The American unions are providers of many of the "Cadillac" health insurance policies that the Senate Healthcare Bill wants to tax in order to increase Medicare. ("Single payer"? Did someone say "single payer"? "Public option"? Did someone say "public option"?) Anyway, without going into that specific issue.
All right, then, briefly: I am always amazed at how many people on the British Right, who also do not seem to appreciate the sheer wealth of the older and/or larger trade unions, do not realise the unions' importance in providing such private health insurance as Britain has, though mostly the remaining blue-collar unions, since white-collar trade unionists tend to have principled objections.
So, anyway, without going into that specific issue, the American unions are threatening to call on their members to stay at home in November, rather than turn out and vote for Democrats. Essentially, this is the right approach. Financially and organisationally, unions should support individual candidates, of any party or none, based on public assent to specific policies. It works in America. And it would work here.
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I couldn't agree more. In general, I think any movement ought to try to avoid becoming chained to specific political parties. Political parties are just vehicles to get the policies you want passed. Additionally, when parties think your movement has sworn fealty to them and its members will vote for them no matter what, the parties will often start taking your movement and your votes for granted.
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