Unions abandoning Dems, validating Steele/RNC strategic success

RNC chair, Michael Steele, has been under assault since the end of March over the so-called “scandal” of the staffer, picking up the tab for potential donors entertained at a bondage themed West Hollywood strip club. This demonization continues, despite a few pesky facts…. Steele was not there, nor condones such behavior; the staffer, Erik Brown, was fired since he had already been previously called on the carpet for abuse over ineligible expenses; and the perp agreed to reimburse the RNC for the funds.

Tough to be a scandal when you’re missing… well… a scandal. Bad apples? They can be found in any organization, party, and on staff at the WH. At least the RNC policed their own…. unlike Obama’s AG, letting the Black Panther election intimidation squads off the hook completely. Talk about scandal….

What has been most interesting is the critics of Steele themselves… most are liberals not associated with the RNC, but thrilled to take advantage of any scandal that can work to their political advantage. Others are disgruntled “conservative/Republicans/Independents” who wanted to use the moment to call for Steele’s head on a platter for whatever their sundry reasons.

Another arm engaging in the Steele/RNC witchhunt is the media… and in this article’s case, it’s indirectly on the taxpayers’ dime. Peter Overby at NPR, existing in a large part by federal pass thru grants, takes it upon himself to expand on the media hype by emphasizing that the RNC is (gasp) “… spending more money than it’s raising..”

Okay… wow. Revelation. So is Congress. Where’s Overby’s commentary on that little ditty? Or is it bad form to bite the hand that feeds you?

Overby’s “concern” about the RNC’s fiscal status becomes even more baffling when you consider any RNC deficit doesn’t involve taxpayer dollars, but private donors. Were there any justified outrage, should it not come from donors themselves?

But riling up the RNC donors lies at the heart of Overby’s article, and the bulk of the media. There is a concerted effort to cut off cooperative funding to the party that is raising more than it’s oppposition. Why the negative press? Because the Steele/RNC spending is working.

Few of the media care to acknowledge the unheralded success that is now unfolding in the midst of this Steele/RNC witchhunt. And in that success lies an unlikely, and most likely unwilling accomplice… unions. Look at where the RNC money was spent, and the results.

As RNC spokesman Doug Heye says:

“We have spent more money, and we’ve invested that, whether it’s been in Virginia for the successful governor’s race; whether it’s been in New Jersey, also for that successful governor’s race; Massachusetts, for Scott Brown’s election,” he said. “But then also in states that aren’t really on people’s radar screens yet.”

That includes states such as Pennsylvania, with a state Supreme Court race that could affect redistricting in 2011.

So was RNC funds for the MA race and Scott Brown well spent? I don’t thing you’ll get much argument from conservatives on that election. How about Chris Christie in NJ? A pure success story…. now, enter the unions, and the union dog eat Dem dog show.

Organized labor losing ground in N.J. legislature

New Jersey’s public employee labor unions, long seen as a potent political force and often depicted as an 800-pound gorilla looming over the Statehouse, are running short of friends in Trenton.

Public labor unions have found no refuge among Democrats, their traditional allies. Democratic labor leaders in the Legislature have been among the most vocal supporters of cuts to government benefits, saying taxpayers can no longer afford the perks.

Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D., Gloucester), business officer for an ironworkers’ local, made cutting public employee pensions and health coverage his first priority as head of the chamber. Fellow Democrats, sensing unease with high taxes and public resentment toward government workers’ benefits, joined behind him and the governor.

Even Sen. Donald Norcross (D., Camden), president of the Southern New Jersey AFL-CIO, rose to speak in favor of a series of pension and benefit cuts that won overwhelming support in the Senate and Assembly and were signed into law last month. More than three of every four lawmakers voted for the measures. Both the Senate and Assembly are controlled by Democrats.

“People in the labor movement feel like Democrats are abandoning their friends, are being intimidated by the governor’s attack on public workers, and are failing to articulate a clear defense of the workers who provide the education for our kids and the services that the people of the state depend on,” said Robert Master, the Communications Workers of America’s regional political director. “It’s very disappointing.”

He raised the possibility of unions’ fielding their own candidates in next year’s elections.

Gotta love it… unions looking for their own candidates because the NJ State Dems in power aren’t cutting the mustard…. What’s ironic is that the Dem majority NJ legislature seems to provide the appropriate lip service, if not the appropriate response to lobbying.

Christie blew into power when the long held Dem state was drowning in debt approaching $11 bil.

New Jersey’s budget crunch is hardly unique; dozens of states face similar predicaments. But a budget relying almost exclusively on spending cuts puts the state in a much smaller peer group, along with Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia — all led by Republicans, a number of them with national aspirations.

“Time has run out, and the bill has come due,” Mr. Christie said in a speech frequently interrupted for applause, mostly from Republicans.

The budget would probably mean higher property taxes for most homeowners, at least in the short term, as local governments try to make up for the diminished state financing. But the governor is also proposing constitutional amendments and legislation to cap property taxes and spending at the local, county and school-district level.

Mr. Christie campaigned last year attacking the teachers’ and public workers’ unions and their costly contracts, and his budget lived up to his words: The $820 million cut in school aid is 7 percent of the total funding, and the 1,300 state workers being laid off come from a work force of about 65,000.

The governor said “the watchwords of this budget are shared sacrifice and fairness,” yet his spending plan calls for only modest tax increases on insurers and hospitals, eliminates the film-production tax credit, and halves a tax credit for high-tech businesses.

Naturally the budget cuts are bringing the usual “children are suffering” accusations to light. And no one is more PO’ed that the NJEA union, who managed to bring prayer back to the class room briefly to “pray” for Christie’s death.

Bergen County representatives of the state teachers union have ratcheted up the campaign against Governor Christie’s agenda in a fiery memo that encourages members to “get some dirt” and “go public,” and adds the education commissioner to the “attack list.”

But it’s the memo’s closing “prayer” that is sure to ignite controversy:

“Dear Lord … this year you have taken away my favorite actor, Patrick Swayze, my favorite actress, Farrah Fawcett, my favorite singer, Michael Jackson, and my favorite salesman, Billy Mays. … I just wanted to let you know that Chris Christie is my favorite governor.”

But of course, the publication of what this bizarre group considers “humor” in the media has prompted a very quick mea culpa apology. Not much else they could do, yes?

But that’s not the only place where the unions are turning on their own. Enter the infamous SEIU in North Carolina who’s make good on the threat to start their own third party in order to “punish” the moderate Dems who dared to vote against O’healthcare.

In a shot across the bow of Dems, the labor powerhouse SEIU is starting a new third party in North Carolina that hopes to field its own slate of candidates, part of an effort to make the Democratic Party more reliable on issues important to labor, I’m told.

SEIU officials setting up the new party, called North Carolina First, are currently on the ground collecting signatures to qualify as a state party, SEIU officials tell me, adding that there are around 100 canvassers on the ground right now. The goal: To have the party up and running so candidates can run in this fall’s elections.

It won’t be lost on political observers that three House Dems who voted No on reform are from the state: Heath Shuler, Mike McIntyre, and Larry Kissell.

This interesting event has me wonder if RNC’s NC chief of staff, Ken McKay, resigning just days ago amid the bruhaha isn’t feeling just a touch the fool, and seriously premature is his impulses. Oh ye of little faith….

Now I ask you… if Christie hadn’t won in NJ with the help of the RNC and Steele, and if Scott Brown had not won in MA with the help of the RNC and Steele, would North Carolina’s SEIC be starting their own third party Dems? Would there be the infighting between the NJ Dem legislature and the NJEA?

Genuinely, I’m not here to say Steele is the perfect RNC chair. Anyone taking that position has an uphill climb over image damage, and had to start with an inferior “new age info” grassroots communications machine. And as disclosure, I write this as one of a confirmed “non party”, independent kind of political mindset.

But here’s the skinny…. I see no logic to the demonization of Steele. Unless, of course, you want to play into the hands of liberal/progs determined to noodge the RNC into dumping Steele so they can use it to yet again portray the party as racist.

You ought to take note of just who’s driving the witchhunt, and think about their underlying agenda. If it’s some results and effect for the money spent you want, you’d better pay attention to the successes. Because I assure you, the media’s not going to put two and two together for you to spell out successful results. But the biggest clue should be the focus of thrust on kicking out a guy who’s making some headway in important arenas.