Washington,D.C.
The corporate news media have dutifully reported on the celebration and hoopla surrounding the start of the new Congressional session, with Republicans now controlling the House of Representatives. Democrats remain dazed after their election defeat last November; their razor-thin Senate margin of control likely guarantees more gridlock in the months to come. The extent of that of gridlock will be determined by the degree to which Senate Democrats -- and the White House -- choose to resist, or surrender to the massive Republican attack which looms. Some Democrats appear to have finally recognizd that their election debacle was directly connected to their failed attempts to appease Republicans over the past two years. Large numbers of Democrats seem to have drawn the completely incorrect conclusion, however, namely that their election fiasco was the result of insufficient surrender attempts. Never in living memory has a political party squandered its political momentum as rapidly as Democrats have done since 2008. Frustrating as this scenario is, working people must still deal with the consequences of this historic political shift.
For details on the attacks which House Republicans intend to launch visit the recent UE News article entitled "Election Results Foreshadow New Attacks on Working People."
Commenting on the start of the 112th Congress, UE Political Action Director Chris Townsend said, "This is no drill. Congressional Republicans are working hand-in-glove with their corporate and anti-union sponsors to begin launching a blizzard of assaults against workers. They have announced their intention to attack virtually every aspect of our livelihoods; our wages, our unions, our health care, our pension plans, our Social Security, our rights in the workplace, private sector, public sector, you name it. Their entire plan is to shift the blame and burden for every national and state problem onto the backs of workers. They are fully aware that our economy is rapidly disintegrating due to corporate profiteering and outright criminal looting. They are not begging for bogus "bipartisanship" or "common ground" with Democrats. Far from it. They have made their agenda quite clear; endless war and profit, endless growing debt, endless reduction of workers' wages and benefits."
Townsend continued, "Working people expect Congressional Democrats and President Obama to begin the counterattack without further delay. No more excuses or preposterous begging for "bipartisanship." We need leadership and resistance. It's time for Democrats to support working people and support our unions -- period. Republican governors in state after state are putting anti-union consultants and outright union busters on their state payrolls today; do Democrats plan to quickly appoint staff members to help working people organize unions and fight back? Why not? Does the White House plan to counter the anti-union Republican scheme by designating a national union organizer to lead some resistance to the corporate offensive? Why not? For all of the frustration of our current moment it will not have been in vain if we once and for all force the Democrats to really support organized labor in this critical moment."