Labor's Choice

Finally, this year working people have a real option at the polls. No more lesser-evilism. No more Tweedle-dee Democrats or Tweedle-dum Republicans.

The US Labor Party has a candidate for President on the ballot in 49 states. And, if the polls are to be believed, it could really happen this time: A working class President of the United States.

And, to think, it all started right here in Madison. Last year, when it became clear the Democratic majority in the House wasn’t really going to end the war or bring us single-payer health care, there was a revolt at the South Central Federation of Labor meeting. In the fracas, Jim Cavanaugh apparently forgot to decline the nomination and ended up the Labor Party’s nominee for President.

At the time no one paid much attention to our platform. For example, we called for the expropriation of private banks and the statization of the credit system. And, for a sliding scale of hours and wages, to provide good-paying jobs for everyone who wanted one. What seemed like socialist pie-in-the-sky back then now looks like good old fashioned common sense.

And we called for nationalization of the energy industry. This was when gas was only 3 bucks a gallon. And, before the Dem’s wimpy call for a tax on “windfall profits.”

And, now with Obama/Biden pledging to “maintain a residual force of troops in Iraq indefinitely,” and build up the war in Afghanistan, the Labor Party’s call for “all troops out now” resonates with those millions of voters who thought they had voted in 2006 to end the war.

When word got out about Cavanaugh’s run, union rank-and-filers across the country fanned out with nominating petitions. This in spite of a joint statement from John Sweeney and Andy Stern, ordering union members to “stick with our friends the Democrats.”

When the polls started showing a groundswell of support for the Labor Party platform, the Democrats and Republicans joined forces. While taking an occasional shot at each other, they spent millions on ads telling working people: “Don’t throw your vote away.” But workers weren’t listening anymore.

Then, the proverbial October Surprise: a month before the election, the Republicans and Democrats teamed up to bail out Wall Street. Americans were pissed and confused. They turned to the Labor Party for answers….

“Hey, Ron. Wake up, man.”

“Huh? Wha…?”

“You fell asleep at your desk.”

“Oh, yeah…. Shit. Think anybody noticed?

“Nah. All the bosses are at that management retreat today. It’s just you and me, man.”

“I was havin’ this great dream….”

“Yeah, I could tell. You had this big grin on your face when I came by.”

“What time is it?”

“Just about quittin’ time. You wanna go have a beer or somethin’?”

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