Big Guy visited a Detroit engine shop yesterday.
In a speech replete with the cadences of his late-inning campaign swings, Mr. Obama ratcheted up the pressure on Republicans, who are still resisting his call for higher tax rates on income above $250,000 a year, three weeks before a deadline that could set off across-the-board tax increases and automatic spending cuts.
Since BO isn’t running for anything right now, this can’t be characterized as a campaign stop, so let’s just call this visit for what it is: Bully Pulpit Propaganda (BPP®).
Here’s some information on background you might want to know, regarding Big Guy’s decision to visit Detroit: Michigan is finalizing the wording today on its “Right to Work” legislation that passed both houses last week. Massive union protests in the capital are expected, butt they will be to no avail, as it’s a done deal.
Also the presidential campaign proved both the popularity and efficacy of propagandizing the issues with what the media has defined as “low information voters” (MOTUS prefers the old fashioned term, “morons”). Therefore, BO’s taken to the road to once more use his powers of celebrity to elicit the support of as many “low information voters” as possible to heckle and harass Republican lawmakers – through the use of any social network means available to them - to raise taxes on the rich. Although this will do nothing to address the deficit, it will somehow make Democrats feel better, and ensure Big Guy of another notch in his belt.
For Monday’s BPP® stop, we chose a Daimler Detroit Diesel plant just outside Detroit.
You might appreciate a brief history of the company: “Detroit” Diesel was founded by GM in 1937 as the General Motors Engine Division where it manufactured really big engines for really big trucks.
During WWII, the factory built engines for tanks and landing craft for the military – over 57,000 in 1943 alone! Acquired by DaimlerChrysler in 2000, it was retained by the German Daimler company after they dumped their Chrysler acquisition and it’s now a wholly German owned company. Let’s hear it for good old American ingenuity! Now spread all over the world.
Anyway, Big Guy came to the plant not only to garner support for his “fiscal cliff” “solution” butt also to show solidarity with the unions against the mean old white Republicans
trying to give the people of Michigan a choice to either join the union or not. Which is sort of funny, since I thought the Dems were the party of “choice.”
So his visit had less to do with championing the “engine of democracy” and more to do with keeping the engine of union donations going strong. After all, they did put their money where their mouths are fed (Hello! can you say “U.S. Dept. of Labor Relations”?) and supported Big Guy’s campaign with mega-donations. Like the lady said, “that’s what you do” – it’s apparently called “quid pro quo” bacon in Washington.
The assembled UAW workers were revved up to hear BO’s comments siding with them against Michigan’s right to work legislation, and they weren’t disappointed:
And by the way, what we shouldn’t do -- I just got to say this -- what we shouldn’t be doing is trying to take away your rights to bargain for better wages and working conditions. (Applause.) We shouldn’t be doing that. (Applause.) These so-called “right to work” laws, they don't have to do with economics; they have everything to do with politics. (Applause.)
So we’ve got to get past this whole situation where we manufacture crises because of politics. That actually leads to less certainty, more conflict, and we can't all focus on coming together to grow.
Hee, that’s a good one! Big Guy’s a master of the Democratic art of turning your own tactics into accusations hurled at the other side (nota bene: highly recommended reading). Sort of a red herring/straw man argument all rolled into one. Need I even note that this works like a charm with our morons “low information voters”?
Well here, watch a master at work:
THE PRESIDENT: And the same thing -- we're seeing the same thing in Washington. I’m sure you've all heard the talk recently about some big deadlines we're facing in a few weeks when it comes to decisions on jobs and investment and taxes. And that debate is going to have a big impact on all of you. Some of you may know this: If Congress doesn’t act soon, meaning in the next few weeks, starting on January 1st, everybody is going to see their income taxes go up.
AUDIENCE: No!
THE PRESIDENT: It's true. You all don’t like that.
AUDIENCE: No!
THE PRESIDENT: Typical, middle-class family of four will see an income tax hike of around $2,200. How many of you can afford to pay another $2,200 in taxes? Not you?
AUDIENCE: No!
(snip)
THE PRESIDENT: Here is the good news: We can solve this problem. All Congress needs to do is pass a law that would prevent a tax hike on the first $250,000 of everybody's income -- everybody. (Applause.) That means 98 percent of Americans -- and probably 100 percent of you -- (laughter) -- 97 percent of small businesses wouldn’t see their income taxes go up a single dime. Even the wealthiest Americans would still get a tax cut on the first $250,000 of their income. But when they start making a million, or $10 million, or $20 million you can afford to pay a little bit more. (Applause.) You're not too strapped.
So Congress can do that right now. Everybody says they agree with it. Let’s get it done. (Applause.)
So when you put it all together, what you need is a package that keeps taxes where they are for middle-class families; we make some tough spending cuts on things that we don’t need; and then we ask the wealthiest Americans to pay a slightly higher tax rate. And that’s a principle I won’t compromise on, because I’m not going to have a situation where the wealthiest among us, including folks like me, get to keep all our tax breaks, and then we’re asking students to pay higher student loans. Or suddenly, a school doesn’t have schoolbooks because the school district couldn’t afford it. Or some family that has a disabled kid isn’t getting the help that they need through Medicaid.
There, did you see that? Raise taxes on the rich now, or poor children won’t get schoolbooks, and disabled children will not get needed care – although I think we may want to stop using that last example since Obamacare should take care of everything from now on, right?
The other interesting part of BO’s speech was this:
THE PRESIDENT: What’s going to make us succeed is we got the best workers -- well trained, reliable, productive, low turnover, healthy. That's what makes us strong.
Hee, again, here’s another story from yesterday that explains exactly why we have such low turnover. As it turns out, you can thank the unions for that too!
Chrysler workers who were fired or suspended two years ago after a MyFoxDetroit investigation found them drinking and goofing off during lunch break are back on the job.
MyFoxDetroit first aired the footage of the Chrysler workers in September 2010. Video showed them in a park during the work day, drinking alcohol from bottles covered in brown paper bags and smoking what appeared to be marijuana.(snip)
But MyFoxDetroit reports that following a union-backed arbitration process, the employees were reinstated. This week, they came back to work.
So cloak ‘em, smoke ‘em, toke ‘em and provoke ‘em – you’ll always have a job if you choose to join the union.
Seriously: who wouldn’t want to join the union? So I don’t see what they’re so upset about. It’s just a choice, after all. And if you’re not for choice, then you must be a big fat idiot.
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