campaign against "reinventing government," the practical effect of which has been to reduce regular Federal employment in favor of contracting out.

Free trade. Here there are some high profile votes where the Dems support labor, and others where they decide it is tactically prudent to leave the AFL hanging.

Fed supremacy. No serious (I mean with proposals to restructure the Fed) criticism of A. Greenspan.

Defense. Dems rolled over for Clinton support of defense spending increases and the missile shield, greasing the skids for Cheney's proposals.

Nathan is right to point to the regulatory area as one where the Dems have been better for labor, relatively speaking. But this leaves a lot else.

mbs

. . . Other than that, I'd like anyone on the list to mention a top priority bill backed or opposed by Labor where a majority of Dems in Congress did not support the union side of the issue?



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