Union Busting

I am not one to blindly support unions and do I think the Big 3 automakers deserve blasting for their lack of foresight and vision. But have no doubt the Republicans have one agenda here and that is to bust the UAW a huge political force behind the democratic party.

Here are the facts, yes GM, Ford, and Chrysler are in trouble. Yes they put themselves in this position. They did not look to the future and put the development and resources into developing cars that would sell when the inevitable high fuel prices peaked. They went for short term gain rather then long term solutions, kind of like what the Congress has done for decades.

The UAW is not without fault either, yet, they have already negotiated down many things including labor rates, health costs and pension benefits that will bring the labor costs of the big 3 into competitive balance in 2010.

Congress is also at fault. We like to blast the Big 3 for making the wrong cars. Why because Congress also failed to show vision and push for higher cafe standards among other things.

Who else is at fault? The American consumer. The big 3 made the type of cars that we were buying. Last I checked, that is what a successful business is supposed to do. So as you whine and cry about your tax money going to this, be sure not the soil the seats on your gas guzzling SUV that you apparently needed to navigate the rough roads of the suburbs.

No one is happy about this, but the reality is we cannot let the last major manufacturing sector in our economy fail. The question is do we do it now getting reasonable concession and changes by all concerned before a complete recession, or do we let the republicans break the union and further damage our economy in the process.

The Weasel gets Away with it again

Joe the Weasel Lieberman who has continually thumbed his nose at democrats in his district and around the nation but once again gets away with it. The Democrats in the Senate once again show their total lack of spine to allow this traitor and despicable human being keep his leadership positions on committees and allowed him to remain in the Democratic Caucus.

I have news for you, this man will vote and say whatever he wants to get himself ahead personally. He is traitor to the voters in his district who he told was the "real democrat." They knew better and said no. Then with the help of Republicans he managed to run as an independent and got returned to the Senate.

Now comes the Presidential race. It is one thing to support a friend and even cross the aisle in that support, but the things he said, the cowardly attacks he made, to stand there while Barack Obama was called a terrorist sympathiser, socialist and worse was unforgivable.

Unity is one thing, but this man crossed way over the line to be forgiven. I cannot believe the other Senators allowed this man to pay no price for all of this.

Perhaps we are now stuck with this weasel, but I for one know very well my first campaign donation is going to whoever runs against the traitor in 4 years.

Brunner gets an A+

In 2004 the election process in Ohio was a sick joke after years of partisan manipulation to disenfranchise and manipulate the vote by Ken Blackwell. Jennifer Brunner has has worked hard and fought for the voters of Ohio and the results on election day show clearly she has succeeded.

Leading up to the election, she fought to make sure county boards of elections did their job to set up procedures and have the equipment necessary to make elections run as they should. For weeks she fought partisan attacks and court challenges that had one purpose to deny voters their right to vote.

Then came election day. Despite record turnout reports from all over the state reported few long lines, with the longest wait times in the neighborhood of one hour. Early voting helped with this as well as having sufficient machines and organization to handle each and every voting location smoothly.

The bottom line is clear. Our elections ran smoothly, efficiently and without any controversy. Voters can have confidence that their vote will count in Ohio once again.

Good job Jennifer Brunner.

This is Our Time, This is Our Moment

It has been hard for me to find the words to write today. So many emotions have overtaken me in the last 24 hours. Yesterday as I worked in a get out the vote office, there was confidence that this time would be different. Then I felt fear, do we have enough volunteers are we knocking on enough doors, is something going wrong at the polls. Exhaustion as I wondered if the day would ever be over.

Then as we were packing up the office and the very first polls closed, I was afraid to watch the television. Could something go wrong?.

Then as I was driving to the Pickerington Campaign for Change office, I heard on the radio NPR calling Pennsylvania for Obama. For the first time I felt absolute joy. I jumped up and down in my car seat. My cell phone rang. A volunteer who was behind me in her car saw me jumping asking me what happened, "why are you jumping up and down?" I told her, I heard her scream of joy.

I arrived at the office. About 50 of us that had worked together for months, making calls, knocking on doors, organizing, meeting, and so many things had gathered. A room full of people that didn't know each other 2 months ago. People of all ages, races, different neighborhoods, different jobs, we sat there together in the dark our eyes glued to the images coming in from MSNBC. People all with so much hope, yet still there was this twinge of fear, or was it disbelief.

Then they called Ohio for Obama. The room erupted. We were all on our feet, screaming yelling, hugging each other, and crying. What we all had worked for was happening. Next, dozens of us were outside all on our cell phones, calling our loved ones, our friends, our family, sharing the incredible moment.

We then watched and waited to see the election called nationally for Barack. More cheers, more hugs, more handshakes. We watched McCain's speech. Then Barack came out in Chicago. The room was silent once again as we listened to every word. Tears flowed, smiles were broad. Such incredible happiness of being part of history.

Barack Obama not only won an election. He did indeed lead a movement. He brought not only our group in Pickerington together for a common purpose, but he did this in towns, villages and neighborhoods throughout this country. He got us to believe again. He got us to hope.

I will never forget the people that I worked with the last few months. The young campaign staffers, who's drive and determination kept us all going, and working harder, sometimes more then we planned on doing. The ladies who were in that office every day doing whatever was needed. Making calls, cleaning, feeding us, keeping our spirits up. The hundreds of people I walked neighborhoods with, knocked on doors with, made phone calls beside.

The people that spent their Tuesday, to do whatever it took on election day. The people that walked 2 or 3 shifts for hours knocking on doors. The others that stood at the polls watching and counting and informing, including a 17 year old senior in high school who started her day at 6 am at our meeting place and spent the majority of the next 13 hours at a polling location.

We believed that this election was going to be different. We believed that we could do something to bring the change our country needed. We believed that if we worked hard enough, we could be part of electing Barack Obama President of the United States. What we believed came to be.

Thank you Barack Obama. Thank you to my new friends and neighbors. Thank you to my loved ones and family who put up with me not being around much the last few months. Thank you Ohio and thank you America.