Author Topic: A conversation with a labor union leader, post-election. You may be surprised.  (Read 3887 times)

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Offline mountaineer

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Mr. M recently - in the days since Nov. 8 - had a lengthy conversation with an old friend from high school who now is the president of a local labor union.  This fellow (I'll call LP, for local president), has testified before Congress numerous times on labor and trade issues and he's tight with a great many Democrat politicians, from governors to U.S. Senators. He's a longtime Democrat.  I'm not going to mention his particular union, because he didn't want this vignette publicized.

A few months ago, he recounted, he was scheduled to testify before a congressional committee or subcommittee, don't know which. He was waiting for his turn alongside several of the Big Labor bosses - national union presidents whose names you would recognize - when he was tapped on the shoulder by a man he didn't know.

The man said, "Mr. LP, Hillary Clinton is in the hallway outside the meeting room and wants to talk with you." LP said had met with HRC on many prior occasions. LP told the guy, "I can't right now, I'm the next to be called to testify."

HRC's representative said, "That can wait. You need to come outside now. You can explain to the committee why you were late."

In the hallway, HRC greeted LP and she said, "Oh great, you're here. I need somebody from West Virginia." Suddenly, a photographer appeared out of nowhere to snap a picture, startling LP.

LP replied, "Ma'am, I have to get back inside ... and you need to know that I am not endorsing you." 

He told Mr. M the reason he didn't endorse HRC was the way Pres. Bill Clinton had screwed over his union's members with certain trade/tariff policies, costing them thousands of jobs. He also noted that he resented HRC's comment about how she was going to put a lot of coal miners out of work. (Although he isn't UMW, he's part of the whole union brotherhood, of course).

HRC turned in a huff and walked away. Neither she nor her "people" said another word to him.

LP told Mr. M he believes Trump could be a good or even great president. He expressed hope that DJT, with some actual business experience, will run the country like a business and might "turn the country around."

He said that in his 20+ years of running a local and meeting zillions of politicos, he found HRC to be the "least impressive politician I've ever met."

He said she's the only politician he's met over the decades who has demonstrated no empathy whatsoever to the workers' situation, especially those laid off. "Everything's all about her," he said. "She's arrogant."

This fellow, although a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat since birth, is a pragmatist. Unlike many at the national labor union level, he cares only for what's best for his workers, and what will cost them their jobs. In recent years, Mr. M and I know personally that LP has supported more and more Republicans in state and federal government - although he still can't admit it publicly.



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Offline Free Vulcan

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The man said, "Mr. LP, Hillary Clinton is in the hallway outside the meeting room and wants to talk with you." LP said had met with HRC on many prior occasions. LP told the guy, "I can't right now, I'm the next to be called to testify."

HRC's representative said, "That can wait. You need to come outside now. You can explain to the committee why you were late."

In the hallway, HRC greeted LP and she said, "Oh great, you're here. I need somebody from West Virginia." Suddenly, a photographer appeared out of nowhere to snap a picture, startling LP.

LP replied, "Ma'am, I have to get back inside ... and you need to know that I am not endorsing you."

He told Mr. M the reason he didn't endorse HRC was the way Pres. Bill Clinton had screwed over his union's members with certain trade/tariff policies, costing them thousands of jobs. He also noted that he resented HRC's comment about how she was going to put a lot of coal miners out of work. (Although he isn't UMW, he's part of the whole union brotherhood, of course).

This practically signifies why I'm so glad this witch went down in flames. What a bunch of arrogant, pretentious ass monkeys. 'No, no, Congress can wait, we are more important here.'
The Republic is lost.

Offline mountaineer

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This practically signifies why I'm so glad this witch went down in flames. What a bunch of arrogant, pretentious ass monkeys. 'No, no, Congress can wait, we are more important here.'
Especially when you consider she was not at that point a senator nor secretary of state. She had absolutely no credentials.  Basically, she was nobody, except a candidate (she and a few others).  And yet she thought she could pull a guy away from his congressional testimony just to try to drum up political support.
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Offline Free Vulcan

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Especially when you consider she was not at that point a senator nor secretary of state. She had absolutely no credentials.  Basically, she was nobody, except a candidate (she and a few others).  And yet she thought she could pull a guy away from his congressional testimony just to try to drum up political support.

Absolutely true dat!
The Republic is lost.

Offline kidd

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I have a cousin who is a union president and a staunch conservative.

He is frequently told to promote democrat candidates by the union bosses to the people he represents.
He has refused to do so every time.

Offline mountaineer

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@kidd The fellow I described has gotten a lot of pressure from the national union bosses to toe the Democrat line, and we won't do it, to his credit.
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