[lbo-talk] WGA shocked to discover DNC in bed with big biz

Jerry Monaco monacojerry at gmail.com
Tue Jan 22 01:51:07 PST 2008


Actually, not the WGA, but one writer in the WGA.

But truly as far as begging the capitalist parties for strike support the WGA has been pretty ecumenical, also asking the occasional Republican to support the strike.

I suppose among most liberals in Hollywood there are plenty of delusions about the Democratic Party. Strange thing, as far as I can tell, this is not true of some in the leadership in the WGA. Why? Because, amusingly, there are some in the WGA leadership who began as conservative Republicans and were transformed into something else in the course of union politics. (I prefer not to say who these people are at the moment because the WGA leadership is being red baited enough by the AMPTP.) This does not mean that they are radical only that, from a few personal conversations I have had, they have less delusions about the Democratic Party.

Also, I am very curious about what anybody might think about this Page 6 column. Gossip columinsts are notorious for being political tools for the owners and bosses of Newspapers. "The strike... is expected to last several months more," sounds more to me like a threat than based on considered opinion.

The strike could end in a week if the AMPTP did three things. 1) Made a reasonable deal on new media, and not the paltry DGA deal; 2) Promised automatic recognition of those writers in a shop who joined a union in reality and anaimation (The current practice is to fire them if they join the WGA. But that is not a standard practice or an issue that has ever come out in the New York Times or The New York Post.); 3) At least discuss the union solidarity clauses that are on the table and work out some language that would recognize the fact that most writers aim not to cross either a SAG or IATSE picket line if these unions are on strike.

Jerry Monaco

On 1/21/08, Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com> wrote:
> New York Post [Page Six] - January 21, 2008
>
> Writers Call Dems Strike-shy
>
> THE striking members of the Writers Guild are disappointed they
> aren't getting more support from the supposedly pro-union Democratic
> presidential candidates.
>
> The bitter scribes say front-runners Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama
> are afraid of alienating their well-heeled supporters in Hollywood,
> folks like Alan Horn (Warner Bros.), Peter Chernin (Fox) and Bob Iger
> (Disney). Plus, thousands of other workers and businesses have been
> hurt by the shutdown of TV and movie production.
>
> "They can't stick their necks out for the writers in the middle of an
> election campaign because we are perceived to be in an elite class,
> not blue-collar workers," said Chris Jackson, whose writing credits
> include "Men in Black II," "Rush Hour" and its sequel, and "The Kings
> of Comedy."
>
> Jackson claims he talked to a high-level adviser to the Clinton
> campaign who told him: "Bill Clinton was approached by someone close
> to the Guild to come in as the mediator to end this strike, but he
> was advised not to become part of the WGA strike, other than not
> crossing our picket line."
>
> All of the Democratic presidential candidates have issued statements
> in support of the strikers, but only John Edwards has appeared in
> person to picket and speak with the writers, when he visited NBC
> Studios in Burbank on Nov. 16.
> Jackson, who has worked as an advance man for Bill Clinton and Al
> Gore, told Page Six: "I was hurt by learning the truth. The DNC
> [Democratic National Committee] are in bed with big business. They
> are for change when it comes to using marketing slogans . . . but
> they only use Hollywood to milk money out of us."
>
> Neither the Clinton team nor the Obama operation would respond to the
> charge that they pay lip service to the strikers' cause but keep
> their distance.
>
> "I am for the truth," Jackson said, "and not for phony Democrats -
> Obama and the Clintons - who kowtow to the poor and middle class to
> gain power in Washington."
>
> The strike over the future profits from digital downloads and other
> technologies is expected to last several months more.
> ___________________________________
> http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
>

-- Jerry Monaco's Philosophy, Politics, Culture Weblog is Shandean Postscripts to Politics, Philosophy, and Culture http://monacojerry.livejournal.com/

His fiction, poetry, weblog is Hopeful Monsters: Fiction, Poetry, Memories http://www.livejournal.com/users/jerrymonaco/

Notes, Quotes, Images - From some of my reading and browsing http://www.livejournal.com/community/jerry_quotes/



More information about the lbo-talk mailing list