The latest from President Biden:
Tuesday, I’ll go to Michigan to join the picket line and stand in solidarity with the men and women of UAW as they fight for a fair share of the value they helped create.
It’s time for a win-win agreement that keeps American auto manufacturing thriving with well-paid UAW jobs.
— President Biden (@POTUS) September 22, 2023
This is good. A couple of days ago, Paul Waldman wrote at MSNBC that to stop Trump’s “union stunt” in its tracks, that’s just what the President should do. Trump, you probably heard, is planning to address the strikers on Wednesday during the second Republican Party presidential debate.
United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain had asked the President to come and stand with the workers on the picket line earlier today. (Fain is a French surname, but every time I hear his name i think of Sinn Féin, the Irish political party, pronounced Shin Fain. But I guess he’s not Irish.) Politico:
The announcement of his trip was seen as a seismic moment within certain segments of the labor community. “Pretty hard-core,” said one union adviser, who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Trump’s plans for Wednesday seem a bit vague, but I understand he will speak to a “room” of auto workers. Some news stories call it a “rally.” He has no plans to visit the picket lines at this time. And he was not invited to do so by Shawn Fain.
Shawn Fain, the UAW president who has previously said that a second Trump presidency would be a “disaster,” seemed to argue against Trump’s efforts.
“Every fiber of our union is being poured into fighting the billionaire class and an economy that enriches people like Donald Trump at the expense of workers,” Fain said in a statement issued Tuesday. “We can’t keep electing billionaires and millionaires that don’t have any understanding what it is like to live paycheck to paycheck and struggle to get by and expecting them to solve the problems of the working class.”
Dave Green, a UAW regional director in Ohio and Indiana, said the former president’s actions during his time in office give him “zero credibility” with organized labor now, adding that he doesn’t see a way the UAW would ever endorse Trump.
“His only intention here is to try and get votes for himself. And also divide our members against each other using political rhetoric,” Green told The AP on Monday.
The first thing Trump said about the strike is that “The autoworkers are being sold down the river by their leadership, and their leadership should endorse Trump.” This is the leadership the union members elected. Trump’s argument is that the auto workers will soon all lose their jobs because electric cars will be made in China. I hope Biden explains why that’s not going to happen.
See also Trump’s Anti-Worker Record; Trump says he always had autoworkers’ backs. Union leaders say his first-term record shows otherwise; and (from 2020) The Trump administration’s attacks on workplace union voting rights forewarned of the broader threats to voting rights in the upcoming election.
Other Republicans aren’t exactly meeting the moment, either.
“I think Ronald Reagan gave us a great example when federal employees decided they were going to strike. He said, you strike, you’re fired. Simple concept to me,” Scott said at the Iowa event. “To the extent that we can use that once again, absolutely.”
The UAW has filed a labor complaint against Scott. Nikki Haley, meanwhile, went out of her way to call herself a “union buster.”
The strike will soon expand to 38 locations in 20 states.
In other news: There are some things you can count on to happen regularly. Flowers bloom in the spring. The Old Faithful geyser keeps doing its geyser thing. Beer sales spike before the Super Bowl. Dogs bark at squirrels.
And Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey is suspected of corruption. This seems to happen regularly. There’s always somethng with Menendez. But I think they’ve got him this time. The governor of New Jersey, also a Democrat, wants Menendez to resign. Chuck Schuner does not, for some reason. I’d rather he were out of the Senate, frankly.
Good to see some proactive action from the Biden PR shop! They let stump bullshit much of the country during the ohio rali accident, hopefully they learmed their lesson. They cant rely on our corporate media to report the truth when it comes to stumps formidable bullshit machine!
Of course Menendez is innocent!
Would a guilty man and his guilty wife keep around $500,000 of their filthy lucre in cash hidden in their house, mostly stuffed in the Senator's suits? And hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of gold bricks, stashed around the house?
I mean, come on!
Think about it!!!
Uhm…
Wait.
I just thought about.
Of course the SOB is guilty! Would YOU keep that much moolah around the house? I sure as hell wouldn't!
And this time – the 3rd time! – he needs to resign.
But if he won't – and it doesn't look like he will – the Dems in the Senate (and NJ) – unlike the RepubliKKKLANS, with tRUMP and Santos -need to keep trying to get his corrupt ass out of the Senate!
Oh, and corrupt Senator Menendez, please stop using your Latin-American heritage as a shield.
No one has it in for you because of your heritage.
The DOJ has it in for for your corrupt dealings!
Third time's the charm, Bob!
And three strikes, and you're OUT!!!
From what I've seen so far, it appears everybody in the Democratic Party wants Menendez to resign except Chuck Schumer. Why Chuck is the odd man out, I don't know.
Me neither, maha.
I mean, NJ's Governor, Murphy, is a Democrat.
So it's not like if he was a Republican, and could affect affect the balance of the Senate by putting someone from his/her party in Menendez's place.
What's up with this, Chuck?!?
Imagine drawing the short straw, and finding yourself to be the poor hapless stooge who has to tell tRUMP that Biden decided to go and march WITH the UAW strikers – and on the day BEFORE tRUMP has scheduled his BS faux UAW speech as counter programming to the GQP debate, no less!
Before they sent him in, I hope they gave the poor SOB the kind of blast-suit they give to bomb squad members!!!
BRILLIANT MOVE, TEAM BIDEN!!!!!!!!!!
If what the prosecution says pans out in court, Menendez will do time in prison. At the moment, he's doing the required dance. (Proclaim innocense, jump to the left, accuse DOJ of targeting you, step to the right, try an ethnic or class prejudice excuse, hands on your hips, swear you won't be deterred by this political attack, bring your knees in tight. But it's the pelvic thrust that really drives you insane…"
There will be a credible primary challenge by a House member from NJ with a reputation for fund-raising. While donors usually sit out challenges against an incumbent, I think this will be different. The timing could not be better. My guess is that Menendez will run discovery by his lawyer and if it's a tight case, make a deal that includes his resignation. (If Trump is elected, Menendez will get a pardon and a cabinet position.)
If any news agency has people with more than three adjacent brain cells firing, they will interview the people at the Trump rally and check for UAW affiliation. Yeah, they will be waving signs and creating the fake image of union support for Trump but my guess is that no more than 10% of the crowd will be union people. Trump will promise that by force of his personality, (just like in The Apprentice) he will sit down with both sides and even though the workers get shafted by management, Trump will make sure they enjoy it. (I cleaned that up from the first draft.)
From what I read, the auto industry has done very well of late but wages for auto workers have seriously lagged inflation. Joe should be ready with the facts and make the photo op about standing with workers against being exploited by billionaires.
Ideally, there should be a one-two punch next week. Biden backing UAW and workers in general. Trump getting caught packing his speech with (maybe) paid supporters and non-union human props for a phony claim that Trump would end the strike and everyone would love it. Biden is gonna take a position and Trump is gonna play politics for votes without declaring.
With my long memory. I seem to recall that the autoworkers gave up a lot of benefits in the 2008 crash to save the corporations.
It's about time for the corporations to give A LOT back to the workers
OT: tomorrow is the deadline for Trump's lawyers to respond to Jack Smith's request for a limited gag order. Since the request by the prosecutor, Trump attacked Gen. Miley who may be on the witness list for the DC trial. (We don't know but Trump would know through discovery.)
I suspect Judge Chutkan will make a decision soon after. I doubt that Trump's lawyers will say anything that requires a rebuttal from Smith. But regardless of Chutkan's decision, Trump is already in multiple violations of the terms laid down in the DC case. He's gonna violate any order that any of the judges in the criminal trials make.
IMO, Trump could not take even a few days in jail. (I did months – I didn't like it.) Trump has NEVER lived anything except a soft life. No military service and nothing in the way of skills acquired through discipline. Trump's people might freak out – I can understand a judge being wary of setting off riots.
The other option might be to order Trump to appear in DC court to explain his social media posts, each and every time he makes one. This screws up Trump's schedule which is punishment by itself. Trump might ignore an order to appear, and the judge would have to be willing to respond.
Trump is playing chicken with the judges – all of them – hoping that if he's "persecuted", his minions will rise up with violence. There's an alternate view that the judges will allow Trump to threaten and intimidate with the hope and expectation that the jury will return a guilty verdict and the judge can deliver payback in sentencing.
Also, when is someone going to question that Trump is a flight risk. Pull his passport and warn all US pilots that Trump is not allowed to leave the US until all criminal trials are concluded, including appeals.
Well maybe Trump didn't exactly have traditional military service, but he did go to a military themed school for wayward boys. According to him it's the equivalent to being in the military. I don't know what kind of experience Trump had at his school, but I'm sure he was never in a situation where he found himself balled up in a fetal position knowing his life was no longer in his hands and he was begging a god who he never believed in to take him quickly rather than get mangled like so many others he had seen. That bag of shit Trump should just get a taste of what it is like be on the recieving end of a Katusha rocket attack.
Then he's got the ignorance of not wanting America to see the price paid by America's servicemen and women when they get mangled fulfilling their duty to their country. He's just a big odious bag of shit. It boils my blood to think anybody could look up to him and respect anything about him. Even his comment about John McCain not being a hero is a big slap in the face to any Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine who have put themselves in harms way to serve our country.
I've said it before and I'll say it again…I wish misery on that big bloated self serving bag of shit! Misery to the 10th power.
I doubt she'll send him to jail, just yet. There's a few other things she can do: fine him, move up the trial date, etc.
At the very least, she can haul him and talk directly down to him (instead of through his lawyers), and explain to him who is the boss. This is actually the best thing she could do because: it's a complete humiliation, and would probably spur more violations from Trump, whereupon more severe measures – including jail – could then be imposed. There's an art and science to tightening the screws.
Just curious… I'm wondering if Ted Cruz is still carrying around his pocket edition of the U.S Constitution. A while back it seemed like he and his dog eared pocket Constitution were inseperable. I haven't seen him whip it out and quote it's precious words in several years and I'm wondering if he was sincere in his undying devotion to carry it close to his heart at all times or whether he was just using it as a political prop?
Ted hasn't been able to find a copy of the US Constitution that doesn't include the Fourteenth Amendment, which he doesn't dare talk about.