Yeah, I back the idea of eliminating sick day payouts. Not for the reason Steve Sweeney or Chris Christie are, to save money, but I do think it's a good idea.
Before I go any further, I agree with Jersey Jazzman that there should be some tat for this tit. As I said the Sweeney-Christie team are looking to reduce government costs, but I don't think that should be done on the backs of workers.
But sick days are necessary to the health of the employees, the health of the various governments and the health of the state.
Democrats had previously wanted to cap sick leave pay for future accumulated unused days at $15,000, then offered to lower the cap to $7,500. But Christie has been steadfast to his opposition to any compromise, lambasting the Democrats' proposals telling town hall gatherings "zero means zero."
Under Sweeney's proposal, payouts for unused sick leave would be limited to what workers have already earned.
Currently, state workers' retirement take home pay for unused sick days is capped at $15,000. But some local governments have no limits, causing budget strain.
Full disclosure: I am a public school teacher. And I am against this plan; here's why:
1) It is a well-established fact that public employees with significant experience or higher education make less in salaries than private sector employees. There is a body of excellent scholarship that shows teachers are relatively underpaid, and that benefits do not make up the gap in compensation. Recent studies have confirmed public workers make less than private workers, and the gap grows greater as the level of education of the employee rises.
There's a song at the end of this. I'll dedicate it to women in NJ's labor movement.
Today is the 100th anniversary of one of the most important moments in labor history, in women's history, and in American history. From AFL-CIO blog:
The Bread and Roses Strike
On Jan. 12, 1912, some 25,000 workers at the mills of the American Woolen Company in Lawrence walked off the job when the company cut their pay-already a mere $8 a week for the men, and less for the women and children-after the state legislature passed a law shortening the length of their workweek from 56 hours to 54 hours. Workers stayed off the job for months, enduring beatings from police and the Massachusetts militia, who spared not even women and children.
Massachusetts, not New Jersey. Yes, this is outside our coverage area, same as when I took note of the 100th Anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (NYC). A history professor at University of Massachusetts calls Bread and Roses "the first Occupy"- "the 99% against the 1% of 1912." Income disparity drives the Occupy movement, now a crossroads. And Labor is in flux, weakened in some states as historic collective bargaining rights are being challenged to varying degree. Wisconsin. Indiana. Ohio. New Jersey. There's something in the story of this strike - led by women, and successful - that's still inspiring. Especially to women.
When I was very young, one of my mother's friends in the school integration movement outside Detroit (where we lived) gave her a song - Bread and Roses - she said reminded her of me: Bread and Roses. An amazing song, Judy Collins' silvery soprano and Mimi Farina's liquidy mezzo. And it's about the best compliment I ever had.
Late-night musical bonus. Listen - under the fold.
The one-upsmanship of endorsement press releases continues, a list of Latino leaders supporting Steve Rothman we posted in the diary below this, and now Labor and infrasructural Democratic endorsements for Bill Pascrell.
At a certain point, you have to wonder whether these endorsement lists are canceling each other out, or even confusing rank & file voters. But to be honest, some of the sturm und drang between proponents of these two Democratic congressmen thrown together by redistricting is playing out at Blue Jersey. So, I trust the Blue Jersey readers will tell us whether this is helpful in their decision or just so much noise.
Endorsing Bill Pascrell:
Michael J. "Jerry" Breslin, Jr., the former Chairman of the Bergen County Democratic Organization & former Treasurer of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee: I have known Bill Pascrell very well for a number of years. He has always been a great team player. If the roles were reversed, I know that he would not back down from taking on a right wing Republican like Scott Garrett. I am proud to endorse the re-election of Congressman Pascrell.
Mark Roche, president of the Passaic County Building Trades: We're just beginning to see signs that things are getting better in our economy. That makes it critical for union members and Democrats to stand together. Bill Pascrell has always understood that. He's a good Democrat that's fighting for us.
John T. Niccollai, president of United Food & Commercial Workers Union Local 464A: Congressman Pascrell is a fighter for labor. He has always stuck by us and we're ready to stick by him. The best bet for our members is to unite behind Congressman Pascrell because he has always fought for fairness in the workplace and the interests of the middle class. Any time we have ever called him with any kind of a problem he has been there for us immediately.
Below the fold, a list of labor organizations supporting Pascrell, some or all of which were previously released.
Today 21 union locals announced support for Congressman Bill Pascrell in his primary fight. Bill Mullen, President of the New Jersey State Building and Constructions Trade Council put it best: "Moving your home to challenge one of your own doesn't make sense. That's why we're standing by Congressman Bill Pascrell." And he is 100% right. Bill Pascrell isn't moving anywhere. I can say with certainty that if he was drawn into a district with Scott Garrett he wouldn't be running from the fight. He would take it head on like he has every race in his career.
That is the most disappointing part of Rothman's decision to move into Pascrell's district. There is a golden opportunity to take out one of the most extreme, ideologically driven members of Congress. A man who wants to drill for oil on New Jersey's shores, voted against reauthorizing the Voting Rights Act and refused to support funding for Hurricane Katrina victims. Garrett refuses to compromise on anything and epitomizes everything that is wrong with Washington D.C. right now. Instead of taking this fight to Garrett - someone Rothman disagrees with on almost every issue - he is fighting his own, another progressive Democrat who he almost always agrees with.
It makes no sense.
It is no secret that I'm a strong Pascrell supporter. Since my first race for the Haledon Board of Education right up until my election as the Mayor of Haledon he has been behind me. Bill Pascrell didn't start this fight. But you can rest assured he is going to end it.
Going on right now at Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) is a faculty-organized teach-in to educate students & community on the history of labor struggle in the context of Occupy Wall Street and AFT's ongoing contract negotiation with the college. At 5pm there's a rally. Speakers include LD-31 Assemblyman Jason O'Donnell., Haledon Mayor (and AFT member) Domenick Stampone, and Marie Corfield, schoolteacher and 2011 LD-16 candidate for Assembly. - promoted by Rosi
152 days. That is the number of days the members of Raritan Valley Community College's faculty have been working without a contract. That is the number of days the Board of Trustees has stalled in offering AFT Local #2375 members a fair contract. Their offer to us hasn't changed: 0% raises for next year. But 0% isn't really 0%. A 0% raise is a 1.5% reduction for our members with the new health and pension reforms put into place by Governor Christie. And as these reforms phase in, this reduction in salary is going to get worse. The hardworking middle class members of the RVCC faculty don't deserve a pay reduction, not when so many of us are struggling to get by. Not when RVCC's President is one of the highest paid community college presidents in New Jersey with compensation over $245,000/year including a car and housing allowance, while the RVCC faculty salaries rank 9th out of the 19 NJ community colleges!
We need shared sacrifice, not hollow offers.
RVCC is a great place to learn and it provides an excellent education to residents of Central New Jersey. And don't just take my word for it. Reader's Digestrecently listed RVCC as a top ten "Affordable Colleges for your child to consider." This wasn't a list of just community colleges. It was all colleges. Our faculty is the driving force in making RVCC "student centered, led by idealists, and [displaying] good core values," - as Reader's Digest commented.
And it isn't just Reader's Digest making these observations. The Atlantic recently commented on the prestige our faculty enjoys:
In fact, it's possible to get a fine bachelor's degree at a reasonable cost and without going into debt. But students and their parents will have to stop thinking that name-brand prestige assures academic quality. The reverse is often true: professors who are rewarded for research are less likely to spend time with undergraduates. One offshoot of the PhD glut is that excellent teachers have taken positions at two-year colleges and regional branches of public systems. Raritan Valley Community College in New Jersey, Western Oregon State University, and University of Maryland's Baltimore County campus are a few we've visited and were impressed with what we saw.
Our faculty are dedicated professionals and highly educated, having a minimum of a Master's Degree in their discipline. Over 45% of RVCC's faculty have a doctorate, Ph.D. or terminal degree in their field. They are teaching at RVCC because they love working with students, not for the paycheck. But that doesn't mean we don't deserve fair compensation. As we've said before, we understand times are tough. That doesn't mean the cuts should all fall on the faculty.
Today we'll once again be voicing our displeasure with the Board of Trustees prior to their annual meeting. Various members of the faculty are holding a "Teach-in" to educate students on Student and Labor activism across the world and the importance of affordable public education and fair compensation. At 5:00 PM Assemblyman Jason O'Donnell will be joining us for a rally of students, alumni, and faculty. We are proud to have a strong fighter for middle class values standing with us on the front lines. You can get more information and RSVP for the event on ourFacebook page. With so much emphasis on unemployment in our society, the Board needs to remember that teachers are job creators.
If education historian Diane Ravitch was the all-knowing eagle of education during her speech at last week's New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey's Acting Education Commissioner, Chris Cerf, was clearly the prey being circled by hawks. Blue Jersey's own Deciminyan reviewed Ravitch's speech, and it's a must read in light of my review of Cerf's...
In a standing room only venue, all eyes and ears, and iPhones and iPads, were trained on Cerf as he spoke to educators for about an hour. Tweets and texts were flying from the more tech-savvy, while others took notes with pen and paper. Cerf represents everything educators know is wrong about the divisive, corporate 'reforms' that are destroying public education nationwide: increased reliance on standardized testing and charter schools, vouchers, merit pay, and value added measures (VAM).
The former New York City Deputy Schools Chancellor under Joel Klein, Cerf came to New Jersey with some professional baggage. Leonie Haimson, education activist, Executive Director of the New York City group Class Size Matters, and founding member of Parents Across America (PAA) paints a troublesome portrait. With quite an extensive resume in the private and public sector, Cerf actually taught high school history for four years at the beginning of his career. However, it's ironic that he didn't make it to the five-year mark-the make-or-break point where teachers decide whether to stay or leave the profession. But he opened his speech with the applause garnering statement that he never worked harder than when he was teaching. Can't argue with that.
However, the hawks swooped in with boos, hisses and shouts of "liar!" when he emphatically stated that Governor Christie "has the highest regard for teachers," and that, "neither I nor the governor are against unions." Now, I think it's safe to say that anyone reading this post has some idea of current events in this state, so you know that this is simply not true. But if perchance you need some proof, look no further than Blue Jersey blogger Jersey Jazzman for evidence.
Hello Blue Jersey community. My name is Maria DeFilippis, President of AFT Local #2375 representing the full and part time faculty at Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC). As we currently work through contract negotiations, I wanted to introduce you to our situation and hopefully enlist your support and guidance as we move forward in bargaining for a fair contract for our members.
On June 30, 2011, the faculty contract between the Raritan Valley Community College Board of Trustees and the Raritan Valley Community College Faculty Federation expired. In years past negotiations were relatively simple: the Board asked for X, the faculty asked for Y, and we met in the middle at Z.
Unfortunately, that has not been the case this year.
We are currently operating in an environment without a good faith effort by our counterparts to reach a fair agreement. They claim there is no room for any negotiation. It is their way or the highway. We understand the current economic climate is poor - as mostly working class people, we feel it ourselves.
But in the face of how much the College is spending on salaries for administrators (which rank among the highest in the nation), as well as for car and housing allowances and personal expense accounts, we don't think the Administration is sharing in our sacrifice.
And that is all we are asking for: shared sacrifice.
At the very least we are owed a negotiations process where the Board is acting in good faith. Since June 30, we don't think we've been afforded that right. Raritan Valley Community College is one of the best community colleges in both New Jersey and the nation. This is in large part credited to the work of our faculty. They deserve to be fairly compensated. We will be paying more for our pension and health benefits. Certainly it is not fair to expect dedicated faculty and staff to take a pay cut. , In addition, to ensure that the College can continue to recruit qualified faculty to our institution, it is necessary to negotiate a contract that provides for fair compensation for our members.
Tonight members of our Local will be rallying before the Board of Trustees meeting in Branchburg outside the Atrium of RVCC at 5:45 PM.
Along with students, faculty and supporters we are going to stand in solidarity to voice our discontent with the current state of the negotiations and our lack of a contract. If possible, please join us and stand with our cause.
As these negotiations unfold, I hope to return to Blue Jersey and keep everyone informed and updated on our efforts. I also hope you can sign onto our efforts by following our AFT Local #2375 onTwitter and"liking" our Facebook page.
No, I am not for union busting, for the record. I do think teachers should pay for health care, that cops shouldn't take home $100,000 in unused sick time, that when we offer such generous deals, the cost lands prmarily on middle-class property tax payers.
I also do not think the alterantive, raising state taxes by $120 billion over the next 30 years, was feasible.
So if we didn't contain these costs, we would have to shrink government far more drastically than we have. We'd lose more teachers and cops, and we'd have no money to do progressive things, from expanded preschool to subsidies for green energy.
To me, that's crazy. And I draw a distinction between state workers, who are not overpaid, and whose union, the CWA, has made reasonable concessions. The problem is the overly generous deal that cops, firefightes and teachers had. I don't like cutting those benefits, but give me a better solution.
Calling that union busting is just silly, a shrill lattempt to polish left credentials. And boycotting the Ledger becuase I have the nerve to present these views is, to me, a temper tantrum that makes as much sense as the tea party.
When I say bulks of Christie's agenda, I mean the biig stuff: the pension and health reforms, and most of the education reform stuff, which is also shared by President Obama and Cory Booker.
If I am the demon on the right for this blog, then you are speaking to very tiny slice of America, and making yourselves irrelevant.
But feel free to disagree with me! This America, and I will still stop in and read the site.
In other words, Moran confirmed that he supported exactly what he was being accused of supporting. He clearly does not want his position to be known as union busting because that is negative and the CWA twitter account retweeted the story, which includes a call for a boycott, three times in one day. Any members seeing the tweets would probably consider saving their Ledger money to pay for their increased health care costs that Moran supported/supports.
Since he was kind enough to come on Blue Jersey, I will give Tom Moran the benefit of the doubt and submit he may not know he supports union busting. But in any case, he does.
As was pointed out in Blue Jersey's Ed Reform 101 Series, Christie's agenda on the "education reform stuff" is absolutely designed to weaken labor rights and in many cases get rid of a unionized workforce - also called union busting. That's why (wait for it) Christie has been attacking the teachers union with Moran's apparent encouragement.
This led to one of Blue Jersey's writers to respond to Moran this way:
I hoped to make clear that, if anything, Mr. Moran may in fact support the hyperbolic "union busting" in numerous substantive ways which he simply does not perceive, in total, as an attack on the rights of workers. I've already asked elsewhere on this thread for a review of Moran's epistemology on the bucket issue of education reform. I'd like to know what informs his decision to support it. Knowing that will help all of us understand how his perception of the general issue does or does not include the important labor rights issues which are inextricably braided to the conversation. "I know that reform detractors say X, but here is why I think they are wrong and here is the evidence I used to draw my conclusions."
So yeah, Tom can say he doesn't support "union busting," but if we want to favor clarity and substance over hyperbole and catch phrases, the proof is very much in the pudding, whether he realizes it or not.
That hits the point on the nose. Just because Moran does not see himself as a union buster, merely as someone who supports Christie's Agenda, does not mean he is not one or is not supporting policies that will lead to the weakening and busting of unions.
A few people were quite irritated by my earlier suggestion that Tom Moran, Editorial Page Editor of the Star Ledger, favored union busting citing a lack of compelling evidence for the charge. Others have indeed stopped buying the paper (not much of a loss in any case). As you can see the piece includes a video where Moran encourages Christie to "go after" the teachers unions. Christie's position on teachers unions is quite clear, he wants to break them.
Subsequently, I pointed out that a person who is in a union (public or private) or supports people who are, should not buy the Star Ledger and subsidize a publication that promotes their, or their friends and loved ones, disenfranchisement. A boycott in effect - simple, peaceful, well within everyone's rights.
Somewhat contrary to our initial report on this, while some just stayed through the weekend of the 17th, others have tried to make the "Occupy Wall Street" protests into an actual occupation. The protesters have camped out in what they have calledLiberty Plaza aka Zuccotti Park (which apparently was at one point called Liberty Plaza Park) indefinitely.
So it went. From the Saturday the 17th up until last Saturday the 24th. The protesters camped out, ate their pizza, and spent the day highlighting the issues they cared about - which at one point was the execution of Troy Davis. No property destruction or violence was reported. No harm, no foul right?
(Protester and dog catch a nap, "Stay Clear of the Plants" sign in background)
Well it seems after a week of "occupation" the New York Police Department or rather their superiors, had had enough. Starting Saturday the 24th, a severe crackdown on the protests started.
(Police began a crackdown on protesters starting Saturday)
What was once a rather calm scene turned increasingly chaotic as police used force to breakup protests, including the deployment of non-lethal chemical weapons.
(Peaceful Protesters Sprayed With Irritant By Police)
News broke today of Gov. Chris Christie's remarks - with audio - claiming he protected Sheila Oliver's position as Speaker with the promise of GOP votes if she couldn't get Democrats, in exchange for her support to post the Christie-Sweeney-Oliver pen-ben bill and shepherd votes. His remarks came at a meeting in Colorado Christie took pains to cover up - failing to disclose it, its hosts (far-right oil billionaire Koch brothers) or even his out-of-state travel that day. No matter which account you believe - if either - what we learned today confirms something is very wrong in the way decisions are made in New Jersey.
The 4 hour-plus time lag before an Oliver denial of Christie's story concerns me. If Christie's story was bullshit, you'd expect her to say so immediately. First, Oliver's late-day statement - a humdinger:
"The assertions that Gov. Christie has made, they are outright lies. Outright lies. I am beginning to wonder if Gov. Christie is mentally deranged," Oliver said. "At no time did I ever, ever pick up the telephone, call Gov. Christie and ask him to quote 'save my leadership.' " The governor was engaged in a chest-thumping vaudeville entertainment session in front of the Republican donors, she said. "I don't expect to call him at all," she said. "I think it's disgraceful."
Mentally deranged, she calls Christie. This story may unleash a war of words between the GOP governor and the Democratic Speaker, a breaking of the confederacy between them that has infuriated so many Democrats. And it may mean that the compliance Christie counts on from Oliver may be cracking as Oliver attempts to save herself from political embarrassment. Though, it's impossible to miss that Oliver expended her energy distancing herself from political allegations from the Governor; she still hasn't said anything worth reporting about her role pushing pen-ben, in defiance of core principles. The possibility that Oliver may now wiggle out from under Christie's thumb and begin to lead as she was elected to do, keeps us from calling for her ouster from leadership.
"If American workers are being denied their right to organize and collectively bargain when I'm in the White House, I will put on a comfortable pair of shoes myself, I will walk on that picket line with you as President of the United States of America. Because workers deserve to know that somebody is standing in their corner." Sen. Barack Obama - Presidential Campaign Speech in 2007
Those words still resonate in the ears of many American working class families who gave their dollars and their votes to elevate Barack Obama into the office of President of the United States and now many of those same American working class families are asking whatever happened to those comfortable shoes or the candidate who promised to wear them and stand with working class American union members in defense of their rights.
The last two years have seen some of the most egregious and draconian attacks on public unions and middle class families in the last 30 years and President Obama has remained mostly silent and conspicuously detached from all of it.
(An instructive piece for leaders in ALL Unions to consider. - promoted by Jay Lassiter)
As I write this, I am getting ready to trundle my kids off to bed. Labor Day is coming to its close. So I thought I would share my thoughts about this vital holiday.
First, I celebrated Labor Day by sitting in Starbucks, hunched over my laptop, doing work that I will not get paid for, but is necessary for me to complete in order to actually do work I do get paid for. That strikes me as a bit ironic. But then, since organized labor has spent the last twenty-five years of my life ignoring me, I figure the least I can do is return the favor.
I have to say this: I believe that anyone who has a job needs a union. It's not only a vital right for workers, but it is a necessary check to the unlimited power employers wield in the work market. Unfortunately, as far as I can tell from my life, no union has cared at all about actually DOING...well, anything at all.
The alliance between Labor and the Democratic Party has yielded rights that many take for granted like the 40 hour work week, minimum wage, Social Security, Medicare and workplace health and safety standards, which have all been won through the struggles of the labor movement.
That is a somewhat fair interpretation of history. Though it is worth noting the Democratic Party itself went through some dramatic changes during the same periods, most recently the loss of the South due to the Civil Rights Act and the Southern Strategy.
But what about today? What about the history we are writing through our collective actions? Will future generations look back, as the chair of the Democratic State Committee looked back at past generations, and see a clear alliance between Labor and the Democratic Party? I am not so sure.
Especially if they look at what is going on in New Jersey. A previously pro-middle class state still under Democratic Party control in the legislative branch, now working to bust unions and take away basic rights, like collective bargaining and a fair hearing before being fired. Adding insult to injury the Democratic Party leadership has provided aid and comfort to a Corporate Lobbyist turned Bush Fundraiser turned Blowhard U.S Attorney turned Governor to vilify teachers and attack their right to due process before termination. An open assault on the middle class from Labor's ally the Democratic Party.
Middle class? I thought we were talking about unions? Oh imaginary interlocutor, let me tell you a dirty little secret about capitalism...
The middle class is not natural, it is a construction, a political imposition.
Woe's me. Woe's us! Today, less than 10% of the American workforce is Organized, Obama failed to fight for the Employee Free Choice Act, the National Labor Relations Board is about to again be down to 2 members which will lead to gridlock, in Wisconsin and Ohio we lost public sector collective bargaining rights in spite of help and support from the Democratic Party, in New Jersey we lost public sector collective bargaining rights because of the leadership of the Democratic Party.
The economy is going to worsen because our elected leaders are doing everything wrong. Everything wrong! Cutting the public sector instead of growing it. Ignoring climate change instead of embracing the actions that would change it and would grow the economy as a result. Attacking and cutting our public schools instead of pouring resources into them to make our citizenry the best educated in the world. Not regulating the banking and finance industry - that is back to reaping record profits, giving out record bonuses, and ripping us all off. Leaving undocumented workers out in the cold while the temperature is dropping precipitously. Not doing everything possible to support and improve desperately needed National Healthcare, and let's not forget the Elephant in the Room - continuing to support endless war all while pretending that it is cost free in terms of the budget, death, and our humanity.
No matter what side of the political aisle you are on, most people will agree that Chris Christie stayed on top of everything when it came to Hurricane Irene and evacuating key areas in her path, such as the entire Jersey Shore (particularly Long Beach Island, Cape May, and Atlantic Counties). (I am writing this from New York as a Jersey Shore evacuee.) What many do not realize is that Christie could not have done his job without help from the very people that he will go back to demonizing as soon as the storm fades from our news cycle-- public employees.
When most people in the shore communities left and sought safe shelter elsewhere, a few stayed behind because it was a part of their job. Police and firefighters put their own lives in danger for the sake of keeping to make sure the few that stayed behind and the communities would survive the storm. They could have been like everyone else and left, but they answered the call of duty to serve the community.
As this fall's legislative and next year's presidential election cycles heat up, you can bet that Chris Christie will hit the campaign trail as a hero for his response to Irene (although many speculate that he acted the way he did because he visited with Mickey Mouse the last time a disaster hit New Jersey). The media, still pushing him to run for president will say that he acted presidential.
But very few will recognize that he could not have done it without the public employees putting their own lives at risk to help the communities in which they serve. The public employees should get the respect they deserve. They are not "union thugs." They do not milk the taxpayer dry. They risked their own lives to make sure you were safe. After all that, is protecting their right to collective bargaining too much to ask?
The Verizon strike - affecting 45,000 workers on the Eastern Seaboard - is over. The unions agreed to a 30-day return to work, effective midnight August 23, with work beginning Tuesday, which either side can cancel with a 7-day notice. And negotiations will continue as that old contract remains in force. Joint statement from CWA & IBEW:
We have reached agreement with Verizon on how bargaining will proceed and how it will be restructured. The major issues remain to be discussed, but overall, issues now are focused and narrowed.
Earlier this week there was a large, peaceful protest outside Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam's house in leafy Mendham, to bring middle class workplace issues to the very front door of a CEO whose compensation (from the very profitable Verizon) is in the millions.
Verizon engaged in a huge public relations campaign to counter the effect of viral strike videos, and picket lines of red-shirted union workers. Newspaper ads. Radio and TV blitz, all about how happy their customers are.
This customer supported the strike (maybe strike-supporting customers didn't occur to Verizon). My cell phone's busted, and I wasn't about to walk it in to Verizon. Now I can.
This isn't strictly New Jersey, but it's germane as hell when you consider that Gov. Christie is building a national future for himself on the backs of public employees in New Jersey. And Democrats and independents will want to know where the president stands - in clear opposition? Christie's making NJ the forefront - along with states like Wisconsin and Ohio - of a national GOP attempt to shift public thinking away from its historical support of union workers as the bedrock of the middle class to a belief that union workers are the people greedily stealing from and ruining the middle class. But unlike the leaders of those states, our governor has skillfully maneuvered that message - here, but especially nationally to movement conservatives hungry for his 2012 candidacy - into big-league GOP stardom. Is it presidential? He keeps demurring, but he does it like wallflower who can't stop lifting her skirts for all the boys to see. Especially the boys in Iowa.
But Barack Obama is the president. Blue Jersey, is the president's message strong enough, consistent enough, and clear enough to oppose the well-funded anti-union propaganda campaign of Gov. Christie and his disciples?
You tell me.
Here's a portion of Pres. Obama's remarks, yesterday at an outdoor Town Hall-style gathering at the Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, northern Iowa. The questioner is Bev Kromgezmi, a high school social studies teachers who taught some of the people in yesterday's crowd. His answer, after the jump.
THE PRESIDENT: How was she? Was she a good teacher? (Applause.) You got thumbs up.
Q What can I say?
THE PRESIDENT: What did you teach?
Q High school social studies.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, that's important stuff.
Q Many unions, especially public sector unions, helped you get elected in 2008. Those public sector unions and their members gained their salaries and benefits through collective bargaining. Recently, those benefits have been under attack. And I realize that this is a state issue mostly, but what can you do to help support collective bargaining in the states and, most of all, support the public sector unions, the middle class, many of whom are union members? Thank you. (Applause.)
This isn't strictly New Jersey, but it's germane as hell when you consider that Gov. Christie is building a national future for himself on the backs of public employees in New Jersey. And Democrats and independents will want to know where the president stands - in clear opposition? Christie's making NJ the forefront - along with states like Wisconsin and Ohio - of a national GOP attempt to shift public thinking away from its historical support of union workers as the bedrock of the middle class to a belief that union workers are the people greedily stealing from and ruining the middle class. But unlike the leaders of those states, our governor has skillfully maneuvered that message - here, but especially nationally to movement conservatives hungry for his 2012 candidacy - into big-league GOP stardom. Is it presidential? He keeps demurring, but he does it like wallflower who can't stop lifting her skirts for all the boys to see. Especially the boys in Iowa.
But Barack Obama is the president. Blue Jersey, is the president's message strong enough, consistent enough, and clear enough to oppose the well-funded anti-union propaganda campaign of Gov. Christie and his disciples?
You tell me.
Here's a portion of Pres. Obama's remarks, yesterday at an outdoor Town Hall-style gathering at the Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, northern Iowa. The questioner is Bev Kromgezmi, a high school social studies teachers who taught some of the people in yesterday's crowd. His answer, after the jump.
THE PRESIDENT: How was she? Was she a good teacher? (Applause.) You got thumbs up.
Q What can I say?
THE PRESIDENT: What did you teach?
Q High school social studies.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, that's important stuff.
Q Many unions, especially public sector unions, helped you get elected in 2008. Those public sector unions and their members gained their salaries and benefits through collective bargaining. Recently, those benefits have been under attack. And I realize that this is a state issue mostly, but what can you do to help support collective bargaining in the states and, most of all, support the public sector unions, the middle class, many of whom are union members? Thank you. (Applause.)
