Virginians Say: Obama, U Betcha

by James Parks, Oct 27, 2008

It seems that working people in Virginia have gotten out the message about Sen. Barack Obama’s strong agenda for workers so well that Sen. John McCain’s campaign is running scared in the traditionally Republican state. But rather than talking about real issues, like the economic crisis, McCain’s operatives are using the tired old tactic of trying to divide voters, but it’s not working.

Recently, Nancy Pfotenhauer, one of McCain’s senior advisers, said on MSNBC that Northern Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C., didn’t qualify as “real” Virginia. She said:

Democrats have just come in from the District of Columbia and moved into Northern Virginia, and that’s really what you see there. But the rest of the state, real Virginia, if you will, I think will be very responsive to Sen. McCain’s message.

But union members across the state have another message for Pfotenhauer: Working people in every part of the commonwealth—Northern Virginia, Southern Virginia, Tidewater, Richmond—are poised to vote for change and a new direction for the country. (See video.)

Just ask the hundreds of workers who greeted Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin on a recent visit to Richmond, a city where, Pfotenhauer says, “real” Virginians live. Carrying signs with slogans like “Obama U Betcha” and “Wiser Older Women for Obama–Biden” and “It’s the Economy—Sarah. Don’t Change the Subject,” they cheered and drew honks of support from passersby.

Check out the Richmond “Welcoming Committee” for Palin and other Virginia actions on the Virginia AFL-CIO blog here.   

As AFL-CIO Secretary- Treasurer Richard Trumka says:

The movement in Virginia is one built from the ground up by affiliates across the state working together. It’s one movement of men and women, young and old, white collar and blue collar, of every race, every faith joining together, working together, fighting together, winning together.

That’s what the labor movement is all about. That’s what solidarity is all about and by God that’s what being a trade unionist in the Commonwealth of Virginia is all about.

One reason working people will make the difference in Virginia on Nov. 4 is the hard work of Working America, the AFL-CIO affiliate, throughout the state.

With more than 75,000 members in Virginia—nearly half of whom joined this year—Working America is contacting members and talking with them about the issues they say are important to them. Matt Fitting, field director of Virginia Working America, says the issues on his members’ minds are the same as those of other working people: the economy, jobs, health care and retirement security.

Dan Duncan, president of the Northern Virginia Central Labor Council, says McCain’s divisive tactics haven’t worked before—and won’t work now:

We went through this in 2006 when [former Sen.] George Allen claimed he represented the real Virginians. We saw what happened to him when real Virginians went to the polls. (Allen lost to Democrat James Webb).

Obviously the people who are using these tactics now haven’t learned from the past. Let’s prove something to them: Those who fail to study history are doomed to repeat it.

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Paid for by the AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education Political Contributions Committee, www.aflcio.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

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