A Note to the GOP

I am sure that the Republicans in Congress are used to the go along to get along Democratic counter parts taking all their attacks and derision laying down, but someone should have slipped them a note letting them know that messing with blue collar union workers is a different kind of animal.

"I don't know what Sen. Vitter has against GM or the United Auto Workers or the entire domestic auto industry; whatever it is, whatever he thinks we've done, it's time for him to forgive us, just like Sen. Vitter has asked the citizens of Louisiana to forgive him, " said Johnson, president of Local 2166. Otherwise, Johnson said of Vitter, it would appear, "He'd rather pay a prostitute than pay auto workers."

Now that's GANGSTA!

I think that last little bit should be used like McCain's "I would rather lose an election than lose a war" as a sound bite against Senator Vitter in his next re-election bid. Can't you just imagine the slogan"He'd rather pay a prostitute than pay auto workers" in an attack ad? Kinda has a nice ring to it doesn't it?

Union workers aren't bound by Congressional courtesy and I believe this is just one off the first of many shots that will be fired against the Republicans in the coming months and rightly so.


And how about UAW President Ron Gettelfinger representing yesterday after the Republican's killed the auto bailout. I wish Mr. Gettlefinger would run for office, honestly. Why can't we get Harry Reid to put in this kind of work at a press conference?



Last but not least we have the document in question confirmed by MSNBC's "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" detailing the "reasons" for Republican opposition to a bill that didn't even exist at the time of the memo being circulated. I think this shows unequivocally that the GOP didn't care about the economy, working class people or the tax payers one iota. As the memo says they just saw blocking the auto bailout as an opportunity to "their first shot against organized labor". Hopefully all of the blue collar union workers around the country will remember this the next time they hear a Republican say they are for the little guy. Where is Joe the Plumber, Tito the Builder or Sarah the Teacher for a reaction when you really need them? I expect this to be a core issue in 2010 and 2012 and if it isn't it should be.