Working Voters and Bosses' Parties

Wed, 08/01/2012 - 9:24pm

By President Bruce Hamilton

Every election, the debate flares up among union members over whether voting makes a difference. On one hand, our two-party political system is a choice between Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee. Regardless of which candidate leads the ticket, their “solutions” to the challenges we face will reward the ruling class.

On the other hand, the super-rich are a tiny fraction of Americans, and the debate among them is between crushing us and taking the whole “pie,” or compromising with the middle and working classes so the economy – and their profits – grow.

The Republicans are ready to go for the jugular. They promise that, if elected, they will eradicate unions, escalate wars, end the environmental movement, reverse the progress made by women and minorities, and eliminate the handful of laws that regulate banks and industries. And, incredibly, they will convince a substantial portion of the working class that this is the way to create jobs.

The Democrats represent that sector of big business that understands that their long-term hold on the money and power depends on sharing. They say they don’t want to wipe out unions; they just think we’re outdated and a pain in the ass, and would prefer to ignore around us. For example, their idea of improving highway safety is putting seat belts on buses, not addressing driver fatigue by ending the exemption on overtime pay.

That’s the choice. Working people don’t have a political party of our own, so we’re left with a choice between the bosses’ parties. That doesn’t mean, however, that the outcome of this election won’t matter to us. On the contrary, the U.S. economy is facing the worst downturn in our lives, and the Nov. 6 vote may be the most important in our lives.

This election is truly about “us versus them.” Some of the 99% may still be confused, but the 1% has made up their minds and a river of Big Money is flowing into the Romney campaign. The super-rich have the backing of the Supreme Court, which has made the rules easier to buy the government. They believe this is their moment to finish us off.

Union members may be the only force capable of stopping them. We are organized and this is our opportunity to make democracy work for the majority of society. Our mission is to re-elect President Barack Obama, send labor-friendly candidates to Congress and state and local offices, and use our collective power to bring new prosperity to working people.

ATU-COPE is launching a voter registration drive and get out the vote campaign. The stakes are high this fall, but we have set our sights high, too: In solidarity with working people across the country, we are going to build the mightiest force for democracy the world has ever seen.