On the road...

These past few days I have been on the road traveling through Minnesota, Wisconsin and now I'm in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan meeting with rank-and-file labor activists and progressive-minded labor leaders along with grassroots activists.

There is one thing everyone is talking about: working people are getting screwed and people are fed up with these Republicans--- the Republicans who now control the legislatures in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan and the two vicious thoroughly reactionary governors--- Walker in Wisconsin and Snyder in Michigan... two cowards who didn't have the courage to run on the anti-labor agenda they are now implementing.

The one bight spot is liberal Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton who is standing alone in trying to stand up for what is right and just for working people but is being pummeled by even most members of the Democratic Party who have more in common with Republicans and big-business interests than with working people.

The AFL-CIO leadership has refused to flex its muscle in Minnesota to back up Dayton--- of course these labor "leaders" were slow to endorse him, too; and after they endorsed him they did little to help elect him. Why? Because Dayton is too liberal for them? Labor leaders should be more liberal than anyone and they should be leading the fight against the Republicans.

Obviously Walker, Snyder and the Republican crowd had a "hidden agenda" as they piously and dishonestly campaigned on a platform of "fiscal responsibility." Their only agenda is about corporate profits.

Unions made a big mistake in backing Obama. Unions should have backed Hillary Clinton because with the massive upsurge from labor's rank-and-file now sweeping the midwest she would have "bent towards justice." Obama has proven to be nothing but a Wall Street stooge who is not going to "bend towards justice" in the way required to improve the lives of working people.

Obama has to go.

Labor needs to dump Obama in 2012.

Whether we Primary Obama with Hillary Clinton, Anthony Weiner, Russ Feingold makes no difference--- what we need is a president who when pushed by labor will "bend towards justice" the way President Franklin D. Roosevelt did with the New Deal reforms.

Wall Street has made a mess of things in this country and we need working people in the streets and voting for candidates that are going to stand up to the corporations; not buckle and give in. We need labor leaders that are going to fight to improve the conditions of working people not negotiate more concessions because corporate profits are soaring and Wall Street coupon clippers are making out like the bandits they are.

The problems we as working people are experiencing are not going to be solved without one hell of a fight.

Working people are fed up and ready to fight for what they are entitled to. It's time for labor's leaders to free up the resources for the battle.

We can beat back the attacks on labor coming from Walker and Snyder and give Mark Dayton the support he needs. But, simply waiting for election day isn't going to get the job done. We need to stop these Republicans in their tracks right now. This means more and more people in the streets leading up to an election day where workers are running their own candidates.