I know I’ve missed a bunch of ads in the last weeks. Some of it is time restrictions. Some of it is that none of have been necessarily exciting. This one, however, featuring Joey Merrick, head of Local 341, is pretty good, in a local, rough-sawn, union kind of way.
Well John, if your research had been accurate, you would have been able to tell that Working Families of Alaska is the PAC for Laborers’ Local 341. The Laborers worked significantly to help reelect Don Young in 2008, and worked like hell to elect Lisa Murkowski in 2010. Not just with independent expenditure funds (which any FEC google search would reflect), but also with significant manpower Union’s like to refer to as “boots on the ground.” In fact, Senator Murkowski was so blown away by our efforts to reelect her that she gave her victory speech RIGHT HERE at our own Union hall– Laborers’ Local 341. A Union is prohibited from contributing it’s own funds to a candidate.
Be careful before you call anyone an liar. That’s a very strong and very vitriolic accusation. I’m a proud member of Laborers’ Local 341. And we are proud of our efforts to elect candidates that will fight for Alaska’s working families, Republican and Democrat alike.
Tbanks for responding Vince. I certainly agree that the money could be spent on better things.
Thanks for the honest inquiry Jon. The answer is a resounding NO! Though others will point to reports of how much unions are contributing (and openly disclosing) and suggesting that we are competitive on the money front, it’s a lot of smoke and mirrors, because most of the dark corporate money goes undisclosed.
Not to mention, all the billions that are wasted on all sides because of Citizen’s United could be put to work actually helping create real jobs and boosting the economy. Under the current laws, the rich get richer and spend it on ads, forcing everyone to raise money to compete, enriching mostly the media conglomerates who have jacked up their rates outrageously.
We are on record advocating for the overturning of Citizen’s United. It has and will continue to be a law that sells government to the highest bidder’s interests, rather than what is good for the citizens of this country.
If there is not evidence that labor unions supported these candidates (or any Republican candidate for that matter) through campaign contributions, then how can they make any substantive claim that they did? They are on record showing support for only Democrat candidates. Give some facts to support your claim of “strong support of Republicans” as is stated in the ad, or else this is simply election politics.
Give us the truth and I will be interested. Continue the lies and I will shrug you off.
Vince – are you happy with the freedom to spend that Citizen United gives to unions? This isn’t a gotcha question – I’m genuinely interested in whether unions like operating under this new system. There is so much focus on “dark money” and the Kochs, but it seems like the unions have also benefited because they are able to get their message out more easily and therefore play a bigger role in elections — all because of Citizen’s United. Is this an accurate assessment?
Regarding Don Young’s cowardice towards unions, he said it best;
“I’ll never be against unions, they have phone banks.”
Hey John Smith, careful, your ignorance is showing. Before Citizens’s United, unions didn’t need to have Independent Expenditure groups established to advocate on the public airwaves. Working Families of Alaska (the IE group) was established just a couple years ago. Labor unions in general, and the Laborer’s union (LIUNA) in particular, have always STRONGLY and publicly supported Murkowski, Young, and Stevens in every way legally possible. Dig a little deeper if you’re interested in the truth.
So, Working Families of Alaska is saying that they supported Murkowski, Young and Stevens. Interesting that they have no record of spending money for any of those candidates during their last elections cycles. In fact, there is no record of them ever supporting any Republican candidate in any race…ever.
In other words, this is another lie brought to you by a liberal union that is desperate to keep the money flowing from the government teet.
If anyone from this organization is reading this; you are liars.